I'm on a quick four day trip to Copenhagen in late October, what is the best day trip to take from Copenhagen? My husband will be working and I'll be free to explore. It will have to be by bus or train - no tours please. I love museums, history and (good guess!) castles. Any thoughts out there?

I had a long weekend in Copenhagen about 3 years ago and asked the same question and the answer was "Hamlet's Castle" Somehow I had escaped reading Hamlet all through school, so I got a copy - it is very short, easy to understand and absolutely fantastic. So without a doubt the best tour from Copenhagen is to the town of Elsinore where you will find "Hamlet's Castle", really Kronborg Castle. It is a very impressive fort and since it was ravaged and then beautifully restored it is a great tour. It was a fortress protecting Denmark from attackers coming from the Baltic and North Seas. It was also the royal residence for many years and has a grand ballroom. If you read the book before you get there you will see that Shakespeare's description is very accurate.(due to the restoration?) I took a bus tour which also went to Frederiksborg Castle.The bus ride outside the city gave me a "roadside view" of Denmark -- schools and houses on the road which was something different from Copenhagen. The town of Elisnore is also cute town with plenty of coffee shops and places to get a Danish ice cream cone. There are several tours here is a link to one

http://www.copenhagentours.net/?even...l&offerId=4757

Roskilde makes a great day trip from Copenhagen.

We too enjoyed Roskilde and were able to take public transportation to get there. We didn't make it to Hamlet's castle but that sounds interesting.

Depending on time and inclination you could also take the hovercraft over to Sweden!

We found much to see and enjoy in Copenhagen, however--the pedestrianized area, Tivoli Gardens, the harbor....have a wonderful trip!

The obvious choices would be:

- Kronborg Castle (near there is the Louisiana art museum)
- Frederiksborg Castle
- Roskilde (Cathedral & Viking Ship museum)

There are bus tours that would take you to both Kronborg and Fredereiksborg in the same day. Not really a bad way to do it, frankly. The two aren't terribly far, but without a car, you would waste a lot of time getting between them. A car would also make a Kronborg + Louisiana trip very easy.

<i>Depending on time and inclination you could also take the hovercraft over to Sweden!</i>

I don't believe this runs any more. With the opening of the Øresund Bridge, there is pretty much zero need for ferry services from Copenhagen to Sweden, and I don't believe any exist.

Kronborg and Fredericksborg was an excellent trip - but we did enjoy Roskide more (both the viking museum and the cathedral). They felt more real - less touristy.

They all sound like something I'd enjoy and after a little research, it looks like I can combine one, two or three (tight) of the above sights. All don't take long to travel to by train but to do justice to any one might take up most of the day. I'll probably just pick one, go and then if time allows stop at my second choice. Sweden will have to wait for another time.

Thanks all - I'll let you know how things all play out in Copenhagen.

This museum is actually in the very centre of Copenhagen, but should not be missed. www.davidmus.dk

<i>They all sound like something I'd enjoy and after a little research, it looks like I can combine one, two or three (tight) of the above sights. All don't take long to travel to by train but to do justice to any one might take up most of the day.</i>

You need to bear in mind that the train system is based around Copenhagen. Most of the lines are spokes from Copenhagen, so getting between outlying areas is not as easy as it looks on a map, and often requires buses.

Fortunately, there is now a train line between Hillerød and Helsingør, so you could combine these two in one day. Roskilde, however, is an outlier and public transit between Roskilde and either Hillerød or Helsingør would take over an hour.

In case you don't already know, here is the trip planner for Denmark's public transit:

http://www.rejseplanen.dk/

Let me rephrase my suggestion; if you are wanting to go further afield there's always a quick trip over to Sweden (Malmo) however that is managed; I did go by boat but that was before the bridge; personally I think there's plenty to keep you busy in Copenhagen.

I'm going to second annw's (sort of) suggestion about a day trip to Malmo.

It's so simple on the train (takes about half an hour from Copenhagen Central Station) you get an amazing view from the Oresund bridge, and I found it quite fun (yes, I'm easily pleased) to have to change my Danish notes for Swedish after such a short journey.

The city centre's easily walkable and there's plenty to see and do within a short distance of the station. As the trains to and fro are so regular, you also don't have to worry too much about about getting back to the station for a particular time.

I also picked up one of my most commented on souvenirs in Malmo on a day trip from Copenhagen, plush versions of these little chaps:

http://www.kissochbajs.com/flashsve.html

Thank you Soljet - I love museums and I hadn't considered the Davids Samling. The collection looks great and if the weather turns out to be as predicted, I'll certainly want to spend time indoors. I'll add it to my list.

Thanks for the trip planner info, travelgourmet. It will probably come in handy. Since Roskilde is only about 30 minutes from Copenhagen, I could do that easily in less than a day. My time will be limited to three full days - not much time so I'll have to be choosy.