Walking with Kierkegaard | Kierkegaard's Life

Choose an outing

Room to walk, look, and read

The Copenhagen outings range from a two-hour circuit of the City Lakes to a five-hour museum and harbour afternoon. Gilleleje is longer: its established 12-kilometre route deserves a full day once the train journey is included.

Essential day 1 · Morning or full day

The established Old City walk

Follow the nine numbered stops from I Kierkegaards fodspor, from Church of Our Lady to Rosenborggade, then continue three minutes to Kierkegaard's former Kultorvet address.

10stops

2 kmwalking

3–3¼ hwith visits

The pale stone front and square tower of the Church of Our Lady seen from the street — At the routeThe Church of Our Lady, where the walk begins.Image: Ib Rasmussen · Public domain

Plan this outing

Before you go

Hours, displays, transit, and weather can change. Recheck linked official information shortly before setting out.

Suggested timingBegin in the morning when the cathedral is open to visitors. The basic route takes three to three and a quarter hours; a tower climb, a planned lunch, and the optional nearby additions can comfortably turn it into a full day.

What is openThe cathedral and Trinity Church may close for services. The residences, school, and lost birthplace are exterior stops. The Round Tower is optional and separately ticketed: 60 DKK adult, 40 DKK student, free under 18, open 10:00–20:00 in summer. Its historic observatory is closed for restoration through 2026; the tower and spiral ramp stay open. Confirm current prices at rundetaarn.dk before setting out.

Nearby additionsRegensen and King's Garden make natural short extensions after the main walk. Consider reserving Aamanns 1921 if this is your deliberate Old City lunch.

Before setting outCheck the cathedral and Trinity Church hours that morning. Expect cobbles and long periods standing.

Open the starting point Preview the full route Historical and modern city map

Stop 1 of 10Church of Our Lady

Stop 1 of 10

Church of Our Lady

Nørregade 8, 1165 København

Worth knowing

The cathedral holds the whole arc in one place: the Christianity Kierkegaard inherited, the public institution he attacked, and the church funeral that his nephew protested at the graveside.

At this place

Kierkegaard worshipped here after the rebuilt cathedral opened in 1829 and heard Bishop J. P. Mynster preach. His funeral was held here on 18 November 1855, after his final campaign against the established church.

“one must reflect oneself out of the appearance of being a Christian”

The Point of View for My Work as an Author, SKS 16, 72 / PV, 93Map and deeper reading

Google MapsOpen this location Kierkegaard textRead the Danish text, auto-translated Automatic English translationRead the Danish place essay

Dyrkøb 51 minute · 75 m

Go to next stop

After the outing

Two ways to finish

Open two route-specific choices when you know how much walking, weather, and reading the day has given you.

Stay with the historic addressSKAAL

A full lunch and broad beer list at the route's final Kierkegaard address. Best when you want to sit down at the end of the walk.
Kultorvet 11, 1175 København

Map Official site

Keep it quick and DanishHallernes Smørrebrød

Open sandwiches at Torvehallerne near Nørreport. Counter seating is limited, but takeaway leaves the afternoon open.
Rømersgade 18, 1362 København

Map Official site

Two optional days

Take the week at your own pace

The five essential days complete the five full outings. If you have a week, use a sixth day for North Zealand and shape the seventh around history, landscape, season, or rest.

These days are flexible. Insert them wherever weather, museum hours, and energy make sense. The Lokaltog lines open several routes through the forests and along the northern coast.

Frederiksborg Castle reflected in the castle lake beneath a dramatic sky

Optional day 6 · Inland north

Hillerød, Frederiksborg, and one further stop

Anchor the day at Frederiksborg, then choose Esrom or Fredensborg.

Make Frederiksborg the anchor, then add either Esrom or Fredensborg rather than promising all three. Esrom joins a medieval Cistercian abbey and lake; Fredensborg offers Nordmandsdalen and the private Kierkegaard family home, viewable only from outside. The final connections are not all on one rail line, so check the complete journey before setting out. A Kierkegaard display at Frederiksborg traces to a temporary 2013 exhibition, so do not count on finding it.

Frederiksborg map Esrom map Nordmandsdalen map Family home map Esrum Møllecaféen Plan live connections

Image: Er.gagansharma · CC BY-SA 3.0

Kronborg Castle seen across the water at Helsingør

Optional day 7 · More history

Helsingør, Kronborg, and Gurre

A second substantial excursion through the Sound, coast, and inland ruins.

Begin with Helsingør and Kronborg, continue to Gurre, and use Hornbæk as a coastal pause only if the day still has room. Gurre lies away from the coastal rail line, so confirm its last connection before departure. Gribskov's Nook of Eight Paths and Søborg ruins remain alternate inland choices, not extra obligations.

Kronborg map Lake Gurre map Nook of Eight Paths map Søborg ruins map 940R · Official line

Image: Fiskfisk · Public domain

Optional day 7 · Go slower

Dyrehaven

A nearby half-day among forest paths, deer, and the former royal hunting ground.

The former royal hunting ground is the nearest substantial landscape extension and works as a half-day outing. It belongs to the UNESCO-listed Par Force Hunting Landscape, with free-roaming deer, Eremitageslottet, and Bakken at its edge. Choose it when another long transit day would work against the spirit of the week.

Dyrehaven map

Image: .bastian · CC BY-SA 2.0

Julius Paulsen's 1886 painting of a midsummer night at Tisvilde beach

Seasonal alternative · 23 June

Tisvilde for Sankt Hans

Helene Spring, the north coast, and a place-based midsummer evening.

Helene Spring and Helene's grave form a compact pair on the north coast. Tradition specifically directed pilgrims to the spring on Sankt Hans Eve. If the visit includes 23 June, Tisvilde gives the bonfire evening a place-based connection; otherwise it remains a quiet coastal alternative. Check the year's programme shortly before travelling.

Helene Spring map Helene's grave map Helene tradition Current Sankt Hans listings 960R · Official line

Image: Julius Paulsen, Statens Museum for Kunst · CC0 1.0

King's Garden and Rosenborg Castle seen across the treetops

Use either optional day · Stay in Copenhagen

Public rooms, historical context, and a meal worth planning

Add a city interior, a historical map, or one reserved meal without building another full route.

Regensen, King's Garden, and the Royal Theatre can extend the city walks without becoming another full route. The National Museum, Christiansborg ruins, or Tivoli make flexible interior and evening choices. The historical map is useful for orientation, but its official survey series spans much of the nineteenth century, so treat it as historical context rather than an exact snapshot of 1850. Aamanns 1921 suits a deliberate Old City lunch; Høst works as the week's planned dinner.

Historical and modern city map Five-week course itinerary Aamanns 1921 Høst

Image: Cederskjold · CC BY 4.0