Welcome to the Viking Ship Museum

1000 years ago, the Vikings sailed along the shores of Europe, up rivers and across the open sea throughout the North Atlantic area.

Ships are the essence of the Viking Age. With them, the Scandinavian countries were founded.

The Viking Ship Museum is built around the five original Viking ships from Skuldelev. They are part of a global story about ships, people and things on voyages.

The museum tells the story of how the Vikings changed the World with their ships.

Without ships, no Viking Age.

Opening hours

The Viking Ship Museum is open daily

Experience the five Viking ships, found in Roskilde Fjord.

De fem vikingeskibe er udstillet i Vikingeskibshallen

Exhibitions

The museum displays both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Read more about the museum's current exhibitions here.

Activities

The Viking Ship Museum offers a lot of exciting activities and experiences on land and water for the whole family.

The Museum Shop

Shop a large selection of Nordic design and museum copies. Access to the Museum Shop is free.

New Nordic Vikingfood

Café Knarr is located on Museum Lake with a view of the beautiful wooden boats.
It serves food inspired by the world of the Vikings.

Listen to Audio guide with dramatic stories about the Viking Ships

Audioguides

Listen to exciting and dramatic stories about Viking ships and voyages.
There are audio guides for children and adults


News from the Viking Ship Museum

In the next few days, marine archaeologists from the Viking Ship Museum and the National Museum of Denmark will be diving down to the remains of two ships off the coast of Costa Rica. The investigation seeks to determine whether these are the wrecks of two 18th-century Danish slave ships. Photo: Andreas K. Bloch / Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde

Researchers to investigate whether Costa Rica shipwrecks are Danish slave ships

Published 07th Sep 2023

In the next few days, marine archaeologists from the Viking Ship Museum and the National Museum of Denmark will be…

Cleaving oak for Skuldelev 5: Tuesday 11/7 from 10:00

Published 07th Jul 2023

The boatbuilders are cleaving oak for Skuldelev 5: Tuesday 11/7 from 10:00

[Translate to english:] Silas Tavs Ravn er formidlingsmedarbejder med særligt ansvar for håndværksformidling. Han har været den primære underviser i forløbene med eleverne fra Rosenkilde Skole under Autismecenter Vestsjælland.

Children from schools for children with special needs get the courage to to do new things at the Viking Ship Museum

Published 06th Mar 2023

A three-year collaboration with Rosenkilde School under The Autism Centre West Zealand have taught us how to create…

With private donations, financing is now in place to secure the five Viking ships in Roskilde for posterity.

Large donations ensure a safe and future-proof home for Roskilde’s Viking ships

Published 23th Jun 2022

With private donations totalling 135 million kroner from VILLUM FONDEN, Augustinus Fonden and Aage og Johanne…

Launch of a new Viking ship May 7th 2022

Skuldelev 3 revisited: a window to the past

Published 24th Apr 2022

The new reconstruction of Skuldelev 3 has already provided many new insights on Viking Age boatbuilding during the…

[Translate to english:] UNESCO anerkender klinkbådstraditioner

UNESCO have inscribed Nordic clinker boat traditions on the list of intangible heritage of humanity.

Published 14th Dec 2021

The clinker-built boats of the North – and the traditions associated with them – have now been officially…

New and instructive film about withy

Published 15th Jun 2021

The films show how withy is being developed and used while sailing