Background

Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum (Hillerød Bymuseum)

Step behind Frederiksborg Castle into an intimate town museum where historic shops, crafts and letterpress printing bring everyday Hillerød vividly back to life.

4.5

Tucked just behind Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum (Hillerød Bymuseum) offers an atmospheric journey through the town’s past. Housed in historic buildings with a leafy garden, this intimate museum recreates shops and workshops from the 1950s–60s, explores Hillerød’s growth around the castle, and includes a charming letterpress section. Hands-on rooms, an old-style grocery store and toy shop make it especially engaging for families, while a small café and nostalgic gift shop round out the visit.

A brief summary to Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum

  • Frederiksborg Slot, Helsingørsgade 65, Hillerød, 3400, DK
  • +4572170240
  • Visit website
  • Duration: 1 to 2 hours
  • Budget
  • Environment icon Indoor
  • Mobile reception: 5 out of 5
  • Monday 11 am-4 pm
  • Tuesday 11 am-4 pm
  • Wednesday 11 am-4 pm
  • Thursday 11 am-4 pm
  • Friday 11 am-4 pm
  • Saturday 11 am-4 pm
  • Sunday 11 am-4 pm

Local tips

  • Set aside 1–2 hours so you can explore both the town history rooms and the letterpress section without rushing, plus a short pause in the garden or café.
  • If you are visiting with children, head straight to the first-floor play areas with the old grocery, toy shop and classroom, then circle back to the more detailed exhibits.
  • Bring a small bag for purchases: the shop’s books, vintage-style toys and sweets are themed to the museum and make easy-to-pack souvenirs.
  • Check seasonal opening times before you go, as the museum may reduce hours or close in the winter period outside main visiting seasons.
  • Note that the historic building has stairs and limited accessibility; those with mobility challenges may want to confirm current access options in advance.
widget icon

Getting There

  • Regional train and short walk from Copenhagen

    From central Copenhagen, take an S-train on Line A towards Hillerød; the journey typically takes 40–45 minutes and runs several times an hour, covered by standard Greater Copenhagen public transport tickets or city cards. From Hillerød Station it is roughly a 15–20 minute walk through the town center to the museum, mostly on level, paved streets that are suitable for most visitors, though not signposted specifically for the museum.

  • Local bus within Hillerød

    If you prefer not to walk from Hillerød Station, use one of the local buses heading towards Frederiksborg Castle; travel time is usually 5–10 minutes plus a short walk from the nearest stop. Single bus tickets in the local zone cost only a modest amount and can be bought from machines or via regional transport apps. Services run frequently during the day but may be reduced in the evening and on weekends, so check the latest timetable before relying on this option.

  • Car from Greater Copenhagen area

    Driving from the northern districts of Copenhagen or surrounding Zealand towns to Hillerød generally takes 35–50 minutes depending on traffic. The museum itself is located in the historic center near Frederiksborg Castle, and parking is usually found at designated car parks in the area rather than directly at the entrance. Expect to pay a small hourly fee for parking during the day, and be aware that spaces closest to the castle and museum can fill up in peak seasons and weekends.

  • Cycling within Hillerød

    For visitors already staying in Hillerød, cycling to the museum is a pleasant option, typically taking 5–15 minutes from most residential areas. The town has bike-friendly streets and paths leading towards Frederiksborg Castle, and you can walk your bicycle through the immediate historic surroundings if surfaces are uneven. There is usually informal space to park and lock a bike near the museum, but no dedicated guarded bike parking.

Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum location weather suitability

  • Weather icon Any Weather
  • Weather icon Rain / Wet Weather
  • Weather icon Cold Weather
  • Weather icon Mild Temperatures

Unlock the Best of Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum

Buy tickets

    No tickets available

Book tours with entry

    No tours available

Book tours without entry

    No tours available

Discover more about Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum

Everyday Hillerød Brought Back to Life

Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum sits a short stroll from Frederiksborg Castle, but instead of royal portraits and grand halls, you step into the world of ordinary townspeople. In a cluster of old townhouses you wander through evocative rooms that reconstruct Hillerød’s streets, homes and businesses from the late 19th century up to the 1950s and 1960s. Display cases mix town plans, photos and objects, tracing how the castle town grew into a modern regional center. On the upper floor, period interiors re-create familiar scenes: a living room with heavy furniture and patterned wallpaper, a hairdresser’s salon with chrome fittings, and a classroom laid out with wooden desks and slates. The focus is on small details – handwritten labels, worn tools, flour-dusted counters – that make it easy to imagine the rhythms of daily life before supermarkets and smartphones.

Shops, Crafts and a Playful Time Capsule

One highlight is the lovingly reconstructed old grocery store, complete with wooden drawers, enamel signs and scaled weights on the counter. Children can role‑play as shopkeepers and customers, handling replica goods and coins as they act out their own scenes from “the old days.” Nearby, a toy shop and other small businesses capture the style of mid‑20th‑century Hillerød, from packaging design to the fashions in the window. Workshops devoted to local crafts show how bakers, cobblers, and other artisans plied their trade. Tools and machinery are presented in context, so you can see how flour became bread or leather turned into everyday shoes. For younger visitors, interactive elements and simple, tactile displays keep the stories accessible without overwhelming them with text.

The Graphic Museum and the Art of Letterpress

The “Graphic Museum” section celebrates traditional printing and letterpress. Here you find cases of metal type, sturdy presses and examples of posters, business cards and forms that once kept the town’s communications running. Explanations outline how letters were set by hand, inked and pressed, showing just how labor‑intensive even a single page could be. This quieter wing invites you to look closely at the craft behind typography: the shapes of individual letters, the smell of ink, the weight of a composing stick. Occasional demonstrations and special activities are sometimes offered, though the core displays themselves already convey the tactile, mechanical character of pre‑digital printing.

Garden Corners, Café Treats and Nostalgic Finds

Behind the museum, a small garden offers a peaceful break, with outdoor seating when weather allows. It is a pleasant place to pause after the exhibits, framed by old walls and greenery that echo the town’s historic core. Birds, church bells and the distant murmur from the castle lake add a gentle soundtrack. Inside, a cosy café counter serves simple refreshments such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soft drinks and light snacks. The adjoining shop leans into nostalgia: books on Hillerød and North Zealand, postcards, posters, and old‑style toys and sweets that extend the museum’s time‑travel theme. It is an easy spot to pick up a small, locally rooted memento.

Planning Your Visit and Practical Notes

The museum is compact, and most visitors explore it in one to two hours, making it an ideal pairing with Frederiksborg Castle or the nearby town center. Admission is modest, with adults paying a reasonable fee while children under 18 enter free. Opening hours are typically late morning to mid‑afternoon, but they can vary seasonally, so it is worth checking current times in advance. Access is through older buildings with stairs and some narrow passages, and there is currently no full disabled access. Mobile reception in the area is generally reliable. Exhibits are indoors, which makes the museum a good option in changeable or cooler weather, while the garden and proximity to the castle lake reward clear days. For anyone curious about how a Danish market town has evolved over the centuries, this small museum offers a concentrated, characterful introduction.

Busiest months of the year

Busiest hours of the day

Popular Experiences near Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum

Popular Hotels near Hillerød City Museum & Graphic Museum

Select Currency