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This is the largest museum on cultural history in Denmark and includes exhibitions on the histories of both Danish and foreign cultures. Explore stories of the Viking raids and listen to voices from (former) colonies.
Read more
- See ethnographic treasures and medieval artifacts
- Explore Viking lore and colonial history
- Kids can touch everything in the Children’s Museum
Children
Free entry for 0-17 year olds, please pick up a free ticket at the reception desk
Opening hours
Tuesday – Sunday: 10.00 - 17.00
Monday: closed
Children’s Museum:
Tuesday – Sunday: 10.00 – 16.30
Ticket information
Ticket directly available on smartphone
Tickets can be rescheduled or cancelled up to 48 hours in advance
More information
When available guided tours can be booked at the information desk at the entrance
For questions about the product, please contact [email protected]
Accessibility
- Wheelchair friendly
- Free access to bathroom
National Museum of Denmark
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Collections and exhibitions on Denmark’s history, people and culture
If there is one place to start your visit to Denmark, it is the Nationalmuseet or National Museum of Denmark. Here you’ll find collections and exhibitions on Denmark’s history, people and culture. The exhibitions are divided per historic period, from Classical and Near Eastern Antiquities, with Egyptian mummies, Persian ceramics, Roman utensils and Greek sculptures; to the modern day, when Denmark changed from a great European power controlling the entrance to the Baltic into a small nation part of a larger alliance.
Along with the historic exhibitions there are also exhibitions dedicated to the Danish colonies and a Royal collection of coins and medals. A visit to the National Museum of Denmark gives you the chance to really explore Danish history and culture. The museum also offers (non-included) tours, which can be booked at the information desk.
Boredom Button at the Children’s Museum
The National Museum of Denmark includes a special Children’s Museum where kids can explore history while they play. In this section of the museum there are no ‘do not touch’ signs so that kids can really get a hands-on experience of history. The Children’s Museum is an indoor playground where kids of all ages can step aboard a Viking ship, learn to cook in a medieval kitchen or prepare the castle for an enemy attack.
Visiting a museum can be boring for kids but not at the National Museum of Denmark, definitely not if they find the Boredom Button. Anything can happen if you push this button, statues come to life, paintings talk, and secret chests open to reveal their treasures.
On Tours & Tickets, you can find more kid-friendly attractions that are interesting for both children and adults.
Get your tickets to the National Museum of Denmark
Buy your National Museum tickets here to be sure to not miss out on this super fun museum. Here you are sure to find out why the Danes are some of the happiest people in the world and why they ride their bikes everywhere.
93 Reviews
4.6
Average rating from
Tripadvisor
Loverlache
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.
Dec 29, 2024Roadschool42
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!
Dec 28, 2024X959KOlaurens
Good history
Lots of variety. Some amazing pieces. The Viking experience had a lot of great artefacts. The Ancient exhibit was great too
Dec 25, 2024O491CUjasons
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.
Dec 9, 2024jjvorisek
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.
Dec 8, 2024U5236UKpaul
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.
Dec 5, 2024dyhx
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.
Nov 22, 2024beckyw84
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.
Nov 21, 2024EbbaTheodosiaRussell
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!
Nov 10, 202480sianp
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 :)
Oct 21, 2024winiftw
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.
Oct 11, 2024BearTravelers33
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.
Sep 16, 2024CAAbcfc
Very comprehensive and informative
Definitely worth a visit and not exceptionally large in size to get around, there is a wealth of history from BC times right up to the present day which is all very well stocked and comprehensive. There is, from a subjective view, possibly too much to see and take in with all the various subjects on offer. 90 minutes sufficed for this visitor although you could easily spend 3--4 hours to investigate each and every display cabinet on show. Overall, pleased to have opted to visit.
Sep 14, 2024philipl596
Good Planning Needed to make the best of the museum
This is a huge museum with a vast amount to choose to see. Useful maps are provided to help decision making and restaurant facilities are available to take a break and refreshments. We were quite selective in what we saw as otherwise we could have been there most of the day. What we saw was very interesting and highly educational.
Sep 6, 2024shaikhai2024
(Sort of) organized chaos of artifacts
The national museum of Denmark had a lot of artifacts and pieces of history from many places. It wasn’t focused on Denmarks history only, making it quite confusing for us visitors. I wish the layout of the museum was more organized and easy to walk through and understand what’s happening in each section. To fully understand what’s going on in the museum you may need to spend 3-4 hours.
Aug 11, 2024467ayche
Well curated exhibition
We arrived at four, so only had time to do the ground floor section. The exhibition captivated us. Well curated, we were fascinated by the bronze and iron age history. Well designed exhibitions with clear explanations really helped us understand the exhibits. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go back to see the Viking and other exhibits but this was a highlight of our visit to Copenhagen.
Aug 10, 2024jwishart
Danish History
This museum was a fascinating walk from prehistory through modern history of Denmark. The collection of artifacts, especially the early amber sculptures and spearheads, was extensive. The Viking Sorceress exhibit was funky and explained much about the pagan history of the Vikings before Christianity. I spent a couple of hours in this museum but could have spent the whole day.
Aug 10, 2024sharonhR1863DC
Great walk through Danish prehistory
Went specifically to see the preserved Iron age bodies and wasn’t disappointed. Really enjoyed the entire bottom floor exhibition walking through the prehistory of DK and really learnt alot. Also enjoyed the surprise DAD exhibition!
Aug 7, 2024R5457FCsandys
Interesting museum, outstanding cafe
The museum proved confusing to navigate, probably because it was formed from two old buildings, giving it galleries that had some surprising juxtapositions. Primarily an historical museum, it contained some interesting exhibits, such as the interior of an early 17h Century merchant’s middle class house (all one room). The most striking part was the gallery devoted to doll houses, fully furnished and lit and displayed so that one could appreciate the details of the interiors. The high point was our lunch at the museum’s café, Sm/ö/r, which can be accessed without buying a museum ticket. We each had smorsbrod, traditional open-faced sandwiches piled with a pleasing, and at times surprising, variety of ingredients on thin slices of bread something like pumpernickel – for example, curried chicken salad topped with chanterelle mushrooms, tiny cubes of what may have been celery root, radish, raisins and arugula. The selection of beers and wines was substantial and included drafts from local craft breweries. I had a wheat been with a hint of raspberry.
Jul 28, 2024annc242019
Changing exhibits, great layout, really educational and interesting. Nice open central space.
Central and easy to access on foot. Large spacious museum with many levels set around a main open area. We visited at lunch time on a Saturday using a city pass so our entry was included in that. They had 'vikings' in the main hall doing activities and demonstrations. Really enjoyed the exhibition about their local findings (metal detector finds) was super interesting and showed some amazing finds! Made more interesting by knowing about the item and the find. Great gift shop (we didn't see a cafe) but had lockers and free toilets.
Jul 25, 2024AshesToProveIt
Well organized and worth the visit
The Museum is a detailed walk through the past, explaining the advancement of technology and the human condition in Denmark from prehistoric times up to the middle ages. The exhibits are in chronological order, and I learned a lot from my visit. This is one of the attractions that can be accessed through the Copenhagen Card.
Jul 21, 2024Travellingonwheels
Great visit
I particularly wanted to visit this museum as I was keen to see the Gundestrop Cauldron ad I had read so much about it. I wasn’t disappointed - it is well displayed so you can clearly see all the panels as well as the interior. Aside from the cauldron, there is so much to see here, all well laid out with clear information available. Wheelchair accessible.
Jul 17, 2024amymY9715BW
I came for the Viking exhibits and was surprised to find so much more
I briefly visited the museum’s Viking exhibit 10 years ago and wanted to return after hearing about the expansion of their collection, housed in the Viking Sorceress exhibit. The exhibit was excellent, including an immersive introduction to Viking mythology as well as touchscreens in Danish and English for all of the objects in the exhibit (similar to the Viking exhibit in Stockholm’s National History Museum.) What I wasn’t expecting to find was an expansive collection of medieval Scandinavian religious art, items covering Denmarks’s history from 1600-2000, and artefacts from all over the world. I was particularly impressed by the collection of Etruscan and Phoenician art (both of which are somewhat rare to find) housed near the extensive Egyptian, Greek, and Roman collections. Although I lived in Asia, there were items on display that I had never seen before, including a rack designed to infuse a kimono with the scent of incense. There are also lots of items from Africa and the Pacific Islands near Australia. I spent two full days here exploring the entire collection. It is that good.
Jul 9, 2024emilygI6675IT
Very much recommend.
Unfortunately very busy due to bad weather, but very pleasantly surprised by the museum. There are a lot of exhibitions and much to see in each, all with information in English & Danish. Items are well displayed allowing for a clear view. Staff were friendly & very helpful, also speaking good English.
Jul 4, 2024maapar
Great history museum
Spent a couple of hours in this museum Skipped the prehistory part and really enjoyed the voices of the arctic and other exhibits which illustrate medieval to renaissance history. The more modern history was good as well.
Jul 1, 2024437iliag
A fascinating journey into the history of the humankind
It took me entirely three hours to finish the first floor of the museum using special fossils to show the history and way of living of the inhabitants of those lands from pre-historical till B.C... Each period is profoundly explained in greater detail as to how the men lived and worked. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to tour the other two floors to experience the further history.
Jun 7, 2024609annelysec
A 5 star experience
Every artifact from Denmark and its history seems to be here and beautifully presented. There is a nice cafe and top notch Children's Museum. A great couple of hours
May 23, 2024Donronrit
Great Museum, so many iconic things to see
We used our Copenhagen Card again when we entered this Museum. First thing you notice is the large impressive foyer and the entrances off it leading to the displays. We wandered thro the history of Denmark from the start to Neolithic, early settlements Bronze & Iron ages, onto the Celtic period and its Sun Chariot and Battle Horns the highlights. Also particularly interesting for us were the Egtved girl and other burials plus the longship remains, not forgetting the world's oldest dog poo sadly no sign of the green bag it. We did some of the second floor as well, peoples of the arctic and Voices from the colonies were quite good. Unfortunately we ran out of time before we got to the Egyptian mummy and inads on the third floor. You could easily spent 3 to 4hrs depending on your interests and how must you already know of Denmark or peoples progression thro the eons.
May 13, 2024austenclairem
One of the best
Love the collection. There’s something for everyone. My favorite section was the danish art area! So unique and beautiful space.
May 11, 2024tasha97x
Danish History Boot Camp
Lots of excellent exhibits. Considering I previously had almost no knowledge of Danish history, I came out feeling like I had absorbed a smattering of the featured time periods and built up an overall picture. The Empire section was particularly informative. The only part that I found rather unenjoyable was the prehistory exhibit on the ground floor - mainly because it was so busy. Presumably this is because everyone is recommended to start there, and only those who are really interested in history then make their way upstairs.
May 8, 2024AlastairT522
Well worth a visit… so much to see and learn
Really interesting place to understand the history of Denmark throughout the ages. Collections are really varied from the inside of churches and danish rooms, to dolls houses and toys though the ages. There’s even an area for kids to play in including a pirate ship and imaginary play. Well worth a visit
Feb 18, 2024thebritishreviewer
FREE on Wednesdays !!!!
Massive museum full of tons & tons of pieces easily spend hours in there. All information boards are presented in multiple languages so easy to read. Upon entering there are free lockers and spaces to hand your coats and bags so you can walk around the museum comfortably I wish more places did this. Best thing was that this museum is completely free on Wednesdays.
Feb 15, 2024sus67
Another highlight of this lovely city
This is a very interesting museum, we particularly liked the pre-history sections, and it was very well explained and curated.
Feb 12, 2024jks1894
Fantastic museum, slightly confusing layout.
Fascinating museum that's packed full of items and sections. The staff were so helpful, especially one at the entrance (I believe his name was Henrik?). There are some incredible artefacts, such as the woman from Huldremose. Only criticism is that the layout of the numbered rooms is quite confusing. Sometimes you entered the section on the wrong end - would be helpful with arrows or signs that said "This way" etc.
Jan 24, 2024patmccarthy1991
Whole history of Denmark
Was fascinating to see the lay out on the ground floor and walk through the prehistoric history section that is very well stocked with all manner of harpoons and tools with explanations of how hunters and fishermen evolved their skills in the area. The two particular highlights in this section were the Lurs and the Runestones. There is a history of money exhibit ongoing at the moment that is very interactive and would be good for slightly older children. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a Viking Exhibit at the time I visited, which I would have known if I had done a bit more research first, so that’s my fault. If you are looking for Vikings rather than the larger history of Denmark make sure you check the website for current exhibits.
Jan 21, 2024B1446FNmarkd
Must see in Copenhagen
We visited here on a Wednesday afternoon in December. Not a large crowd, so able to spend a lot of time in the exhibits. The 1600-2000 exhibit section explains a great deal about the Danish! Worth the time to appreciate this period in the country’s history.
Dec 30, 2023Roadschool42
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.
Dec 18, 2023393birgitt
A lovely museum
A lovely well organised museum spacious and interesting exhibits. It was well laid out and told the history of Denmark. The cafe is fabulous and would recommend.
Dec 16, 2023Tubbytummy
Hours of information
The museum has far more in it than first meets the eye. As you enter there are lockers for big coats and bags. There are plenty of clean well maintained toilets in the building. There is a route of history which I did find difficult to follow. The Christmas exhibition was really good, thank you we really enjoyed this part. Money also made use think how lucky we are in comparison to other nations. I did like the idea of walking along a long time line, but I did get lost on route so mis stepped time. I would say must visit but we did use Copenhagen card so nice and easy, bring headphones as there is an app. Actually I think Denmark seems to run every thing on an app.
Dec 13, 2023L_K1509
Interesting museum
Great visit to the museum, which would have been so much better if the signage/ route to follow was better. We ended up joining an exhibition half way through and had to work out way backwards. It was interesting to read the history of Denmark Having said that I found the museum interesting and very well displayed. I particularly liked the Christmas exhibition with the wintery Christmas trees displayed. The dolls houses were beautiful and had so much detail. All different sizes. Each display had English information which was interesting to read. Included with the Copenhagen card. The cafe was nice, caffe latte was a welcome break and the small cake yummy. Such a shame it so expensive!
Dec 13, 2023drccds
Worth the time.
What they have here is very nice and well presented. They woman who checked me in with my City card was very helpful and they had lockers for me to stow my stuff. The museum maybe tries to do too much. The exhibits are all over the map. I found as a first-time visitor it was very difficult to navigate efficiently. The entire place also needs a giant "Watch your step" warning, as well. Numerous issues with that. Overall very nice.
Dec 5, 2023KLBOS
Excellent value
We booked online which was easy. This place is excellent to spend a good few hours especially if it is very cold , which it was. The building is a combination of modern and old . It can be very confusing to find your way around as there are very few signs and it is a series of very small rooms and very few staff, nobody checks tickets. There is a cafe , shop and plenty of toilet facilities and lockers. The exhibits are very wind ranging , there is something for everyone . There are audio guides although these weren’t offered. Definately worth a visit . Very interesting colonial section telling more of the history of Denmarks past.
Dec 2, 2023RachelS1689
Great place to learn about prehistory
This museum has many great artifacts from Denmark's prehistory (stone age through iron age): the Egtved girl, the gundestrup cauldron, the Trundholm sun chariot, and the Huldremose bog woman. There's also a decent amount of medieval objects. Lots of lockers, clean bathrooms, and a great restaurant.
Oct 29, 2023Abamagal
This Museum is a Must Do
Well put together museum. We thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits. We actually spent longer than expected but there is a lot to see. Definitely a must do in Copenhagen.
Oct 20, 202327worldtraveler
Great cafe.
Went with the intent to see the Viking exhibit. It was well done. The lighting was very low, especially in the cabinets. On the whole it was well done. There was a docent which spoke for a long time, was very engaging and knowledgeable. Check out the times for the docents. The museum was difficult for us to find, thus we could not spend as much time as needed to see the rest of the museum. We ate in the cafe which was fabulous.
Oct 10, 2023GlasgowIsland
Brilliant!
Absolutely brilliant - we were in here for 3 hours and still didn’t see it all. Beautiful and very interesting museum.
Oct 3, 2023ledezmacjl
Great musuem with a lot of detailed information and exhibits. .. dont be fooled by size/appearance!
Great museum with a lot of information. We usually start at top floor and work our way down. . .this time that backfired. There was a great money exhibit on banking/money and interactive games and questions etc. We actually enjoyed it a lot. We spent too much time there and slowly worked our way down. For a small museum it has an unbelievable amount of exhibits with detailed info per exhibit. We finally worked our way to bottom floor where there is an amazing Viking multi-media exhibit... . but unfortunately we did it close to closing time and couldnt take it all in. We should have started here first as this is the best part of museum. Come here and take your time and all the other parts you can breeze on by (very informative as well but you will stay here whole day!). We wish we had had more time! The admission was 120 Kr per person so reasonable. We recommend this place!
Sep 13, 2023EstherExplore
super interesting
I spent about 6 hour in this museum and I could spend about 6 hours more in there. It is very nicely in catacories and with clear descriptions and beautiful exhibitions. I really loved the viking exhibition and I'm very temptate to go again just for this museum. I went on a week day and off season. So it was very quiet and in some halls I was all by myself which was quite the experience. Sinds the museums in the Netherlands are always super crowded. The restaurant could have been better, with more pastry options. As tip I would give is look wurther than just the main exhibitions, there are alot very interesting objects in the upper levels too.
Sep 11, 2023erinr370
Good Viking Experience
Well worth a visit - good cafe as well - loved the Viking Ship - great gift shop and friendly staff - a lot of fascinating relics from 9th century.
Sep 7, 2023Rakkasan68
Super Pre-History Collection
This is the very finest collection of pre-historic artifacts ( wood, bone, stone, fiber, bronze, iron ) that I have ever seen. The labels are very informative.
Sep 1, 2023
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