Karen Blixen Museum

Karen Blixen was born at Rungstedlund in 1885, went to Kenya to run a coffee farm, came back after it failed in 1931 and lived and wrote here for the rest of her life, publishing Out of Africa, Seven Gothic Tales and Babette's Feast. The house is kept as she left it in 1962, with her study, the Ewald room where she wrote, her books, furniture and objects brought back from Africa, and it is small and personal rather than grand. The grounds run down toward the sound and are managed as a bird sanctuary, which she arranged herself, with paths through woodland and open ground. Her grave is under a beech tree at the foot of the garden, marked simply. An exhibition wing covers her life and work.

The main sights

• The house kept as she left it - study, books and African objects in place.
• Her grave under the beech - a plain stone at the foot of the garden.
• The bird sanctuary grounds - woodland and open ground she set aside.
• The exhibition wing - her life in Africa and Denmark.

When to go

April to October for the garden and the sanctuary; the house is open year round but with shorter winter hours. Two to three hours. Closed Mondays outside summer. Spring for birdsong in the grounds.

Before you go

The house is small and a group fills the rooms. Opening hours are reduced sharply in winter. Some rooms are viewed from the doorway rather than entered. The exhibition assumes some familiarity with her writing. The cafe is small.

Nearby

The Louisiana Museum is a short drive north; Rungsted harbour is nearby.

Key facts