The Viking Ship Museum houses five original Viking ships recovered from Roskilde Fjord in 1962, where they had been sunk a thousand years earlier to block a waterway. The ships range from a small fishing vessel to a large ocean-going longship, and seeing them together makes immediately clear how varied Viking maritime technology actually was — these were not all the same beast.
The museum is as interesting for its active boatbuilding programme as for the historic vessels. Craftspeople work in the open workshop using period techniques to build replicas, and you can watch them at close range. In summer, you can sail on a reconstructed Viking ship on the fjord — one of the better tourist experiences in Denmark, especially with children. The museum's waterfront setting is excellent, with views across the fjord toward the low wooded islands on the far side.