Christiansborg Palace is the only building in the world that houses all three branches of national government — the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the offices of the Prime Minister and the Royal Family. It sits on the small island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, on the exact spot where Bishop Absalon founded the city in 1167. This complete Christiansborg Palace tickets and visitor guide covers what to see (Royal Reception Rooms, Great Hall with the Queen’s Tapestries, Palace Chapel, the medieval underground ruins, the Royal Stables and the 106-metre tower with the best free view in Copenhagen), how to buy tickets, opening hours, and how to efficiently combine multiple attractions in a single visit.
Christiansborg Palace at a Glance
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Danish name | Christiansborg Slot |
| Located on | Slotsholmen — the original island where Copenhagen was founded in 1167 |
| Current building | Third Christiansborg Palace, completed 1928 |
| Houses today | Folketinget (parliament), Supreme Court, Prime Minister’s office, Royal Reception Rooms, Royal Stables |
| Tower height | 106 metres — Copenhagen’s tallest |
| Address | Prins Jørgens Gård 1, 1218 Copenhagen K |
| Visitable sections | Royal Reception Rooms, Ruins, Royal Kitchen, Royal Stables, Tower (free), Palace Chapel |
| Combined ticket | Adult 175 DKK (Royal Reception Rooms + Ruins + Kitchen + Stables) |
| Tower | Free, time-slotted, book at visitor centre or online |
| Visit time | 2.5–3 hours for full combined ticket |
| Free with | Copenhagen Card |
| Nearest Metro | Gammel Strand (M3, M4) — 2 min walk |
A Brief History — Three Palaces in Three Hundred Years
Slotsholmen is the most archaeologically layered patch of ground in Denmark. Bishop Absalon built the original fortification in 1167 — the founding building of Copenhagen. That castle was demolished in 1369 by the Hanseatic League. Copenhagen Castle (1369–1731) replaced it; Frederik IV demolished it in 1731 to make way for the first Christiansborg (1738–1794) by Christian VI; that palace burned down in 1794. The second Christiansborg (1828–1884) was designed by C.F. Hansen and burned down in 1884. The current third Christiansborg, by Thorvald Jørgensen in late-Baroque revival, was completed in 1928.
The current Christiansborg Palace incorporates surviving 19th-century elements (the Palace Chapel, the Marble Bridge, the Royal Stables) with the new 20th-century structure. The total floor area is 35,000 square metres — one of the largest royal palaces in Europe by usable space, smaller than only Versailles, the Hofburg and Stockholm Royal Palace among European peers.
Constitutional note: Denmark is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy since 1849. Christiansborg is therefore a working political building, not a museum-frozen palace. The Royal Family does not live here — they live at Amalienborg — but Queen Mary uses the Royal Reception Rooms for state functions and royal weddings have been held in the Palace Chapel.
Christiansborg Palace Tickets — What’s Available
Christiansborg Palace tickets come in five separate categories — each section is independent and you can buy tickets only for what you want to see. The combined ticket saves about 25% if you plan to do everything.
| Section | Adult ticket (DKK) | Time needed | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Reception Rooms | 120 | 60–90 min | Great Hall, Queen’s Tapestries, banquet hall, Throne Room |
| Ruins under the Palace | 60 | 30–40 min | Bishop Absalon’s 1167 castle, Copenhagen Castle, Blue Tower |
| Royal Kitchen | 60 | 30 min | 1924 working kitchen, copper pots, wood-fired baking ovens |
| Royal Stables | 60 | 30 min | 20 horses, Royal Carriages, harness room |
| Combined ticket | 175 | 2.5–3 hours | All four above (saves 65 DKK vs separate) |
| The Tower | Free | 30 min queue + 20 min visit | 106-metre tower with restaurant; free time-slot booking required |
| Palace Chapel | Free | 10–15 min | Open during church hours and concerts |
| Folketinget tour | Free | 60 min | Sundays at 13:00, free guided tour of parliament; book ahead |
Buy combined tickets online at kongeligeslotte.dk for a 5 DKK discount and to skip the entrance queue. The Copenhagen Card includes the combined ticket — making it free.
The Royal Reception Rooms
The Royal Reception Rooms (De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler) are still in active use — Queen Margrethe II’s 50th-jubilee banquet was held in the Great Hall in 2022, and King Frederik X received foreign ambassadors here after his accession in January 2024. When the rooms are closed for state functions, the museum closes for the day; check kongeligeslotte.dk before you go.
The Great Hall and the Queen’s Tapestries
The 40-metre Great Hall is hung with 17 monumental tapestries designed by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard and woven 1990–2000. They tell 1,000 years of Danish history in textile, from Viking sagas to modern democracy. They were a 50th-birthday gift to Queen Margrethe II from Danish business leaders, and are widely considered one of the most ambitious tapestry projects of the 20th century. Allow 20 minutes just for the Tapestries.
The Throne Room and Other Reception Rooms
Beyond the Great Hall, the Reception Rooms include the Throne Room (used for royal accession and state audiences); the Velvet Room (where the royal family appears for the king/queen’s annual New Year’s address); the Long Hall (banquet hall, seats 400); the Knights’ Hall (smaller, more intimate); and the King’s Library, with bookshelves carved from oak.
The Underground Ruins
The most surprising part of any Christiansborg Palace visit is what lies beneath. Below the current 1928 palace are the remains of every previous building on Slotsholmen — visible through the Ruins under the Palace (Ruinerne under Christiansborg).
- Bishop Absalon’s castle (1167): Stone foundations of the original Copenhagen fortification — the founding building of the city.
- Copenhagen Castle (1366): The medieval royal castle that replaced Absalon’s fort; demolished 1731.
- The Blue Tower: Where Princess Leonora Christina (Christian IV’s daughter) was imprisoned for 22 years (1663–1685) for political reasons. Her memoir from imprisonment is one of the great Danish autobiographical works.
- The first Christiansborg (1738–1794): Foundations of the Christian VI palace that burned in the 1794 fire.
- The second Christiansborg (1828–1884): Foundations of the C.F. Hansen palace that burned in the 1884 fire.
The Ruins exhibit is laid out chronologically with English signage; you walk through 850 years of Danish history in 30 minutes. It is genuinely one of the most-recommended things to do in Copenhagen, even if you skip the Reception Rooms upstairs.
The Tower — Free, Best View in Copenhagen
The 106-metre Christiansborg tower has been free to visit since it opened to the public in 2014 — and it is the highest publicly accessible viewpoint in Copenhagen. Free, time-slotted tickets are issued at the visitor centre or online (kongeligeslotte.dk). The 360° views take in Tivoli, the Round Tower, Nyhavn, the Opera House, the Little Mermaid in the distance, and Sweden across the Øresund on a clear day.
Tower café Tårnet (open Wednesday–Sunday 11:30–22:00) serves a Michelin-recommended Danish lunch and dinner with the same panoramic view; reservations required for restaurant entry. The viewing deck is free even if you don’t eat. Photography tip: visit 60 minutes before sunset for golden light over the harbour.
The Palace Chapel
Christiansborg Palace Chapel (Slotskirken) survived the 1884 fire and is widely considered Denmark’s finest neoclassical building — designed by C.F. Hansen, completed 1826. The interior is white marble, restrained and monumental. Used for royal christenings (Crown Prince Christian was christened here in 2005), royal weddings (Crown Prince Frederik and Mary, 2004) and state funerals.
Free entry; open hours posted on slotskirken.dk. Sunday services at 10:30 in Danish. Free organ concerts most Tuesdays at 15:00 — worth checking for. Allow 10–15 minutes.
The Folketinget — Danish Parliament
Folketinget — Denmark’s 179-seat parliament — sits in the south wing of Christiansborg. Free guided tours run every Sunday at 13:00 (English at 13:00; Danish 14:00). The chamber is a horseshoe of pale ash wood, lit by natural light from above. Visitors enter the public gallery and observe the chamber from above.
Booking: free but limited — register at ft.dk/besoeg one week ahead. Bring photo ID. Tours include the Wandelhallen, the Constitutional Court Hall and the famous Round Statue of Christian X. Allow 90 minutes for the full tour.
The Royal Stables
The Royal Stables (Kongelige Stalde) at Christiansborg keep 20 carriage horses — Kladrubske and Frederiksborger breeds — used for state occasions. The 1740 stables, with their original stalls and harness room, contain Denmark’s collection of state carriages including the Gold Coach (1840, used for royal weddings), the Cream Carriage (1779, used for royal accession) and the Coronation Carriage.
Working stables tip: visit Mondays at 11:00 for the morning grooming routine — you can see all 20 horses being prepared. The stables also host weekly children’s riding shows in summer (Sundays 14:00, free).
The Royal Kitchen
The Royal Kitchen (Det Kongelige Køkken) on the ground floor is a 1924 working kitchen — preserved as it was used to cook royal banquets through the 20th century. Copper pots line the walls, four wood-fired baking ovens still function (used at Christmas), and the Carrara marble pastry counter is original to 1924. The kitchen is operational again for special state dinners; for everyday meals the royal household uses a modern kitchen elsewhere.
Visiting Christiansborg Palace — Practical Guide
Opening Hours
| Period | Hours |
|---|---|
| May–September | 10:00–17:00 daily |
| October | 10:00–17:00 daily, closed Mondays |
| November–April | 10:00–17:00, closed Mondays |
| State function closure | Some sections close on short notice for state events |
| Last admission | 30 minutes before close |
State function tip: When the Royal Reception Rooms are in use for a state event, the museum section is closed but the Ruins, Tower and Stables remain open. Always check kongeligeslotte.dk in the morning before you visit.
How to Get There
Christiansborg sits on Slotsholmen — a small island connected to the city by four bridges. It is genuinely central; multiple Metro stations within 5 minutes.
- Metro: Gammel Strand (M3 / M4) — 2 minutes walk over the Marble Bridge.
- From Nyhavn: 8-minute walk south through Højbro Plads.
- From Tivoli: 10-minute walk via the Black Diamond Royal Library.
- From Rosenborg: 12-minute walk via Strøget.
- By harbour bus 991/992: Stop Stædets Plads (1-minute walk).
- By bike: Bike racks on Christiansborg Slotsplads. See our Copenhagen transportation guide.
How Much Time to Allow
| Combination | Time |
|---|---|
| Tower only (free) | 45 minutes including queue |
| Reception Rooms only | 90 minutes |
| Reception Rooms + Ruins | 2 hours |
| Combined ticket (4 sections) | 2.5–3 hours |
| Everything plus Folketinget tour | Half a day (4 hours) |
Combining Christiansborg with Other Copenhagen Sites
Christiansborg is in the densest part of central Copenhagen; almost everything is a short walk away.
| Combination | Why pair them |
|---|---|
| Royal Trio: Christiansborg + Rosenborg + Amalienborg | All three royal castles in one full day |
| Christiansborg + Royal Library (Black Diamond) | 5-min walk south; cafe with harbour view |
| Christiansborg + Round Tower | Both involve climbing for views; 8-min walk apart |
| Christiansborg + National Museum of Denmark | 5-min walk; complementary historical narratives |
| Christiansborg + Strøget shopping | Bridge into Højbro Plads then Strøget |
| Christiansborg + Nyhavn | Sunset combination — palace tower at golden hour, Nyhavn for dinner |
See our Copenhagen itinerary guide for day-by-day plans that include Christiansborg, and our things to do in Copenhagen pillar.
Christiansborg Palace Photography Tips
The palace is photogenic from multiple angles, indoors and out.
- Tower from Højbro Plads (best classic shot): Stand on the Højbro Plads side of the canal looking south. The 106-metre tower frames the Marble Bridge perfectly.
- Tower at sunset: Same spot, 30 minutes before sunset for warm light on the spire.
- From the tower (descending shot): The view from the tower deck includes Tivoli, Round Tower and the Royal Library directly below.
- Reception Rooms — Great Hall: No flash. Wide-angle lens (15mm equivalent) needed to capture the Queen’s Tapestries.
- The Marble Bridge by night: The bridge with the palace lit up behind is one of Copenhagen’s top night-photography subjects.
Christiansborg Palace Tickets — FAQs
How much are Christiansborg Palace tickets?
120 DKK adult for the Royal Reception Rooms; 60 DKK each for Ruins / Kitchen / Stables. Combined ticket 175 DKK adult (saves 65 DKK). The Tower and Palace Chapel are free. Folketinget Sunday tour is free with advance booking. Children under 18 free for all sections.
Is Christiansborg Palace worth visiting?
Yes — it is among the top three indoor attractions in Copenhagen. The combination of working political building, live royal venue, 850 years of underground history, and free 106-metre tower is unmatched in Scandinavia. If you can only do one royal site, Rosenborg has older interiors and the Crown Jewels — but Christiansborg is the better all-round visit.
How long does a Christiansborg visit take?
Tower only: 45 minutes. Reception Rooms only: 90 minutes. Combined ticket: 2.5–3 hours. Full half-day with Folketinget tour: 4 hours.
Can I see the Danish parliament?
Yes — Folketinget runs free guided tours every Sunday at 13:00 (English) and 14:00 (Danish). Book one week ahead at ft.dk/besoeg. Bring photo ID. Visitors enter the chamber from the public gallery.
Is the Christiansborg tower really free?
Yes — completely free since 2014. You need a free time-slotted ticket from the visitor centre (or online at kongeligeslotte.dk) and ID. The tower restaurant Tårnet is also accessible without paying for a meal — the viewing deck is open to the public.
Does Christiansborg close for state events?
Yes — when the Royal Reception Rooms are in use for a state function (banquets, royal lying-in-state, foreign state visits), the rooms close to visitors with about 24 hours’ notice. The Ruins, Tower, Kitchen and Stables remain open. Check kongeligeslotte.dk before you go.
Is Christiansborg accessible by wheelchair?
The Royal Reception Rooms, Tower, Kitchen and Stables are all wheelchair accessible. The Ruins under the Palace have some narrow corridors that may be difficult; contact the visitor centre 48 hours ahead for accessibility assistance.
Can I buy tickets at the door?
Yes — but the queue at the visitor centre on the Slotsholmen courtyard can be 30 minutes on summer Saturdays. Online tickets via kongeligeslotte.dk are 5 DKK cheaper and let you skip directly to the entry.
Is Christiansborg good for kids?
Yes — the Ruins are surprisingly engaging for kids 8+ (medieval skeletons, dungeon stories about Princess Leonora Christina), the Royal Stables have horses to admire, and the Tower has the best free Copenhagen view with no fee. See our Copenhagen with kids pillar guide.
Related Reading
- Things to do in Copenhagen — full attraction list.
- Copenhagen itinerary — Royal Trio day plan.
- Rosenborg Castle — older royal residence with Crown Jewels.
- Tivoli Gardens — 10 minutes south.
- Nyhavn Copenhagen — combine for evening dinner.
- Little Mermaid Statue — combine via Amalienborg.
- Copenhagen with kids — Ruins and Stables for families.
- Copenhagen events & festivals — state events at Christiansborg.
- Copenhagen transportation — Gammel Strand metro.
The Verdict from This Christiansborg Palace Tickets Guide
Christiansborg Palace is the most multi-dimensional royal building in Northern Europe — a working political capital, a live royal stage, an archaeological time machine, and the source of the best free view in Copenhagen. Buy the combined ticket (175 DKK) for full access; or come for free and just visit the Tower and Palace Chapel. Either way, allow at least 90 minutes; visitors who rush through end up missing either the Ruins below or the view above. Pair it with Rosenborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace for a complete Royal Trio day, or combine with the Round Tower and Tivoli for a Christian IV-themed Copenhagen day.
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