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Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Ancient statues, French masters and a lush palm-filled winter garden come together in one of Copenhagen’s most atmospheric and architecturally rich museums.

4.6

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is Copenhagen’s great temple of sculpture and painting, founded in 1897 by brewer and art patron Carl Jacobsen. Behind a stately façade on Dantes Plads you step into a lush palm-filled winter garden, ringed by galleries of ancient Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman masterpieces, alongside Danish Golden Age works and 19th‑century French art including Impressionists, Rodin bronzes and Gauguin. A rooftop terrace and café complete this quietly spectacular museum experience.

A brief summary to Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

  • Dantes Plads 7, Copenhagen, Indre By, 1556, DK
  • +4533418141
  • Visit website
  • Duration: 2 to 3 hours
  • Mid ranged
  • Environment icon Indoor
  • Mobile reception: 5 out of 5
  • Tuesday 10 am-5 pm
  • Wednesday 10 am-5 pm
  • Thursday 10 am-9 pm
  • Friday 10 am-5 pm
  • Saturday 10 am-5 pm
  • Sunday 10 am-5 pm

Local tips

  • Plan at least two to three hours so you can cover both the antiquities and the modern French and Danish collections without rushing the winter garden.
  • Aim for a weekday morning or early afternoon outside school holidays for a calmer atmosphere in the most popular sculpture galleries.
  • Bring a small bag and use the lockers for larger items; some rooms can feel tight around sculptures and the museum prefers minimal bulky luggage.
  • Leave time for the roof terrace in warmer months for views over Copenhagen’s rooftops and tower silhouettes, especially on clear days.
  • Photography for personal use is generally allowed but avoid flash and follow any signs in sensitive areas such as the Egyptian galleries.
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Getting There

  • Train and short walk from Copenhagen Central Station

    From Copenhagen Central Station, reach the museum on foot in about 6 to 8 minutes along broad, mostly level pavements suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. This is the simplest option if you are already travelling by regional or long‑distance train, and there is no extra cost beyond your existing ticket.

  • Metro and walk via Rådhuspladsen

    Take the M3 or M4 metro line to Rådhuspladsen Station, which typically involves a 5 to 10 minute ride from many central neighbourhoods. From the station, expect a further 8 to 10 minute walk on city pavements with some road crossings. A single metro ticket within the central zones usually costs the standard Copenhagen city fare and trains run every few minutes throughout the day.

  • City bus to Tietgensgade or H.C. Andersens Boulevard area

    Several city bus routes serve stops around H.C. Andersens Boulevard and Tietgensgade, a roughly 3 to 6 minute walk from the museum along well‑maintained sidewalks. Buses in the central zones normally run every 5 to 15 minutes during the day. Standard city bus tickets are priced in line with metro fares and can be bought via ticket machines or transport apps.

  • Bicycle from central Copenhagen districts

    Copenhagen’s cycle‑friendly streets make it straightforward to reach the museum by bike from areas such as Nørrebro, Østerbro or Vesterbro in about 10 to 20 minutes depending on distance. You will find bike lanes on the main approach roads and bicycle racks close to the entrance. This option suits confident cyclists and is weather dependent, but avoids ticket costs and peak‑hour crowding on public transport.

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek location weather suitability

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From Brewer’s Vision to World-Class Museum

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek was born from the passion and fortune of Carl Jacobsen, the brewing magnate behind Carlsberg and one of Denmark’s most important art patrons. In 1888 he donated his growing collection to the public, commissioning a grand museum that opened in 1897 as a gift to Copenhagen. The name combines “glypto”, meaning sculpture, with “tek”, or collection – a nod to the museum’s early focus on statuary. Today the institution holds more than ten thousand works spanning several millennia. Its buildings reflect successive waves of expansion, from richly ornamented 19th‑century galleries to more restrained modern additions. Yet the guiding idea has remained constant: to present ancient and modern art in surroundings that feel as carefully composed as the pieces themselves.

Walking Through 3,500 Years of Antiquity

One wing is devoted to the civilisations of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, turning a simple stroll into a journey across 3,500 years. In the Egyptian rooms, sarcophagi, mummies and carved stelae sit under soft light, their hieroglyphs and painted surfaces still vivid. Nearby, sculpted heads of pharaohs and deities offer an intimate encounter with royal and religious power. Further along, the Greek, Etruscan and Roman collections unfold in airy halls lined with marble. Idealised athletes, philosophers deep in thought and Roman emperors in cool white stone stand at almost eye level, close enough to inspect chisel marks and expressive faces. The atmosphere is scholarly yet serene, inviting unhurried observation of how different cultures imagined the human form.

Danish Golden Age and French Masters

The museum’s modern department shifts the mood from antiquity to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Here you find a strong focus on Danish painting and sculpture from the Golden Age and beyond, with landscapes, seascapes and intimate interiors that give a sense of the country’s light and everyday life. Alongside the Danish works is a major collection of French art from the same period. Paintings by the Impressionists and their contemporaries hang in luminous rooms, while sculpture is a particular strength: the museum preserves the complete series of Edgar Degas’ bronzes and dozens of pieces by Auguste Rodin. This mix of Nordic and French perspectives highlights how ideas about colour, movement and emotion evolved across Europe.

The Winter Garden: Palm Trees Under Glass

At the heart of the complex lies its most surprising space: a sub‑tropical winter garden completed in the early 1900s. Beneath a high glass roof, tall palms, lush greenery and potted plants surround a central fountain and fish pool. Light filters through the glass and foliage, reflecting off marble floors and creating an almost theatrical calm. This oasis is more than a passageway between galleries; it is the museum’s living centerpiece. Benches and a café border the space, making it a natural pause point between intense encounters with sculpture and painting. The interplay of water, plants and stone underscores the museum’s belief that architecture and atmosphere are as important as the artworks themselves.

Café, Roof Terrace and Changing Exhibitions

The on‑site café, Picnic, overlooks the winter garden and serves light lunches, cakes, coffee and drinks in keeping with the relaxed setting. On the roof terrace, open in the warmer months, you can step out for open‑air views over Copenhagen’s towers and rooftops, framed by statues that keep watch from the balustrades. Beyond its permanent displays, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek regularly curates special exhibitions that draw new connections between its collections and loaned works. These shows keep the experience evolving; depending on the season, some familiar pieces may be resting while temporary displays take the spotlight. A small book and gift shop rounds out the visit with art books, postcards and design objects.

Planning Your Time Inside the Galleries

The museum’s central location near Tivoli and the main station makes it easy to fit into a day in Copenhagen, yet it rewards an unhurried visit. Many guests devote two to three hours to exploring both antiquities and modern sections, using the winter garden as a natural midpoint pause. Clear signage, lifts and step‑free routes support visitors with limited mobility. Whether you are drawn to hieroglyphs, marble heroes, Nordic landscapes or French Impressionism, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek offers a concentrated yet varied introduction to European and Mediterranean art history, wrapped in one of the city’s most distinctive architectural ensembles.

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