Christiansborg Palace

"The Danish Parliament I absolutely love the interior courtyard of Christiansborg Palace. It is the type of place that seems straight out of a Disney fairy tale. Stand in the courtyard and close your eyes, imagining carriages, lanterns, and a steady stream of affluent Danes attending a grand ball—it's a magical place. Started in 1733, the palace was completed in its present form in 1928. Over the years various stages were added and expanded in response to fire damage, periods of prosperity, and the latest design trends. The Palace currently serves as the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office, the Supreme Court, The Royal Reception Rooms, and the Royal Stables which are the reason that the middle of the inner courtyard is a large dirt space (still used as part of the Royal Stables). You can access the ruins from the previous castle through the Christiansborg Palace museum."

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"The success of the TV drama Borgen has piqued international interest in the building that houses the Danish government. Christiansborg Palace (from which Borgen takes its name) is also the tallest tower in the city center, and it’s free to visit though you will have to go through airport-style security to get in. There’s a viewing platform or, better yet, go to the casual restaurant in the tower. One of the most unusual and memorable places to dine in Copenhagen , the belfry-like eatery has a Harry Potter –like charm, with casts of sculptures left over from the time the space was used as a storage room."

https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-things-to-do-in-copenhagen-7506158

Melanie Mengüş

Google

This is one of the most magical place in Copenhagen! The castle isn't easy to find, it is located in the courtyard close to the entrance to the ruins. We were kind of lost with other tourists because it was closed even if the opening hours online says it's open. Actually it was closed in the morning but open in the afternoon (at least when we visited so be careful). We came back in the afternoon because it was one of the main things we wanted to visit in the city. We don't regret a thing! The castle is beautiful, with impressive rooms and amazing view from the windows. We visited 40 minutes before the closing so we were all alone in the castle which was a even more magical. We had a great time! One thing surprised us was that we needed to wear plastic bags around our shoes. We visited a lot of castles around the world but it was the first time we saw it. Not a big deal tough!

Aravind Todakar

Google

Majestic experience at Christiansborg Palace! The grand state rooms and the stunning Throne Room showcase Denmark’s royal heritage beautifully. Climbing the tower offers incredible panoramic views of Copenhagen. A top pick for history buffs and architecture lovers!

Yvonne C

Google

Visited this palace and I'm glad we did. Rooms were amazing and we got to see the kitchen and the stables too complete with the horses inside. If you have time go and see the ruins beneath the palace as this is very interesting too.

priyanka gupta

Google

Don’t forget to visit the tower, which is free of cost. Just the palace rooms +towers is sufficient for a visit. But if you have more time you could purchase the combination ticket which allows visitors to the ruins, kitchen and the horse stable.

Jen Chen

Google

Highly recommended place to visit! The Christiansborg Palace is still used occasionally by Denmark royalty to receive key political figures. The current palace was built since 1927, though earlier palaces existed on the site since the 12th century. We spent a week at Copenhagen and this was one of our favourite places to visit! Highly recommend checking out the reception rooms. Rich history, beautifully detailed decor, and explanations on various items abound. Well worth our time.

Jen Rohmann

Google

The architecture is magnificent. Seeing the guards is very cool. You cannot go wrong visiting this castle. There is a horse and carriage museum with lots of interesting history.

Claire WithLove

Google

I bought the 2:30 pm entrance tickets for all the entry areas but things like the Royal stables closed at 4 pm (not 5 pm like other parts), so it was not enough time. We got there at 4:03 pm and were escorted out. The main first area is the ruins under the castle with lots of broken walls. You can spend a lot of time here with the stories to read and narration about the poor women who were accused of witchcraft and tortured and imprisoned. We did have trouble finding our way out and had to backtrack the way we came. If you are claustrophobic or don't like dark underground areas, you may want to skip this part. Also, there is no seating if you have trouble walking and standing. We did spend too much time there when there was so much else to see and could have saw the stables if we had not been reading most of the signs/listening to the audio. Make sure you go to the bathroom by the ticket area, since there are not bathrooms in the ruin areas and they are quite extensive with other associated exhibit areas. You will need to walk to the different buildings to see everything. At the castle, we enjoyed seeing the guided tour of the Royal Reception rooms and dining areas. My favorite was seeing the kitchen area and watching the video about how the food is planned and prepared at the kitchen of another castle then brought here and re-heated and assembled and served. There is another area with Orders given to the royalty by royalty of other countries, medals, ceremonial robes. Excellent palace to visit and see all the areas. Through the window of the palace, I saw a man with lots of medals on his suit and a well dressed lady watching the changing of the guard and tourists. I was excited at seeing some of the Royal Family or other dignitary, but I was also grateful that I am a commoner and could look out the windows of my house in my pajamas without having hundreds of tourists taking pictures and videos of me.

Thomas Watson

Google

The views from the tower are amazing. The fact that this is free is the icing on the cake. Also, our wait was quite short. I highly recommend this experience.

Carlo F.

Yelp

A very beautiful place to visit. My friend took me here and shared quite a bit of Danish history about this place and the royal family. I went on a Saturday afternoon around 3pm in January and I was surprised that the place wasn't very busy. I was able to walk around at a leisurely pace without having to navigate around large crowds. Total time of visit was probably just a bit over an hour.

Jessica L.

Yelp

Very interesting old palace. Would definitely recommend getting the Copenhagen card and doing this on of if the days you have it because you each part of the palace is a separate fee. Copenhagen card gets you into all of them. Unfortunately none of the horses were outside in the yard while we were there so we only got to see two of them behind the bars in the stables but they were beautiful. I loved the library in the palace. The kitchens were fun as well but probably wouldn't have paid separately for it had I not had the card.

Tyler L.

Yelp

Christianborg Palace is unique in that actually houses rooms that are used by the monarchy, the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister and the Parliament. For the purposes of tourists, only the royal section related to the monarchy is open for exploration. The ticket that you purchase depends on how many parts of the royal section you wish to visit: 1) Reception room - where the Queens holds meetings 2) Royal Stables - where the horses and carriages are held 3) Royal Kitchen - where the meals are prepared 4) Ruins - the ruins underneath the castle If you have more time, you can see all of them. For me, the best part was easily the Reception area, where you will see many rooms constructed with very colorful and exquisite architecture and filled with luxurious paintings, furniture, and tapestries. This area is so fancy they actually make all visitors wear blue shoe covers to protect the floors. It is also worth it to go up the tower (free entry) where you get amazing views of the city.

L L.

Yelp

There are multiple attractions within the palace ground and would take at least half a day for the visit. The rooms were exquisite and the artifacts were beautiful. Highly recommended.

Austin G.

Yelp

To save money, I did NOT pay for the tour or see the inside rooms, BUT I did enjoy its gardens and the tower climb. When the palace is open for visitors, you can go up the tower for FREE! All you have to do is wait in line at the tower entrance, take the elevator up and see a 360 view of the city with stunning views! Bring your camera!

Elisabeth P.

Yelp

There is really so much to see here! A full experience gets you into 6 separate areas including the palace reception rooms, ruins, kitchen, the stables and royal horses, the church, and you can check out the courtyard and gardens and the tower as well. We had not budgeted nearly enough time to give this beautiful castle the attention it deserved so we elected to buy separate tickets to see only a few of the areas. We first went in to see the reception rooms where we donned fancy blue booties to protect the carpets and floors as the castle is still used for formal receptions today. Here you can explore the throne room, a beautiful red velvet room, the Queen's library, the great hall for parties, as well as view the modern art tapestries the Queen is fond of. For me, the most impressive aspect was how ornate the ceilings and walls were of every room and hall. It was incredible to see the detail in the hand paintings that cover every square inch of some of these rooms. We also enjoyed the quaint library, which we heard is only for display as the Queen has a much more comprehensive one at another castle. The grand staircase you get to walk up is pretty splendid as well. We enjoyed the cute little gift shop while we were here and also went into the church (free to all) and paid to see the ruins which was my favorite part of the castle to see. The tower had a long line so while we'd loved to have seen the view we unfortunately didn't have time. If you're planning your visit you can easily spend half a day or more here and if you have a Copenhagen Card your admission is included.

Bruce K.

Yelp

Interesting but not awesome, I toured the royal apartments of the Christiansborg Slot in less than an hour. I was sort of shadowing a very large tour group that was here at the same time as me, though they were getting it in Italian (which I do not understand). Rather than rush through or find a spot to wait them out, I tried hard to tune them out while I did my own self-directed tour. The majesty here is excellent and you can absolutely tell that this is the royal palace. I've toured Windsor and Hampton Court. This is definitely a big step up from that. Huge well decorated rooms, all of the furniture, tapestries and exhibits in excellent condition. Perhaps that's because they insist on us wearing paper booties to protect the floors. But with all that said, after you've been through three or four huge rooms, they do start to look alike. The big dining table was awesome. The throne room was also awesome. Hey, folks? It's okay to lift your feet as you walk instead of shuffling. Try it.

Dani S.

Yelp

This is one of the current castles for the royal family. Apparently this is the 3rd Christianborg Castle, as the last 2 burned down. The castle has 6 separate exhibits, which all opens at different hours. To be safe, winter hours are 11am-3:30pm, very short hours, so plan accordingly. The royal stable was really good with beautiful mild mannered horses, it does smell like a stable, so be aware of that, but it was my favorite exhibit out of the 6. The royal kitchen was very small but quite interesting. The theater was closed for private event the day I was there, so I was disappointed I couldn't visit. The tower elevator up to the top to get a nice view of the city was really nice. Definitely a must see if you are in the city.

Scott L.

Yelp

One of the many palaces currently utilized by the Royal Family. This is a working palace, thus do not expect to see older museum quality pieces as you would see in Fredriksborg or Rosenborg. Numerous sections, all free with the Copenhagen Card. Excellent Royal Reception Room tour in English at various times. Royal Reception Rooms - various rooms with a Great Room for the large gatherings Underground Ruins - Old Walls, Sewers, Video on the two prior Christianborg Palaces Royal Stable - Horses, Carriages Kitchen - Check out the Video and then look for the little girl mannequin hidden in a corner Theatre - Did not Visit Chapel - Did not Visit Parliament Tower - Free, Could have long lines at times, Security Check, Two Elevator rides and then a short staircase to the Top. Free 360 degree views of Copenhagen. Visit if you have a lot of days in Copenhagen.

Kathy V.

Yelp

This was the first of many castles I got to visit during my trip to Copenhagen. And it certainly left an impression! First, we got a little lost trying to find the entrance for where we wanted to start. Four different, separate spaces are included with the Copenhagen Card and they all have different entrances. Also...Parliament is connected to the palace. They have a different entrance...but depending on which direction you enter from, you might think the Parliament entrance is the Castle entrance. IT IS NOT. If you see official-looking police-ish security folks near a door that says "Indgang/Entrance"...that is not the castle entrance. Keep looking :-P Our first focus at Christiansborg was to see the reception rooms. (You can also visit the kitchens, the royal stables, and the ruins. They are all included with the Copenhagen Card, but have different entrances and different entrance fees if you are visiting without the card. Upon entrance to the Reception Rooms, you get a map and guide, and are instructed to put on only the freshest of fashions...blue plastic booties over your street shoes. The reception rooms are used in the present day for large and special events, beyond their being open for visits from the public. So they gotta keep it looking so fresh and so clean, clean. The rooms are large, beautiful, elaborate, spectacular....all of the superlative adjectives! And particularly as they are still in use, I think are really interesting to visit and see. One of the most interesting things to me was the tapestries in the great hall. The rooms and the palace are all fancy and in a traditional old-timey royal style. You know what I mean. But the tapestries are modern! They were created in the current Crown Prince's lifetime (as he and his brother appear in them...). They are brightly and boldly colored, and are in a more modern, expressionist, cubist-y style. And the panels show the history of Denmark, as well as portraits in textile of the Royal Family. It is a really interesting juxtaposition! It is really awesome to get to visit a castle that is still in use today. And the rooms are really impressive and beautiful. Definitely worth a visit! And I mean...who can say no to those fly plastic booties?!

Paul L.

Yelp

One of the many incredible castles you will visit in Copenhagen. The main castle and ruins were really cool. There were also other areas like the kitchen and stable. Everything was included in the Copenhagen card. Pretty tapestries, big chandeliers, and plenty of great photos. Unfortunately, the horses were "on vacation" when we went, but I really enjoyed this place!

Megan T.

Yelp

I enjoyed all this museum had to offer. You could spend a lot of time here taking in all the pieces they had. It also falls under the Copenhagen card. The design and architecture were beautiful inside. Also, there is a good amount of things to see here.

Leslie M.

Yelp

Incredible! The best tour of all the palaces we've done on our trip! The library is the stuff of dreams, and you could easily spend an hour looking at the modern tapestries. Do the tour, and they will give you a breakdown of some of the symbolism in the most recent tapestry including references to 20th century events. There are actually four tours at the Christiansborg Palace: the royal rooms, the kitchens, the stables and the ruins. The kitchens were probably my second favorite of the tours. It is pretty incredible to see a kitchen so big with all the dishes staged like they are in preparation for a big meal. Also on the property is the Royal Theatre. It's not one of the four, but is near the stables and definitely worth seeing. You can go on stage and sit in the boxes of the original theatre! Very cool!

Dana H.

Yelp

We were pretty determined to use our 24 hour Copenhagen Cards as much as we could. There's a lot to learn at this place. It was originally a castle that was rebuilt several times before finally demolished to become a palace that ultimately burned down TWICE the same way (stove). Nothing survived the first burn down, but some treasures were saved the second time. It's really cool to see the ruins below, so I definitely recommend doing that. It is a relatively new place, but it's kind of cool because the tapestries are new, so you can see what faded tapestries in other palaces would've really looked like. It's definitely worth a stop if you have the time. Why are the horses out at summer? I mean it makes sense but it also doesn't because the most amount of visitors are around in summer?

Louie-Mae B.

Yelp

Whilst it was pretty impressive, it was over quite quickly! There are three main sections, the royal rooms, the kitchens and the ruins. The rooms are the most impressive and you can really imagine the dangers and dinners and balls held there. Kitchens well, a couple of rooms, but interesting all the same. The ruins, not that interesting and it's hard to work out, apart from the fact that it has burnt down twice, what wall is what and why ...... You can queue for the tower to get a view over Copenhagen, which was worth a thirty minute wait, but would have been a bit miffed if I had waited longer to be fair. All in all, get the Copenhagen card and it makes it worthwhile doing all three at once. Can work out expensive and not that greater value if you buy tickets separately and outside of a Copenhagen card.

Herbert E.

Yelp

'Ello chaps! Christiansborg Slot is home to Denmark's royal family, as well as Parliament and the Supreme Court. The palace is the third to bear the name, after the first two palaces burned to the ground. We ended up touring the palace because it was raining on this particular day and found it to be quite a suitable indoor activity. PRICING: They segment the entire palace tour as six separate areas: The Palace, the Ruins, the Kitchen, the Stables and two other spots. You can purchase tickets to each separate area although it's cheaper to purchase the pass that gives you access to the Palace, Kitchen, Stables, and Ruins. You'll be steeply disappointed if you pay for those like the kitchen as they're quite underwhelming unless you're a total history buff. The grounds of the palace are well maintained. Overall I give Christiansborg Palace three stars out of five. Many castles and palaces start to look at the same as each other. Would be unique to get perspective on the Supreme Court and parliament, wishing those two would be provided on the accessible tour.

Rita L.

Yelp

Free to go up to the top to take some pictures on a nice day.

Elisabeth P.

Yelp

(This review is specifically for the ruins underneath the palace - the main palace rooms were closed due to a royal function.) Wow! As a history junkie, particularly for architecture, this was really amazing. The museum did a great job with signage (in English next to Danish), including short but intense descriptions of history, sketches of how the completed buildings would look, and discussions of the sequence of when certain things were built, demolished, and changed hands. There were clear arrows indicating how you should proceed through the exhibition rooms, so you were guaranteed to see everything. The film on the evolution of the Christiansborg Palace was essentially a video version of the wall plaque in that room, so pending attention span, you could probably skip it (though it does show illustrations from artists at the time of each fire). If you are asked to put your bags in the lockers, don't leave your coat! It was very chilly down below - I had to put my gloves on! Given that this is the only thing of its kind in the city and you are likely to see many other castles if you are staying a few days, I highly recommend going to the ruins and skipping the palace.

Kim N.

Yelp

There's no shortage of castles and palaces in and around Copenhagen. Christiansborg palace starting in the 1100s has since been many buildings and also a combination of architectural styles. It's also very utilitarian in that it holds all major branches of the government, executive, legislative and judicial. From the outside, the combination of styles makes it seem disjointed. I didnt go inside but apparently there is a huge preservation of the original castles ruins. Also, a theater and chapel exist there with the Thorvaldsen's museum. I thunk next time im there ill overlook the external aesthetics and explore what exists inside the palace instead. 3.5 stars

Cathy C.

Yelp

We had a free day in Copenhagen to do whatever since I didn't plan one day on our itinerary. The plan was to not have any plans. Walk and get lost. No schedule, no specific destination. On our walk, one of the first few things we saw by accident was Christiansborg Palace. It was beautiful and looked important so, we walked towards it early in the morning. We saw white horses and stables. We saw two men on horses - one of them looked important. This place reminds me of France. Cobblestones, grand palace and copper statues. Not a bad place to get lost in.

Michael U.

Yelp

Difficult to navigate, pricey for admission and generally not the most friendly of staff members made Christiansborg Palace mostly a miss during a July trip to Copenhagen. Why a landmark would choose to divide its exhibits into several different parts with alternating opening hours makes little sense save for monetization, which seems to be the point.

Jack F.

Yelp

Christiansborg Palace is the latest of several palaces on the site - they had a couple of fires and rebuilds. The current palace is a good reconstruction, though, and fulfills a lot of duties - however you can't access the areas of the Parliament or the Supreme Court. You do get to go to a few different areas. With the Copenhagen Card, all of these areas are included. However, without it I believe you have to pay separately for each area, which would get annoying. The Queen's Reception rooms are very opulent and fun to check out. You do have to store your backpacks and put on foot covers. Most people can just put them on over their shoes, but since I have giant feet, I had to walk around with them over my socks. The ruins of the original castle from the 1100s are still there in an underground area. They have done excavations and you can now see the ruins underground. The lighting is dark but this was interesting to check out. There is a palace chapel you can normally also check out, but it was closed when we visited. If you don't want to pay to get in, you can still walk around the courtyard, and go up the tower near the entrance, where there is a nice observation area that looks over the city on all sides. Definitely do this, if nothing else.

Cindy B.

Yelp

I really enjoyed going to Christiansborg Slot. I did the tour of the estate rooms and also took the tower elevator up to see the view from up there. The estate rooms were very pretty and ornate. The view from the tower was pretty impressive. There is free wi-fi here and a nice gift store too. I recommend going for first time visitors.

Jessica R.

Yelp

Christianborg Palace was a fine stop for an afternoon with our Copenhagen Card, though I don't end up feeling that it's a must-see site in Copenhagen. A lot of the internal sites were closed for renovation (crypts, e.g.), so we were able to see just one thing here--a self-guided tour of the Versailles-esque interior. And that's exactly what it was, only much less Versailles-esque than Versailles, of course. We walked around and saw some rooms and read some descriptive plaques. There wasn't anything hugely special about it, I don't think (aside from the fact that we all had to wear plastic booties over our shoes so as not to track in mud on the drizzly day).

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"Christiansborg Palace is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark." - Travel + Leisure Editors

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