Roadtrip in Denmark – visiting top sights in Jutland

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

Mønsted Kalkgruber

Mønsted Kalkgruber (Limestone Mine) is the largest limestone mine in the world. There is around 60km of tunnels, out of which 2 km are illuminated. It is also known for being the largest hibernation place for bats in Europe. On top of that Riberhus grubeoste produced by Arla is maturing inside the caves as the temperature in there is perfect – constant 8°C.

For more details, check out the post: Mønsted Kalkgruber 

Spøttrup Middelalderborg

Spøttrup Middelalderborg is Denmark’s best-preserved medieval castle. It was built in the 1520s and it was quite remarkable for its time as it had thick walls and two moats with a 9m tall protective rampart for the defense. It was built by the bishops of Viborg as a “guard” against Protestantism.

Every year in week 30 you can experience Bispens Market, with different exciting shows, medieval food, and weapons. There are also different concerts and other cultural events happening throughout the summer months.

For more details, check out the post: Spøttrup Middelalderborg

Højriis Slot

Højriis Slot is a manor house dating back to the 14th century. Knight Johan Skarpenberg, who was the first known owner, was one of Queen Margrethe I’s most important advisers. 

Out of all manors and castles that I was at, this one was the most interesting one so far due to the interactive murder mystery game you could try solving on its premises!

For more details, check out the post: Højriis Slot

Fur

Fur is a small island in Limfjord sometimes also called Denmark’s most wonderful island. Because of its awe-inspiring nature Fur is candidating for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Fur is renowned for its deposits of diatomite layered with volcanic ash, known in Danish as moler (mo-clay) which is used for cat litter, as well as many fossils you can stumble upon everywhere.

For more details, check out the post: Fur

 

Hanstholm

Hanstholm is a fishing town that is nowadays Denmark’s largest consumer fishing port. However, what piqued my interest was not the fishing port but extensive fortifications from the Second World War. The First Battery of Hanstholm is an open-air museum that is one of the best-preserved German coastal batteries in Denmark. The bunkers were built by Germans during Second World War to protect them in Jutland against an Allied invasion. Together with a corresponding battery on the Norwegian side of Skagerrak, the battery was intended to cut off the approx. the 120-km-wide channel between Denmark and Norway.

For more details, check out the post: Hanstholm

Bulbjerg

Bulbjerg is Jutland’s only rock and thanks to that it is called also “The Shoulder of Jutland“. It is an amazing-looking 47 m high limestone cliff that is the only bird cliff on the Danish mainland.

For more details, check out the post: Bulbjerg

 

Rubjerg Knude Fyr

Rubjerg Knude Fyr stands on top of a sand dune on the edge of the North Sea. Initially, in 1900, the lighthouse was built 200 meters inland, but eventually got consumed by sand. In October 2019, a huge project was carried out where the lighthouse was moved 70 meters inland to protect it from crashing into the sea. This operation should secure its future for another 40 years.

For more details, check out the post: Rubjerg Knude Fyr

Råbjerg Mile

Råbjerg Mile is the largest moving dune in Northern Europe! It is a mini-desert of almost one square kilometer, which holds four million cubic meters of sand. It moves about 15 meters in a northeasterly direction each year, and the movement of the dune has not been stopped to allow people to experience the astonishing and scary power of nature.

For more details, check out the post: Råbjerg Mile

Den Tilsandede Kirke

Den Tilsandede Kirke is also known as The Buried Church. It was built in the 14th century but became a popular landmark because it became a symbol of the lost fight against fierce nature.

During the 18th century, the church slowly became devoured by sand. The villagers tried to fight with nature for many years but it was a futile struggle and they had to give up. After that, the church got demolished leaving only the tower standing. The tower then became both the symbol of the power of nature and a navigational landmark for the ships. The whole village sounding the church also got buried underneath the sand and disappeared.

For more details, check out the post: Den Tilsandede Kirke

Grenen

Grenen is hailed by many as Denmark’s northernmost point, which marks the junction between two seas, Skagerrak (North Sea) and the Kattegat (Baltic Sea). The turbulent colliding seas have created a 4-km long curved sandbar growing by 10 meters each year. Because of Grenen unique location, you can observe how ferocious waves of both seas are crashing against each other mixing different colors of the water.

For more details, check out the post: Grenen

Lindholm Høje

Lindholm Høje is an old Viking burial site with ~700 graves and ~150 shipwrecks that are located close to Aalborg. The southern (lower) part of Lindholm Høje dates to 1000 – 1050 AD, the Viking Age, while the northern (higher) part is significantly earlier, dating back to the 5th century AD in the Nordic Iron Age.

In the late Viking Age, the entire area was plagued and eventually covered by sand drift, which caused people to abandon the village. However, it was also the sand covering the graves that helped preserve the remains.

For more details, check out the post: Lindholm Høje