National Museum of Denmark

Nationalmuseet is Denmark's national museum of cultural history, and it occupies a building that was a private house, then a royal residence, then a courthouse, before it was ever a museum. The core of it is the Prince's Mansion, Prinsens Palæ, on the block between Ny Vestergade, Stormgade, Vester Voldgade and Frederiksholms Kanal. After the fire that destroyed the first Christiansborg in 1794 the Supreme Court of Denmark worked here, and its administration stayed until 1864. April–October: Monday–Sunday 10:00–17:00. November–March: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00; Monday closed except during week 7 and Easter.

The collection is stacked over four levels and the museum publishes the floor list, which is the fastest way to plan a route. The ground floor holds the Children's Museum, Danish Prehistory and The Hunt for Danish History. The first floor holds Danish Middle Ages and Renaissance, The King's Curiosities, Voices from the Colonies, The Power of Amulets, The Prophecy of the Viking Sorceress, and The Arctic. and Land Unknown. The third floor holds Classical, Egyptian and Near Eastern Antiquities. Closed on 24, 25, and 31 December. Exhibitions begin closing gradually at 16:45; the Children’s Museum closes at 16:30.

Allow three hours. The museum publishes no suggested visit length of its own, so that figure is this guide's judgement, and it comes from the shape of the building rather than from a number on the site. Four levels of galleries against a 10.00 to 17.00 day means the longest visit physically available is seven hours, and the museum starts closing the exhibitions at 16.45, with the Children's Museum shutting at 16.30 and the main entrance at 17.00. General adult admission is DKK 150 at the museum or DKK 135 online. Visitors under 18 enter free. Admission tickets remain valid for one year from purchase.

The museum answers this itself, and its answer is more useful than a general rule. It also says the pattern varies with the weather and the calendar, so this is a tendency rather than a promise. Two constraints cut across that advice. The museum is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December. April–October: Monday–Sunday 10:00–17:00. November–March: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00; Monday closed except during week 7 and Easter. Rådhuspladsen station, served by metro lines M3 and M4 and equipped with two lifts, is approximately a seven-minute walk from the museum. The entire museum is wheelchair accessible.

An adult ticket is 150 DKK at the museum's ticket desk and 135 DKK bought online, a ten per cent discount for booking ahead. Anyone under 18 is free, and the museum's own wording is that children are free up to and including the year they turn 18. Payment is by Mastercard, VISA or MobilePay. General adult admission is DKK 150 at the museum or DKK 135 online. Visitors under 18 enter free. Admission tickets remain valid for one year from purchase. The entire museum is wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs and walkers are available to borrow.

The visitor entrance is Ny Vestergade 10, 1471 Copenhagen K. Do not use Frederiksholms Kanal 12, which the museum publishes as its address for parcels, not for people. No car is needed and there is no museum car park. C. Andersens Boulevard 18. Rådhuspladsen station, served by metro lines M3 and M4 and equipped with two lifts, is approximately a seven-minute walk from the museum. Wheelchairs and walkers are available to borrow. Service dogs are permitted. One companion enters free with a valid Companion Card. No. The museum does not offer general free-admission days, although visitors under 18 enter free.

Two published statements about the Monday closure do not agree, and a winter visitor should plan around the stricter one. The information page says simply that the museum is closed on Mondays from November to March; the opening-hours page says the same but adds an exception for week 7 and for Easter. Third, prams. The entire museum is wheelchair accessible. Service dogs are permitted. One companion enters free with a valid Companion Card. No. The museum does not offer general free-admission days, although visitors under 18 enter free. Yes. The admission ticket permits visitors to step outside and return by showing the ticket again.

The rules here are unusually relaxed and the museum states them without hedging: it is glad for visitors to photograph and film, provided the pictures are for private use, the camera is a standard one used without a tripod, and the flash is a regular flash. The museum asks for social posts to be tagged with its own handle. One companion enters free with a valid Companion Card. No. The museum does not offer general free-admission days, although visitors under 18 enter free. Yes. The admission ticket permits visitors to step outside and return by showing the ticket again.