Nationalmuseet (National Museum of Denmark)

The National Museum of Denmark stands along the canal in the heart of Copenhagen, a short walk from Tivoli and the central station. It fills the Prince's Palace, a grand 18th-century mansion that Nicolai Eigtved built in the 1740s as a royal residence, before the family moved on to Amalienborg. Today it walks you through 14,000 years of Danish history, from Stone Age tools to Viking gold. Plus the historic building is just begging to be photographed! Its grand rooms still have their ornate plaster ceilings, chandeliers and patterned oak floors. The great hall and the sweeping staircase are breathtaking for architectural photography. You can easily line up the long Gallery corridor for symmetry, or shoot upward to catch the intricate ceiling and chandelier together. In the exhibition halls the light drops low, to protect the displays, so you'll need steady hands and a higher ISO rather than flash, and to experiment with shifting your angle to avoid reflections on the glass cases. Getting to the museum is easy since its about ten minutes on foot from Copenhagen Central Station although there is no parking on site. Admission is charged for adults and free for young visitors. Come on a quiet weekday morning to minimize the crowds and give yourself the space and time to slowly explore everything the museum has to offer. (Copenhagen, Denmark)