Skip-the-line available What to see inside Christiansborg Palace
The rooms, ruins and stables worth your time, and what to look for in each.
Christiansborg's combination ticket opens four quite different places: a suite of state rooms still used by the King, a basement kitchen frozen in 1937, the foundations of two medieval castles, and a working royal stable. Here is what to look for in each, so you know where to slow down.
The Throne Room and its balcony
The oval Throne Room opens onto the balcony where new monarchs are proclaimed. King Frederik X waited here on 14 January 2024 before stepping out to the crowd. The thrones themselves are relics of absolutism, the king's flanked by gilded lions and the queen's by griffins, and they were rescued from the 1884 fire.
Look up at Kræsten Iversen's ceiling painting of the Danish flag falling from the sky in 1219.
The Great Hall
The largest room in the palace, 40 metres long and 10 metres high, seating 400 at gala dinners. Its walls carry Bjørn Nørgaard's 17 tapestries, a thousand years of Danish history woven in France and hung here in 2000.
Take your time with them. In the tapestry of the present day, Queen Margrethe II stands among Danish plants and animals with Prince Henrik and their two dachshunds.
The Hall of the Giants, Alexander Hall and Velvet Hall
In the Hall of the Giants, six limestone figures hold up the ceiling; the design was inspired by the Sala Terrena of the Upper Belvedere in Vienna. The Alexander Hall is named after Bertel Thorvaldsen's marble frieze of Alexander the Great entering Babylon, damaged in 1884 and later restored.
The Velvet Hall, where the royal family greets banquet guests, is lined with 300 metres of red velvet, and its design drew on Louis XIV's bedroom at Versailles.
The Royal Kitchen
Set on 15 May 1937, as the staff prepared a gala dinner for 275 guests at Christian X's silver jubilee. Around 800 copper pots and pans line the vaulted room; the oldest is a stockpot from 1767.
Step into the chef's office, where the radio plays the jubilee speeches and a fresh pot of coffee waits for the staff's short break.
The Ruins
Under the palace are the limestone walls of Bishop Absalon's castle of 1167 and the later Copenhagen Castle, home to Danish kings for centuries. Look for the remains of the towers, including the base of the Blue Tower, the castle's prison.
The ruins were found when the present palace's foundations were dug, and have been open since 1924.
The Royal Stables
The stables date from the 1740s and survived both palace fires. Today they house the royal horses, including white Kladrubers, and a coach collection with the Gold Coach of 1840.
In the Harness Museum, meet Pearl, Frederik VII's white horse, who followed the King's coffin at his funeral in 1863. The Stables open from 13:30 to 16:00 only.
Frequently asked
What is the highlight of Christiansborg?
For most visitors, the Great Hall with Bjørn Nørgaard's 17 tapestries, followed closely by the Throne Room and its proclamation balcony.
Are any rooms closed to visitors?
The Audience Chamber and the State Council Room are the only Royal Reception Rooms not open to the public.
Is the Palace Chapel included?
No. The chapel is separate from the four-site ticket and opens on Sundays only.