Open Air Museum

Frilandsmuseet, or the Open Air Museum, is one of the oldest and largest open-air museums in the world, spread across a green landscape on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen in Lyngby. Part of the National Museum of Denmark, it gathers more than 50 historic buildings that were carefully dismantled at their original locations around the country and rebuilt here, allowing visitors to walk straight into the rural Denmark of past centuries.

The relocated farmhouses, mills, workshops and cottages come from many corners of the Danish realm, representing different regions, social classes and building traditions. Set among fields, gardens, hedgerows and grazing animals, they show how ordinary people once lived and worked. Wandering the paths between timber-framed farms and thatched roofs gives a vivid sense of everyday life before industrialisation reshaped the countryside.

Because the buildings are arranged in an authentic landscape rather than behind glass, the museum feels less like an exhibition and more like an open journey through time. It is a spacious, family-friendly place to spend several hours, with plenty of room for children to roam and explore between the old houses and their gardens.

The museum lies at Kongevejen 100 in Kongens Lyngby, in North Zealand. It is easy to reach from central Copenhagen by taking bus 184 from Nørreport or the S-train to Sorgenfri station. Opening days and hours vary by season, so it is best to check the official National Museum website before your visit.