Danmarks Jernbanemuseum – Danish Railway Museum (Odense)

The Danish Railway Museum (Danmarks Jernbanemuseum) in Odense sits right next to Odense railway station, in a former locomotive workshop converted in the 1970s into Denmark’s National Railway Museum. If you’re searching for the best railway museums in Denmark, this is the obvious first stop.

The Main Hall showcases a well-curated collection of locomotives and carriages from early steam to more recent eras, plus quirky highlights like a road-rail car, a 19th-century double-deck coach, and a giant snow plow. The real showstoppers are the royal trains: several generations of coaches built for Denmark’s kings and queens. You’re encouraged to step inside a number of vehicles — including a beautifully renovated 19th-century saloon car you could once rent if you preferred not to sit with the public.

Outdoors you’ll find additional trains and coaches — including a curious mini-collection of “beer trains.” Compared to the polished indoor exhibition, the outdoor area feels more random and a bit messy, but it does add variety and scale. There’s also a compact gallery on the history of Danish railways: some good artifacts and stories, though it can feel a bit hobbyist and slightly outdated in tone.

Throughout the museum you’ll spot posed mannequins; they’re undeniably a bit eerie, yet cleverly used to demonstrate how rail operations worked. Most signs are translated into English, though some read like they’ve been machine-translated, and you’ll occasionally encounter preachy fictional quotes about sustainability. Seeing the museum is sponsored by a big oil firm makes it hypocritical.

Verdict: it’s not a jaw-dropping, ultra-modern railway museum, and parts of the collection feel scrambled togheter by well meaning hobbyists rather than a skilled conservator, but it’s solidly executed with unique highlights (especially the royal cars) that make it absolutely worth a visit for railfans and families.