Viking Ship Museum

Roskilde, Denmark

The Vikings became one of the most feared groups of warriors and sailors the world has ever encountered, but while their domination of the seas was recorded, the knowledge we have of their specific boats and tactics has been blurred in the centuries since the Vikings ruled the high seas.

This story became even more intriguing when, in 1962, Danish archaeologists began recovering recently discovered ships from Roskilde Harbor. The five Viking-era ships were loaded with stones and deliberately sunk to create a defensive barrier for the harbor that led into the Viking capital. These ships were older, well-traveled vessels that were replaced by newer ships. Once the ships were rediscovered in the 20th century, they were remarkably well-preserved; however, extreme measures had to be taken to bring them to the surface. The ships, known today as Skuldelev-1, Skuldelev-2, Skuldelev-3, Skuldelev-5, and Skuldelev-6, went through a massive preservation process involving the gradual lowering of water, the consistent application of mist, the cataloging of the parts of the ship, the use of airtight plastic bags and water storage tanks, and the eventual reconstruction of the ships.

The ships themselves represented different types of vessels. Skuldelev-1 was an ocean-going trading ship. Skuldelev-2 was a longship, used for war. Skuldelev-3 was a coastal trading ship. Skuldelev-5 was a small longship and was used in coastal waters. Skuldelev-6 was a fishing vessel. The original ships are on display in the museum. The ships have all been reconstructed, and the newly built ships are docked in Roskilde Harbor.

One of the best features of the Viking Ship Museum is the shipbuilding facilities. We saw several ships at various stages of construction, replicas of Viking-age vessels from a previous millennium. The craftsmanship on these ships was superb, especially since ships with the same technology crossed the Atlantic Ocean a millennium ago. There were options for visitors to try knot-tying or float their own model crafts.

Several artifacts are also present, helping tell the story of the ships and the people who built them. For me, feeling kinship with my own ancestors was worth the price of admission. I gained a greater appreciation for the bravery it took to explore and trade across treacherous waters. I was also impressed with their craftsmanship and how well their ships perform today. The Viking Ship Museum offers visitors a chance to sail on a Viking Ship and an excellent cafe that serves food from the Viking era. I’ll cover our experiences with both in separate posts, as I strongly recommend them.

We entered the museum using our Official Copenhagen Card. The card also covered our train ticket from Copenhagen to Roskilde, and the bus trip from the museum back to the station. We walked downhill from the station to the harbor (about 25-30 minutes), but opted to take the bus on the return trip uphill. The bus stops about every 30 minutes in front of the museum, but with the wait, it can take just as long to take the bus as it would to walk. There is a parking lot available for visitors who are driving.

If you do not use the Official Copenhagen Card, admission in 2026 is 155 Danish Krone for adults, 105 DKK for students, and 290 DKK for families. Children 17 or under are free. If you are traveling with children, older children would probably appreciate the exhibits more. The exhibits are worthwhile, and it is pretty unique to see five 1,000-year-old wooden ships in one place. The other two experiences of the sailing voyage and the Viking food made this not just a cool museum, but one of my favorite European destinations.