That’s right, travel beyond Copenhagen for all things Viking, steep yourself in the history of music and, oh yes — see the original LEGOland. There’s all sorts of historic, quirky and cool things to do when you expand your horizons past Copenhagen. We gave you some suggestions in past blogs, but wait, there’s more, like Aarhus, Roskilde and Billund! GetAway Travel can get you there.

 Aarhus doesn’t disappoint

 Aarhus is an eclectic mix of art, history and modern culture. It is known for its world-class attractions including the AROS Aarhus Art Museum. Internationally acclaimed, the permanent collection spans 65 years of art history and has more than 8,000 pieces. There are five galleries with an entire floor dedicated to installation art.

You can see works by Warhol, Per Kirkeby, Rauschenberg, Jenny Holzer, Olafar Eliasson and Sif Itona Westerberg. The roof is a circular glass rainbow immersive sculpture and you can walk inside, if you dare, and view the city.

Den Gaule By, the Old Town Museum lets you see and experience the history of Danish towns through four different time periods from 1864 to 2014.

The Moesgaard Museum is considered a top-tier museum with its immersive chronological exhibits on Viking and prehistory man. The Grauballe Man is a perfectly preserved body of a male found in a bog along with several other bodies. He likely lived around the 3rd century B.C.

Tiroli Friheden is a unique amusement park in a historic park featuring some great rides including a sky tower, a freefall  tower and ghost trains.

Aarhus Øje is Denmark’s tallest building. Go through the biology exhibition in the basement of this glass marvel and then go up 44 floors in the high-speed elevator for breathtaking views of the city.

The Romanesque style Aarhus Cathedral is dedicated to St. Clemons and the interior has a magnificent altar piece and lovely frescoes.

Marselisborg Palace is surrounded by charming English style gardens including a lovely rose garden and an herb garden, a small lake and impressive sculptures.

Roskilde, a UNESCO World Heritage site

Roskilde, near the Roskilde Fjord, is a UNESCO World Heritage site because it has some of Denmark’s most significant cultural attractions. I mean, it has the Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark’s most important church, the Viking Ship Museum which is the only museum in the world where you can board a Viking ship and Ragnarock, the country’s rock museum.

Journey through 1,000 years of history with your visit to the Roskilde Cathedral. Recognized for its Gothic Medieval architectural style, it has high-vaulted ceilings and iconic spires. Constructed around 1200, it is one of the earliest brick structures of its kind in Northern Europe. It played a key role in the evolution of brick architecture in the region.

The cathedral is the final resting place for the Danish Royal Family and has been since the 16th century. Forty kings and queens are laid to rest in the lavishly decorated chapels in the cathedral. Denmark’s greatest builder king, Christian IV, Queen Margrete I who ruled all of Scandinavia and even Viking Kings Harold Bluetooth, Sweyn Forkbeard and Sweyn Estridsson are buried here.

There is no where else in the world with so many intact royal tombs. The royal mausoleums in the many ornate chapels chronicle 800 years of architectural changes.

Five original Viking ships from the 11th century are displayed at the Viking Ship Museum and you can take a sailing trip on the nearby Roskilde Fjord in a traditional Nordic boat.

The five ships, from the 11th century, were found in a blockade north of Roskilde. The blockade was a barrier built to protect Roskilde, which was Denmark’s capital at the time, from an attack by sea.

The building was constructed like a giant display case. The split level design allows visitors to see all parts of the ships with the Roskilde Fjord as the backdrop. The museum combines archeology, authentic craftsmanship and storytelling to give insights into Viking life, trade, warfare and seafaring history. Outside the museum craftsmen build Viking ships and wooden boats using ancient craftsmanship and the same materials the Vikings used. There’s also an area featuring maritime crafts and exhibits and a family friendly area that has all sorts of activities during the summer.

At Tunet, another area outside the museum, historic specialists demonstrate metalworking, wood carving and rope making. Visitors can board a reconstructed Viking ship which has a cargo of trade goods and weapons.

Ragnarock is Denmark’s rock museum. Hear, see and feel the history of rock ’n roll, pop and modern music. You won’t be able to miss the gold-tone modern building on the edge of Roskilde’s creative district.

Enjoy immersive exhibits including studio simulations and live performances that span the history of 60 years of music. The museum is a short distance from the permanent site of Roskilde Festival, the largest music festival in Northern Europe.

Roskilde Museum is in two heritage listed buildings, a Sugar House that was a former sugar refrainer and Liebes Gård, a merchant’s residence. There are archeological finds, cultural artifacts and an entire floor dedicated to interactive activities and workshops,

Billund and the LEGO legacy

 LEGOs were invented in 1932 by Kirk Christiansen in Billund. They started out as wooden blocks and evolved to the interlocking plastic blocks, that everyone fears stepping on in the middle of the night, in 1949.

Throughout the city you will find LEGO buildings, factories, offices and, a block here and there that make great picture opportunities. LEGO headquarters is actually constructed of giant LEGO blocks stacked on each other. The headquarters and the factory, which has an archive area where every single LEGO set ever designed is stored, are not open to the public. But fear not! You can get a proper LEGO fix at LEGO House and LEGOland.

LEGO House is a huge interactive center with 10 different activity areas for lots of LEGO fun. Create a LEGO face and make it dance on the screen or build a LEGO fish and release it into the ocean. You can sit by the LEGO waterfall or make a LEGO race car and race it on the track.

The LEGO shop has model sets autographed by designers. Shop carefully, there is an autograph area, but designers frequently come in and just randomly sign their creations on the shelf. You can eat at the restaurant where robots help serve your meal.

LEGOland here is the first of the LEGOlands to open. It opened in 1968 and there are whole cities on display built of LEGOs as well as famous building models.

Vikings, rock ’n roll and giant LEGO blocks, now that we’ve piqued your interest in some more Denmark opportunities, give GetAway Travel a call. We can be reached at:

Now that you’ve explored Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital city, perhaps it’s time to broaden your horizons and check out some of the historic, charming, trendy and vibrant areas around the country. There’s historic harbor towns to see, castles that influenced great literature, amazing museums and you can walk where the Vikings trod. There’s adventures to be had and, haven’t you always wanted to go where Legos were invented? Of course you did, and the travel advisors at GetAway Travel will get you there!

Helsingør, Humlebæk and Odense

 Kronberg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is in the heart of charming Helsingør. Constructed in the 16th century, it is famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” A great example of Renaissance architecture, you can explore the grand halls and incredible underground passages where you can find the statue of Danish King Holger Danske.

There are actors throughout the castle acting out scenes from “Hamlet” and explaining their context to the castle.

The Danish Maritime Museum was rated as one of the eight greatest museums by the BBC. It is actually underground since it was constructed in the dry dock area of the harbor. The boat-shaped concrete area was sealed and protected. Exhibits center on the culture around the sea and sailing as well as concerns about protecting the oceans. Continue reading →