One day trip to Roskilde – 10 city highlights

Roskilde, a city located 30 kilometers away from Copenhagen and famous for the largest North European culture and music festival that is yearly celebrated in this city, is easy to reach from the Danish capital and therefore, perfect for a one day trip. During my backpack trip through Denmark, I visited Roskilde for one day and I was definitely surprised by the city’s beauty.

The city is one of Denmark’s oldest cities and was a Viking trading place more than 1000 years ago. It is located at the south end of Roskilde Fjord, so the city has a beautiful harbor. From Roskilde´s station it is very easy to walk into the old town. In this post, I will tell you about ten city highlights.

Roskilde Festival

During the summer, Roskilde Festival, which is northern Europe’s largest culture and music festival, attracts thousands of people. It is definitely a good idea to make a one day trip to this city, when this festival  is going on. You can find more information about this festival via this link.

Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of Roskilde is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the earliest brick-built buildings in Northern Europe. In my opinion, it is a beautiful and amazingly high church.

Viking ship museum

A highlight of Roskilde is the Viking ship museum. Roskilde was a Viking trading place more than 1000 years ago. The museum shows five well-preserved Viking boats and you can sail like a Viking out on the fjord.

Roskilde’s Palace

Surrounded by a golden-wall, the palace of Roskilde cannot escape from your eyes. Some parts of the building are accessible for visitors.

Roskilde’s harbor

As mentioned before, Roskilde is located at the south end of Roskilde Fjord, so the city has a beautiful harbor. At the harbor you can do some nice activities like kayaking, rowing or catching crabs.

Roskilde, Denmark

Algade

This is one of the oldest shopping streets in Roskilde. The street has some cafés and shops.

Town hall

Roskilde’s town hall, also named Roskilde’s Radhus, is located on a little square which you can reach from the Algade street. It is an old building, dating back from 1884, which looks beautiful. On the square you can get some coffee or sandwiches, while enjoying the view of the town hall.

Gråbrødre Kirkegård

This little church is surrounded by a graveyard, but is nowadays used as a park. In front of the church you can find the ´jars´ of Roskilde. The three huge jars are five meter in height.

Roskilde, Denmark

Byparken City Park

In the middle of the old town you can find the city park of Roskilde. It is a nice place to relax. From the park you also have a beautiful view over the sea, harbor and ships.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Roskilde is also a nice city for the art lovers. The museum of Contemporary Art has occupied the Royal Palace in the centre of Roskilde. The museum works with the latest media within contemporary art, along with sound art, performance art, video art and net art.

Have you already visited Roskilde? I think it is definitely worth a visit if you are staying in Denmark.

Author: Daphne

This article is part of the GPSmyCity iOS app. You can download it, read this article offline and obtain travel directions (by foot, car or bicycle) to the places mentioned in this article. Click here to download it.

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