Hotel Review: Roskilde’s Hotel Prindsen

UPDATE: The Hotel Prindsen is now Roskilde be Zleep Hotels and underwent a renovation in 2016.

While Roskilde is visited frequently on daytrips from Copenhagen because of its UNESCO World Heritage Site, Roskilde Cathedral, not many travelers to Denmark stay in Roskilde overnight.  I personally believe travelers who skip overnighting in Roskilde are missing out (see my 5 reasons why you should visit Roskilde).  Because of the shortage of overnight visitors, Roskilde doesn’t have many hotels from which to choose.  But one of Roskilde’s hotels, Hotel Prindsen, makes the lack of choices okay, because Hotel Prindsen is where you will want to stay. 

Hotel Prindsen is one of the oldest hotels in Denmark.  The first Hotel Prindsen was built in 1695 and its current architecture dates back to 1875.  In addition to its age, Hotel Prindsen has one other appealing historic claim to fame.  Hans Christian Andersen stayed at Hotel Prindsen several times.  This information clinched my decision to stay in Roskilde.  Unfortunately, Hans Christian Andersen didn’t have the most flattering things to say about Hotel Prindsen in his diary, but I think HC would have a better experience at the hotel today.

The Hotel Prindsen's bar is a cozy place for a nightcap.

Hotel Prindsen is right in the center of Roskilde along the main shopping street and within easy walking distance of restaurants and Roskilde Cathedral.  The hotel also has parking, as you will likely have a rental car and be using Roskilde as a home-base to explore other parts of north-eastern Zealand.

Hotel Prindsen offers three categories of rooms.  The Hans Christian Andersen Suite is often used as a honeymoon suite.  Nordic deluxe and standard rooms are modern, decorated in stark Nordic style.  Classic deluxe and standard rooms are decorated to emulate the styles popular in 1876 when the “new” Hotel Prindsen opened to the public. 

Our Classic deluxe suite.

We stayed in a Classic deluxe suite.  We walked into a living room banked with a wall of windows looking down on a quiet street lined with bright yellow buildings.  Our living room, furnished with a couch, chairs, desk, flat screen television, and armoire with fully stocked minibar, was a comfortable place to relax, have a Danish beer, and plan our dinners and excursions the next day.  At one end of the room was the entrance to the master bedroom and at the other was a hallway leading to another small bedroom, just large enough to fit a full-size bed.  We used the extra room as a dressing room, a feature I loved because it kept our suite clutter-free.  But this would also be a big plus for parents traveling with children.  I must also mention the bathroom.  Danish hotel showers are small with their floors usually level with the rest of the bathroom, making it practically impossible to keep the bathroom floor from being covered with water.  Hotel Prindsen won the prize for best shower of all our hotels in Denmark.  It wasn’t the largest, but it had a glass enclosure, rather than just a curtain, so the water was completely contained.  Plus it was one of those showers with multiple showerheads.

The sunny view from our suite.  We did not visit the Rib House.

Breakfast in Hotel Prindsen’s dining room is included.  The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner and has a full bar.  We had a drink at the bar one evening and were pleased to find they not only serve the standard Carlsberg, but also serve beer and snaps from Roskilde’s local brewery, Herslev Bryghus.  Hotel Prindsen also has a ballroom, restored to its original state, which is used for meetings, conferences, and concerts.  During our stay a country band was playing, so be on the lookout for special events occurring during your stay.

Hotel Prindsen's restaurant.

I only have good things to say about Denmark, and we enjoyed every minute of our travels through that country.  But north-eastern Zealand, especially Roskilde, holds a special place in my heart.  Maybe it’s because it felt like we had discovered something exceptional, missed by many travelers.  But I hope visitors to Denmark will explore the country beyond Copenhagen, at least as far as Roskilde.  And if they do, they should take the opportunity to stay at the historic Hotel Prindsen, the hotel where Hans Christian Andersen once slept in the city where past kings and queens sleep.

Thank you to Hotel Prindsen for hosting our stay and making this post possible.  As always, all opinions are my own.