Skip-the-line available The best time to visit Christiansborg Palace
How to plan your day around the Royal Stables' afternoon hours, royal events and the season.
The best time to visit Christiansborg is a weekday morning, starting with the Royal Reception Rooms at 10:00 and leaving the Royal Stables until they open at 13:30. The bigger question is not the hour but the day, because the palace is still in use. State visits, audiences and royal events can close a site without prior announcement, so the week's published hours matter more than the season.
Start the day at the Royal Reception Rooms
The Reception Rooms, the Royal Kitchen and the Ruins open at 10:00, and the Reception Rooms are the longest visit. Going there first lets you see the Throne Room and the Great Hall while you are fresh, and leaves the shorter sites for later.
Last entry at each site is 30 minutes before closing, which means 16:30 at the Reception Rooms in the main season. If you arrive after lunch, you will be rushing to fit everything in.
Keep the afternoon for the Royal Stables
The Royal Stables open only from 13:30 to 16:00, with last entry at 15:45. That short window shapes the whole day. Visit the Kitchen and the Ruins late in the morning, have lunch, then cross the Riding Ground to the Stables.
Because the stables house working royal horses, you may see them being exercised on the Riding Ground outside, which is part of the appeal of an afternoon visit.
Seasons and opening hours
From 30 March to 1 November 2026 the sites open every day. The palace publishes winter hours later in the year; in the 2025 winter season the sites were closed on Mondays, so check before planning a Monday visit in the colder months.
Around Christmas the palace closes on 24 and 25 December and 1 January. On 31 December the Reception Rooms, Kitchen and Ruins close at 14:00 and the Stables are closed.
Royal events and short-notice closures
Christiansborg is where the King holds audiences, meets the Council of State and hosts state visits and gala banquets. For these, the palace may close a visitor site without prior announcement and recommends checking the week's opening hours before you go.
If your trip has any flexibility, do not leave Christiansborg for your last day in Copenhagen. When you book with us, we check the announced hours for your date and let you know if a closure has been published.
Frequently asked
What time should I arrive?
At 10:00, when the Royal Reception Rooms open. Then do the Kitchen and Ruins, and the Royal Stables after 13:30.
Is Christiansborg open on Mondays?
From 30 March to 1 November 2026, yes, every day. Winter hours are published later; in the 2025 winter season Mondays were closed.
Can a royal event close the palace on my date?
Yes. Sites can close without prior announcement for state or royal events. We check the published hours for your date and tell you if a closure is announced.