Travel || The Roundtower, Copenhagen

Posted on August 2, 2017

I don’t know why, but I got it stuck in my head that I must visit The Roundtower in Copenhagen. I knew that even if I didn’t manage to see inside any palaces or museums that I must visit the Roundtower (or Rundetaarn as it is actually called).

The tower was yet another of King Christian IV’s architectural projects; the 17th century tower was built for astronomical observations, but for tourists it offers glorious views over the wide vista of Copenhagen. It is probably most famous for (and recently instagrammable) for its equestrian staircase; a 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the top. Or in layman’s terms – its sloped, bricked ramp instead of stairs that leads to the top of the tower.

Because the tower has a slope instead of steps, even though it is only 36 meters tall, you have to walk 209 meters to get to the top.

Like an absolute fool, I wore my Birkenstocks to Copenhagen because they are a great summer shoe and they are (usually) super comfortable. However, I had to stop for a sit halfway up the tower because my feet were so blistered! I’d walked nearly 25 miles in the weekend by that point in time, so I think my shoes can be forgiven!

The Round Tower is no longer a professional observatory, it is still functional so amateur and hobbyist astronomers can utilise it. I spent ages walking all around the outside platform on top of the tower, soaking up all the scenery that Copenhagen had to offer. It’s so green from above!

Inside the tower there are also two exhibition spaces. One focused on the history and building of the tower, the other is for rotating exhibits. When I was there, there was a really interesting Nordic art exhibit on.

The Details:

The Roundtower is located at: Købmagergade 52A 1150 København K . In the summer it is open from 10am-8pm every day. In the winter, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays it is open from 10 am-9pm and on all other days it is open 10am- 6pm. Tickets are DKK 25 for adults (about £3).