For sure, this is a castle you’ll have to visit once in your life!
Getting There
It’s easy, convenient but not cheap to get to Frederiksborg, which is situated in a city called Hillerød. It’s a 39-minute journey by train (called S-tog, line A)
I recommend using http://rejseplanen.dk/ for making your travel plan in Copenhagen.
As the castle opens at 10:00 am, I strongly recommend taking the earlier trains so that you can make it to the castle before 10am. It’d be ideal to take the 08:33 train. When you reach Hillerød, it’s a 1.7 km walk (15 minutes) to the castle. Or you can also take bus 301 or 302. So, ideally don’t take train later than 08:53 if you want to be the first ones to visit the castle.
Transportation Fare
Rejsekort (A travel card) is not designed for tourists who are in Copenhagen just for a few days. Because you need to pay 250DKK for a Rejsekort (80DKK for the card and 170DKK for balance). Or you can buy a single ticket (Billet) for 108 DKK ($16.5). That’s really expensive for a 39-minute ride though.
So, well now shown on this page, you can buy a 24-hr day pass for all zones, and that will cost you 130 DKK ($20). It’s a good deal if you want to head to North Sealand. And if you happen to have 2 kids under 12, they can travel with 1 adult for free! (For more info: Visit Copenhagen)
Why Copenhagen Card?
The entrance ticket to Frederiksborg Castle is 75 DKK. A 24-hr travel pass for all zones costs 130 DKK. So that’s 205 DKK already!
If I want to see Kronborg castle, then that’s another 90DKK. And so technically in 12 hours I would pay 295DKK for 2 attractions and unlimited transportation. But a 72-hr Copenhagen Card costs 589DKK. So the question is if there’s anything else I’d like to see in the extra 60 hours if I am to pay almost 300DKK extra?
Well, I’ll talk more about this in another post.
My Experience
Let me first share my experience at Frederiksborg Castle. This castle is on the top of my must-see list in Copenhagen.
My #10 Attraction with Copenhagen Card
When we arrived in Hillerød, we took bus 301 that connected us to the castle. We arrived around 9:45, the town was still quiet. And I didn’t see many tourists till then. (maybe 4-6 from the bus).
As we were early (but not super early… I was surprised where everyone was), we enjoyed the castle in quietness. Even though it was a rainy day, I liked what I saw. Especially when not having crowds around me! What a beautiful and tranquil castle!
So, Frederiksborg Castle,
Frederiksborg Castle is the largest Renaissance Castle in Scandinavia. The castle was built by King Christian IV in the early decades of the 17th century and incorporates the best of Renaissance architecture and craftsmanship.
Frederik II’s son, Christian IV was born at Frederiksborg Castle in 1577 and was deeply attached to it. In 1599 he instigated extensive restoration work in the course of which the old main buildings were pulled down and replaced by a magnificent new Renaissance Castle. The Castellan’s House and the Chancellery were built on the outer courtyard during the years around 1613.
We talked about Christian IV, the king who built Rosenborg Castle in 1624. And from my understanding, the Frederiksborg Castle existed before he was born, yet he remodeled it. And this was really impressive!
As we arrived before 10am, the gate was still closed. There were about 15 people there, and people just took pictures of the surrounding and waited. It might be a good time to review the history of this castle while you wait! Any idea the meaning of this painting? (I don’t know, so let me know if you do!)
Then it started to rain….some of us hid under the arch. And just a few minutes before 10 am, a group of Chinese tourists showed up! And so yes, if you can run, run fast to the ticket counter! I didn’t see more than 15 people before 09:50, but when the gate opened and when I got my tickets, I saw like, 50-60 people who showed up from nowhere and flooded the reception room. Wow!
If you want to know this castle better, you can get an audio guide for free. I was on a hectic tourist mode, so I preferred to explore on my own.
So…. in order to get rid of the crowds… I skipped the knights hall and went straight up to second floor for the Chapel. It was so cool when no one else was there! The royal chapel!
And interesting badges which probably represent royal family members.
Empty rooms. I felt like I just checked in to a luxurious hotel and not a museum!
Empty rooms! Hehehe! The big paintings in these two photos are quite important. I saw from other people’s blogs but now I forgot. I think J.C Jacobsen (the brewer) had himself painted in two pictures.
Another empty room before more tourists like me invaded the room!
Super impressive ceiling work!
There were a lot to see in Fredriksborg Castle. And if you want to take a picture of everything, it’d take a long time. But it will be well worth it! I’d recommend the castle to everyone who has to pick 1 castle from all the castles in Copenhagen!
My Tips
Besides going there early, don’t forget to rent audio guide for free! I totally forgot about it. But the content is available on iTunes which you can download in advance from home.
I spent about 2.5 hours in the castle, and then I took a ferry from the gardens. The ride was probably 30DKK but it’s included in Copenhagen Card (which is why I went for it!)
My #11 Attraction with Copenhagen Card
The boat leaves every 30 minutes. You’d see its dock in the garden. There are 3 stops on this route. I can’t figure out if this boat is for tourists or for locals. I guess it’s for minority tourists like me! (My family was the only passengers who boarded the boat from this stop).
The interior of the boat. This is where I had lunch! (Packed)
Is it more romantic to look at the castle from the water?
Initially we wanted to take the full tour, but we got off at the first stop. The trip was ‘okay’, but bad at all. Plus the captain let a child to steer the boat and he was incredibly friendly.
But we realized that we’d have to repeat the same walk from the garden to the bus stop.. and so we got off at the first stop to approach the bus stop from the other side. So it just made more sense like that.
It’s a nice trip, though it’s not a must. If you have time, take this trip.
Traveling Mega
