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There’s no shortage of castles to see when you visit Copenhagen. The city is home to several memorable ones, while there are some spectacular ones within easy reach. Frederiksborg Castle is in the second of those camps, a gorgeous royal residence that you can visit as a day trip from Copenhagen.
Visiting Frederiksborg in Hillerod wasn’t especially high on my list of priorities while travelling in Denmark, but it turned out to be one of my most memorable experiences. Trust me, you’ll want to add a trip to Hillerød and Frederiksborg Castle from Copenhagen on your next Denmark trip.
Frederiksborg Castle
Like so many castles in Denmark, Frederiksborg Castle was built for the Danish Royal Family.
King Christian IV built the castle at the start of the 17th century on the remains of an earlier castle. When finished it was the largest Renaissance building in Scandinavia. Although the castle suffered serious damage during a fire in 1859, it was fully restored and turned into the Danish Museum of National History.
Frederiksborg Castle sits on a series of islands in Slotssøen Lake at the northern end of the town of Hillerod. Rather than being a war-time castle, it was very much a leisurely residence. You can tell that immediately once you see its highly detailed Renaissance exterior.
First, you need to reach it though and that means passing over bridges, through gates and courtyards, that each build anticipation for what you’re about to see.
Stepping Inside Frederiksborg Castle
As impressive as the exterior of Frederiksborg Castle is, the real highlight here is the castle’s interior.
Visitors can take a guided tour through the castle halls and marvel at their decadent design and furnishings. My visit took place in the mid-afternoon during early spring and the castle was practically empty.
I can only hope you get a similar experience as having such a place to yourself makes the experience even more special.
Touring Frederiksborg Castle you’ll get to see some breathtaking rooms that were clearly meant for kings and queens. Early on you’ll see the pretty Rose Room and then the castle Chapel ornately decorated with stucco work and pale gold trim.
Then there’s the Audience Chamber seen above, with its wall-to-wall paintings. Upstairs you’ll come across an art gallery full of portraits, including one of Princess Mary.
Being an Australian tourist, the staff mentioned this piece specifically.
However, the most incredible room in Frederiksborg Castle is surely the Great Hall seen above.
The Great Hall required a lot of work after the 1859 fire, but by using surviving fragments they managed to do it justice. While the floor and tapestries are both impressive, the gilded wooden ceiling is simply a work of art. Expect to spend your time in this room looking up.
Castle Grounds and Gardens
Having seen the castle from top to bottom, it’s then time to head out to see the castle gardens and grounds.
Out behind the castle, there are some carefully manicured hedge gardens divided by fountains that are quite impressive. Follow the paths leading up the gentle incline and you’ll soon reach a series of small lakes.
While all of this is pleasant enough, I was more interested in the wider castle grounds. Forest and gentle trails cover the area north of the castle, with some trails bordered by waterways which is kind of cool.
I don’t think I’ve seen something like this before, but I imagine it’s terrible with insects come summer.
Slotssøen Lake
Both as you arrive and leave Frederiksborg Castle you’ll need to walk along Slotssøen Lake.
That’s no hardship thanks to the lake’s great views, showing off the castle and the green banks of the lake. Walking paths complete a circuit around the lake, offering up all sorts of vantage points of both Frederiksborg Castle and Hillerod.
If you’re there in spring you also have the hope of seeing the shores lined with cherry blossom, which always adds to the scenery.
Hillerød
Last but not least we have the town of Hillerød itself.
Honestly, though, I walked pretty much right through the town centre on my way to visit Frederiksborg Castle without stopping. It’s not a very large town and easily gets overshadowed by its more famous castle.
That being said, the Torvet square by the waterfront is a nice spot.
There you have views across the lake of the castle, but also some classic Danish architecture to admire and restaurants with outdoor seating. Torvet would be ideal for getting lunch before seeing the castle or grabbing drinks or dinner afterwards.
I’m sure there are other things worth seeing in Hillerød, I just didn’t have time for them.
Visiting Frederiksborg Castle from Copenhagen
Hopefully, at this stage, all you want to know is how to get from Copenhagen to Frederiksborg Castle.
Well, the good news is that it’s pretty simple, especially with the Copenhagen Card. Trains run every 10 minutes from Copenhagen Station to Hillerød Station, with it taking roughly 40 minutes.
Then you just need to get to the castle. For that, you can enjoy a 20-minute walk through town and along the lake, or take a local bus. The 301, 302 and 303 all travel from the station and stop outside the castle, so nice and easy.
I will say though that you don’t need to devote a full day of your trip here.
What I did was spend half a day visiting Helsingor and then the other half here. There’s an hourly local train that runs from Helsingor to Hillerød and takes just 30 minutes. If you’re short on time, that’s how I recommend doing it.
Otherwise, you can see both Helsingor and Frederiksborg Castle on this guided tour.
Did you see Frederiksborg Castle during your travels in Denmark? Would you allow time during your next Copenhagen trip to make a day trip here? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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