DENMARK - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 119

Trains run about every 15 minutes from Copenhagen to Roskilde and vice versa all
day beginning at 0500 through 0030; a couple of trains also run during the middle
of the night. Travel time: 20-25 minutes.
Distance: 19 miles (31 km)
The Viking Ship Museum is an interesting addition to Roskilde's various attrac-
tions. Hours: 1000-1600 September-June, 1000-1700 July and August. In sum-
mer admission is DKK 115 for adults, DKK 100 for students; in winter DKK 80 for
adults, DKK 70 for students (children younger than age 18, free). Proceed downhill
from the cathedral. The museum island includes the Boat Yard, Visitor's and Ar-
chaeological Workshops, plus sailing trips from June through August are offered in
Viking-ship replicas for all Viking wannabes. Viking ships, circa A.D. 1000 to 1050,
have been restored piece by piece in this most modern of maritime museums, on
the banks of the Roskilde fjord. For centuries legend had it that a barrier at the
fjord's narrowest point actually had a Viking vessel beneath it. The legend was only
partially correct in that a cofferdam operation in 1962 revealed that not one but five
vessels had been sunk there to protect Roskilde's harbor from enemy fleets. Visit
www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk .
Just 6 miles west of Roskilde is the Prehistoric Vil-
lage-Historical-Archaeological-Experimental Centre at Lejre, representing
one of the most profound studies of prehistoric housing. Ask the tourist office about
bus connections from the small station in Lejre to the center.
And if you visit during late June or early July, be sure to check out the Roskilde
Festival, the greatest rock-and-jazz fest in northern Europe. Visit
www.roskildefestival.dk to keep up with the latest news and ticket information.
All ages will enjoy “one of the most beautiful houses in Scandinavia,” Ledreborg
Palace, an impressive example from the Rococo period. Tours of the palace are
DKK 80 for adults and DKK 50 for children. Tel: [phone]; Fax: 46 48 04
80; www.ledreborgslot.dk . Admire exquisite landscape, architecture, paintings, and
furnishings from more than 250 years ago; see the home's servant quarters, and
even visit the dungeon. Don't forget your children (in the dungeon area, that is),
as they will not want to miss the treasure hunt in and around the park or trying to
find their way through one of Europe's most amazing mazes. During summer, en-
joy concerts on the green.