National Museum of Denmark

Great Museum in Copenhagen

It is very interesting and has a lot of rooms/exhibitions to learn from. It took 2 hours and a half to visit it but requires more time to have a better observation of what they have. Children under 18 are not charge and it is a walking distance from the main plaza. We recommend it.

Genuinely immersive

The National Museum of Denmark is a museum that wins you over not through sheer scale, but through clarity, discipline, and thoughtful storytelling. Its presentation of the ancient world—from Egypt and Mesopotamia to Greece and Asia Minor—is impressively untiring in its structure. The exhibition doesn’t try to overwhelm with density or compete with the encyclopedic breadth of institutions like the British Museum. Instead, it adopts a more restrained and deliberate approach: clean layouts, coherent narratives, and a steady, educational progression that keeps you engaged without fatigue. You move through civilizations with a clear sense of context, rather than just object accumulation. Where the museum truly excels, however, is in its treatment of Danish history. Here, it shifts from being merely informative to genuinely immersive. The exhibitions feel “lived-in”—richly staged, atmospheric, and almost cinematic in how they reconstruct everyday life across different periods. Rather than presenting history as static display, it invites you into it, creating a sense of continuity between past and present that feels both authentic and deeply engaging. This balance—global scope handled with clarity, and national history brought vividly to life—is what defines the museum’s strength. It may not rival the scale of the world’s largest institutions, but its concept is arguably more effective: simple, educational, and experientially immersive. For anyone with even a moderate interest in museums, this is a must-see in Copenhagen.

Viking Exhibition is a must !

We visited the Viking exhibition at the National Museum, Copenhagen in October 2025 . Frederik Nyborg was an outstanding guide—knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely brought the Viking history to life. His passion made the visit to the exhibition a truly memorable experience. We highly recommend visiting to everyone we know

Good museum, you could be there all day!

We had some time to kill before our flight and this came highly recommended, it reviews well. It's an entire day worth of entertainment, although we had 2 hours to kill we could've spent all day there! All very clean and everyone is friendly, plenty of toilets, free lockers. All very interesting and a wide range of information available.

Good museum, you could be there all day!

We had some time to kill before our flight and this came highly recommended, it reviews well. It's an entire day worth of entertainment, although we had 2 hours to kill we could've spent all day there! All very clean and everyone is friendly, plenty of toilets, free lockers. All very interesting and a wide range of information available.

A must visit in Copenhagen

A great museum to visit, if not a bit overwhelming for one visit. I went just as it opened and it was fairly quiet, but it picked up as I was there for around two, maybe two and a half hours. An amazing selection of periods and locations to browse, including a 'Peoples of the Earth' exhibit focusing on native people across the world. There's also a dedicated ancient floor with Greek, Roman and Egyptian artifacts, and of course Danish history, with a great amount of medieval and early modern collections. I definetely think this museum would be served better with multiple visits, focusing on specific floors/exhibits than trying to get all done in one day as I did.

Artifact museum, not a story museum

Exactly what you would expect of a national museum. Lots of information and lots of artifacts. I think the better way to experience this kind of museum is try go multiple times, picking out a subject or floor to really try digest because there is far too much to take on in one visit. There is plenty to see but this can be slightly overwhelming. There was a wonderful exhibit while we attended about Viking sorceresses which was visually stunning and very engaging. This is more what we personally prefer out of a museum, more focus and a connecting story to keep you engaged.

Fun

Although it is quite warm particularly in the summer, this is a terrific museum with the exhibit on Danish history being particularly interesting. For those with a pension for Viking history or who like to collect needlepoint pillows this place is a must go.

The National Museum of Denmark

The National Museum of Denmark offers an extensive and highly-rated exploration of Danish history, culture, and life, from the Stone Age right up to the present day, housed within a beautiful 18th-century mansion in Copenhagen. Visitors consistently praise the museum for its vast and well-documented collections, featuring must-see artifacts like the Gundestrup Cauldron and the Trundholm Sun Chariot, as well as engaging, family-friendly exhibits that make learning about the past interesting for all ages. It is celebrated for its excellent flow, informative displays, and helpful staff, making it a foundational and essential stop for anyone wanting a deep dive into the nation's heritage.

Very good experience

Myself and my husband visited the museum and it had lots of fascinating things to see and do from all over the world. We spent about 4 hours here too so it was definitely great value for money.

Things to do (and not) in Copenhagen

1) Cash is king (except in Copenhagen). No need to carry large sums of cash. 500 DKK (or 500 SEK notes, for that matter) notes will not be exchanged in the UK at the currency exchange places. 2)Many museums are closed on Monday, so I would advise arriving on a Monday. 3)In late September, many outdoor activities are closed for the "season" Note: I'm Chinese-American and like to try Asian foods throughout the world. I have had Pho from Hanoi to France, and definitely tried it in Scandinavia. 4)Pho (a typical Vietnamese noodle soup dish, is "Scandinavian-ized". The broth is authentic and good, but the choice of meats in minimal or non-existent. 5)Chinese food is the same. Good, but expensive for what you're getting 6)Do try the cheese. It's delicious! 7)The museums are AWESOME. I visited the Copenhagen Museum, the Danish National Museum, the Denmark Viking Museum, and the MACA museum. 8)Eat herring at one of the local restaurants. 9)a one hour boat cruise or one of the hop-on, hop-off busses are a great way to start your introduction to Copenhagen

Very educational!

One of the many museums we took in on our recent trip to Copenhagen was this one using the Copenhagen Card(which I recommend). The museum was very large with many fine exhibits. The cafe in the museum served me my favorite meal of our whole trip to the city. I will let you figure out what it was.

Great to explore Denmark's history

Great museum to explore the history of Denmark. Signage could be a little clearer as not clear best route between the many rooms. Good for a long visit. Has what looked like a nice cafe bit didn't use it. Less keen on the artifacts from other countries, but really enjoyed finding out about the country's history. Particularly enjoyed learning about the history between Denmark and Sweden.

Lovely!

We really enjoyed the Viking exhibition! The museum is fantastic and so much to see! We would definitely go back as there’s lots we didn’t get a chance to look at.

Viking Sorceress - fascinating

This was a great place to spend a morning. Tickets are reasonable. Definitely check out the Viking Sorceress exhibition. Really fascinating. The free audio guides are great.

Great Museum

We visited using our Copenhagen card and wished we had left more time to explore here as it looked fabulous. Will revisit if we return to the city.

I really appreciated the Viking Sorceress exhibition

I really appreciated the Viking Sorceress exhibition and ancient Viking archeological rests. The whole museum is interesting. I only was surprised and displeased by the rudeness of a well-padded young woman who attended at the audio guides stand. The rest of the staff was absolutely kind.

Wheelchair accessible!!

Wonderful museum!! Especially nice for the pre-historic and early historic eras. LOVED the runestones!! Mostly wheelchair accessible with self-serve mini "elevators" all but one of which worked for me. Some really hard to open internal doors though. Great staff, nice cafe.

Nice Museum

Nice museum with plenty of Danish history. A visit would take a full day if you wanted to see everything. We focused on just 3 sections, including the Nordic Journey which was very interesting, but still spent around 2-3 hours here. I do think the price was a little high for what the museum offered.

worth a day

great way to spend a day. exhibits well done, many are multimedia covering a range of topics all engaging. Learned a lot about vikings and Danish history

Well worth a Visit!

This museum was definitely worth seeing. Starting with the Michelangelo exhibit which brought back memories of Florence and Bologna; the European art section and the evolution of art was very nice. Also the start and evolution of Danish art. Overall time well spent and highly recommended

A lot to see inside this museum

This museum has so many exhibitions that you really need to plan a visit there as early as possible. My mistake was visiting mid afternoon and I hadn’t even seen half of the available rooms before closing time. The Viking section was worth visiting plus there were some fantastic exhibitions exhibiting different cultures and outfits throughout the centuries and how Danish culture had evolved over the space of 500 years.

This is a great museum; we really enjoyed it, even though we saw probably <10% of the exhibits! Lovely building, very Danish, lots of wood and light. Tons of artifacts and treasures from all eras of the past from deep history to the 20th century. We started in the temporary exhibit on money called "Ka-ching." You get a gold card and bit of starting cash, and the goal is to earn 1 million museum money and get to go in the money booth. You can earn money by running in a giant hamster wheel and delivering pizzas in a video game; playing a trivia game; and investing in stocks and real estate over the day that runs actual market data from 1920-2020. Sadly, this proved quite challenging, and we cashed out after a few hours with only 100k and 40k on our cards. It was still a very interesting exhibit though. It has coins and other monetary units from other cultures and lots of facts about Danish work and economy. If you want to have a chance at winning, I suggest go there first thing in the morning, invest wisely, and come back later to see if you succeeded. The temporary exhibit on Volvas, Viking sorceresses, was also super cool. You get a headset and it narrates as you walk through a fantastic, surreal landscape and tells you about the witches, then you witness Ragnarok with lots of flame and fighting. Then you get to see an exhibit with lots of cool artifacts, including a bog man. The headset continues to narrate stories and tell about some of the artifacts. It was really fun and well done. Ages 8+. Free with entry. We also checked out the kids' museum section, which is a series of rooms depicting different cultures and eras from history. Great for kids who like pretend and dress-up. There's plenty more we missed: king's treasures, amulets, artifacts Danish and otherwise... The restaurant is pretty upscale with table service, unless you just want cake or coffee. They have various smorrebrods and there are vegetarian and kids' options. Very nice gift shop with quality toys, books, jewelry and other items, with a wide variety of prices.

Vikings and tasty lunch

This is a large and multifaceted museum. We spent the better part of the day and only hit the highlights. First and foremost, I suggest coming up with a plan for what you most would like to see. Second, we took a very nice lunch break at the cafe (Restaurant Smor) which had tasty smørrebrød. The highlight for us was the most unique exhibit-the Vikings; you begin with an interactive and trippy walk through before entering a large, dark room with some amazing artifacts. The theming of using the headphones continues here as the audio guide would provide information at specific area. This area was definitely busy and I wish we had come here first. We also checked out the Danish history through the decades and the Egyptian area (nothing out of the ordinary). We ended up in the pre-history area. As others have mentioned, navigation is a bit confusing even with a map so a little pre-planning is recommended. Overall, this museum definitely worth a visit!

Superb Viking exhibition as well as huge display of antiquities.

The collection of ancient sculptures and objects is remarkable, from so many cultures, good signage and very well laid out. The Viking immersive experience and then exhibition is equally impressive with audio guides available. There are activities for children and the size of the museum is not overwhelming. There is a good gift shop and cafe / restaurant.

Well worth a visit!

For those used to the long queues and business of London’s museums, the National museum was a delightful surprise! Even on a Saturday morning in July there was no queue to get tickets and the coffee shop was relaxed and uncrowded. We concentrated on two sections – the prehistory section and the Viking section. A mix of brilliant and poor! The prehistory section is outstanding with clear accessible explanations (in Danish and English) which takes you through a selection of objects dating from 4,000 BC to about 800 AD. From carved amber animals through stone age, bronze age and iron age times you can see beautiful and interesting objects – notably the Bronze age Sun chariot, the remains of the Egtved girl (buried at age 16 in 1370 BC) the stunning silver Gundestrup Cauldron and many more gorgeous objects. We took much longer here than we expected and need a cup of coffee before exploring the Viking section. This disappointed us. The new immersive section about the ‘Viking Sorceress’ was gimmicky and hard to understand. They have spent a lot of money on this – but it did not work for us. Worse still, the selection of Viking objects (most very small) was so poorly lit you could barely see them properly. The museum has a rich collection of Viking ornaments but did a poor job of setting them in context – indeed the explanations were low down and poorly lit. So, it is a section worth visiting – but could have been better. There is much else to see in the museum – but we just saw these sections.

Incredible collection and a must visit

We took the Copenhagen city pass, this attraction was included as well. You have to devote a couple of hours to do justice to complete all the floors and collections. We enjoyed the viking sorcerers experience. There are artifacts from all over the world. It's really nicely laid out. There are three floors. There is also a section where you can dress up in olden clothes. We loved the Egyptian collection too.

Good for a rainy day in Copenhagen

This is a nice museum. It is a little disorganized. The way it flows you have to choose which way to go and could miss things. The children’s area is very nice. The courtyard area is also nice. It was very busy the day we went. We enjoyed ice cream from the shop. The restroom was in an awkward place for those waiting and did not smell great. The space is lovely and many of the exhibits are well done. The money exhibit seemed nice, but it was overrun with kids and no queue, so the kids would no take turns.

Egyptian mummies were very impressive

This museum was great. From all the Viking exhibits to the mummies on the top floor. Very impressed with the amount of exhibits on display. We spent many hours here and would come back again. Restaurant was expensive but of course you don’t have to dine here.

Great Copenhagen museum

Great museum for a few hours in Copenhagen. Prehistoric bog stuff is amazing and we appreciated learning about the Danes over the years.

Amazing Collection through Time and Cultures

This is an amazing museum with so much packed inside. We were there about 5 hours, and normally we don't go to museums since my husband likes to walk outdoors. Upstairs there was a large Money exhibit with a gold bar you could touch. We had trouble finding the rest of the exhibits, and were thinking, "Is that it?" Go to the bathroom before you start since once we found the start in the Toy and Dollhouse area, you will be walking for hours without a bathroom in sight. There really was not many, if any, places to sit either. There was a 1970's area with a den in very retro furnishings, other period furnishings, Danish pre-history including canoes, Arctic (my favorites were reindeer underwear and a G-string), Greenland, Vikings, Japanese (Including a replica of a house), Chinese, Korean, Indian, Navaho weavings, and African cultures. I liked the Egyptian area which had some hieroglyphics on stone walls and even mummies, Greek, Roman, Medieval, Stone Age, and Bronze Age. There were even the mummified remains of people found in the bogs. I remember reading about the woman. There was a new Cosplay influencer exhibit being built. Danish history including a replica of a 1700's HDMS Dannebroge war ship with three rows of cannons which helped me to understand why the Swedish King had wanted an extra or third row of cannons on the ill-fated Vasa ship that sunk and is the most well preserved ship in Sweden. The Swedish ship makers had not yet mastered the extra depth and hull and other mechanics needed to offset the extra weight. There was a more modern, multi-media interactive exhibit "Viking Sorceress" with audio narration of their stories, special lighting, props and "volcano." The separate Viking area was very interesting as well. There is a cafe and gift shop. In the cultural areas, there were so many artifacts in the cases and many lacked signs or information about them that you would just have to look at them but not understand the significance but in truth there was so much to see in the museum that you could not read too many signs. This is an excellent rainy or cold day activity or even a nice day when you want to see so many interesting things that you have never seen anywhere else.

Fantastic place to spend half a day immersed in history

Phenomenal! The best collection of Egyptian and Greek artefacts we’ve ever seen, an amazing shop and lots of history about Denmark. Go go go! We loved it.

Highlight

One of the highlights in our trip to Copenhagen. Many exhibits to see and our kid enjoyed the kids museum room. Definitely worth the visit!

Like an "afternoon of learning" :)

With just a "sheer magnitude of items" to see (which in itself is actually kind of an understatement so yes "a bit of pacing" suggested inside this "huge museum" maybe not necessarily for its structure but for its amount of displays!), it was at the "main area" (a little further inside from the area of museum entrance) where I started on the "2 upper" floors with yes historical displays not just of the country but also of its overseas possessions in the colonial times where seen among the displays were: a number of "religion-themed carving plates" featuring Christ & many saints; colonial scenes from the former Danish colonies such as Calcutta, Greenland & Virgin Islands (with a number of kind of day-to-day but still "colorful & interesting" items from those places); a number of "re-created rooms" depicting the lives of both rich & poor likely from about 200 to 300 years ago to "see behind glass"; a row of "lovely miniature" heritage-styled houses with also miniature-decorations to see inside those small structures; and actually also some actual life-sized rooms to walk through in a "palace-like setting" which likely are those preserved from the time before this building was converted into a museum (as it had been some type of royal residence). And afterward at the "front area" of the Museum (after coming back out of the "main area" as mentioned above), also nicely seen were the Viking Sorceress exhibit which was likely a temporary one for just a certain period (an "audio tour" to walk through an area with many "colorful lights" to see on the walls & ceilings, quite a number of "artificial flowers" and also many Viking artifacts including some "shiny jewelries") followed by the exhibit of "cultural items" from various parts of the world (especially those from the far east including India & China and actually seen among those world displays also more of those from Greenland & the Arctic in addition to those already seen among the colonial displays at the "main area" as mentioned above). On the day starting at the Rosenborg Castle (with 3 levels of beautiful decorations including a "throne room" at the top & also a nice park right beside including a "rose garden"), it was about a 40-minute walk afterward to this museum after which was also a brief stop at some rectangular ground area ("like a small garden" with also a number of statues & outdoor-wall-carving figures of animals) just a few-minute walk from this museum.

National Museum of Denmark

There was so much to see and we had so little time to see it all. Give yourself enough time to visit all of the exhibits. Some are more interesting than others and everyone has their own tastes, so your experience will depend on personal preference. We enjoyed it, but it came after a long day of sightseeing. Perhaps dedicate a full morning or afternoon for a visit.

Lovely National Museum with lots and lots to take in

Great museum. So much to take in, I spent over 2 hours and still didn’t see everything. Great to do on a rainy day. 140 Danish Krone for adults (just shy of €20), children (U17) are free of charge.

History and fun

Because of our budget we had to choice between this museum and Carlsberg and we chose this one and regret nothing. I think the price is low for what the museum offers. It’s very huge and you need at least 3 hours to see everything. The museum it’s interactive and the new exhibition about Vikings it’s the most interesting part. Also there is a game about how money works and it’s fun and interactive. We learned a lot of history and had a lot of fun. Good place for a rainy day but also a must see when in Copenhagen!!

Absolutely recommend

Had a brilliant time here, so much to see and walk around, cafe was lovely and very lively, lockers to keep belongings and tons of interactive and detailed exhibits

Fabulous Viking Sorceress exhibition

Loved the amazing Viking Sorceress exhibition, very atmospheric with incredible exhibits. The videos telling Volva stories from the sagas were especially good.

Excellent museum with a variety of exhibits

Interesting exhibits from around the world. The highlight for my son was the oldest dog poop, from the Stone Age. Put this on your list for Copenhagen!

Good history

Lots of variety. Some amazing pieces. The Viking experience had a lot of great artefacts. The Ancient exhibit was great too

Walk through Danish History

Really good national museum that is definitely worth a visit, be mindful that you can't bring large coats/bags into museum, lockers are provided free of charge. Musuem is large and full of Denmark's history dating back millenniums, also have other countries artifacts like Egyptian, Greek and Roman. All artifacts are explained in English also making it tourist friendly, take your time as it's easy to miss rooms, each section, floor seems to jump in time or cultures making flow confusing but not to the determent of the experience.

A gem in Copenhagen

Huge interesting museum. Far too much to cover at once. Many of the exhibits are interactive. Enjoyed the exhibits on Jule and the viking sorceress.

A great day!

Just brilliant! Loved the displays, simplicity but detail. Social history through to ancient history was amazing. Loved drawing comparisons to UK history and realising as nations we gave all had similar problems, just not always dealt with them in the same way.

Plan for 3 hrs or more if you are a history buff

Another attraction with free entry as part of the CPH Discover Card. 4 levels - ground floor beginning with pre-history (Stone, Bronze and Iron age) to Middle Ages and Medieval times on Level 1 to Stories of Denmark from 1660 to 2000 on Level 2 and Classic Egyptian & Eastern Antiquities on Level 3. Level 2 is the largest showcase and was most interesting for me, especially the later part that I could identify better with. Never knew too, that Denmark was once at war with England and Sweden and not very good at it 🤭.  On the other side of Level 2 there are also special exhibits - One on the money of Denmark and another on The Roots of Christmas. Interesting to see that they no longer print their own currency since 2016.  Spent almost 3 hrs here and just about covered all areas. I was a little disappointed though there wasn't too much on the Viking bit of their history.

Great museum

Great museum that was part of the Copenhagen Card. We only managed the ground floor, as we only had a couple of hours to visit. There are so many fantastic items to see from across Denmark and different time periods. Could easily spend a whole day here and all descriptions are in Danish and English.

Fantastic, third visit!

As always, a brilliant visit, we came to see the Viking exhibition as we have seen all of the previous ones (and walked around) The musuem is very clean and fresh, the displays are wonderful with how the lighting is and really makes the artifacts details come through! The museum is in Danish and English which is handy as my Danish is hit and miss The staff were also wonderful and the gift shop is very well priced! I came back even to purchase a book that is not that easy to buy online so was very happy! The Viking exhibition as always is amazing! Unfortunately we did not get the headsets so we later YT'ed the artwork and meaning, fantastic! I definitely recommend a visit here and it is my favourite musuem I have been to!

Great museum with so much to learn.

This is a great museum in Copenhagen. So much information on the history of Denmark. from the ice/stone ages right until now. We spent a lot of time here around 4 / 5 hours if you see everything. I recommend :)

Wonderful History Museum

This is a great museum with lots of information about Denmark’s history. We didn’t have time to go through the whole museum (I’m guessing that would take an entire day) but we really enjoyed the exhibits that we saw. All the information on exhibits is in Danish and English.

Fun way to kill a few hours

A fun way to kill a few hours and learn some stuff. I thought it was worth a visit. It wasn’t the most memorable museum but still fun.