4 Easy Day Trips from Copenhagen, Denmark

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If you find yourself in Denmark’s capital city of Copenhagen and have a few extra days, you may want to visit some of the nearby cities and towns that you can easily explore as a day trip while using Copenhagen as a base. This post covers 4 of the most popular day trips from Copenhagen and how to get there!

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1. Frederiksborg Castle

Frederiksborg Castle is one the most popular day trips you can take from Copenhagen. Located 43 km from the city, you can easily hop on a train from the city center to the castle. Built in the 17th century this castle is the largest Renaissance complex in the Nordic region. Once there, you can spend a good few hours exploring Frederiksborg and its vast gardens. I really enjoyed all the well preserved rooms and artifacts. The chapel in particular was beautiful but the grand hall and its incredible chandeliers was a total show stopper.

How to Get to Frederiksborg

Frederiksborg Castle is located in Hillerød and is easy to get to from Copenhagen.

By Car: It will take you 43 km and 40 minutes to get to Frederiksborg Castle by car

By Train: Getting to the castle by train takes about 55 minutes to an hour in total. Take a train from either
Nørreport or Köbenhavn H (Copenhagen Central Station) to Hillerød. From Hillerød station you can either take bus 302 or 301 or walk 20 minutes to the castle. The bus station at Hillerød is right in front of the train station as you exit the train. Before getting on either bus 301 or 302 ask if it’s going to the castle. Both do but one may get there faster than the other depending on the time. The bus stops right in front of the castle.

Helsingør

This hidden gem can be easily visited from Copenhagen. The main attraction is Kronborg Castle which provided the setting for William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” In addition to visiting the castle, you can also visit the interactive maritime museum built inside an old dry dock and explore the waterfront (with Sweden across). make sure to walk around the Old Town and grab lunch and then drinks in one of the squares.

How to get to Helsingør

By Car: If you go by car from Copenhagen, it is about 45 km and 40 minutes north of the city

By Train: Take a DBS train to Helsingør from Copenhagen Central Station. The journey takes 50-55 minutes and trains run every 15 minutes of so.

Combine Trip

If you want to, you could combine Frederiksborg Castle and Helsingør into one day. The journey between the 2 cities takes about 40 minutes. Or check out this tour below that combines it for you and takes care of all the logistics.

The next two day trips from Copenhagen are actually in Sweden. Remember to take your passport with you.

Malmö

A 40 minute train ride from Copenhagen Central station brings you to the Swedish city of Malmö. This city is Sweden’s third largest after Stockholm and Gothenburg. It is a big city but the main attraction is its Old Town or Gamla Staden. You could easily spend a full day and afternoon in Malmo and return to Copenhagen in the evening.

How to Get to Malmö

By Car: The car ride takes about 42 km and 45 minutes.

By Bus: There is a bus that runs from Copenhagen Central station but this takes 1 hour 15 minutes to even longer. This is a cheaper option that the train.

By Train: The ride takes only 41 minutes from Copenhagen Central Station or even less from the Airport station. Trains go very frequently.

I used Omio to purchase my tickets!

Lund

The Swedish town of Lund is such a charming city! I really enjoyed my time in Lund and highly recommend visiting. Lund has been around since the tenth century and its cathedral dates back to 1090–1145. The cathedral is famous for its astronomical clock. Lund also has a university dating back to the 1600s. This city is very compact and easily walkable. My favorite part was walking through all the colorful streets and cute houses. There is also a botanical gardens and a highly recommended museum that you can explore.

How to get to Lund

By Car: Lund is located 60 km from Copenhagen and takes just under an hour.

By Train: Hop on a trail from Copenhagen Central Station and get to Lund in a little over 52 minutes.

Combined Trip

A good plan is to visit Malmo and Lund on a day trip from Copenhagen would be to leave Copenhagen in the morning, visit Malmo until early afternoon and then hop on a train to visit the nearby city of Lund. The train journey takes around 14 minutes between the 2 cities. See HERE for my detailed guide. Alternatively, you could also check out the tour below that will take care of everything for you!

Check out rates below if you are renting a car for any of these trips!

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