Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde, Denmark. Open Daily. Admission Charged.

Details

Accessibility:

There is a large, free car park at the museum, with some disability spaces. The Museum is in 2 parts: the mid-20th century concrete building which contains the remains of the 5 original Viking ships has limited access for wheelchair users, but the Museum Island and Harbour area are wheelchair accessible. There are wheelchairs available for use at the museum entrance. There are accessible toilets in the Café Knarr at the Museum Island. Guide/assistance dogs are welcome in the museum.

2025: "Wheelchair accessibility

Due to the many steps, there is, unfortunately, limited access to the Viking Ship Hall for wheelchair users.
There is therefore no admission fee to the Museum for guests in wheelchairs and carers have free access to the Museum, on presentation of a valid carer-ID card.
Guide and assistance dogs are of course welcome and wheelchairs are available at the entrance to borrow for your visit.

The Museum Island and the Harbour area are accessible with a wheelchair, and there you can find accessible toilets.

There are a limited number of parking space available for disabled visitors to the Museum."

Brief Description:

The museum is based on the Vikings and their maritime craftsmanship and shipbuilding skills. You can see 5 original Viking ships in the mid-20th century concrete building and learn about the Viking’s history in the museum, and in the area around the Café Knarr at the Museum Island,ships can be seen under repair.

"The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde is the home of five world famous Viking ships and is the Danish museum for ships, seafaring and boatbuilding culture in ancient and medieval times."

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/a-new-museum

2025: "Timeline for the Construction of the New Viking Ship Museum

Timeline:
2023: Architectural competition
2024-2025: Local planning and design
2026-2028: Construction of the new building for the ships and arrival hall
2028: Viking ships moved to the new building
2029-2030: Transformation of the Viking Ship Hall and landscape design

Transformation of the Viking Ship Hall

The unique Viking Ship Hall by architect Erik Christian Sørensen will be modified with respect for the great architectural qualities of the building. The transformation preserves 90 percent of the concrete and 80 percent of the bricks.

The entire facade of the Viking Ship Hall facing the city of Roskilde will be transformed with a new large staircase formation running the length of the building, serving as a clear invitation to passersby.

In the new building, there will be a large public café with views over the fjord and space for cultural events. Additionally, the Viking Ship Hall will ensure space for changing exhibitions that can keep the Viking Ship Museum relevant all year round.

The western side of the hall will be opened up with a large public fjord square.

Thus, while the hall relinquishes its ships, it gains a new function, inviting the public even closer to the maritime life by the fjord and the sea, which has been the lifeline of humans for thousands of years."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Ship_Museum_(Roskilde)

2025: "The Viking Ship Museum (Danish: Vikingeskibsmuseet) in Roskilde is Denmark's national ship museum for ships of the prehistoric and medieval period.

The main focus of the museum is a permanent exhibition of the Skuldelev ships, five original Viking ships excavated nearby in 1962. The Viking Ship Museum also conducts research and educates researchers in the fields of maritime history, marine archaeology and experimental archaeology. Various academic conferences are held here and there is a research library in association with the museum. 

Around the year 1070, five Viking ships were deliberately sunk at Skuldelev in Roskilde Fjord in order to block the most important fairway and to protect Roskilde from an enemy attack from the sea. These ships, later known as the Skuldelev ships, were excavated in 1962.[1] They turned out to be five different types of ships ranging from cargo ships to ships of war.

The Viking Ship Museum overlooking the inlet of Roskilde Fjord was built in 1969 with the main purpose of exhibiting the five newly discovered Skuldelev ships.[2]

The original Skuldelev Viking ships are the main focus of the museum, but a small exhibition about the Roskilde ships and various temporary exhibitions with a broader scope can also be experienced here.[3]

In the late 1990s, excavations for the shipyard expansion of the Viking Ship Museum uncovered the remains of a further nine ships, the Roskilde ships, from the medieval period. It is the largest such discovery of ships in Northern Europe. Most of these are from the period just after the Viking Age, 1060-1350 AD, but Roskilde 6 [da] is from 1025 AD and is the longest Viking ship ever found; about 37 m (121 ft) long.[4] All except Roskilde 8 have been excavated and their remains are at the National Museum of Denmark (Roskilde 6 on display, remaining in storage).[5]   

The Viking Ship Museum has a long tradition of Viking ship reconstructions and boat building and also collects boats of interest from all over Scandinavia. The boat collection at the museum now comprise more than 40 vessels and the associated ship building yard is constantly building new ships by original methods as part of an experimental archaeology learning process. It is possible to follow or engage in the ship building process here.[6] The shipyard is located on a small isle known as Museumsøen (Museum Island), connected to the main museum exhibition buildings by a drawbridge.

Every summer, a handful of boats are launched for extended sea voyages to accumulate more knowledge about the seafaring techniques and conditions of the Vikings.[7]"

Further Information:

Address:

Vikingeskibsmuseet: Vindeboder 12 . DK-4000 Roskilde

Email:

museum@vikingeskibsmuseet.dk

Phone:

+45 46 300 200 Telefax: +45 46 300 201

Website:

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/

Opening Hours:

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/opening-hours-and-admission

2025: "It is not necessary to book a time slot or buy tickets to the museum visit in advance.

If you want to go on a boat trip on the fjord (from May 1 to September 30), you can buy tickets online or at the ticket booth on the day.

The Viking Ship Museum is open every day, year round

Winter Season

21 October to 30 April

10:00 - 16:00

Summer Season

1 May to 20 October

10:00 - 17:00

Seasons at the Viking Ship Museum

The museum's activities follow the seasons and there are areas of the museum that are closed during the winter season.

You can learn below which museum activities are open when you come to visit. 

"Daily opening hours: 10:00 - 16:00

Summer and holiday hours: 10:00 - 17:00

Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December

Admission

Children (0-17) Free

Adults 85DKK (120DKK summer and holiday hours)

Students 75DKK (105DKK summer and holiday hours)

Groups (16 or more): Adults 75DKK (105DKK summer and holiday hours)

Students 6-DKK (90DKK summer and holiday hours)

Wheelchair users and carers (with a valid carer id card) Free

Directions:

Roskilde is on Route 21 from Copenhagen and the museum on just off Route 01 in Roskilde.

Latitude: 55.650758, Longitude: 12.080549

2025: "There is a large, free car park by the Museum Island. There are also charging points for electric cars.

During the summer season it may happen that there are no available parking spaces in the museum's car park. In that case, we refer to the other parking options in the area.

» See a map of parking spaces in Roskilde here (the green areas with a black outline are free parking areas)... "

Transport:

2025: "By train - Most regional trains from Zealand and Inter-City trains from Jutland stop at Roskilde station (but there is a 30 minute walk to the museum). Plan your journey...

By bus - Bus route 203 runs to and from Roskilde station. 2025: "Bus route 203 runs to and from Roskilde Station.

» Check departure times at Movia's website (in English) ...

Walking from the station takes 20 - 25 minutes "

Amenities:

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/food-and-drinks

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/museum-shop

The museum has a cafe (Café Knarr) which sells snacks and drinks and a restaurant (Restaurant Shekken) which offers fine dining.

Dogs are welcome in the Museum's outdoor areas but are not permitted in the Viking Ship Hall.