Denmark will forever be known for its historical hordes of marauding Vikings and the terror they wreaked across Northern Europe. But the story of the Vikings is about much more than raids and battles. Their incredible skills as master boat builders are perhaps less well known. But are celebrated at the country’s Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, one of the best places to learn about the Vikings in Denmark. If you’re looking for things to do in Roskilde, or planning a day trip from Copenhagen, the Viking Ship Museum is one of the most fascinating places to visit. Here you can see five original Viking ships, learn how the Vikings built and sailed them, and, during the summer, even take to the water in a reconstructed Viking Age boat. For families visiting Denmark with children, it’s also a particularly good museum because there is much more to do than simply look at ancient artefacts. There are replica ships, Viking activities, boat building, guided tours and opportunities to get involved with the stories behind the ships.
👩💻 About the author – Nichola is a family travel expert and has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, Lonely Planet Magazine and Wanderlust, amongst many others. She’s spent over a decade travelling the world with her children, finding the best places for you to explore too.
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About the Viking Ship Museum Denmark, Roskilde
On our winter trip to Denmark with kids we headed out of the Danish capital Copenhagen. And a 25-minute drive west brings you to the ancient city of Roskilde.
This town is now home to the Viking Ship Museum with the remains of five magnificent Viking ships sitting at its heart.
The five ships are known as the Skuldelev Ships and were discovered in Roskilde Fjord. They date from the Viking Age and give a remarkable insight into the different ways Vikings used boats – for warfare, trade, fishing, transport and long-distance voyages.
It is this that makes the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde so interesting. The museum shows just how important ships were to Viking society. Without these remarkable boats, the Viking Age would have looked very different indeed.
Roskilde Fjord
As you enter the main part of the museum you can see far out across the Roskilde fjord where these ships were found. And it’s this setting that helps transport you back to the days of the Vikings.
It’s incredible to see how much of these ships still remain. With the wood and fixings still intact, sitting in a metal frame, which allows you an idea of how large these ships would have been.
The Viking Ship Hall was specifically designed around the original ships, with a huge window overlooking the fjord. I loved this because the boats aren’t displayed in isolation – they are visually connected to the water they were built to travel on.
The Viking ships
There’s plenty of information on hand to tell the stories of these vessels. And the children were amazed to be able to stand next to boats which date back over a thousand years.
Each of these boats had been part of the Vikings’ successful efforts to create a barrier around the sailing routes into Roskilde. And had been deliberately filled with stones and scuppered to build their defences.
The five ships were sunk in the Peberrenden sailing channel in Roskilde Fjord during the late Viking Age. They formed part of a defensive barrier designed to control access along the sailing route towards Roskilde, which was an important royal and ecclesiastical centre.
And the really fascinating thing is that the five ships weren’t all the same. They represented completely different types of Viking vessel. There was a large ocean-going cargo ship, a huge warship, a coastal trading vessel, a smaller warship and a fishing boat.
We loved exploring the large spacious hall and seeing the craftsmanship.
What are the five Viking ships at Roskilde?
If you’re visiting the Viking Ship Museum, these are the five original Skuldelev ships you’ll see in the Viking Ship Hall:
• Skuldelev 1 – a large ocean-going cargo ship capable of sailing the North Atlantic.
• Skuldelev 2 – a huge longship and warship, built to carry a large crew at speed.
• Skuldelev 3 – a smaller, beautifully preserved trading ship used in Danish and Baltic waters.
• Skuldelev 5 – a small warship designed for sailing in Danish coastal waters and the Baltic.
• Skuldelev 6 – a fishing boat from the Sognefjord area of western Norway.
Seeing the ships together really brings home just how sophisticated Viking boat building was. These were highly specialised vessels designed for particular journeys and purposes.
Taking a tour – Viking Ship Museum Denmark, Roskilde
There are tours in different languages during the day. And it was great to join a group and learn more about the Viking culture and how they used their boats to explore further and further afield.
We loved the guide talking about how the Vikings steered their boats without any navigational system.
They tried to recreate this on a trip out from Norway to the Shetland Islands. A route the Vikings would have taken. The modern team ended up having to be rescued in the middle of the North Sea.
Today, guided tours continue to be an important part of the experience. The museum currently offers daily guided tours of the Viking Ship Hall, including English-language tours, and these are included with museum admission.
I’d definitely recommend joining one if the timing works with your visit. It’s one thing to look at a thousand-year-old boat; it’s another to hear someone explain how it was built, what it was used for and what the marks left in the wood can tell us about the people who sailed it.
Viking Ship Museum with kids
There’s lots of fun for children at the Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde. Two full size replica ships greet you in the next room of the Museum halls.
Here you can pull on Viking outfits (there are costumes for all the family). And you can then step onto either their warship filled with swords and shields or into the cargo ship and take your seat on one of the many rough wooden benches where the oarsmen would have driven the boat out to sea.
This was one of our favourite parts of visiting the Viking Ship Museum with children because it gave them something they could actually interact with. Rather than simply reading about Viking ships, they could climb aboard and imagine what life would have been like on board.
The museum also has activities designed specifically to bring the Viking story to life for younger visitors. There is currently a digital Museum Mystery treasure hunt, as well as family activities at various times of year.
If you’re visiting Roskilde with kids, I’d allow more time than you might initially expect. The replica ships, outdoor areas and activities mean this is much more than a traditional museum visit.
See Viking boat building in action
One of the things that makes the Viking Ship Museum particularly unusual is that along with displaying Viking ships, it continues the tradition of building them.
There is an active boatyard where you can see craftspeople working on reconstructed Viking ships and other traditional Nordic boats.
The museum uses archaeological research to reconstruct ships and explore how they were originally built and sailed. This means you can see the techniques and craftsmanship rather than simply reading about them on a museum display.
And there are also chances to see boat builders at work in the boat yards. Using the skills that their predecessors would have perfected hundreds of years ago.
For anyone interested in Viking history, archaeology or traditional craftsmanship, this is one of the most fascinating parts of the museum.
Go sailing like a Viking
Our visit during the winter months meant that we were limited to seeing only the impressive recovered ships. But during the warmer months, there is plenty more for young and old to explore.
There’s a range of Viking expeditions and guided trips on the water on reconstructed boats in summer. Here you can grab an oar and experience a little of what Viking lives were like.
This is one of the biggest reasons I’d recommend checking the season carefully when planning a visit. From May to September, visitors can take daily sailing trips out onto Roskilde Fjord in traditional Nordic wooden boats descended from the Viking ships. Passengers can help with rowing and setting the sail,
If you’re visiting Denmark in summer, I’d be very tempted to make this part of your visit. It gives you the chance to experience the fjord in the way the museum’s entire story is built around – from the water.
There are also chances to see boat builders at work in the boat yards. Using the skills that their predecessors would have perfected hundreds of years ago.
And you can also try your hand at striking your own Viking coins.
What is there to do at the Viking Ship Museum?
If you’re wondering whether the Viking Ship Museum is worth visiting, particularly if you’re travelling with children, there is actually quite a lot to see and do.
Depending on when you visit, you can:
• See the five original Skuldelev Viking ships
• Join a guided tour
• Explore replica Viking ships
• Dress up as Vikings
• Visit the working boatyard
• Take part in family activities
• Follow the MuseumMystery digital treasure hunt
• Watch a film about the excavation of the ships
• Listen to audio guides for adults and children
• See Viking ship reconstructions
• Take a sailing trip on Roskilde Fjord during the summer season
This variety is what makes the museum particularly good for families. You can mix the history and archaeology with activities that get everyone involved.
The setting
I really liked how the Viking ships are forever connected to the water in their vast and airy display hall.
We enjoyed being able to get up close with the boats and seeing how they were expertly constructed. They’re so simple and evocative in this setting.
There is something particularly atmospheric about standing in front of these ancient ships with Roskilde Fjord stretching out behind them. It makes it much easier to imagine the scale of the journeys these boats were capable of making.
And for me, that’s what makes the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde stand out from a museum where you simply look at Viking artefacts behind glass. The ships themselves are the story.
How long do you need at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde?
I’d allow at least two to three hours for a visit to the Viking Ship Museum. If you’re visiting during the summer and want to take a sailing trip, see the boatyard and take part in some of the family activities, I’d allow longer.
We visited during winter, when some of the seasonal outdoor activities weren’t running, so our experience was more focused on the original ships and museum displays. If you’re visiting in summer, the museum can easily become a half-day attraction.
It’s also worth checking the current timetable before you visit because activities change throughout the year. The museum is open year-round, while sailing and some outdoor activities are seasonal.
Is the Viking Ship Museum worth visiting?
Absolutely. If you’re interested in Viking history, Scandinavian history or simply looking for something different to do outside Copenhagen, I think the Viking Ship Museum is well worth the trip to Roskilde.
For families, it has the added advantage of being genuinely interesting for adults while giving children plenty to see and do. The chance to climb aboard replica ships and dress up as Vikings makes the history feel much more immediate.
And if you visit during the summer, the opportunity to sail on Roskilde Fjord makes the experience even more memorable.
Visiting the Viking Ship Museum from Copenhagen
Roskilde is an easy addition to a Denmark itinerary and works particularly well as a day trip from Copenhagen. We drove from Copenhagen, but you can also reach Roskilde by public transport, making it a relatively straightforward escape from the Danish capital.
If you’re travelling around Denmark with kids, I’d combine the Viking Ship Museum with some time exploring Roskilde itself. The city has a long history and is particularly famous for Roskilde Cathedral, another major attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This means you could easily make a full day of a trip to Roskilde rather than travelling out just for the museum.
Viking Ship Museum Roskilde – our verdict
We loved our visit to the Viking Ship Museum.
It was fascinating to see the original Viking ships but, even more than that, I loved the way the museum brought the Viking Age to life. The combination of archaeology, shipbuilding, storytelling and the beautiful setting beside Roskilde Fjord makes this much more than a traditional museum.
If you’re visiting Denmark with kids and looking for something that will capture their imagination, I’d definitely put the Viking Ship Museum on your list.
You can find out more about the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde on the official website here.
And check out more of our winter travels through Denmark with kids for more inspiration of places to visit.
FAQs about the Viking Ship Museum Roskilde
Where is the Viking Ship Museum in Denmark?
The Viking Ship Museum is in Roskilde, on the shores of Roskilde Fjord, around 30 km west of Copenhagen. It makes an easy addition to a Copenhagen holiday and is particularly good as a day trip from the capital.
What can you see at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde?
The museum is built around five original Viking ships, known as the Skuldelev Ships, which were discovered in Roskilde Fjord. You can also see reconstructed Viking ships, exhibitions, a working boatyard and, depending on the season, take part in activities and sailing trips.
Is the Viking Ship Museum good for children?
Yes. The Viking Ship Museum is particularly good for children because there are replica ships to climb aboard, Viking costumes, family activities and a digital treasure hunt, as well as the original ships.
Can you sail on a Viking ship at Roskilde?
You can take a sailing trip on one of the museum’s traditional Nordic wooden boats during the summer season. The boats are descendants of the Viking ships and are built using traditional principles. Visitors can help with rowing and setting the sail.
How long should you spend at the Viking Ship Museum?
Allow at least two to three hours, although I’d recommend longer if you’re visiting in summer and want to sail, explore the boatyard and take part in family activities.
Can you visit the Viking Ship Museum as a day trip from Copenhagen?
Yes. Roskilde is close enough to Copenhagen to make an easy day trip. You can combine the Viking Ship Museum with a visit to Roskilde Cathedral and time exploring the historic city.
What are the five Viking ships at Roskilde?
The five original Skuldelev Ships are Skuldelev 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. They include an ocean-going cargo ship, a large warship, a coastal trading ship, a smaller warship and a fishing boat. Together they demonstrate just how varied Viking ships were.
When is the best time to visit the Viking Ship Museum?
Summer is the best time if you want to experience as much of the museum as possible because sailing trips run from May to September and there are additional outdoor activities. However, the Viking Ship Hall and original ships can be visited throughout the year, so winter can still be a great time to go.
You can find out more about the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde at their website here and check out more of our winter travels through Denmark with kids for more inspiration of places to visit.
More of our Denmark posts –
Enjoy our A guide to Copenhagen with kids and Seven days itinerary for Jutland, Denmark. We also have a great post on Ways to bring hygge into your life and home and also one on visiting Tivoli Gardens winter season.
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Looks like a brilliant day out for all the family. I love how the boats are situated against watery backdrops.
this looks awesome and so educational for the children to see such history. I would love to visit Copenhagen soon x
We are really into the Vikings series at the moment and I would love to visit this museum. Isaac is studying Vikings too so I know he would get so much out of it too
My ten year old would LOVE this – he’s fascinated by history like this x
Looks like a lovely trip out, loads to learn and see!xx
Wow what a great place to visit. I so want to visit Denmark, on my bucket list