Best Museums in Copenhagen
Home · Copenhagen · Museums
From the classic SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst and Rosenborg Castle, to lesser-known spots worth adding to your trip.
★ 4.6 · 6,771 reviews
Step into SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark in central Copenhagen. Move through centuries of art from Renaissance masterpieces to modern works, and catch a temporary exhibition along the way.
★ 4.6 · 27,764 reviews
Explore Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen's Renaissance royal palace in the heart of the King's Garden. Walk through period royal chambers and see the Danish crown jewels and regalia up close.
★ 4.5 · 33,174 reviews
Step into Amalienborg, where the Danish royal family still lives around a grand octagonal square. Tour the museum's royal interiors and treasury, then watch the guards in front of the palaces.
★ 4.7 · 17,878 reviews
Escape to Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, perched by the water at Humlebæk. Wander indoor galleries and outdoor sculpture-park lawns, take in temporary shows, and pause at the cafe before heading back by train.
★ 4.5 · 14,419 reviews
Explore the National Museum of Denmark, set in an 18th-century mansion in central Copenhagen. Trace Danish history from the first settlers onward, with the Viking collections as a standout.
★ 4.6 · 15,264 reviews
Discover Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen's temple of antique sculpture and 19th-century art in Indre By. Wander among Mediterranean statues, French and Danish masters, and the palm-filled Winter Garden.
★ 4.6 · 1,451 reviews
Discover the Home of Carlsberg, where Copenhagen's best-known brewing story unfolds on the original brewery grounds. Wander interactive exhibitions, the bottle collection, stables and gardens at your own pace, then finish with your included drink.
★ 4.6 · 18,366 reviews
Step into the castle behind Hamlet at Kronborg, perched right on the Øresund. Wander through the banqueting hall and royal chambers, then walk the waterfront grounds with Sweden in view across the strait.
★ 4.3 · 8,561 reviews
Spend time at Designmuseum Danmark, an 18th-century rococo building full of Danish and international design. Trace industrial design through the centuries and catch the temporary exhibition.
★ 4.4 · 26,714 reviews
Spend a day at Copenhagen Zoo, set in the green heart of Frederiksberg. Walk beneath Foster's elephant house, watch polar bears in the Arctic habitat, and queue for a look at the pandas.
★ 4.3 · 5,152 reviews
Head out to ARKEN in Ishøj for contemporary art in a building as bold as the shows inside. Move through rotating exhibitions and the permanent painting, sculpture and photography collection, then pause at the cafe.
★ 4.5 · 1,666 reviews
Slip into Thorvaldsens Museum, a canalside neoclassical building that doubles as Bertel Thorvaldsen's resting place. Stroll three bright floors of sculpture and antiquities set in elegant, atmospheric halls.
★ 4.3 · 4,838 reviews
Step into the Danish Architecture Center, where exhibitions on buildings and cities unfold over several floors. Work your way up to the top-floor cafe for a view of the city and a drink.
★ 4.5 · 2,553 reviews
Explore the Copenhagen War Museum inside Christian IV's centuries-old arsenal. Browse cannons, muskets, models and modern military kit, following stories told in both Danish and English.
★ 4.6 · 3,457 reviews
Travel back in time at The Open Air Museum, where farms and houses from 1650 to 1940 sit in open countryside near Kongens Lyngby. Wander between historic buildings, meet old livestock breeds and chat with costumed staff.
★ 4.7 · 1,888 reviews
Walk into the David Collection for Islamic art displayed in an elegantly designed setting. Study detailed craftsmanship and the European and Danish early modern sections, with free entry and room to linger.
★ 4.3 · 2,341 reviews
Descend into the Cisterns in Søndermarken, a cool underground reservoir turned art space. Walk the damp, dripping cave-like halls to experience whatever installation or performance currently fills the dark.
★ 4.5 · 1,459 reviews
Head north to Museum Ordrupgaard in Charlottenlund for art and Danish design in a quiet garden setting. See the collection, admire the architecture, and step into Finn Juhl's former home on the grounds.
★ 4.1 · 384 reviews
Visit the Danish Jewish Museum, set in a 17th-century house with a bold contemporary interior. See objects and mementos that trace Jewish life in Denmark, then rest in the small garden outside.
★ 4.4 · 2,232 reviews
Spend the day at Experimentarium in Hellerup, a science centre built for touching and testing. Try the interactive exhibits, catch a live demonstration, and let the kids burn off energy on the rooftop playground.
★ 4.6 · 826 reviews
Slip into the Hirschsprung Collection, a small gallery in a park devoted to Danish art. See works by Hammershøi and other masters, then browse the museum shop.
★ 4.4 · 2,651 reviews
Explore the Workers Museum, where Copenhagen's labour history unfolds across four well-organised floors. Step inside a 1915 apartment, follow the fight behind Denmark's welfare system, and finish with smørrebrød downstairs.
★ 4.2 · 114 reviews
Test your eyes and your sense of balance at the Museum of Illusions in Indre By. Tilt through rooms that distort size and gravity, spin through the vortex tunnel and solve puzzles while collecting photos that look impossible.
★ 4.3 · 1,815 reviews
Step into the Museum of Copenhagen, housed in a refined mansion in Indre By. Follow the city's story from its earliest history to modern culture and browse the rotating exhibitions.
Discover Medicinsk Museion, a medical museum inside an 18th-century royal academy in Indre By. Study centuries-old instruments, real medications in the psychiatry room, and the unflinching specimens of The Body Collected.
★ 4.3 · 1,286 reviews
Step into Kunsthal Charlottenborg, a 1672 palace turned contemporary art space in Indre By. Walk through changing exhibitions, look out over the Nyhavn canal from the upper floor, and unwind in the courtyard bar.
★ 4.1 · 582 reviews
Try Enigma, a museum of communication, codes and code breaking. See an original Enigma machine and test the interactive exhibits, with a dedicated play area for kids.
★ 4.2 · 1,435 reviews
Duck into Nikolaj Art Gallery, a contemporary art space inside a converted church in Indre By. Walk through changing exhibitions under the old church roof, then stop at the cafe or bookshop.
★ 3.9 · 1,233 reviews
Look up at Planetarium Denmark, where a giant domed screen turns the universe into a film. Watch a full-dome space show, then wander the exhibitions on astronomy and the Earth before heading back out.
★ 4.5 · 417 reviews
Spend an evening at Cinemateket, Copenhagen's home of film culture. Catch a Danish or international film on one of three screens, then linger over a drink at the cafe or on the rooftop.
Copenhagen · 🎨 Museum
SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst
1h30
Copenhagen · 🏛️ Landmark
Rosenborg Castle
1h15
Amalienborg Palace
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
2h30
National Museum of Denmark
2h
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Copenhagen · 🍸 Drinks
Home of Carlsberg Experience Entry Ticket
Kronborg Castle
Designmuseum Danmark
Copenhagen · 🎭 Entertainment
Copenhagen Zoo
4h
ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art
Thorvaldsens Museum
1h
Danish Architecture Center
Copenhagen War Museum
The Open Air Museum
David Collection
Cisterns in Søndermarken
45 min
Museum Ordrupgaard
Danish Jewish Museum
Experimentarium
Hirschsprung Collection
Workers Museum
Museum of Illusions Entry Ticket
Museum of Copenhagen
Medicinsk Museion
Kunsthal Charlottenborg
Enigma
Nikolaj Art Gallery
Planetarium | Denmark
Cinemateket
