Christiansborg Palace
Location
Essentials
- Experience 800 years of history
- Explore Royal state rooms
- Learn more with a guided tour
Practical info
Includes
Access to Royal Reception Rooms, Royal Kitchen, Royal Stables, and the Ruins
Optional guided tours (depending on availability)
Children
Free entry for 0-17 year olds without a ticket, when accompanied by a paying adult
Opening hours
Royal Reception Rooms, Royal Kitchens & the Ruins:
Monday – Sunday: 10.00 - 17.00
Royal Stables:
Monday - Sunday: 13.30 - 16.00
Ticket information
Ticket directly available on smartphone
Tickets can be rescheduled or cancelled up to 48 hours in advance
Rooms at Christiansborg Palace might without notice be closed in connection with the Royal Family’s use of the palace
More information
If there are wheelchair and walker users among the visitors, please inform the Palace Administration before the visit
For questions about the product, please contact [email protected]
Accessibility
Getting there
Public Transport
The nearest stop is Gammel Strand (metro M3 & M4 and bus 2A, 23, 26, 31 & 37).
About
A centre of power open to the public
Christiansborg Palace is both a royal palace and a government building. It is the only building in the world to house all three of a country’s branches of government, the executive, legislative and judicial (Supreme Court). And several parts of the building are still in use by the Danish monarch.
As it centralises the different powers within Denmark, the building is often used as a metonym for the Danish political system. However, parts of the building in use by the government are not open to the public. You can however visit the Royal Reception Rooms with The Great Hall and the Queen's tapestries, The Royal Kitchen, The Ruins under the palace and Christiansborg Palace Chapel.
Royalty and ruins
During your visit to Christiansborg Palace you can explore the royal rooms and ruins on your own or choose to take a guided tour. The Royal Reception Rooms are used by the King of Denmark to receive foreign kings, queens and presidents. The Great Hall is where the King hosts magnificent gala dinners, it’s walls are decorated 17 colourful tapestries which represent 1100 years of Danish history.
The Royal Kitchen have been restored to how they looked during the reign of king Christian X. Here you can follow the preparations for a gala dinner to mark the king’s Silver Jubilee on the 15 May 1937, which catered to 275 guests. The Palace Chapel is usually only open on Sunday except in July when it is open all week.
The current palace is the third building on this site and under it you can visit the ruins of both Bishop Absalon’s Castle (1167) and Copenhagen Castle (14th-century). The largest ruin is the curtain wall from Bishop Absalon’s Castle, which protected the castle from Wendish pirates.
Buy tickets to visit Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace is the city centre of Copenhagen, and has been so for over 800 years. This is the place to visit to truly feel Danish history. If you prefer to explore the different parts of the palace on your own instead of waiting for a guided tour to start, you can use the Useeum app.
It has free audio guides about the tapestries, the Royal Reception Rooms, the Ruins under the palace and a tour outside the building. For those who enjoy a good puzzle, the app also has a free scavenger hunt “The Museum Mystery”, where you can help prevent the theft of one of Christiansborg Palace’s invaluable treasures. The app is available in English, Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian and Chinese.
Reviews
131 reviews
Central place
This palace is one of the main royals in the city. the area around it is a nice place to walk around It performs administrative functions as well as being open to the public. It is near the routs and and easily connected
A gorgous royal residence
The palace is the traditional home of the royals in Denmark and is incredible. The rooms are huge and so sumptiously decorated. There are interesting objects and decorations in every room and a story in them all. Lots of information about the royal family was really interesting. A lovely place.
Nice to see
Beautiful architecture. Great location. It’s worth visiting. Picturesque. It’s huge to walk around it. Older but well maintained.
Climb the Borgen tower for free and get great city views!
Climb the tower atop the Borgen building as seen in famous TV series. Amazingly, it's free and gives great views over whole of Copenhagen. One can even see the famous bridge, name given to another famous Danish murder series.
Excellent Palace to visit - Don't miss the Royal Dinner Preparation video in the Kitchen
I bought the 2:30 pm entrance tickets for all the entry areas but things like the Royal stables closed at 4 pm (not 5 pm like other parts), so it was not enough time. We got there at 4:03 pm and were escorted out. The main first area is the ruins under the castle with lots of broken walls. You can spend a lot of time here with the stories to read and narration about the poor women who were accused of witchcraft and tortured and imprisoned. We did have trouble finding our way out and had to backtrack the way we came. If you are claustrophobic or don't like dark underground areas, you may want to skip this part. Also, there is no seating if you have trouble walking and standing. We did spend too much time there when there was so much else to see and could have saw the stables if we had not been reading most of the signs/listening to the audio. Make sure you go to the bathroom by the ticket area, since there are not bathrooms in the ruin areas and they are quite extensive with other associated exhibit areas. You will need to walk to the different buildings to see everything. At the castle, we enjoyed seeing the guided tour of the Royal Reception rooms and dining areas. My favorite was seeing the kitchen area and watching the video about how the food is planned and prepared at the kitchen of another castle then brought here and re-heated and assembled and served. There is another area with Orders given to the royalty by royalty of other countries, medals, ceremonial robes. Excellent palace to visit and see all the areas. The changing of the guard was especially good since they march to different guarded entrances to relieve the guard which gives you several opportunities to get a good view without a bunch of people and phones blocking your shot. Through the window of the palace, I saw a man with lots of medals on his suit and a well dressed lady watching the changing of the guard and tourists. I was excited at seeing some of the Royal Family or other dignitary, but I was also grateful that I am a commoner and could look out the windows of my house in my pajamas without having hundreds of tourists taking pictures and videos of me.
Borgen comes to life!
If you’ve watched Borgen this is a must! Visited the royal apartments which are very well organised and maintained (to the point they give you shoe covers before entry!). To be able to stand behind the balcony inside the royal apartments is great. The only throne room left in Danish history is also here. Highly recommended. Takes around an hour, but there are other parts of Christiansborg to visit other than just the Royal Apartments - you can climb the tower for example.
The City's Palace and Castle
A very impressive castle and it's in the middle of town, so very easy to get to. It is very large and is set on a big open square, so many people are set up taking their photos here, and for a good reason.
Lots to see
There are so many areas to see that we had to pass on the stables and chapel but did see the horses pulling a carriage or two. The royal apartments and kitchens are interesting but the underground ruins are not quite as interesting unless you are into witches and magic!
Must visit attraction
We visited the stables, ruins and reception rooms which were all worth visiting using the Discovery Copenhagen card. The reception rooms were very impressive and a delight to walk around
Royalty & Government.
Showcasing around 900 hundred years of Copenhagen's important Governmental and Royal History this is easily worth the purchase of the CPH alone. First there is the tower and it's amazing views of the City from all sides - this is free and worth the lift / climb to the top. Next is the extensive foundations of the various previous buildings. Informative narratives and atmospheric lighting and audio adds to the experience. This took at least 45 mins to an hour and is vast. Finally the palace and its state rooms is a must for anyone who enjoys heritage tours of stately homes and the like. Notably the modern tapestries in the main hall, spot the scenes and faces across the vast room and its contents. A self -guided tour was our choice as we made our way around.
Lots to see with the stables, rooms, ruins and kitchen all offering something different.
Every aspect of our visit was perfect! We visited the Royal Reception Rooms, the ruins under the castle, the Royal Stables and the Royal Kitchen - once we worked out how to get in to the building! We accessed all the buildings using our Copenhagen Card making it good value. There was so much history and it was all presented so well without being overwhelming. Every aspect was different and we couldn’t fault any aspect. We spent around three hours here and being right next to a Metro station helped too.
Absolutely worth a visit
We spent a good 2.5hrs here, and it's really well put together. The ruins of the 1500's castle are particularly interesting and not only does it explain Danish history but draws in history of other countries. For us especially the UK history of the witch trails. Definitely get an audio guide, we don't normally but it gave a much deeper insight. The royal reception rooms are also a must. A particular portrait really brought to live the Danish royal family and connections to so many other royal families such as the Tsar of Russia, the UK royal family and others. The route you take is very well thought out do you don't miss anything There are plenty of toilets and lockers for belongings. Each area has its own entrance fee but it's included in the Copenhagen card. Definitely worth a visit
"Beautiful rooms" above & "structural remnants" below :)
Among the "royal reception rooms" almost all of "spacious sizes" and also with sizeable "paintings & tapestries" (although not a palace with various-sized royal apartments & such as was seen in some other palaces visited elsewhere in Europe but yes not a unique one either having visited apart from this palace those in similar settings with just large rooms), quite nicely seen were: the library room with a fairly-impressive number of books in display cases; the dining room with a great-length table long enough I would say for like a royal banquet & such; the room with quite a number of "sizeable & colorful" tapestries (which yes is my favorite room in this palace for quite an outstanding feature among those tapestries which is their "brightness of colors"!); the room quite appropriately named as "velvet room" with these huge-sized velvet fabrics in frames displayed on the walls; and the throne room with chairs for the King & the Queen, the balcony on one side for like "royal viewing" on important occasions, and actually also seen in the room right beside a "TV presentation" of the King & the Prime Minister addressing a large crowd below (from the balcony as just mentioned). And with 3 other areas on my all-inclusive ticket apart from the "reception rooms", it was some nice learning of the palace history at the "underground ruins" with still-somewhat-extensive remnants (like stretches of walls & such) of the 2 castles once existed on the same site (& also many info displays, miniature models & a documentary show), and just for a quick walk-around was at the "royal kitchen" which is mainly just one big room with many "big pots & big spoons" on display but where I also saw a "small food-elevator" (to send up food to the upper floors of the Palace), and yes pretty much just for a skip was the "royal stable" after deciding not to wait for its opening in the afternoon (but actually having seen some small open-coach drawn by a number of horses going around in like a circle on the open ground right in front of the stable in the early morning while waiting for the Palace to open). And yes, as for the 2 "free areas" within the premises of the Palace, it was a brief stop at the "royal chapel" (with a moderate size & just quite a "plain interior"), but seeing a long queue of people was at the bottom of the "viewing platform" which I decided not to go up (in any case at the end of visit on my way out). About a half-hour walk from the area of the Copenhagen Central Station where I stayed and with also like a canal which "goes around" this palace (with a few bridges to cross to get to here & from here after departing), I headed afterward for about another 10 minutes to Nyhavn (a "beautiful stretch" along a canal with colorful heritage buildings on both sides and just quite a lively scene both in the canal with many boats & on land with many establishments lined up along the stretch).
Christiansborg Castle
The historical artifacts, the royal history of Denmark and walking through a castle that is hundreds of years old was quite enjoyable. We visited with the Copenhagen Card which allowed us entry into all of the different areas. The ruins under the castle were a unique thing to see.
A one hour visit
A very beautiful place to visit. My friend took me here and shared quite a bit of Danish history about this place and the royal family. I went on a Saturday afternoon around 3pm in January and I was surprised that the place wasn't very busy. I was able to walk around at a leisurely pace without having to navigate around large crowds. Total time of visit was probably just a bit over an hour.
Early Start
Got there at opening time (a bit earlier) and got some photos without a lot of people around. Getting there at opening also gets you to the front of the ticket line - worth thinking about.
Ease of viewing
Not lavishly furnished the attraction here is mostly the rooms themselves, large, high ceilings, a grand Palace. With large rooms and not at all busy you could have a pleasant stroll around at your own pace. The ruins under the castle, the foundations of previous structures were quite well done with the witchcraft and magic theme. 122835.
Great Experience!
Really enjoyed going through the different parts of the Palace, old kitchen was fascinating to see, would have been something to see in its day with a feast being served. Also, royal stables excellent along with all the horse and carriages throughout the years. For me this was one of the top 3 attractions that I visited in Copenhagen. Ps, make sure you get the map of the complex.
The best palace
My favourite visit of the trip. The security staff were lovely and the Palace was beautiful inside and out. You can also visit the ruins underneath and the old kitchen. Buy a Copenhagen card before you go to get free entry to all museums, attractions and the boat rides.
Great
This was a lovely collection of a few different things to see like the kitchens and stables. All need a separate ticket so you don't need to do all in the same day or entry time. It was really nice to see the horses up close in the stables as well as the reception rooms etc
Lots to do
Had a great visit here. Used the Copenhagen Card, to get entry into the reception rooms, ruins, kitchen and stables. All four were really informative. The ruins had a great witchcraft exhibition, the kitchens were decorated for Christmas, the Palace has a great guide and the stable had a wonderful collection of carriages. Would definitely recommend as a must visit in Copenhagen.
The underground palace is worth a visit.
Came here but didn't have a lot of time so we did the underground part of the palace which was informative and something different to do. Was worth the money and recommend.
Christiansborg Palace: A Royal Tapestry of Color and Elegance
Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen offers a feast for the eyes, especially in its use of color and tapestries. The tapestries are not only works of art but vibrant displays of Denmark’s history, with rich hues that contrast beautifully against the palace’s regal walls. Each room has its own unique palette, with deep reds, golds, and blues creating a luxurious and inviting atmosphere. The careful coordination of colors with furniture and decor enhances the sense of elegance throughout, making the palace both visually striking and historically captivating.
Great On A Rainy Day.
The rooms that we could tour a Christian org palace were good , but we really liked the kitchen and the stables. The stables had the royal horses and a large collection of royal carriages from over the years. And it was interesting just to see the kitchens, the size of them, and hear some of the stories from them.
Great views from the outside with the winter snow
Christianborg Palace comes out of no where in the city centre of Copenhagen. Access to the inner court and the tower was free but the more special areas do have a fee for entry. I preferred to walk around but each to their own!
A beautiful place in a beautiful city
A beautiful place in a beautiful city. We stopped by and saw horses hanging out outside. Hoped to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister, but no such luck!
Don't miss this castle
Visited here on our 16 day tour of Denmark with family and friends. I have been here numerous times but I still enjoy it. The horses were outside that day so that was an interesting change. Our group enjoyed the ruins the best and were amazed at the fascinating history of the castle. The kitchen also is a lot of fun.
Reccomended!
Me and some friends visited Christiansborg Slot a few years ago during the cultural night in Copenhagen. The que was miles long, but it was so worth it when we finally entered. It was nice to see the cultural events and to meet the politicians and civil servants that work there.
Not to be missed
A palace full of splendour and history which continues to be added to daily as it is used by the Prime Minister for various purposes. A great deal to see and admire but not always as much information provided as I would have liked. Fortunately, I had a guided group passing through whilst I was there and learnt a vast amount of interesting facts that brought the Palace to life for me.
My Visit
This is an great looking palace. The statue and the the building are both beautiful. We did not visit interior but the exterior looks great.
The Largest Castle, Found in the Center
This is the huge royal castle in the center of town, a must-see site. It covers a lot of land, and the royal family does spend time here. Big stone plaza in front, come use some trees or shade.
Beautiful
We thought the Palace was well worth visiting, we visited with the Copenhagen card so entry was quick and easy. We spent a good few hours there. The reception rooms were beautiful, the information cards are in Danish and English and it was easy to follow from room to room, was not crowded at all. We also visited the Stables (note the horses are away for their summer break), Kitchen and ruins.
This building makes a statement
There is no doubt that the palace is impressive but we really visited to explore the original 1167 ruins & the 1369 ruins of the initial Copenhagen Castle that are underneath the current palace. The ruins contain predominantly the base stones of walls but also interior home walls, drains and plumbing. Whilst here it’s worth visiting the tower (opens at 11am) to get great views over the city and even across to Sweden.
Worth a Visit.
Very much recommend. Very impressive palace, and was in time for the tour of the state rooms in English. Guide was very knowledgeable, and allowed us to take our time / ask questions. Lots to see on display both historical & modern. All well displayed & maintained. Also can see the view from the tower / ruins beneath & kitchens which are worth a look.
Must see in Copenhagen
Visited here and got to see royal reception rooms which were incredibly elaborate.. My favorite part was the royal kitchen and the ruins which told the history of the castle. Did not get to see stables or Parliament or the chapel.
Not to be missed
This is the first thing I’ve done so far in Copenhagen which I feel has been worth the money. Your ticket gives you access to 4 different areas in the complex including the beautifully decorated state rooms and the underground ruins of the earlier buildings. Allow lots of time if you want to see everything - particularly if you manage to get lost in the ruins as I did. They have gone to a lot of trouble to make these areas wheelchair accessible so this Slot should be on everyone’s visit list.
Christianborg Palace was amazing day walking in history
A visit to Christianborg Palace is a great way to spend the day. The grounds are lovely and the horses can often be seen in the penned area in front of the palace entrance. Once home to kings and queens, the Palace now houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State.
Christianborg Castle (Royal Reception Rooms) worth a visit after Rosenborg castle, but preferrably not on the same day
We visited the Christiansborg Castle one day after the Rosenborg Castle. There are many similarities in the sense of splendor, richly decorated rooms, and more along that line, all of it collected over many centuries. Obviously intended to impress guests, to demonstrate that the kingdom of Denmark is solid and going strong. Common consideration is that you keep wondering who has paid for all this. And also, what has been obtained legally and what is robbed from far-away countries in past centuries when colonialism was not frowned upon like we do nowadays. The main difference with Rosenborg is that it takes less longer to see the Royal Reception Rooms, numbered 1 to 19. Following a map that is handed out at the entrance, everything you need to know can be read and is explained briefly but clearly. We see only a small part of the castle, as the remainder is not open to the public, probably also not offering such beautiful sights as the Royal Reception Rooms. Separately, we visited the Royal Kitchen as well as the Ruins under Christianborg, both worthy of your attention but covered in a separate review. We did not visit the Royal Stables, as it was closed at the time we were in the vicinity. Our Copenhagen Discover Card was accepted without any hassle and allowed us free access. There were no waiting times for a free time slot when we were there. Plastic slippers are available (mandatory footwear, fitting around your shoes) to protect the floors. Given our free access, I cannot comment on the value-for-money aspect.
An absolute must whilst in Copenhagen!
We visited this slot (palace) as part of an Insight Vacations 'Northern Capitals of Europe' tour. Absolutely stunning - well worth the visit! So much to take in - the tapestries in the 'Great Hall' are amazing works of art.
Large complex worth visiting
There are different parts that you can tour. We visited the ruins, the official reception rooms and the kitchen. If you can see only one of those, the reception rooms will not disappoint you. The interior rooms are lovely and impressive: bring your camera, of course. The staff is hospitable. We visited on a Sunday when it was free to step inside the chapel and see it, also quite nice.
Another great palace to visit in Copenhagen
Copenhagen has a number of great palaces to visit and this is a very special one to visit. It gives great insight into the history of the Danish royal family, past and present and there are also visits to the royal kitchen, royal stables and to some ruins under the castle that you can include in your visit.
Lovely insight into Danish royal history
A lovely insight into Danish royal history. The ticket covers several different buildings. We loved the ruins below ground. Unfortunately the church is only open on Sundays. We couldn’t enter the palace until after 2.00 as there was an event on do we returned later. Well worth a visit.
An impressive palace
This palace is right in the heart of Copenhagen, and it's a must-visit for tourists. It's still used by royalty for receptions and special occasions. I suggest setting aside at least half a day to explore it. You can buy tickets at the palace or online. I found the Useuum app really helpful for audio guides during my visit, so I recommend downloading it.
Beautiful palace
We chose the regular tour so we did not see the royal kitchen, stables etc and it was still worth it! So many amazing rooms with beautiful details.
Get to see lot of different things
My wife and I did the Christiansborg Slot tour recently while on vacation. We love seeing historical places and this one did not disappoint. We pre-booked ticket on-line and I recommend to do the same. You get to see the royal kitchen, stables and state rooms. The state rooms were closed when we got there due to event going on. They opened up about 2 hours later so we had lunch in between. The state rooms were very impressive. I recommend this one over Rosenburg due to being more modern and opulent.
Worth the visit!
Amazing palace with so much to see! The rooms were fantastic, the kitchen was very neat (try lifting the pots!) and the tower had the best views! Highly recommend visiting! We didn't make it to the stables but two of the horses were outside when we were there.
For history lovers
Historical site situated on islet combining history and current danish power represented by Supreme Court, parliament and prime minister presence. Gammel strand in the neighbourhood. Many buildings open for excursions with history everywhere from from ground floor till ceiling with paintings 🖼️ chandeliers decorations and sculptures
Nice palace
Very nice and large palace with a variety of sections to visit like the ruines, the royal stables, the royal kitchen and much more.
Well worth a visit
We visited the royal reception rooms . They are a great statement of Danish craftsmanship and design. The tapestries are amazing. We spent an hour wandering through these fantastic rooms.
Beautiful palace
Stunning palace with lovely grounds. It was a treat to see the horses being exercised too. Well worth a visit if you’re in Copenhagen.
Having doubts? You can cancel or reschedule this booking up to 48 hours in advance for free.
