Roskilde, a Viking Town in Copenhagen's "backyard"

Roskilde is most famous for its Viking Ship Museum, the Roskilde Cathedral, and the "Land of Legends" open-air museum. I know it sounds a bit nerdy and not very adventurous, but trust me you will not regret the experience. 

Roskilde is a smaller Danish city, located at around 35 kilometers west of Copenhagen. Roskilde is also world known for its annual festival, which this year takes place on the 29th of June. 

Roskilde Music Festival

Darupvej, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark

The Viking Ship Museum is a fun experience whether you are or not a Viking fan. It will give you an idea of how the Vikings lived during the 11th century.  The museum displays five Viking vessels in its hall; these ships were used during the Viking era, to fight off enemies coming towards the town through naval pathways. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to dress up like a Viking and take some fun pictures. To fully immerse into the experience climb onto one of the vessels, which is equipped with all sorts of goodies in case of a battle. 

The second part of the museum is the Boatyard, where you can see how boats were constructed and reconstructed by the boat builders. To finish off your one of a kind Viking experience, you can take a boat trip from the Museum’s harbor with a guided tour. 

Viking Ship Museum

Vindeboder 12, 4000 Roskilde, Danemark

Roskilde Cathedral 

Even if cathedrals are not your thing to visit during a trip, the Roskilde Cathedral is a rather unique place and part of the UNESCO world heritage. The cathedral took more than 100 years to build and was amongst some of the first buildings built with gothic architecture in Northern Europe. It is the Cathedral’s architectural style and art history, which makes the site so unique. More than 40 queens and kings of Denmark have been buried at the Cathedral, making this the largest royal burial site. 

Roskilde Cathedral

4000 Roskilde, Danemark

Grocery Shop from 1920s

When in Roskilde, make sure you have a quick stop over at the Lützhøfts grocer shop. When in the shop, you will feel like you went back in time since it dates back to 1920s. Lützhøfts grocer is known for its numerous delicacies, including herring. I would highly recommend visiting the shop, even if you don’t intend to buy anything. It will be a very unique cultural experience for anyone. 

Lützhøfts grocer shop

Ringstedgade, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark

Lejre Land of Legends (open-air museum)

Last but definitely not least place to visit, is the Land of the Legends open-air museum, which is actually located a few kilometers outside of Roskilde, towards the west. Lejre Land of Legends is a museum, which takes you back to the Iron, Stone and Viking Ages. The open-air museum gives you a glimpse of houses from those Ages, as well as of various other activities that took place, such as artwork, crafts, wood chopping, grinding flour and much more. 

Lejre Museum

Orehøjvej 4 B, 4320 Lejre, Kobenhavn, Denmark