Roskilde Cathedral

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Today we celebrate its 30yrs. Very much worth a visit. Roskilde Cathedral is one of the most meaningful places to visit in Denmark, see a thousand years of Royal history, architectural masterpieces and art. Parking: limited parking available, 2hrs free parking and there will be a charge after that. Toilet is available inside the cathedral Disability access: may be a bit challenging as most areas have stairs. But may go around the plain floored part of the cathedral Original structure: Began as a church built by King Harald Bluetooth around 980 AD (made of wood). • The current brick cathedral replaced the earlier church around 1170–1280. • It was one of the first Gothic-style cathedrals in Scandinavia, built mainly from red brick, influencing church architecture across Northern Europe. 👑 Royal Burial Site • Since the 15th century, Roskilde Cathedral has been the main burial site for Danish monarchs. • Over 40 Danish kings and queens are buried here — including: • Queen Margrethe I (founder of the Kalmar Union) • King Christian IV • King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid • Future monarchs, like Queen Margrethe II, also have tombs prepared there - refer to last photos Inside the Cathedral • Richly decorated altars, frescoes, and royal sarcophagi. • Features impressive organ pipes and historic tombs made of marble and alabaster. • Each royal chapel is unique, showing how Danish art and architecture evolved through the centuries.

As a history enthusiast, I was absolutely blown away by Roskilde Cathedral. This UNESCO World Heritage site is not just a stunning architectural marvel, but a living timeline of Danish royal history. Touring it with Ophelia Tours made the experience even more unforgettable - our guide Rene was knowledgeable, passionate, and made the entire visit engaging and fun. The cathedral’s sheer historical significance is staggering. It’s the final resting place of over 40 Danish monarchs, including Queen Margrethe I and King Christian IV. Walking through its chapels feels like stepping back in time - each one reflects the artistic styles and political shifts of the era in which it was built. From Gothic to Baroque to Renaissance, the cathedral is a tapestry of over 800 years of Danish history. The detail inside is breathtaking. The intricate tombs, the majestic organ, the soaring vaulted ceilings, and the peaceful crypts all tell powerful stories. I especially loved learning how the cathedral evolved over time and seeing how each generation left its mark - something you rarely get to witness so vividly in one place. Roskilde itself is a charming town, full of cozy streets, great cafés, and a welcoming vibe. It made the perfect day trip from Copenhagen - peaceful, beautiful, and rich with history. Highly recommend both the cathedral and Ophelia Tours. This was truly a highlight of our Denmark trip!

This cathedral is definitely worth visiting. The interior architectural is beautiful and this place holds so many of the kings grave and they are so beautiful!!! The entrance ticket is also more reasonable than the other places of interest...

I live in Rome. Many people from all over the world come here. I know our beauties, yet Roskilde Cathedral is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. It's full of imposing, celebratory monuments. What you feel, standing there, is the solemnity of the Danish kingdom.

You have to visit Roskilde Cathedral! Its amazing brickwork and unique style are so impressive, but the history inside is even better. Exploring the royal tombs is truly fascinating – especially look for the hidden tombstone of the three-legged horse and other cool myths surrounding the royal burials! The stunning Antwerp altarpiece and detailed royal tombs are also a beautiful sight. It was a fantastic visit, totally worth your time to discover its secrets!

Not far from the Roskilde Station. Going into Roskilde Cathedral feels like walking straight into the past. This is where Danish kings and queens have been buried for hundreds of years. You'll walk past royal tombs some in fancy and beautiful stone bed for a queen or king. The real "design" highlight is the royal chapels, which are like small museums themselves. Each one was built in a different time period, so you see everything from medieval wall paintings to huge, dramatic Baroque and Renaissance tombs.

A true marvel of a cathedral, a burial place for many Danish kings. We took a tour that took as to the cathedral on a bus. We arrived right before the opening, and the whole place without crowds that appeared a short while later. The place is rich in history but a tour guide really helps to appreciate that. Otherwise it may look like a regular church.

A really cool spot to learn more about the Danish royal family! It is like a museum where you can read about the lives of those laid to rest there. Beautiful architecture and artwork.

Pretty impressive and really cool that it houses the most royals! Not as gilded in gold as some other cathedrals, but pretty impressive. There is an upstairs area that has a little museum which was an added bonus.

What a pleasant surprise! A UNESCO Heritage Site, this cathedral is absolutely stunning. Walking up to it, you'd never know. The exterior is simple but once inside, the architecture is breath taking. How wonderful for it to be opened to the public. Take your time, walk and look at everything. The royals are buried here, and there are many hallways to explore. Highly recommend!

The Roskilde Cathedral is a massive church built as a catholic cathedral in what was the Capital of Denmark then later in the 1500s re-engineered as a Lutheran house of worship and as such, the interior is rather stark. The reason to visit is the immense scale and the many former Danish monarchs interred there. Each burial tomb reflects the prevailing artistic time of the deceased. Definitely worth a 30-60 minute. We were already in town to see the Viking ship museum and you walk right part the cathedral on your way from the train station. Admission is charged.

Stunning cathedral, also royal burial ground for the Danish royal family. UNESCO World heritage site. Admission is free with Copenhagen card. It's a 15min walk from the train station if you are coming from city center Copenhagen. The train takes about 40min from Central station. So plan for an hour in transit each way. The grounds are well maintained, and they definitely put your entrance fee to good use. The booklet guide does come in English. The sculptures inside the cathedral are well preserved as well as all the stone containers which houses the remains of previous kings and queens. The organ pipes are huge and beautiful, there's also a very cute clock ornament that does a cute animation routine on the hour. Must see it, the clock was built by a very famous clock-maker hundreds of years ago and well preserved. Must-see when in Copenhagen!

Not your traditional cathedral- it has the most Kings and Queens buried at this location. Beautiful details can be found everywhere.

Impressive and beautiful cathedral with a view. Surrounded by pretty houses and cute architecture it's obviously a must visit when in Roskilde. We've attended at least one organ concert here and it was a lovely experience, even if the organist went mad at the end of the concert and played something awful, modern and out of tune.

Most Danish royalties are buried in or around Roskilde Domkirke (Roskilde Cathedral). With the littel booklet, which is included in the entrance fee, you get a thorough introduction to the Danish kings and queens from Harold Bluetooth (died 986) to Frederik 9 (died 1972). It is a more than a 1000 year historic examination of our funerary rituals, philosophy, and art history. You can use hours looking at all the beautiful details and dicuss their meaning. The cathedral in it self is a magnificent and impressive monument of Danish building and architecture history. Take a seat and suck in greatness and atmosphere of the place. If you are lucky, someone is practicing on the organ or singing. Roskilde Domkirke is a functional church, so it's important to check the website, if there is a function, before you plan a visit.

Being a UNESCO world heritage site might make it sound interesting, but it's a bit of a trip to get there. Nevertheless, I took a half day out of our Copenhagen trip and took the kids to see it. However, they decided to close 2 hours early "unexpectedly" because they were having a concert that night and the performers wanted more time to practice. So, despite there being no music, they wouldn't even let us peek in for five minutes after a 45 minute train ride and ten minute walk. Seriously? Dont risk it.

A beautiful historic church on the inside and outside where all the previous kings and queens lay to rest The guide provide with the entry fee has much more detail than I was expecting on the different parts of the church and who is where Only a short train ride out of central Copenhagen it is easy to get to and from A lovely day trip if you have the time to explore the church and surrounding town

Fascinating place. It displays a rich long history in Danish history, and it has been established as a UNESCO site. The architecture is amazing & it holds the bodies of past royalty. It displays how Protestantism was brought to Denmark. I'm amazed that buildings and history date back to the 15th century.

Another outstanding historical site. The ignorant, untraveled American inside of me just isn't exposed to building this old or opulence this grand, so being able to wander freely inside of a church that pre-dates your country by several hundred years. For your 60 DKK admission fee, you basically get just that - nearly free run of the place, plus a very nice booklet describing each of the tombs/chapels/graves/whatever you call them in more details. The varying styles of the each monarch's burial make for very interesting viewing, and the church itself is quite imposing in its...brickness. Seemingly built when brick was becoming popular in Denmark...well, it's certainly brick. Not much to look at outside, but quite spectacular in a lot of different ways once inside. The floor on the inside of the church is even strewn with the graves of wealthy parishoners - some of the stone grave markers are worn smooth from millions of walkers. It seems a shame to walk on some of them. I would recommend you maybe call to check opening hours. The Saturday I visited, they were supposedly only open from 9-10 and then again in the afternoon, probably for a wedding or something. I got up early to get there right at 9, anticipating correctly that I could spend more than an hour inside. But it turns out they stayed open long after 10, because I stayed inside long after 10. Also worth noting is that maybe the early mornings are tour group times? It was basically me and then a million old people in tour buses. Not that they don't have as much right to view the place as you do, but there's not a lot of time for quiet viewing when there are enormous groups of identically dressed people filling up every room. Finally, there is a small museum dedicated to the history of the building itself, and not just to the occupants. The museum is largely in Danish only, with a few markings and some pamphlets in English. Too bad for me - the little I could read was very interesting. All in all, extremely worthwhile for just a shade over $10.

Admission is included with the Copenhagen Card. The hours seem to vary a lot by the day, depending on services. We got there at 230 and they were closed, so we checked out the little modern art museum in the yellow mansion nearby until they opened back up at 3, but only for an hour until they were closed again. There was a choir practice going on while we were there, so it was nice to hear the signing as we toured around. After seeing the main area, it is interesting to go around and see the many grave sites of the royal family, dating back hundreds of years.