Best Attractions in Helsingør

Tivoli Gardens is Copenhagen’s storybook amusement park: a 19th‑century pleasure garden where roller coasters weave past rose beds, lanterns glow above winding paths, and live music drifts from open‑air stages. Open in distinct seasons—spring, summer, Halloween and Christmas—it blends historic rides, lush planting, performances, and more than 30 places to eat, all tucked beside the Central Station in the heart of the city.

Rising over central Copenhagen on the islet of Slotsholmen, Christiansborg Palace is Denmark’s powerhouse of politics and pageantry. Today it uniquely houses the Danish Parliament, Supreme Court and Prime Minister’s Office under the same vast neo‑Baroque roofs, while still serving as a working royal palace for state banquets and ceremonies. Visitors can explore glittering reception rooms, the royal stables and kitchen, and the evocative ruins of earlier castles beneath the present building.

Rosenborg Castle is a storybook Renaissance palace set amid Copenhagen’s leafy King’s Garden, once the intimate pleasure retreat of King Christian IV and today home to 400 years of Danish royal treasures. Behind its red-brick gables and copper spires you’ll wander richly decorated chambers, the dazzling Knights’ Hall and atmospheric basements where the Danish crown jewels and royal regalia are guarded. Outside, formal lawns and tree-lined avenues soften the castle’s dramatic silhouette and make this one of the city’s most photogenic and compact historic highlights.

Amalienborg Palace is Copenhagen’s working royal residence and the ceremonial heart of Denmark’s monarchy. Four near-identical rococo palaces frame an elegant octagonal square, guarded by the Royal Life Guards and centred on an equestrian statue of King Frederik V. Visitors can explore the Amalienborg Museum inside Christian VIII’s Palace, with richly furnished royal interiors, glittering state rooms and a Fabergé chamber, and can witness the daily changing of the guard at noon.

Copenhagen Zoo in Frederiksberg is one of Europe’s classic city zoos, blending 19th‑century charm with cutting‑edge animal habitats. Home to more than 4,000 animals from around the world, it lets you wander from Arctic Ring polar bears and Nordic wildlife to savannah giraffes, lions and hippos, plus tropical rainforests and a hands‑on children’s zoo. Architectural highlights like the Norman Foster–designed Elephant House and BIG’s Panda House, plentiful playgrounds and varied dining make this an all‑day, family‑friendly escape in the heart of Copenhagen.

Kronborg Castle rises at the narrowest point of the Øresund Strait, where Denmark meets Sweden, its green copper spires and sandstone walls guarding the sea. This UNESCO-listed Renaissance stronghold is famed as Shakespeare’s Elsinore from Hamlet and once controlled lucrative tolls on passing ships. Inside, grand halls, royal chambers, a preserved chapel and eerie casemates reveal centuries of power, war and legend, including the sleeping hero Holger Danske beneath the fortress.

Northern Europe's largest and most modern aquarium, Den Blå Planet houses over 24,000 animals across 735 species in 7 million liters of water. Located adjacent to Copenhagen Airport, this award-winning architectural landmark offers immersive experiences including interactive ray feeding, sea otter encounters, a rainforest exhibit with rescued wildlife, and an enormous Ocean Tank where sharks swim overhead. Open 365 days annually with extended summer hours and special evening admission rates.

Rising above the cobbled lanes of Copenhagen’s old town, the Round Tower is a 17th‑century astronomical observatory turned cultural landmark. Commissioned by King Christian IV and completed in 1642, it’s famed for its wide spiral ramp leading to a 360° rooftop platform with views over the city’s spires and rooftops. Inside, the former university Library Hall now hosts changing art, science and cultural exhibitions, making this a compact blend of history, architecture, skyline vistas and contemporary creativity in the very heart of Copenhagen.

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is Copenhagen’s atmospheric temple of art, where sculpture, painting and architecture meet beneath a soaring glass dome. Founded in 1897 by brewer and art patron Carl Jacobsen, the museum brings together masterpieces from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome with 19th–20th-century Danish and French art. Palm trees and a central fountain in the subtropical Winter Garden create a serene oasis, while galleries showcase everything from Roman portraits to Gauguin, Rodin and Degas in one of the city’s most evocative cultural landmarks.

City Hall Square, or Rådhuspladsen, is Copenhagen’s grand urban stage, fanning out before the red‑brick City Hall and its tall clock tower. Once the city’s hay market, it is now a major gathering place for concerts, celebrations, and demonstrations, and the starting point of Strøget, one of Europe’s longest pedestrian shopping streets. Sculptures like the Dragon Fountain, Hans Christian Andersen’s statue and the whimsical Weather Girl add character, while Tivoli Gardens, cafes and shops are just steps away.