Cover Picture © Credits to sagnlandetlejre
Cover Picture © Credits to sagnlandetlejre

Planning a trip? Build a personalized plan with Maya - your AI travel assistant by Live the World

Chat with Maya

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

2 minutes to read

Travel Tips For Roskilde

Get personalized advice based on this article from AI assistant Maya
Get the most authentic Art and culture experience. Check out these guided tours and skip-the-line tickets around Roskilde.
If you use the above links, you pay the same price and we get a small commission - thanks for your support!

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
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. 

Picture © Credits to istock/Gim42
Picture © Credits to istock/Gim42

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
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. 

Picture © Credits to istock/klug-photo
Picture © Credits to istock/klug-photo
Picture © Credits to istock/klug-photo
Picture © Credits to istock/klug-photo
Roskilde Cathedral
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. 

Picture © Credits to istock/roskildemuseum
Picture © Credits to istock/roskildemuseum
Lützhøfts grocer shop
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. 

Picture © Credits to sagnlandetlejre
Picture © Credits to sagnlandetlejre
Lejre Museum
Lejre Museum
Orehøjvej 4 B, 4320 Lejre, Kobenhavn, Denmark

Want to plan a trip here? Talk to AI travel assistant Maya.





The author

Masa Mesic

Masa Mesic

My name is Maša, born in Croatia but grew up in Prague. I have a great passion for gastronomy, yoga and languages. Follow my journey, as we travel through Denmark and Czechia.

Plan a trip with Maya - your AI travel assistant

Chat with Maya

Stories you might also like