Best views in Copenhagen: a free tower, a ramp, a spire climb and a dome closed for roof repairs

💡 The Short Version: The Christiansborg Tower is free, a lift to a platform 44 metres up, open Tuesday to Sunday and until 21:00 Tuesday to Saturday. The Round Tower is DKK 60, a spiral ramp, no lift, and not in the Copenhagen Card. The Our Saviour’s tower is DKK 70, 400 steps and a booked slot; it shuts in rain, snow and strong wind and is closed all of January. The Marble Church dome is closed for roof repairs; when it runs it is Saturday and Sunday at 13:30 only, DKK 50, with no advance tickets. CopenHill’s rooftop and lift are free. Prices are in Danish kroner. Or book a tour: the Classic City Walking Tourad is from DKK 142 (GetYourGuide).

The viewpoints compared

Prices are the adult rate from each operator.

The Christiansborg Tower

Free · lift to 44 m · Tuesday to Sunday · Christiansborg

The tower belongs to the Danish Parliament, which calls it the highest in Copenhagen at 106 metres. It is entered through the King’s Gate from the palace square or the inner courtyard, and a lift takes you to the viewing platform. Last entry is 15 minutes before closing, and the Parliament warns that there can be a queue, so come in good time. A restaurant in the tower is booked separately. The Christiansborg page has the palace tickets next door.

• Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 21:00 and Sunday 11:00 to 17:30. Closed on Mondays and always closed between Christmas and New Year.
• Evening: open to 21:00 from Tuesday to Saturday, in summer and winter alike.

The Round Tower

DKK 60 · a spiral ramp · no advance tickets · Købmagergade 52A

The Round Tower has been a landmark since 1642. You climb a spiral ramp to the top, and the last stretch is a narrow staircase, so it suits neither pushchairs nor wheelchairs. The tower is a listed building without a lift. Tickets cannot be bought beforehand. At peak hours there is a queue and ticket sales pause now and then, and the tower says the wait rarely exceeds 20 minutes. Students pay DKK 40 and under-18s are free. The 800-square-metre Library Hall shows exhibitions, among them Light Echoes, which runs to 3 January 2027 for the 350th anniversary of Ole Rømer’s measurement of the speed of light.

The spiral ramp inside the Round Tower. Photo: Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

• Hours: April to September daily 10:00 to 20:00. October to March Monday and Tuesday 10:00 to 21:00 and Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. The tower is open 362 days a year.
• The observatory is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 18:00 to 21:00 until 31 March, weather permitting.
• The Copenhagen Card does not cover it.
• On the guard’s route: the march to Amalienborg passes the tower. See the changing of the guard.

Our Saviour’s Church tower

DKK 70 · 400 steps · a booked slot · Christianshavn

The tower of Vor Frelsers Kirke was completed in 1752, and its spire is climbed from the outside. Of the 400 steps, the last 150 run on the outside of the spire to the top at 86 metres. You book a time slot online, and at busy times the staff can require an online booking. The ticket is DKK 70, students and over-65s pay DKK 53 and children DKK 20.

The spire of Our Saviour’s Church above Christianshavn. Photo: Jorge Láscar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

• Hours: daily 9:00 to 20:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. It is closed all of January and on 24 and 25 December, and it closes at 15:30 on 31 December.
• Weather: the tower shuts in rain, snow or strong wind. It is busiest from Friday to Monday around 10:00 to 17:00.
• Restoration: the church and the tower stay open while the facade and the tower are restored to the end of 2027. There is an entrance tunnel round the scaffolding on the north side.
• The Copenhagen Card covers the tower, and you choose the card option on the booking page.
• The church is free to enter, daily 11:00 to 15:30, except during services. It is in Christianshavn, on the way to Christiania.

The Marble Church dome

DKK 50 · Saturday and Sunday 13:30 when it runs · cancelled during roof repairs · 15 people · Frederiksstaden

Frederik’s Church, known as the Marble Church, normally runs a dome visit on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:30, and the church says the visits are cancelled during roof repairs. It costs DKK 50 and children aged 0 to 12 are free. Each visit takes at most 15 people, tickets cannot be booked ahead, and the visit does not run during services, concerts or bad weather. On a busy weekend that is a queue.

• The church is free: Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 17:00, Friday 12:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday 13:00 to 17:00. On 31 October and 14 November it opens at 13:00. It is closed all day on 21, 28 and 29 November, and it closes for services, concerts and rehearsals.
• Roof repairs: the front portico is under repair, with scaffolding to the right of the main door until the end of the year.
• The Copenhagen Card does not cover the dome.

CopenHill

Rooftop and lift free · Vindmøllevej 6

CopenHill is a ski slope on the roof of a waste-to-energy plant. Access to the rooftop, the cafe, the running route and the lift to the top is free during opening hours. The slope is green plastic matting, not snow, and skiing is booked online for a time slot, with no lockers on site. An 85-metre climbing wall runs up the building, and climbers need a multi-pitch certification. CopenHill closes for private events and for maintenance of the plant. The Copenhagen Card does not cover it.

CopenHill’s sloping roof and patterned facade from the harbour. Photo: kallerna, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

• Hours in November 2026: Monday 12:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Friday 12:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00.
• Hours in October 2026: the same, except Saturday 10:00 to 19:00.

What to choose

The order that works: for a first visit, take the Christiansborg Tower, which is free and has the longest hours. The Round Tower is the easiest climb, because it is a ramp. Our Saviour’s is the one for a head for heights, and it needs a booking. The Marble Church dome is the least reliable: it has two slots a week, and none while the roof is repaired. What to skip: the Our Saviour’s tower in rain, snow or strong wind, when it closes, and in January.

Practical information

• Passes: the Copenhagen Card covers Our Saviour’s tower but not the Round Tower, the Marble Church dome or CopenHill. The Christiansborg Tower is free anyway. See Copenhagen Card: is it worth it?.
• Getting there: the Round Tower is at Købmagergade 52A, Christiansborg is by Gammel Strand metro station and the Marble Church is at Marmorkirken metro station. Copenhagen public transport has the fares.
• The one thing that ruins a visit: turning up at Our Saviour’s without a slot, or on a windy day. The Christiansborg Tower and the Round Tower need none.

What to book in Copenhagen has the closed days for every sight. Free things to do in Copenhagen lists the free views with the rest, and Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid are the views at street level. 3 days in Copenhagen places a tower in each day. For a bed nearby, see where to stay in Copenhagen. The old town walk climbs the Round Tower on its way from the City Hall to Rosenborg, and the Nyhavn to Little Mermaid walk passes the Marble Church.