Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family and one of the finest architectural ensembles in Europe. It consists of four identical rococo palaces facing each other across an octagonal square, built in the 1750s as aristocratic mansions in the new district of Frederiksstaden, laid out by King Frederik V and his architect Nicolai Eigtved. When Christiansborg burned in 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in, and they have lived here ever since. King Frederik X, who became king in January 2024 when his mother, Queen Margrethe II, abdicated, lives with his family in Frederik VIII's Palace, and the Queen lives in Christian IX's Palace; Christian VII's Palace is used for guests and official events. In the centre of the square stands an equestrian statue of Frederik V, unveiled in 1771, and the square lines up perfectly with the great dome of Frederik's Church, the Marble Church, on one side and the Opera House across the harbour on the other. The square is open to the public, and the highlight for most visitors is free: the changing of the guard, every day at noon. The Royal Life Guards, in dark blue uniforms and tall bearskin hats, leave their barracks beside Rosenborg Castle in the late morning and march through the streets of the city to Amalienborg, where the ceremony takes place in the square. When the King is in residence, the guard is larger and is often accompanied by the band. Stand in the marked areas, keep a distance from the palace buildings and stay out of the guards' path. In Christian VIII's Palace, the Amalienborg Museum, run by the Royal Danish Collection, shows the private rooms and studies of kings and queens of the last two centuries, with royal treasures and changing exhibitions; it is ticketed and included in the combined palace pass.

The architecture rewards a close look. Eigtved designed the four palaces as a single, unified composition, with identical facades, and the noble families who built them were required to follow his plans. Moltke's Palace, now Christian VII's, has one of the finest rococo interiors in Europe, the Great Hall, which can occasionally be seen on guided tours. The Marble Church, begun in the same period but only finished in the late nineteenth century, has one of the largest church domes in Scandinavia, and its interior is free to visit outside services. Together, the palace, the church and the Opera House form a dramatic axis across the city.

How to watch the guard: arrive in the square ten to fifteen minutes before noon to find a good spot, or join the march along the way; the guards leave the barracks by Rosenborg in the late morning and walk via the old town streets, a fun way to see them. The ceremony in the square lasts about half an hour. The guards on duty during the day are part of the scene too, standing outside the palaces; do not touch them or block their route, as they will move you firmly if needed. If a flag flies over Frederik VIII's Palace, the King is at home.

Make it a morning: start at Rosenborg Castle when it opens, follow the guards to Amalienborg for noon, then visit the Amalienborg Museum or the Marble Church and continue to Nyhavn for lunch, or walk north along the harbour to Kastellet and the Little Mermaid. The garden of Amaliehaven on the harbour side of the square, with its fountain, is a quiet place to sit and look across to the Opera House.