Church of Our Saviour — Attraction in Copenhagen Municipality

Free to enter the Church without any tickets but it's unclear what time it's open to public. When I was there, the sign read Opens at 1pm, so I left for lunch and returned later, the sign says Close at 2pm. I was there just 15 mins before, with enough time to snap a few pictures before it closed. Turned out that's because there's a concert that night, so the church is closed earlier than the usual 3.30pm.

Stepping into the church, you first see the altar then you realize the seats are turned the other way round and when you look behind you, you are wowed by the huge wooden organ that appears to be hanging from the ceiling. The organ is supported by 2 elephants, which are to signify the powers of Denmark that once stretched to India. This, I learnt from a video inside the Tower later, so pro tip: climb the tower first as the video talks about a few interesting points in the church to look out for. A pity by the time I finished the climb, the church has closed.

The church has a Tower at the top, with a spiral staircase that gives a bird's eye view of the city and beyond. Inside the tower, you find the bell, carillon and some broken pieces of decor here and there behind gated space. To climb the tower will require advance reservations via their website with the CPH Discover Card but it seems there is a quota for it cause when I arrived early and wanted to change my slot to an earlier one, the staff said there's still availability for 1.30pm, yet when I went online, it says sold out under the Copenhagen card option.

On one of the levels, there's a small room with a video description of the history of the church and the tower. One should watch this before the ascend and visit the church after.

The steps are pretty narrow and while I didn't count the number of steps, it was quite a workout getting up there. Once you are there, the views are worth it! The winds are so strong at some point I felt I was going to be blown over but the metal railings gave some sense of security. At the end point, the step is just sufficient space for 1 foot. And if you thought going up was tiring, coming down (the same way) was even tougher. The entire climb took me about 45 mins, including some waiting time to take...

Climbing this church tower became, quite unexpectedly, a highlight and great memory of our recent trip to Copenhagen. Not that I didn’t have “high” expectations for this tower, but when we got there, the weather was a little iffy. It had been closed the day before due to storms, and I was surprised to find it open this day as the storms were continuing. Climbing this tower, one ascends through a few stories of interior spaces, which reminded me of a disused attic - old broken objects lying about, dust, darkness, a musty smell. These attic areas are connected by stairways which become progressively narrower until the final one is a bit alarming for a larger person like myself. And there seems to be no logical structure to how the attics and stairways are designed, it almost seems as if the builders kept piling lumber on top of lumber in an effort to reach heaven atop a jumbled stack. Only after these attic spaces are ascended do you emerge outside to the exterior spiral to complete the climb. Upon emerging to the spiral, there is a narrow balcony which goes around the tower, and it is unclear which way to go. Going right leads to a deadend, but left leads to the final climb up the spiral stairway. The footing is sheet metal, polished smooth from years of foot traffic. The rain was coming down that day, but as long as I was ascending, my eyes were upturned. But then, one notices the stairway narrowing, and the spiralings around the tower completing faster. There is no dramatic finale to the climb, just a realization that the stairway continues upward beyond the point where it has become too narrow to climb any more. An abrupt turn around, informing the crowds pushing up against you that “that’s it, please let me descend” and looking down at one’s feet on the slippery metal stairs and the streets of Copenhagen far below. What a strange little adventure, I’ll...

Best place we have visited in Copenhagen.

Every year, more than 200.000 people climb the stairway to the top where Our Saviour stands on his globe and overlooks the royal city of Copenhagen.

Our Savior's Church's iconic tower contains six large bells and a fantastic carillon which holds special meaning to Christianshavn. With as many as 48 bells, the carillon plays its delicate melodies over the neighbourhood daily.

On the last 150 external steps, you will, as far as the eye can see, experience one of the best views over Copenhagen with an overview of the city from every angle at 86 meters. This is not an ascent for the vertiginously challenged!

Access to the tower is limited during crowded hours because of narrow stairs and pathways. Therefore, we recommend prior booking to avoid waiting time for purchasing tickets on-site and to reserve a spot in the tower at a preferred time.

The staff can require online booking upon arrival during busy hours if the tower has reached its maximum visitor capacity.

The tower closes for safety reasons in the event of precipitation and strong winds.

The tower is open in 2023 from February 9th until December 31st. Opening hours are daily from 09:00 – 20:00.

Sunset tours in the tower: With this extraordinary event, the tower of Our Savior's Church welcomes you to sunset tours in 2023 outside regular opening hours. Here, you can have a memorable moment and admire the scenery of Copenhagen bathed in the warm colours of the sunset with a spectacular aerial view from every angle at 86 metres.

Opening hours of the church are daily from 11.00 – 15.30.

Please note that the church is closed for sightseeing...