Viking Ship Museum

Roskilde, a city 30km west of Copenhagen, has been settled since prehistoric times, when the Vikings sailed their longboats up and down the Roskilde Fjord.

A picturesque, medieval town, it’s worth a visit in its own right, but it also boasts the world’s best Viking ship museum, holding five remarkably well-preserved Viking vessels – a deep-sea trader, merchant ship, man-of-war and longship – that were scuttled in the 11th century and discovered at the bottom of the fjord in 1962.

Once you’ve seen the original 1,000-year-old Viking ships in the hall, board and explore exact replicas on the museum harbour. You can also meet the boatbuilder and see his tools, dress like a Viking, and write your name in Runic letters.

During summer, the museum puts on boat-building and sail-making demonstrations and runs excursions on the fjord in a reconstructed Viking longship for an additional cost (but get ready to row).