For the first 5 years of staying in Denmark, every year I was spending my summer holidays somewhere else than in Denmark, and every single year I missed those couple days of sunshine you can get in this beautiful but very rainy country. Since I have realized that, I changed my approach; I would travel around the world during danish cold and dark days while utilizing long, sunny (and usually wet) summer days in Denmark.
In 2016 I have decided to discover different popular places in Jutland during the summer trip for the first time. Why I didn’t do it during the first 5 years I was here? “Because what can be interesting in this tiny, flat Scandinavian country, huh ?” thinking 😉 All my Danish friends thought I was crazy to spend my holidays driving through Jutland, instead of flying to Thailand 😉 But they were so wrong! I would have never ever thought I would be able to experience so many spectacular and interesting places in Denmark!
Some of the places that you can visit and see in Jutland:
- The largest moving dune in Northern Europe
- The world’s largest limestone mine
- The widest beach in Europe
- A place where two seas meet
- An island that is cut off the land twice a day
- The largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mudflats in the world
- The highest mountain in Denmark
and much more!!
The plan
I didn’t have a clear plan before going (i never really have one:D ), I just googled the most popular places in Jutland, put them on the map, and planned along the way. I wanted to see as much as possible without rushing and getting wet from the rain too much in the 5 days that I had. On a map, you can see how my trip came out.
I was traveling in a car and booking hotels as I drove around. All hotels were around 700kr per night for 3 people, so it wasn’t that bad, taking into account I was booking a place 2 hours ahead of arrival 😉
Below I am giving you a short teaser about the places I have visited and if you want to know more about each of the places, check out the detailed entries. (Links under each teaser)
Esbjerg
Esbjerg itself is quite young that grew to become Denmark’s largest fishing port! In addition, it is a base for oil and gas in the North Sea, as well as the world’s largest wind turbine port. It is well known for the 9m tall statues – Men meets the sea, that are facing the waterfront of Wadden Sea. In the area, you can experience seal and oyster safaris, harbor boat rides, troll hunting on the idyllic Fanø island, and strolling alongside the shores of the Wadden Sea.
For more details, check out the post: Esbjerg
Ribe
Ribe is not only Denmark’s but also Scandinavian’s oldest town, established in the early eighth century. It functioned as an important trading center in medieval times as it lied halfway between Scandinavia and Hanseatic League. This charming quaint city is home to about 110 well-preserved half-timbered houses from medieval times that are now under Heritage Protection. Take a walk with Night Watchman while he patrols the city, stroll through meandering alleys of the old town, visit the oldest church in Denmark – Ribe Cathedral and climb the stairs of the Cathedral’s tower to see breathtaking views of the surrounding! Don’t forget to visit the Viking village!
For more details, check out the post: Ribe
Mandø
Mandø is a tidal island that is cut off from the outside world twice a day – at high tide. It’s about the 1.75 meters difference between high tide and low tide. The tides are determined by the moon and the wind, meaning that the timing of when the tide is coming, changes on a day-to-day basis. Go for a tractor trip to a sandbank called Koresand, where seals usually choose as a place for rest. Take a walk into the Wadden Sea during low tide and look for crabs, mussels, and other sea life.
For more details, check out the post: Mandø
Rømø
Rømø is an interesting island in the Wadden Sea area where you can find the widest beach in Europe. It is 10 km long and up to 2 km wide, with the narrowest point still being around 700 m. Most of the sand on the beach lies above the tide mark, and with it being hard and pretty solid, it is possible to drive the car almost all the way to the sea! Rømø is also known for Northern Europe’s largest international kite festival, where thousands of kites in all sizes and colors rise into the air each year at the beginning of September. And if this is not enough reason to visit how about trying activities like Blokarts, Kitewings, Traction kites, Kite Buggies, or Kiteboards, visiting bunkers from the Second World War, or seal and oyster safari?
For more details, check out the post: Rømø
Himmelbjerget
Himmelbjerget or Sky Mountain in English is contrary to what the name might suggest just a hill 🙂 For a long time, it was believed that Himmelbjerget was the highest point in Denmark (147m), but there is another one -Møllehøj (170m) that is a little bit higher. Interestingly, in Old Norse Mythology, Himmelbjerget is the place beside the rainbow, Bifrost, where Heimdal, the guardian of the Gods lived. Bifrost connected Asgård of the Gods to Midtgård of the people.
This famous danish “mountain” offers a fantastic view of Søhøjlandet well worth spending the afternoon at. You can either park almost at the top or take one of the oldest wheel steamers in the world, from Ry and Silkeborg.
For more details, check out the post: Himmelbjerget
There are amazing places.