Five days of Vikings in Denmark, from Copenhagen
Denmark packs more Viking Age into a small space than any other country. This route runs Copenhagen, Roskilde, Trelleborg, Jelling and Ribe in five days, and if you go in mid-July, day three lands on Denmark's largest Viking festival.
The shape of it
Denmark is small, flat and well connected. Everything on this route is within three hours of Copenhagen, and the first three days work by train. A car helps for Jelling and Ribe.
Day 1: Copenhagen
Morning at the National Museum for the Viking collection and the Sorceress exhibition; book a slot in summer. Afternoon free in the city. If you arrive early enough, the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde is thirty minutes away and open until 17:00, which frees day two.
Day 2: Roskilde
Train to Roskilde, 25 minutes. The Viking Ship Museum for the five Skuldelev ships and the guided tour, then a boat trip on the fjord in a Nordic boat, which runs daily May to September and should be booked. Roskilde Cathedral on the walk back to the station. Stay in Copenhagen or Roskilde.
Day 3: Trelleborg
Train to Slagelse, an hour, then bus or taxi to the ring fortress, or the free festival shuttle in mid-July. Denmark’s best-preserved ring fortress, the reconstructed longhouse and the National Museum exhibition. In festival week, this is the whole day: over a thousand Vikings, a market of sixty stalls and a battle of three hundred fighters. Outside the festival, two hours is enough and you can add Borgring near Køge on the way back.
Day 4: Jelling
Pick up a car in Copenhagen or take the train to Vejle and a local train to Jelling, about two and a half hours. Harald Bluetooth’s runestone, the two mounds and the free Kongernes Jelling centre. Continue to Ribe, ninety minutes west by car, for the night. Denmark’s oldest town is worth an evening.
Day 5: Ribe
Ribe VikingeCenter in the morning, the Ribes Vikinger museum and the cathedral tower after lunch. Billund Airport is an hour away for a flight home, or drive back to Copenhagen in three hours.
When to go
Mid-July for Trelleborg’s festival. Early May for Ribe’s international market, in which case run the route in reverse and start in Ribe. Late July for Moesgaard’s battle near Aarhus, which you can add as a sixth day between Jelling and Ribe.
Costs
Trains and admissions for one adult over five days come to roughly 1,500 to 2,000 DKK excluding food and lodging. Children are free at most museums. A car for the last two days adds a few hundred a day.
Related events
Last updated 2026-09-06. Prices and opening hours change; check the venue before you go. Back to Plan your trip or the festival calendar.