2 Amazing Days in Medieval Roskilde

Things to Do

The main attraction here is the Roskilde Cathedral. It is a UNESCO World Heritage and the first Gothic cathedral in Scandanavia. There is a royal mausoleum with 39 Danish kings and queens, including the Viking King Bluetooth. The sarcophagus of Queen Margrethe I is housed here. She is historically known for uniting Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under Danish rule in 1397. The cathedral is stunning. Entry is only about $10 pp.

The Viking Ship Museum also draws a lot of visitors. Around the year 1070, 5 viking ships were deliberately sunk at the mouth of the fjord to protect Roskilde from potential enemy attack by sea. These ships were discovered and painstakingly excavated in the 1960s and you can see them here. The do an excellent job explaining how the ships were used and built and ultimately how the were removed and restored. The nearby viking ship yard gives a visual demonstration of how they were built and you can even sail on the recreated versions of these vessels. Entry price varies by time of year, $18-24 pp.

The Aurochs, extinct in Denmark for 8k years.

The Roskilde Museum is a local history museum. It started out a little oddly as the first display was an exhibit on trash. But stick with it, it does get better. Entry is $9 pp.

If you like rock music or music history in general, spend some time at the Ragnarock Museum. It was a hoot. Most of the music was in Danish and nothing we recognized but we found it to be an entertaining glimpse of foreign music culture and the annual music festival held in Roskilde. Entry is $16 pp.

Take a stroll through town and admire the parks, squares, fountains, sculptures, and beautiful brick buildings. Be sure to walk to the old Palace courtyard during daylight hours. The bright yellow really pops and makes for some great photos. Also spend some time on the pedestrian-only main street. It goes from sleepy cafes and casual shopping to a buzzing street of people excitedly heading to dinner.