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How is a visit to Denmark’s beautiful Amalienborg Palace?

Amalienborg Palace is the winter residence of the Danish royal family. Located in Copenhagen, it is open to the public for visits.


When you’re in Copenhagen, make sure you visit Amalienborg Palace! As the home of the Danish royal family, the palace is grand and beautiful. Touring the interior of the palace is a fascinating experience that we recommend. Even if you are not a big fan of museums, you will enjoy learning about the history of the Danish family, and here we show it to you.

Amalienborg Palace is home to the Danish royal family and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Copenhagen. The palace is located on the seafront and consists of four identical palaces surrounding a central octagonal courtyard. Visitors can tour the royal apartments, which are decorated with period furniture and tapestries, and learn about the history of the Danish monarchy. The palace also houses a museum, which contains artifacts from the personal collection of the royal family.

There are many paintings of kings, princesses, etc…

How to get to Amalienborg Palace?

If you are going to see the changing of the guard at noon like we did, you are already there.

But if you are not at the changing of the guard, the options in public transport are:

  • Bus: 1A and 20E (Bredgade and Store Kongensgade stops), 26 (Dronningens Tværgade stop) and 350S (Kongens Nytorv stop).
  • Subway: Kongens Nytorv.

Information to visit the Amalienborg Palace

Which are the schedules?

Summer (which was around the time we went) is from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

How much is it?

DKK125 per person. The entrance is included in the Copenaguen card.

Can you take photos?

Yes



Why are the kings always called Frederik or Christian?

Touring the museum-palace helps to understand many things that we had already seen throughout the trip, but here they explain them in detail. For example: the fact that the names that royal men (candidates to be king) have to have been either Frederik or Christian.

It works more or less like this: for example, if the current king is called Frederik, then his eldest son would be called Christian, to intersperse the names.

So, you look at the Danish king list, and you have something like:

1766-1808: Christian VII
1808-1839: Frederik VI
1839-1848: Christian VIII
1848-1863: Frederik VII

Changing the rules to have a queen

The rule was broken with the last king who, having only daughters, held a referendum at the time, which allowed Margrethe II to access the throne. Of course, she continued with the tradition and having a firstborn son (who will accede to the throne when she leaves it) she named him, guess? Frederik! Her father was Frederik too, and had Margaret not been the queen, there would have been a Christian on the throne. See what I tell you that it is one and the other.

Here is the past king with his daughters, of which the current one would come out: Margrethe

A palace of four palaces

As I told you at the beginning, Amalienborg Palace is actually a complex of four palaces, although not all of them are open to the public:

  • The Palace of Frederick VII: current residence of the heir to the throne.
  • The Palace of Christian VII: it is used for the celebration of official events.
  • The Palace of Christian VIII: open to the public, it houses a museum dedicated to the history of the Danish royal family.
  • The Palace of Christian IX: it is where the queen resides.

Touring the Museum

Also, as we walk through the different rooms, we get a little into the “intimacy” of royalty. Or at least that’s what they let us think. You will understand me when you see the photos:

This visit was not as “showy” as Hillerod or Helsingor castles, but it was very educational and is a real lesson in Danish royalty. At least I didn’t know that information about Christian and Frederik. Now I know.

In conclusion, Amalienborg Palace is definitely worth a visit, it is a beautiful palace which has a lot of history. So if you ever go to Copenhagen, make sure to add Amalienborg Palace to your list of places to visit!

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Olga Grijalva

Olga is a traveler and travel content creator with 17 years of experience. Her goal is to share useful information to help you plan your adventures. She has visited more than 40 countries and is excited to share her experience with you.

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