Viking Ship Museum

Roskilde, Denmark

The Viking Ship Museum (Vikingeskibsmuseet) is the Danish national museum for ships, seafaring and boatbuilding in the prehistoric and medieval period.

Around the year 1070, five Viking ships were deliberately sunk at Skuldelev in Roskilde Fjord in order to block the most important fairway and to protect Roskilde from enemy attack from the sea. These ships, later known as the Skuldelev ships, were excavated in 1962. They turned out to be five different types of ships ranging from cargo ships to ships of war.

The Viking Ship Museum overlooks Roskilde Fjord and was built in 1969 especially to exhibit the five newly-discovered ships. In the late 1990s excavations for an expansion of the museum uncovered a further 9 ships including the longest Viking warship ever discovered, at 36 metres.

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Category: Museums in Denmark

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4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Sangramsing kayte (19 months ago)
What a fantastic day out. The Viking Ship Museum was brilliant, staff were friendly and happy to answer any questions. It's good for the whole family. There is a little workshop with tools and wood. Kids can make their own boats and try them out in a designated pool to test them ?. We went on a Sunday, which was very quiet. The little cafe was open which was lovely. So glad we made this museum one of our stops on our weekends away in Copenhagen. It was only a 35min train journey, reasonably priced and a regular service. A definite must for people that like Viking History ☺️.
Nicola Shannon (2 years ago)
What a fantastic day out. The Viking Ship Museum was brilliant, staff were friendly and happy to answer any questions. It's good for the whole family. There is a little workshop with tools and wood. Kids can make their own boats and try them out in a designated pool to test them ?. We went on a Sunday, which was very quiet. The little cafe was open which was lovely. So glad we made this museum one of our stops on our weekends away in Copenhagen. It was only a 35min train journey, reasonably priced and a regular service. A definite must for people that like Viking History ☺️.
Garrett Fagnou (2 years ago)
Great museum where you can see 5 different viking ships found preserved on the bottom of the fjord. The museum is very well made and informative. One of the best parts is to see the workshop where they are recreating viking ships using the methods from the time period. You can also get on some of the boats already made in the harbor.
Claudio Zifferero (2 years ago)
This museum is worth the trip in Denmark. It's simply stunning . They managed to rebuild Viking ships (up to 30 m) and you can.also sail (the smaller ones). The museum is interesting, alive, entertaining. A must!
Kharuna Ramrukheea (2 years ago)
A really nice, and informative museum. It is not just display of the old viking ships but also, the workshop where you can build something yourself or watch as works are being done, the very knowledgeable staff who are friendly and ready to answer your questions and all the little details that provide you with a really idea of how things were. I really enjoyed it and would totally recommend this museum be it for young ones or adults. Around the museum area, there is a restaurant but also area where you can lid on the grass and have a nice view of the water
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