Offbeat Copenhagen Day Trips: 5 Days
Five days adds Frederiksborg Castle’s overlooked baroque garden to the Malmo, Louisiana, Roskilde, and Kronborg spine, each reachable from Copenhagen Central in under an hour by train. This builds on the 4-day itinerary with one more castle; the 6-day version adds Dragor’s yellow-cottage village to close out the full roster.
Book these before you go:
- Book a Malmo day trip tour , useful if two countries’ ticketing apps sounds like too much admin
- Browse a guided Roskilde tour if you want the Viking history filled in on the way
- Check Kronborg Castle tour options for a guide who separates the Hamlet legend from the actual history
- Compare Copenhagen hotel rates , since all five days start from the same station
| Day | Focus | Train time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malmo, Sweden | 35-40 min |
| 2 | Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek | ~40 min |
| 3 | Roskilde | 25-27 min |
| 4 | Kronborg Castle, Helsingor | ~46 min |
| 5 | Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerod | 35-40 min |
Day 1: Malmo, Sweden
The Oresundstag crosses the bridge and tunnel every 15-20 minutes, Copenhagen Central to Malmo Central in roughly 35-40 minutes, one-way fares from about 150 SEK (EUR 13-17). Malmo is Sweden: a different currency (Swedish kronor, not Danish kroner, despite the shared “kr” symbol), and random ID checks happen at the border even though both countries share Schengen. Skip the old town’s Stortorget square in favor of Vastra Hamnen, the Western Harbour, a former shipyard rebuilt around Santiago Calatrava’s twisted Turning Torso tower, the actual reason to make the trip. Half a day covers it properly. For the full Malmo rundown, including where to eat, see the Oresund Bridge guide .
Day 2: Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek
A coastal train from Copenhagen Central takes about 40 minutes to Humlebaek, running several times an hour, then a 10-15 minute walk to the museum. Entry runs 145 DKK adult, 130 DKK student, under-18 free. Louisiana is the sleeper hit of this whole region: a sprawling building and sculpture garden set right on the Oresund strait, with Sweden visible across the water, and the setting does as much work as the art inside it. Most Copenhagen plans never mention it, which is the actual mistake, not a lack of time.
Day 3: Roskilde
A regional train from Copenhagen Central reaches Roskilde in 25-27 minutes, one-way from about 84 DKK, with well over 100 departures a day, so there’s no real reason to plan around a schedule. The Viking Ship Museum charges 160 DKK adult (under-18 free) to see five genuine 11th-century wrecks pulled from the fjord, and from roughly May to September adds a 50-minute sail on a reconstructed ship for another 120 DKK, weather permitting. Roskilde Cathedral, the UNESCO-listed church holding eight centuries of Danish monarchs, now charges 80 DKK, up from 70 before July 2026. The two sights sit about 1.5km apart, a 20-minute walk or a quick ride on bus 203.
Day 4: Kronborg Castle, Helsingor
The Kystbanen coastal train runs from Copenhagen Central roughly every 20 minutes, a 46-minute ride, one-way from about 78 DKK, then a 10-minute walk along the harbor into Helsingor. Entry is 135 DKK. Shakespeare set Hamlet at “Elsinore,” the English version of Helsingor, but there’s no evidence he ever visited Denmark; the connection is entirely literary, and the actual building, a UNESCO-listed 16th-century Renaissance fortress, earns the trip without it. Kronborg and Louisiana sit on the same coastal line, so a fast-moving version of this trip could combine both in one day if you’d rather compress the schedule.
Day 5: Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerod
S-train Line A leaves Copenhagen Central every 10-20 minutes and reaches Hillerod in 35-40 minutes, then a further 15-minute walk to the castle. Entry runs roughly 125 DKK adult, under-18 free (verify current pricing on dnm.dk ), covering Denmark’s grandest Renaissance palace and the Museum of National History inside it. Most visitors do the state rooms and leave without seeing the baroque garden behind the palace, terraced and symmetrical, built to be admired from the castle’s own windows above. That garden, not the interior, is the actual reason this stop belongs on the list.
Should You Pair Frederiksborg With Louisiana on the Same Day?
No. They sit in opposite directions on different train lines out of Copenhagen Central, so combining them means a full loop back through the city between stops. Treat each as its own day, as scheduled above, unless you’re starting before 9am and comfortable with a genuinely long day of trains.
Can You Combine Kronborg and Louisiana Into One Day Instead?
Yes, unlike the Frederiksborg pairing, this one works: Humlebaek and Helsingor sit on the same Kystbanen line, roughly 15-20 minutes apart by train. Doing both in one day frees up a day elsewhere in this itinerary, useful if weather cancels one of the other stops.
Five days covers every gateway except Dragor; if the Kronborg-Louisiana combo above frees a spare day, use it for a half-day loop out to Dragor rather than waiting for the 6-day version .