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

Open every day

The Viking Ship Museum is open every day with activities, exciting stories and guided tours.

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.

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

Visit the Maritime Archaeologists' DocuLab

At the Museum Island, you can visit the Maritime Archaeologists' DocuLab. Here, archaeologists are working on documenting two remarkable shipwrecks.

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.

Sailing trips

Everyday until 30 September you can experience what it was to be a Viking on board of one of the Viking Ship Museum's traditional Nordic boats. 


News from the Viking Ship Museum

Hjalmar; traditional Faroese rowing and sailing boat built by Hanus Jensen and Pernille Rosendahl, along with apprentice Oscar La Pia. Hanus, a Faroese boatbuilder, was responsible for the construction. Photo: Tríona Sørensen / Viking Ship Museum

New Faroese boat built in the spirit of old master boatbuilders

Published 20th Sep 2024

The Viking Ship Museum just launched a new traditionally clinker-built Faroese rowing and sailing boat. The boat is…

At Tudse Hage off Skælskør in West Zealand lies one of the best-preserved underwater Stone Age settlements in the world. However, the site is in danger of disappearing into the sea forever. Photo: Andreas Kallmeyer Bloch.

Stone Age Atlantis in danger of disappearing into the sea forever

Published 19th Sep 2024

Maritime archaeologists from the Danish Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde face an urgent challenge: one of the…

The original anchor in the Ladby ship.  Photo: Vikingemuseet Ladby

Impressive Viking Age anchor will be recreated at the Viking Ship Museum

Published 23th May 2024

Red-hot iron, the whistling breath of the bellows and the sound of metal striking metal. Right now, a team of…

Sailing and summer activities at the Viking Ship Museum

Published 24th Apr 2024

Summer is buzzing, the days are getting longer and you can feel it at the Viking Ship Museum. During the summer…

A new and ambitious home for the Viking ships in Roskilde

Published 12th Jan 2024

The winner of the architect competition for the New Viking Ship Museum has been found. On 11 January 2024, the…

In the Marine Archaeologists' Workshop, you can follow the exploration of two shipwrecks discovered during construction work in the port of Copenhagen.

Dive into the Past: Explore Shipwrecks at the Marine Archaeologists' DocuLab

Published 11th Dec 2023

The exploration of two remarkable shipwrecks found in 12 meters of water during the construction of the artificial…

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…