If you are searching for a beautiful castle to visit in Denmark, Frederiksborg Castle is an excellent choice. Only a short-day trip from Copenhagen, this castle holds Denmark’s Museum of National History. Around 500 years of Danish history rest within this stunning Renaissance castle. In fact, Frederiksborg Slot is the largest Renaissance complex in the Nordic region.
Planning a day trip to Frederiksborg Castle from Copenhagen is relatively simple. This information will help you to plan an easy day trip to this amazing part of Denmark.
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Where Oh Where is Frederiksborg Castle?
In Northern Denmark sits a small yet charming town called Hillerød. Here you will find the impressive castle, Frederiksborg Slot. If you are wondering, ‘Slot’ means ‘castle’ in Danish.
To get there, you will only need to take a train from Copenhagen Central Station to Hillerød St. Station. It takes about 1 hour. From Hillerød St. Station you will take an easy walk through the town or around the water to the castle. The walk takes about 20 minutes, or less if you don’t stop to take a thousand photos as I did.
A Little History
Frederiksborg Castle was built in the early 17th century by King Christian IV. The building of the complex occurred from 1560 to 1620, and the castle was first renovated in the 1730s. Before you enter the castle, you will see a large fountain in the courtyard. At the top of the fountain is a statue of the Roman god of the sea, Neptune. This statue was built for Christian IV to demonstrate his command of the waters in Denmark.
Frederiksborg was a royal residence during the 17th century, but by the end of the 18th century, it became the home of the royal collection of portraits.
In the mid-19th century, King Frederik VII moved in and married Louise Rasmussen who became Countess Danner. Together, they renovated the castle again to make it more modern. This included installing fireplaces and stoves for heat. The addition of heat led to a major fire in 1859, which destroyed many parts of the castle.
The fire led to the castle becoming a museum in 1878 which is the purpose it still serves to this day.
What to See at Frederiksborg Castle
The Castle Chapel
The chapel in Frederiksborg Castle is one of the places that survived the fire essentially unscathed. It is one of the first parts of the castle that you will tour upon entering.
When you visit the chapel, stop to look at the organ. It is a Compenius organ, created in 1610 by Esajas Compenius. It is a beautiful instrument, and if you happen to be there on a Thursday, they do recitals at 1330, which are free for those visiting the museum.
From 1660 to 1848, Kings of Denmark were anointed in this very chapel. Since 1693, it has been the Knight’s Chapel for the Orders of the Elephant and Dannebrog. These are Danish Royal orders of chivalry. You can read more about them here.
When you walk in, you will notice several coats of arms adorning the walls. Many of these were awarded to international heads of state, such as Nelson Mandela.
One room that is connected to the chapel is the King’s Oratory. This room was burned in the fire but restored later on. There is a great collection of paintings held here. Take a look at the stained glass windows. They are incredibly intricate and tell a story if you are able to follow along.
The castle chapel still serves as a parish church. Make sure that you explore it to your heart’s content while you visit Frederiksborg!
The Frederiksborg Castle Gardens
The gardens that you will find behind the castle, were created in 1720 by J. Krieger. The main, center garden is in the baroque style, meaning that it is very symmetrical. Baroque gardens are meant to impose order on nature.
By the end of the 18th century, the gardens were no longer being properly cared for. They were restored to their former glory in the 1990s. I am glad that they were restored because walking through is a very relaxing experience.
You will also find a Romantic-style English garden to the left of the Baroque garden as you walk away from the castle.
Wandering through the gardens is a pleasurable experience. I found lovely plants and flowers and even some herbs such as lavender and rosemary growing. This is a great place to relax and take some amazing photos of the castle.
In the summer, there is a café that you can enjoy in the gardens. I just imagine sipping some tea and reading a good book.
Visit Frederiksborg Castle
The museum covers the late middle ages to present day history of Denmark. It is 75 DKK for an adult to enter, or free with a Copenhagen Card. There is so much to Frederiksborg that I did not mention, such as the collection of paintings, furniture, and rotating exhibits. You must go and see them all for yourself! This castle is an amazing piece of Danish history.
I highly recommend taking this day trip from Copenhagen. If you have more time, you could even stay in Hillerød for a few days and explore. Not much farther north, you will find Kronborg Castle, also known as the castle that inspired Hamlet. That is absolutely happening on my next trip.
Make sure that you also check out my guide to Copenhagen. It is an amazing city full of literary and historic delights.
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Sounds lovely, it’s a shame that the fire destroyed so much of it but maybe if that hadn’t have happened then the castle would have never turned into a museum!
That’s a good point! Without the fire, people could still be living there today. That’s pretty cool to think about.
Definitely, it would still be cool if people were living there but I think I like it better as a museum.