Categories Independent Tours Self Drive Tours All-Year Tours Scandinavia

The word Viking means a pirate, and the noun Viking means a pirate raid. It's a Scandinavian word describing the seafaring raiders from Scandinavia, but has come to mean all Scandinavians in the viking age between 800 and 1050 AD.

Denmark is filled with Viking history and what better way to learn more about this culture than to drive around and visit the many museums and historic places in Denmark !

Itinerary

Arrival Kastrup Copenhagen Airport and pick up rental car. Drive to hotel. Day free for leisure. The capital is full of attractions, most of them located within walking distance in the city centre. We recommend a visit to the Tivoli Gardens, the Amalienborg Palace, the Christiansborg Palace (Danish Parliament), the Gefion Fountain, the old harbour ‘Nyhavn’, the Little Mermaid, the Round Tower, the museum of Carlsberg or one of the many other museums of art, culture, history and design. Also remember time to just enjoy the pedestrian shopping streets of Strøget and surroundings. Accommodation in a 3+ star hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. The Viking Tour will take you westward from Copenhagen, through farming countryside and small villages, some of which were founded by Vikings more than a thousand years ago. Upon arrival in Roskilde – until 1417 the capital of Denmark – you will visit the Viking Ship Museum (entrance incl.). The museum contains the remains of 5 Viking vessels which have been salvaged from the bed of Roskilde Fjord, where they were sunk more than a thousand years ago to prevent aggressive intruders gaining access to the town from the sea. After visiting the museum, we recommend a visit to the cathedral in the city centre. Construction of the cathedral was commenced during the 12th century and additions have been made through the years, in different architectural styles. The cathedral is the traditional burial place of Danish monarchs and contains more than 40 royal tombstones. You may also drive a little outside Roskilde to visit “Lejre” the open air historical experimental centre. Here houses from the Iron Age and from the Viking period are capital and next to the Museum Centre important findings have been made.

Dinner & Accommodation at Comwell Roskilde or similar

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Sjællands Odde for ferry crossing to Aarhus. From Aarhus drive to Randers where you may visit the Museum of Cultural History. The museum was founded in 1872, making it one of the oldest and biggest local museums in Denmark. The exhibitions tell the story of life in the area from the first inhabitants around 100,000 years ago up to present day. You may also choose to drive to Hobro to visit the Viking Fortress Fyrkat. The fortress was originally built in 980 by the Danish King Harald Blåtand (Bluetooth) – the houses are today marked with white stones and one has been reconstructed outside the banks. The fortress is combined with a museum where you can see all the findings from the area. Proceed to Aalborg for your overnight stay.

Accommodation at 3 star+ class hotel in Aalborg,

After breakfast at the hotel, visit to Lindholm Høje just north of Aalborg. Lindholm høje is a very important finding of settings of ships – in stone – as tombstone constructions surrounding the tombs of the warriors and their families. Take a walk at this impressive and very large place which also displays findings of a large village. Go to the Aalborg Historical Museum, showing the findings from Lindholm Høje. Drive southwest to Skive and to Hjerl Hede open air museum. “The old village” contains approx. 40 reconstructions of houses, among them the oldest farm known in Denmark. Continue to Viborg, one of the oldest cities of Denmark. Stop to visit the Cathedral – dating back to the 12th century. In the late afternoon arrive to Aarhus for check in. Accommodation at 3 star+ class hotel in Aarhus

Breakfast at the hotel. Today full day excursion starting in Jelling, where King Gorm the Old set a runic stone to honor his wife, Queen Thyra, and later their son, King Harald Blåtand (Blue Tooth) set a large runic stone for his father King Gorm the Old. The stone tells that Harald christened the Danes and is therefore often referred to as the certificate of baptism of Denmark. Continue via Billund to Givskud, where you will drive via the ancient “Hærvejen” (Caddle Drow), which goes from Viborg in north to the Elbe River in Schleswig in south. The most beautiful part of the road goes from Givskud to Nørre Snede, where you will see both runic stones and stonewall bridges from the Viking Period along the road. The “Hærvejen” was the most important road for the inhabitants of Jutland to bring their merchandises and handicrafts to the large market in Hedeby. Drive up to Silkeborg to visit the “Himmelbjerget”, from where you have a beautiful view over the lakes. In Silkeborg also visit the Silkeborg Museum, which not only has a fine collection of findings from the Viking Period, but also the oldest corpse found in Denmark, the Tollund Man, who is about 2000 years old. You will be impressed by the extremely well preserved body, found in a marsh near Silkeborg. Return to Aarhus in the late afternoon.

Accommodation at 3 star+ class hotel in Aarhus

Breakfast at the hotel. Spend some time in Aarhus to Visit the Viking Museum. The Museum is situated in the city below the busy streets, where remaining from a Viking period were found when enlarging the cellars of the shops. Consequently the city bought the cellar and erected here the Aarhus Viking Museum. Drive to Moesgaard Museum – approx. 10 minutes drive south of Aarhus. The past is brought to fascinating life at the Moesgaard Museum and it has two Michelin stars in the Michelin attraction's guide. Prehistory presented innovatively in a breathtaking architectural setting makes for a world-class museum experience when you visit the Moesgaard Museum. The past becomes alive and the people in the exhibits will step forward and provide the visitors with a better understanding of the past and how we arrived at where we are in the present. After your visit to Moesgaard, drive to Kolding where you may visit the Koldinghus Castle, dating back to the 13th century, and now rebuilt after a large fire in 1808. Continue to Ribe. Visit to the cathedral, built in the 12th century over a wooden church building from 862. Ribe is one of the most important of our historic cities, described in letters already in 850 and from 948 an Episcopal residence. Cross the bridge towards Funen and short drive to the hotel.

Dinner & Accommodation at Comwell Kongebrogaarden or similar

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Odense, Denmark’s third largest city. Under Odense centre was found remaining of a ring castle matching the Viking Fortress Fyrkat in Hobro, Aggersborg in Aalborg and Trelleborg in Slagelse. Not much has been preserved of the Nonnebakken in Odense since the Viking age and it has been difficult to determine the buildings, but today it is clear that it was build in the same period and in the same style as the others. Relax from ancient history by visiting the museum house of our famous story teller Hans Christian Andersen and take a stroll down the old city. Proceed driving to Ladby near Kerteminde. 1000 years ago an important man was buried here with his best weapons, jewels, horses and dogs onboard a ship, all in a mound. The ship has been preserved and a museum house built around it. Continue over one of the world’s largest suspension bridges constructed off-shore and arrive back on Zealand. Drive to Slagelse, to the Viking Fortress Trelleborg (approx. 1000-1050), which today is very well marked on the field. In the late afternoon you will arrive in Copenhagen for check in at your hotel. Accommodation at 3 star+ class hotel in Copenhagen, centrally located

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to the airport and drop off rental car.

Notes