Day trips · Updated October 2026
Day trips from Copenhagen by train: eight easy trips, no car needed.
Here in Denmark we take the train for almost every day out from Copenhagen. Castles, a world-class art museum, the Viking ships and two Swedish cities are all about an hour or less from Central Station, on trains that run several times an hour and need no reservation. Below are the eight trips we would choose, with journey times, one-way fares, what the Copenhagen Card covers and the closing days that catch visitors out.
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The best day trips from Copenhagen by train are Kronborg Castle in Helsingør (about 45 minutes), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art at Humlebæk (about 35 minutes), Roskilde for the cathedral and the Viking ships (about 25 minutes) and Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød (about 40 minutes). For a second country, Malmö is 35 to 40 minutes over the Øresund Bridge (from DKK 96 one way) and Lund about 50 minutes. Odense, Hans Christian Andersen's town, is the long one at about 1 hour 15 minutes. You do not need to book the short trips: buy a ticket in an app before you board, or use a Copenhagen Card DISCOVER, which covers the Danish trips and their main sights.
Journey times, fares and opening hours were checked on 29 October 2026 against the official sources listed at the foot of this page. Prices are "from" prices and change by season, so confirm them when you go. Conversions use US$1 ≈ DKK 6.65 (ECB reference rate, 21 October 2026).
Day trips from Copenhagen by train, compared
All times are from Copenhagen Central Station (København H). Fares are for one adult, one way, in second class.
| Day trip | Train and time | One-way fare | Copenhagen Card DISCOVER | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roskilde | Regional or InterCity train, about 25 min | Zone ticket, under DKK 100 | Train, cathedral and Viking Ship Museum included | The cathedral can close for church services |
| Kronborg, Helsingør | Coastal train (Kystbanen), about 45 min | Zone ticket, under DKK 100 | Train and castle included | Closed on Mondays from November |
| Louisiana, Humlebæk | Coastal train, about 35 min, then a short walk | Zone ticket, under DKK 100 | Train and museum included | Closed every Monday |
| Frederiksborg, Hillerød | S-train line A, about 40 min, then a 15-min walk | Zone ticket, under DKK 100 | Train and castle included | Open every day, a good Monday choice |
| Malmö, Sweden | Øresund train, 35 to 40 min | From DKK 96 | Not included | Take your passport |
| Lund, Sweden | Øresund train, about 50 to 55 min | From DKK 109 | Not included | Take your passport |
| Helsingborg, Sweden | Coastal train to Helsingør, then a 20-min ferry | Zone ticket plus the ferry | Train only, not the ferry | Take your passport |
| Odense | DSB InterCityLyn, about 1 h 10 to 1 h 20 | Orange tickets from under DKK 100 | Not included | Andersen's House closed on Mondays in November and December |
1. Kronborg Castle in Helsingør: our first choice
The Kystbanen coastal train runs north along the Øresund to Helsingør in about 45 minutes, several times an hour, and Kronborg is a 10-minute walk from the station along the harbour. This is the castle Shakespeare used for Hamlet: a Renaissance fortress on the narrowest point of the strait, with Sweden in plain sight across the water. Go down into the dark casemates to find the sleeping statue of Holger Danske, walk the ramparts, then have lunch in Helsingør's old town.
- Tickets: DKK 150 at the gate or DKK 135 online (about US$22 / US$20); children go free.
- Closed: on Mondays until 30 December (it opens on Monday 28 December), and on 24, 25 and 31 December.
- Time needed: a full day with the town, or half a day for the castle alone.
Book Kronborg Castle tickets (Tiqets) → The full plan is in our Kronborg Castle day trip guide.
2. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
Louisiana is on the same coastal line, about 35 minutes from Central Station, and a signposted walk of 10 to 15 minutes from Humlebæk station. The building is half the reason to go: low glass corridors that open onto the sea, and a sculpture park that runs down to the water. Adult entry is DKK 145 (about US$22) and under-18s go free. The museum is closed every Monday and stays open until 22:00 from Tuesday to Friday, and until 18:00 at weekends.
Kronborg and Louisiana are the one pair we would combine on the same day: the castle in the morning, then the train back south to Humlebæk for the late opening. See our Louisiana day trip guide.
3. Roskilde: the cathedral and the Viking ships
Roskilde is the quickest trip on this list, about 25 minutes by regional or InterCity train, with several departures an hour. Roskilde Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds the tombs of around 40 Danish kings and queens. Adults pay DKK 80 and under-18s go free; from October to April it opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00 and on Sunday from 13:00 to 16:00. It can close at short notice for church services, so check its calendar on the day.
A walk of about 15 minutes downhill through the park brings you to the fjord and the Viking Ship Museum, home to five original Viking ships raised from the fjord. It is open every day: 10:00 to 16:00 in winter (19 October to 30 April), when adult tickets are from DKK 130 (about US$20), and 10:00 to 17:00 in summer, when adults pay from DKK 165. Under-18s go free, online tickets are DKK 10 cheaper, and the sailing trips on the fjord run only from May to September.
Roskilde is almost entirely indoors, so it is the right choice on a wet day, and it makes a satisfying half-day. Our Roskilde day trip guide has the walking route.
See guided Roskilde and Viking tours (GetYourGuide) →
4. Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød
Take S-train line A from Central Station to the end of the line at Hillerød, about 40 minutes, then walk about 15 minutes to the castle by the lake. Frederiksborg is the most ornate castle interior near Copenhagen, with a gilded chapel, the Great Hall and the Museum of National History, plus formal Baroque gardens. Adults pay DKK 125 (about US$19) and under-18s go free. It is normally open every day from 10:00 to 17:00, Mondays included, which makes it the castle to choose when Kronborg is closed. See our Frederiksborg Castle day trip guide.
Would you rather not plan the trains at all? A guided minibus day covers Kronborg, Frederiksborg and Roskilde in one go, with pickup in central Copenhagen.
Check dates for the Kronborg, Frederiksborg and Roskilde tour (GetYourGuide) →
5. Malmö, Sweden: a second country in 40 minutes
Øresund trains leave Copenhagen Central Station about every 20 minutes, stop at the airport and cross the Øresund Bridge to Malmö C in 35 to 40 minutes. A single adult ticket costs from DKK 96 (about US$14). Buy it before you board in the DOT or Skånetrafiken app, or at a ticket machine, because tickets are not sold on the train. There can be ID checks at the border, so take your passport.
In Malmö, walk from the station through Gamla Staden to Stortorget and Lilla Torg, see the Turning Torso and the beach at Västra Hamnen, and have a Swedish fika. Shops take cards everywhere, so you do not need Swedish kronor. Our Malmö day trip guide has a full route.
6. Lund, Sweden
Lund is the next stop after Malmö on many Øresund trains, about 50 to 55 minutes from Copenhagen, with single tickets from DKK 109. It is an old university town with cobbled streets, a Romanesque cathedral with an astronomical clock, and the open-air museum Kulturen. It is smaller and calmer than Malmö, and the two are about 10 minutes apart by train, so you can see both in one long day.
7. Helsingborg, Sweden, by train and ferry
Take the coastal train to Helsingør, then walk from the station to the ferry terminal next door: ferries cross to Helsingborg in about 20 minutes, several times an hour. This is the most scenic way to reach Sweden, and it works neatly with Kronborg, as the castle is a few minutes from the terminal. In Helsingborg, climb to the medieval tower Kärnan for the view back over the strait. A through train ticket to Helsingborg costs from DKK 160, or buy a zone ticket to Helsingør and a separate ferry ticket.
Check Helsingør to Helsingborg ferry times (Direct Ferries) →
8. Odense: the longer trip, for Hans Christian Andersen
DSB InterCityLyn trains reach Odense in about 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 20 minutes. This is the only trip here where booking ahead pays: Orange tickets on a specific train are sold from under DKK 100, while a flexible ticket on the day costs much more, and a seat reservation is DKK 30. H.C. Andersen's House, the museum around the writer's life and stories, costs DKK 165 for adults. It is closed on Mondays from 1 November to 30 December 2026, apart from 28 December. With two to three hours each way, plan Odense as a full day. See our Odense day trip guide.
Which tickets to buy for day trips by train
- Zone tickets in the DOT app: trains to Roskilde, Helsingør, Humlebæk and Hillerød all use zone tickets. In 2026 these range from DKK 24 for 2 zones to DKK 92 for 13 zones, and every trip on this list is under DKK 100 one way. Up to two children under 12 travel free with a paying adult.
- Copenhagen Card DISCOVER: covers trains in all zones of the Capital Region plus entry to Kronborg, Louisiana, Frederiksborg, Roskilde Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum. It costs from DKK 589 for 24 hours, DKK 859 for 48 hours and DKK 1,039 for 72 hours. Two of those museums plus the train fare already cover a large part of the 24-hour price, so it pays on a busy castle day. Our Copenhagen Card guide does the maths.
- Copenhagen City Pass: transport only. The City Pass Large (from DKK 200 for 24 hours) covers all the Capital Region zones, including Helsingør and Roskilde, but no sights.
- Sweden and Odense: neither card covers them. Buy Øresund tickets in an app or at a machine before boarding, and Odense tickets from DSB.
Buy the Copenhagen Card DISCOVER (Tiqets) →
Mondays, winter and other things that catch visitors out
- Mondays: Louisiana is closed every Monday, Kronborg on Mondays from November, and Andersen's House on Mondays in November and December. Choose Roskilde, Frederiksborg, Malmö or Lund instead.
- Christmas: Kronborg is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December, and many sights shorten their hours. See Christmas in Copenhagen for what is open.
- Daylight: in December it is dark by about 15:45, so start early and save the indoor museums for the afternoon.
- Weekend engineering works: lines sometimes close for track work, with replacement buses. Check the DSB journey planner the evening before.
How to plan a day trip by train
Start from Copenhagen Central Station or Nørreport, which most of these trains serve. Leave by 9:00 to have a full day, as most sights open at 10:00 and close at 16:00 or 17:00 in winter. Buy the ticket in the app before you board, keep your phone charged for the ticket check, and look up the last convenient train back; most lines run late into the evening. If you are going straight from a flight, trains from Copenhagen Airport reach Central Station in about 15 minutes, and our Copenhagen Airport guide covers the options. Checked out already? The DSB lockers at Central Station take bags for 24 hours; see our Copenhagen luggage storage guide.
Prefer a fixed-price airport transfer? See Welcome Pickups →
Where to stay for day trips by train
Stay close to Copenhagen Central Station and every trip on this list starts with a short walk. Vesterbro, just west of the station, has the widest choice of mid-range hotels and good restaurants on Istedgade and in the Meatpacking District. Indre By, the old town, is a little further but puts you near Nørreport station, where the coastal and S-trains also stop. Our where to stay in Copenhagen guide compares the areas.
Want the whole trip planned for you?
Our Copenhagen in 5 Days PDF (€9.97, about US$11.20) is the day-by-day plan with maps, timings and booking notes, including a day out by train.
Day trips from Copenhagen by train: FAQ
What are the best day trips from Copenhagen by train?
For a first visit: Kronborg Castle in Helsingør (about 45 minutes on the coastal train), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art at Humlebæk (about 35 minutes), Roskilde for the cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum (about 25 minutes) and Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød (about 40 minutes on the S-train). Malmö and Lund in Sweden are 35 to 55 minutes away over the Øresund Bridge, and Odense is the longer trip at about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Do I need to book trains for day trips from Copenhagen in advance?
No, not for the short trips. Trains to Roskilde, Helsingør, Humlebæk, Hillerød and Malmö run several times an hour and take no seat reservations, so you buy a ticket in an app or at a machine before you board. Only the InterCity trains to Odense are worth booking ahead, because the cheaper Orange tickets are sold for one specific train.
How much is the train from Copenhagen to Malmö?
A single adult ticket from Copenhagen Central Station or the airport to Malmö C costs from DKK 96 (about US$14) in second class, and the trip takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Buy it before you board, as tickets are no longer sold on the train, and take your passport.
Does the Copenhagen Card cover day trips by train?
The Copenhagen Card DISCOVER covers trains and buses in all zones of the Capital Region, which includes Helsingør, Humlebæk, Hillerød and Roskilde, and it includes entry to Kronborg, Louisiana, Frederiksborg, Roskilde Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum. It does not cover the trains to Sweden or to Odense.
Which day trips from Copenhagen work on a Monday?
Roskilde, Frederiksborg Castle, Malmö and Lund. The Viking Ship Museum and Frederiksborg are open every day, while Louisiana is closed every Monday, Kronborg is closed on Mondays from November, and H.C. Andersen's House in Odense is closed on Mondays from 1 November to 30 December 2026, apart from 28 December.
Can I visit two places in one day by train from Copenhagen?
Yes, if they are on the same line. Kronborg and Louisiana are both on the coastal line north of Copenhagen, and Kronborg pairs well with the 20-minute ferry from Helsingør to Helsingborg in Sweden. Malmö and Lund are on the same Øresund line, about 10 minutes apart. Roskilde and Frederiksborg are on different lines, so we would not combine them.
Sources, checked 29 October 2026: Kronborg tickets and hours from kronborg.dk; Louisiana hours and tickets from louisiana.dk; Viking Ship Museum hours and prices from vikingeskibsmuseet.dk; Roskilde Cathedral from roskildedomkirke.dk; Frederiksborg from dnm.dk; Øresund trains and fares from Öresundståg.
Also checked: zone tickets and the City Pass from publictransport.dk; InterCity tickets from DSB; H.C. Andersen's House from hcandersenshus.dk; Copenhagen Card prices from copenhagencard.com; exchange rates from the ECB.
God tur from Team Nord Guide, nord-guide.com.
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