Summer at the museum
Summer is here, and the Viking Ship Museum invites you to a holiday full of experiences for the whole family. Step aboard authentic Viking ships, build your own boat, meet skilled craftsmen and boatbuilders – and join guided tours where the stories of the past come to life.
At Strandengen, you can explore the world of the Vikings: test your skills in Viking games, train like a warrior in the battle arena, and hear tales of voyages, ships, and life at sea. You can also climb aboard the impressive longship The Sea Stallion from Glendalough and take part in family activities that challenge your teamwork and Viking cunning.
Activities in the Summer Holiday
Program
Guided Tours
- 11:00: Guided tour in the Viking Ship Hall
- 12:00: Guided tour at the Boatyard
- 12:00: Family guided tour – Sweyn Forkbeard’s Raid
- 12:30: Guided tour in the Viking Ship Hall
- 13:30: Meet the guide – Finds and Stories
- 13:30: Family guided tour – Sweyn Forkbeard’s Raid
- 13:30: Craftman's talk (in week 29 this activity is at 11:30 and 14:30)
- 14:30: Guided tour at the Boatyard
Activities
- Step aboard the museum’s longest Viking ship – The Sea Stallion from Glendalough, which, at 30 meters long, carried a crew all the way to Ireland.
- Build your own boat in the workshop on the Boatyard Island.
- Play Viking games in the battle arena.
- Meet the boatbuilders every day at the boatyard.
- Meet the museum’s various craftsmen around the Museum Island or at the Viking encampment.
- Play like the Vikings in the Children’s Village.
Buy your ticket online
Family guided tour – Sweyn Forkbeard’s Raid
Join a dramatic journey back to the year 1013, when the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard set sail for England with a fleet of brave Vikings. In this family tour, children and adults become part of the story – as warriors, sailors, and shield-bearers.
The family guided tour starts at 12:00 and 13:30.
Meet the guide - Finds and Stories
Travel back to the Viking Age, where objects tell tales of life, war, and everyday adventures at sea and on land. Each object opens a window to the past – and maybe you’ll discover that the Vikings weren’t so different from us after all.
Meet the guide between 13:30 - 15:30
Meet the craftmen of the Viking Age
During the summer, the Viking Ship Museum showcases various maritime crafts from the Viking Age. Depending on when you visit, you might join warrior training or meet the blacksmith, sailmaker, woodcarver, charcoal burner, or learn about rope-making.
Each day, the featured craftsperson gives a presentation at 13:30. In week 29, the Viking warrior demonstration takes place twice daily at 11:30 and 14:30.
Guided tour at the Boatyard
Learn how Viking ships are reconstructed using original tools and techniques on a guided tour of the Viking Ship Museum’s boatyard and harbour at the Museum Island.
Hear about over 40 years of experimental archaeology, the historical significance of the ships, and how the reconstructions are still sailed today.
The guided tour at the Boatyard tour takes place daily at 12:00 and 14:30.
![[Translate to English:] Tag på rundvisning og bliv klogere på de fem originale vikingeskibe på Vikingeskibsmuseet](/frontend/Fotoarkiv/14-JNA08675.jpg "[Translate to English:] Tag på rundvisning og bliv klogere på de fem originale vikingeskibe på Vikingeskibsmuseet")
Guided tour in the Viking Ship Hall
We take a closer look at the five original Viking ships from Skuldelev, which sailed the Roskilde Fjord 1,000 years ago.
The ships differ in size, shape, and purpose, revealing stories about the people who used them for war, trade, and everyday life during the Viking Age.
The guided tours begins at 11:00 and 12:30.
![[Translate to English:] Lad børnene lege frit i Børnebygden på Vikingeskibsmuseet](/frontend/Fotoarkiv/cards-fotos/boernebygden_2024_jna_cards_006.jpg "[Translate to English:] Lad børnene lege frit i Børnebygden på Vikingeskibsmuseet")
Play in the Hamlet
The Hamletin the basement of the Viking Ship Hall is the museum’s imaginative play area for kids.
Here, children can explore everyday life in the Viking Age through hands-on activities like packing a merchant’s chest, tucking wooden dolls under goatskin blankets, or preparing a festive meal at the hearth for returning warriors.
![[Translate to English:] Løs Museumsmysteriet på Vikingeskibsmuseet](/frontend/Fotoarkiv/cards-fotos/32-JNA09454_astrid_2.jpg "[Translate to English:] Løs Museumsmysteriet på Vikingeskibsmuseet")
Digital games - Audio guide and the Museum Mystery
You can also listen to exciting stories about Viking ships and seafaring in the museum’s audio guide, designed to engage the whole family. The stories are offered in three different tracks to suit different ages and the time available for your visit.
You’ll find them in the app Useeum, where you can also try to solve the Museum Mystery—a challenge to stop a thief from stealing something very special from the Viking Ship Museum.
The app is free to download.