Church of Our Saviour: Copenhagen's Spiral Spire Worth the Climb

What Makes This Church Worth Your Time

The Church of Our Saviour, known in Danish as Vor Frelsers Kirke, earns its place on Copenhagen's skyline through sheer architectural audacity. The helical spire that corkscrews counter-clockwise around the tower four times before terminating in a gilded globe is not a digital rendering or a modern flourish — it was completed in 1752 and has been turning heads ever since. At roughly 90 metres tall overall, the black-and-gold tower is visible from considerable distances across the low-lying city, and the view from its open external staircase looks back over Christianshavn's canals, the copper rooftops of the old city, and on clear days, the Swedish coast.

The church itself was consecrated on 19 April 1696 after 14 years of construction, built during the 1680s under the patronage of Christian V. What stands today is a Dutch Baroque building in red brick, a style that reflects the strong Dutch influence on Christianshavn's urban design — the entire district was, after all, modelled on Amsterdam's canal grid. The tower and its external spiral staircase were added decades later, in 1752, and represent a separate architectural statement entirely: theatrical, almost defiant, and completely unlike anything else in Denmark.

Inside the Church: The Free Half That Most Visitors Rush Past

The interior of Vor Frelsers Kirke is open free of charge, typically from 11:00 to 15:30 daily, though it closes for sightseeing during services and special events. Most visitors sprint through on their way to the tower, which is a missed opportunity. The interior is a study in restrained Baroque drama: high white vaulting, clear windows that flood the nave with northern light, and a monumental pipe organ supported by two elephants — a reference to the Danish Order of the Elephant, the kingdom's highest order of chivalry. The church serves an active congregation, and you may catch the faint smell of candle wax near the altarpiece on busier mornings.

The ground floor is fully accessible and worth at least 15 minutes of genuine attention. Look up at the organ loft before heading to the tower queue — the craftsmanship is extraordinary. For more of Copenhagen's ecclesiastical architecture, the nearby Frederiks Church (the Marble Church) offers a contrasting experience in a very different scale and style.

The Tower Climb: What 400 Steps Actually Feels Like

The climb to the top of the Church of Our Saviour spire is not casual sightseeing. The ascent of about 400 steps begins inside the tower in a conventional spiral staircase that is dark, tight, and steep. As you rise, the staircase narrows and the wooden steps begin to creak in a way that reminds you this structure is nearly three centuries old. Around two-thirds of the way up, you exit through a small door onto the external staircase that winds up the outside of the spire itself.

This is where the experience becomes genuinely memorable — and where it becomes difficult for some visitors. The external steps are narrow, exposed, and wind upward at an increasingly steep angle as the spire tapers toward the top. There is a railing, but the staircase is open to the air on both sides. On calm, clear days, the exposure feels thrilling. In wind, it feels formidable. The steps also narrow toward the very top, and the final section to the golden globe requires a degree of nerve that not everyone will have. Visitors with a fear of heights should consider seriously whether the external section is for them — the internal viewing area offers a reasonable partial view for those who prefer to stop there.

The descent uses the same staircase in reverse, which can create bottlenecks when traffic is heavy in both directions. Mid-morning on weekdays tends to see the lightest foot traffic. Weekends in July and August can create noticeable queues at the tower entrance, particularly between 11:00 and 14:00.

The View from the Top: What You Actually See

From the upper section of the external staircase and the platform near the globe, the panorama over Copenhagen is genuinely outstanding. To the north and west, the old city fans out across the water: Christiansborg Palace, the copper spires of the Cathedral, the roofline of the Royal Danish Theatre, and the green belt of the King's Garden are all identifiable with no specialist knowledge required. The Øresund strait is visible to the east, with the Swedish coastline apparent on clear days. Directly below, the canals of Christianshavn trace their neat grid, and you can pick out the green copper roof of the Copenhagen Opera House on Holmen.

For photography, midday light in summer can be harsh and flatten the cityscape. The most rewarding conditions are early morning (when the tower opens at 09:00 and crowds are thin) or late afternoon, when the low-angle light catches the canal water and the copper rooftops take on a warmer tone. The Christianshavn neighbourhood directly below is particularly photogenic from above, the canal geometry making immediately clear why it was modelled on Amsterdam.

Getting There and Timing Your Visit

Christianshavn Metro Station on the M1 and M2 lines is the most direct approach, approximately three minutes on foot from the church entrance. From the station, follow Torvegade east and turn right onto Skt. Annæ Gade — the spire will already be visible above the roofline. Cycling is also practical: Christianshavn has good cycling infrastructure, and the church is an easy ride from most of central Copenhagen.

The tower is open daily from 09:00 to 20:00 (1 February to 23 December 2026). Arriving at or shortly after 09:00 on a weekday gives you the best combination of light, minimal crowds, and the particular quiet of early-morning Christianshavn before the canal-side cafés fill up. If you hold a Copenhagen Card, tower entry is included free of charge with pre-booking — select the Copenhagen Card option when reserving. Standard adult tickets are 70 DKK; children under 15 pay 20 DKK.

The church interior is typically open 11:00 to 15:30, but closes during services. If you arrive before 11:00 to beat the tower crowds, the interior may not yet be accessible — check the official site before planning a combined visit.

Christianshavn as Context: The District Makes the Visit

Vor Frelsers Kirke does not stand in isolation. Christianshavn is one of Copenhagen's most walkable and architecturally coherent districts, and the church visit pairs naturally with an exploration of the surrounding canals and streets. A 10-minute walk south brings you to Freetown Christiania, the self-governing community that occupies the old military barracks and represents a completely different chapter of Copenhagen's social history. In the other direction, the waterfront walk north toward Knippelsbro offers views back toward the spire from below.

The neighbourhood also puts the church's Dutch Baroque architecture in sharp visual context. The canal grid, the brick warehouses converted to apartments, the drawbridges over narrow waterways — all of it reflects the 17th-century Dutch town-planning that shaped Christianshavn's original layout. This makes it one of the more architecturally coherent areas in Copenhagen for anyone interested in urban form. For a wider look at Copenhagen's design and architectural heritage, the Copenhagen design and architecture guide covers the broader context.