Natural History Museum Denmark Opens March 6 2027

Natural History Museum Denmark has set a public opening date for its new national museum in Copenhagen’s Botanical Garden: 6 March 2027. The museum’s own new-museum page now states that date in plain language, and it also confirms that the current exhibition halls at Oster Voldgade 5 to 7 close after 1 November 2026.

That is the traveler decision. If you are in Copenhagen this fall, you still have about two months to see the Mineral Hall and the current special exhibitions. If you are planning 2027, hold the new building for 6 March. Pair the visit with a stay from our Copenhagen hotel guide so the garden, the Palm House, and Nørreport Station sit on the same walking day.

November 1 Closes the Current Exhibition Halls

The museum’s plan-your-visit page is the practical document, not a teaser. It says the exhibitions at Oster Voldgade 5 to 7 close after 1 November 2026 as staff prepare the new building at Sølvtorvet for 6 March 2027. That is a hard stop for the Mineral Hall and the rotating shows in the old wing, not a rumor from a construction blog.

Hours until then remain Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, with Wednesday extended to 9 pm. The museum also opens 10 am to 5 pm on public holidays and on Mondays in July and August, plus the school winter and autumn breaks. It closes 24, 25, 26, and 31 December, and 1 January. Ticket sales stop 15 minutes before closing.

Buy a ticket at the entrance or online. The museum lists the Copenhagen Card among its ticket partnerships. It does not offer group discounts, and it does not take invoice payment. If you are traveling with children, the published child band is ages 3 to 17. Students need a valid student ID. Do not assume a posted krone price from an old guidebook. Check the museum ticket desk the week you go.

March 6 2027 Opens Eight New Galleries

The new museum is designed as one walk through natural history, not a scatter of leftover rooms. Official copy lists eight exhibitions: the Universe, the Earth, Life, Denmark, the Arctic, Biodiversity, Humankind, and the Ocean Hall. Visitors are promised meteorites they can touch, Danish wildlife at close range, a Greenland and ice-sheet sequence, and a human-evolution gallery that puts people back inside the story of the planet.

The Ocean Hall is the showpiece number. The museum says it measures 16 metres wide, 23 metres high, and 50 metres long. The dome uses 2,000 steel frames and 1,600 triangular glass panels, with a claim that only two panes in the entire structure are identical. Exhibition walls rise as high as 10 metres. Ceilings use 180,000 wooden slats to control sound in the large rooms.

The welcome hall is a former engine house that was taken apart and rebuilt with original facade bricks and steel lattice. The VILLUM Hall, described as the grand hall, was restored toward its original appearance after colour studies. Foundation work went 15 metres down and 400 metres around. Those figures come from the museum’s own construction notes, not from a rendering caption.

The Botanical Garden and Palm House Stay on the Map

The campus is larger than the closing wing. Natural History Museum Denmark sits inside the University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden, a short walk from Nørreport Station. The garden itself has free admission. Summer hours run 8:30 am to 6 pm from 1 March to 24 October. Winter hours run 8:30 am to 4 pm from 25 October to 28 February.

The Palm House and Butterfly House remain ticketed, with a recommended online time slot. Summer Palm House hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, plus Mondays in July and August. Winter hours drop to 10 am to 3:30 pm, with Monday closed. The museum currently warns of limited access in parts of the Palm House because of renovation.

A fall walk through the garden still works after 1 November. You lose the Mineral Hall, not the outdoor collection or the glasshouses. Keep those dates next to a stay plan in our Copenhagen things to do guide.

A 13 Year Project Finally Has a Public Date

Berlingske, citing Politiken, places the political decision in 2009, when the Danish state and the University of Copenhagen agreed to build a new national museum. The original target was 2014. The project slipped for years, and the reported bill is 1.8 billion kroner, paid by the state, several foundations, and the university.

Museum director Nina Rønsted calls the project a natural-history beacon for the future. In the museum’s own words, she argues that many people feel cut off from nature, so the museum’s job is to restore that connection. The architecture is by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects with Claus Pryds Arkitekter, joining historic garden buildings to new underground galleries.

The collections explain the closure. The museum holds about 14 million objects gathered over 400 years, plus thousands of living plant species in the garden. Staff are already moving objects into the eight new rooms, which is why the Oster Voldgade halls go dark in November.

Tickets, Hours, and a Cruise Day Plan

If you arrive by ship, the garden is central. Our Copenhagen cruise port guide covers terminals and transit. From there, Nørreport is the rail and metro hinge. Budget a morning for the current halls before 1 November, or a 2027 morning for the new building after 6 March. Keep the Palm House as a separate timed ticket.

Between 2 November 2026 and 5 March 2027, do not plan an indoor visit in the old halls. Walk the garden, book the Palm House if renovation allows, and save the new museum for a later trip. If your day falls on 6 March 2027 or after, recheck hours on the museum site that week.

One dated stop remains in the current season. The museum has listed a Fossil Festival on 19 September 2026 at Oster Voldgade, with family programs included with a museum ticket. Use it only if you are already in town that Saturday.