The Danish capital delivers Viking ship museums, a Renaissance castle rising from its moat, the world's oldest amusement park and a food scene that reinvented Nordic cooking for the entire planet.
What to see
• The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde itself — five original Viking ships excavated from the Roskilde Fjord in 1962, displayed in a purpose-built waterfront museum of considerable architectural quality
• Rosenborg Castle — a Renaissance royal palace of 1606 rising from its moat in the King's Garden
• Nyhavn — Copenhagen's most photographed waterfront, a canal of brightly painted 17th-century merchant houses and historic sailing ships
What to eat
• Smørrebrød (open-faced rye bread sandwiches with pickled herring, smoked salmon, roast beef, and remoulade) at Schønnemann on Hauser Plads
Take note
• Tivoli charges entry and individual ride tickets — a combined pass is a better value for a full visit