Christiansborg Palace is located right in the center of Copenhagen and is home to the Danish Parliament, the Ministry of State, and the Supreme Court. There are four main areas to see, and all require a separate ticket (unless you buy the combo ticket). Thankfully for me, all were included with my Copenhagen Card. The four main areas are the Royal Stables, the Royal Kitchen, the Royal Reception Rooms, and the Ruins.
I was most excited for the Ruins and the Royal Reception Rooms, especially because they do daily tours of the reception rooms!
First up, the Ruins.
I had been looking forward to this from the the moment I started researching Copenhagen! How often are you able to go into the basement of a palace and see the remnants of castles past?!
If you do not have the Copenhagen card…I highly recommend skipping this. It was hands down the most disappointing part of my trip.
The Christiansborg that you see today is actually the fifth palace to stand on that piece of land. Like what seemed to be everything else in Copenhagen, the first four burned down. The current palace was designed to incorporate different aspects of the architecture from former Christiansborg.
Honestly…most of the “ruins” just look like piles of rocks. But the most disappointing thing was the lack of certainty about any of them. Almost every single plaque I saw with information was “this was probably from Christiansborg I or II”…Probably? That’s not helpful. I want facts. Lie to me and tell me it definitely was from whatever former castle, how would I know the difference? Maybe it’s just me, but their neverending use of “probably” was infuriating.
Next, the Royal Kitchen.
This was slightly better than the ruins and actually reminded me a lot of something out of Disney World. The walls were whitewashed and all the cookware was made of shiny copper. There really wasn’t a ton of history to learn, but the room definitely played to your senses. There was an area that was supposed to represent some kind of poultry roasting, and you could smell it roasting like in a real kitchen. A pot of soup “cooking” on the stove was making bubbling noises, and the baking room smelled of sweet and delicious delicacies. It wasn’t the most interesting, but it was definitely a cool experience.
Third was the Royal Stables, and I actually got really lucky with my experience here.
As I approached, I saw a large blue truck with the royal logo on it. Behind stood about a dozen or so people with their cameras out.
What on earth are they all staring at?
With nowhere urgent to be, I obviously went around to see what the crowd was looking at. It was probably something dumb, but who knows?
Well, I was wrong. The royal horses were actually being brought back into the stables! They were beautiful white horses and I felt so lucky to be able to get so close to them!
The Royal Stables are actually the only remaining part of one of the earliest Christiansborg palaces and currently holds 20 horses. There you can see the horses in their stables, as well as all the old and current harnesses and carriages. There are also a couple stuffed horses that were the favorites of past kings…very strange…but overall, I would definitely recommend checking the stables out if you like horses.
Finally, the Royal Reception Rooms.
You can choose to explore the reception rooms on your own, or go on one of the tours they offered. If you are looking to get more information about the rooms instead of just taking pretty pictures, I would definitely recommend the tour. I am not sure if it costs anything extra as it was included with my Copenhagen Card.
The reception rooms were easily my favorite part of Christiansborg. If you do nothing else at Christiansborg, do this! Because the rooms are still used for royal functions, they require you to put these covers over your shoes that resemble scrubs. You are also not allowed to bring in backpacks, but there is an area with lockers by the gift shop that you can use free of charge.
The rooms are absolutely stunning, and a lot of them reminded me of the Palace of Versailles in France. The colors are so rich and there is so much detail…but there was one room in particular that brought me to tears…
The Queen’s Library.
It was stunning. It is truly the real life version of Belle’s library in Beauty and the Beast. It was bright and beautiful, with various shades of blue and white. There were two floors of books (and a single person elevator to reach the second floor). The ceiling is a beautiful mural, in which you can find nods to famous Danish authors like Hans Christian Andersen. If I had my way, I would have moved my bed in there and never left.
Another fascinating room was the Tapestry Room. The walls are covered in these beautiful, ornate tapestries that represent important events in Danish history. They also represent major historical events and figures that affected the entire world, including man’s first step on the moon and the Beatles (strange, I know).
The Tapestry Room isn’t just cool because of the tapestries though; during my tour, I was able to learn about how exactly the room is used during a royal function. Right above the doors that you enter the room through is a set of gray doors that, during a function, are open to reveal the orchestra. When it is time for the royal family to enter, the doors at the opposite end of the hall open to reveal the Queen standing front and center, with the rest of the Royal Family lined up behind her. The second she takes her very first step, the orchestra begins to play. It sounds wild!
Some other fun facts I learned about while on the tour of the Royal Reception Rooms:
- The banquet table is made of mahogany from the Queen’s staircase in the second Christiansborg.
- The griffins on the Queen’s throne represent her wisdom.
- When receiving people, the Queen never uses her throne because she prefers to be on the same level as the people.
Overall, I’m not sure I would recommend going out of your way to do all of the things at Christiansborg, especially if you don’t have the Copenhagen Card. But I would definitely recommend the tour of the Royal Reception Rooms if you have an hour to spare!
If you’re looking for even bigger and better castles, read all about how to spend a day outside of Copenhagen castle-hopping here!