Our Guide to Copenhagen’s Museums and Galleries
Copenhagen has a great mix of cultural activities to keep you busy on a visit here, including an awesome collection of museums - and lots are free! Some are always free and others have days when it’s free to visit, so you don’t have to pay hefty admissions and can enjoy learning a little about Danish history, art and culture! There are also plenty of international exhibitions that take place year round and collections from around the world.
Some of the museums are centrally located and others are just a short hop from town, so have a look at what you’re interested in and what you have time for on your visit with our guide below. The National Museum of Denmark, Open Air Museum, the Danish Music Museum and the Post and Telegraph Museum are always free!
The National Museum of Denmark
With the best waterfront location and right in the centre of town, The National Museum of Denmark has a whole collection on Danish history and culture and is free to visit! (And it’s just around the corner from us!)
The National Gallery of Denmark - DKK 110
It’s known as the SMK (Statens Museum for Kunst) and has a huge permanent collection of Danish and International art from the past 700 years. The permanent collection is free but there are also temporary exhibitions held - Find out what’s on here
Ny Carlsberg Glypototek - free Sundays
Check out the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, founded in 1902 it has an amazing collection of Egyptian and Greek artefacts along with European art. The museum is run by the Carlsberg foundation and open weekends (but closed Mondays). It’s centrally located (just round the corner from our hostel), in an impressive building and has a little inside garden to sit and reflect all the ancient and modern art surrounding you. 
Smaller Specialist Museums
If you’ve already visited the National Gallery and Glyptoteket then check out V1, a gallery set up in 2001 to challenge concepts such as contemporary society’s politics and ideologies. For something a little different you can even head out of town to Roskilde to the Viking Ship Museum there!
Thorvaldsens Museum - closed Mondays, Tuesdays-Sundays 10-5pm
Named after the 19th century Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen whose work the museum has in its entirety, this museum was the first in Denmark and is over 150 years old. It also has collections of paintings, Greek, Roman and Egyptian artefacts and contemporary art exhibitions.
Danish Architecture Centre, Free Wednesdays, 5pm to 9pm
Explore new architecture through exhibitions, guided city tours, and lots of other events.
The Fotografisk Center
The Fotografisk Center is a photography exhibition space dedicated to the contemporary photographic art and photojournalism of international and Danish artists. They host around 6 exhibitions a year including video and film art. It’s located in the Tap E building in the Carlsberg area on the border between Vesterbro and Valby.
Another gallery worth visiting is the Arken Museum of Modern Art just 25 minutes from the main station by train. It's located on an 'art island' and has over 400 pieces in the permanent collection. Along with Nordic and international exhibitions, the gallery specialised in contemporary art and architecture including works by Damien Hirst.
Out of Town: Louisiana Art Gallery
If you’re an art lover then you should make time for this! Just 45 minutes from central Copenhagen station by train you will be transported to this beachside modern art mecca which houses Miró and Henry Moore sculptures in the gardens. Louisiana gallery is an art-lover’s dream and famous worldwide, housed in a modern Danish architectural building and with landscaped gardens leading down to the sea and a view of Sweden across the Sound on a clear day, the building also feels like art itself. There are also some really impressive exhibitions taking place here too.
The permanent collection here consists of over 3,500 pieces of Modern Art from after 1945, including a whole collection of Giacometti forming it’s own gallery. The European collection includes important works from Picasso, Hockney and Kandinsky, and there’s also a great collection of Danish art. There’s an impressive collection of American modern art after 1945, such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and other Pop Artists, Dine and Oldenburg. There is also more contemporary pieces including Sam Taylor-Wood and Bill Viola.
Stay in and get cosy at Copenhagen Downtown Hostel
Another option for a rainy day is to make new friends and chill out with us! Copenhagen Downtown has a cosy bar and cafe, including a great chill out area with iPads to use and books to borrow. Join us for our free dinner or happy hour and make new friends!