Frederiksborg Castle

Hillerød, Denmark

An imposing brick palace on the shores of Castle Lake in Hillerød, Frederiksborg Slot (Castle) was built in its current form between 1600 and 1620 by King Christian IV. The castle is also home to Frederiksborg. A major fire hit the castle in 1859, but it was renovated thanks to the efforts of J.C. Jacobsen, the owner of Carlsberg Brewery. While no longer a royal residence, the castle has, since its renovation, served as the home of the Museum of National History and the National Portrait Gallery.

When we approached the castle, one of the first things that I noted was the beauty of the grounds. Rick Steves refers to the castle as the “Danish Versailles” and rates it as a 2-triangle “Try Hard to See” location. The Versailles comment makes sense, and with more time, I could have easily spent more time perusing the gardens or having a picnic outside. The best part of visiting the grounds is that we only had to scan our ticket once we entered the castle, so anyone could view the gardens or take the scenic photos of the castle if they were in the area.

Taking a day trip from Copenhagen is usually a very reasonable 35-minute train ride. During our visit last year, track maintenance meant we had to take a bus, but it was still quite reasonable for us to make the trip. The grounds are picturesque and can provide for a pleasant visit on the sunny day we lucked into. The train, buses, and admission were all covered by our Official Copenhagen Card, so as long as you budget the time it takes to leave the city, the trip to Hillerød can be a good use of the pass. If we had chosen to do so, we could also have used our pass to take the lake cruise. Without the pass, the 2026 entrance is 125 Danish Krone (DKK) for adults, 105 DKK for seniors, and free for children up to 17 years of age.

Once in the castle, the chapel is extremely well preserved, as it was unharmed by the 19th-century fire. The chapel serves as the Chapel of the Royal Danish Orders of Chivalry. Lining the walls are coats of arms from the Knights of the Order of the Elephant and the Grand Cross Knights of the Order of Dannebrog. While most of the coats of arms belong to Danish Royalty, we found a few more famous people, including Nelson Mandela, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, and Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.

The castle has many rooms, including an audience chamber, where the king would meet dignitaries. The room was designed to show off in full bluster. It included propaganda on the walls depicting Denmark’s military victories, while also providing a false trap door through which the king could be lowered to a room below.

In the rest of the castle, there are some cool historic artifacts, portraits of Danish nobility, and period furniture, displayed in each room. Someone could easily spend hours lingering over the extensive collection, but we did opt to see a few highlights. The castle is home to the first Bible published in Danish in 1550, as Denmark joined the Reformation. The castle also includes a 350-year-old Celestial Globe, which showed the planets and constellations orbiting the Sun, the heliocentric worldview that many of us take for granted today. The castle is also home to quite a bit of Danish artwork featuring ships and war victories, portraits of famous Danes, and exhibits focusing on different areas of Danish History.

Overall, Frederiksborg Castle is a delightful visit. The castle was built by Denmark’s most famous king and was restored by Denmark’s most famous brewer. While we were visiting, restoration of the exterior was underway, scheduled to run through 2028. Visiting the castle is an option for part of the day, but unless you are in love with the displays or want to spend some time on the grounds, you probably will want to plan to spend a few hours at most. Frederiksborg Castle merits a return visit, and I highly recommend stopping on a visit to Denmark.