Scandinavian Tour: The Vikings of Denmark, Germany, Norway & Sweden

Depart on a flight bound for Copenhagen, Denmark.

Arrive Copenhagen. After a short stop for a light lunch, spend the afternoon in the Royal Castle of Kronborg, where a private tour has been arranged to explore the secret areas of the palace. Immortalized by Shakespeare as Hamlet’s Elsinore Castle, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Both a graceful Renaissance palace and a vast fortress, it was strategically located to ensure Denmark controlled the passage of ships at the gateway to the Baltic Sea. Almost two million ships passed through this waterway between the 16th and 18th centuries, and all paid a toll, making Kronborg Castle a compelling sign of Denmark’s influence. Overnight in the charming Hotel Axel Guldsmeden in Copenhagen for one night. (L)

 Join the group tour. (B)

Arrive Copenhagen. After a short stop for a light lunch, enjoy a 20-minute walk through the city to the National Museum for an overview of the sites we will visit. Gather this evening for our gala welcome dinner. Overnight in the charming Hotel Axel Guldsmeden in Copenhagen for one night. (L/D)

Drive to Roskilde Viking Museum, Denmark’s national museum for ships, seafaring, and boatbuilding from the prehistoric and medieval periods. The museum was constructed to house the five Viking ships found in Roskilde Fjord in 1962. These ships were deliberately sunk in 1070 to block the waterway and to protect the great royal and ecclesiastical city of Roskilde from an enemy attack from the sea. In the late 1990s, excavations uncovered nine more ships from the Viking Age and early medieval period, including the longest Viking warship ever found. We will meet with a museum curator for a private tour of the museum, including the shipyard where replicas of these 1,000-year-old ships are built using traditional methods. Our final visit will be to the Lejre Museum, located in what was once the most important Viking area of Denmark. Continue to Middelfart and the Hotel Comwell Kongebrogaarden, located overlooking the Little Belt, a strait between the island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. In 2018, our home for two nights was named Denmark’s Best Luxury Hotel by the Danish Travel Awards. (B/L/D)

Our all-day trip takes us into Germany and to the newly renovated Wikinger Haithabu Viking Museum. Located near Hedeby, formerly a medieval Viking trading center and port, the museum presents an engaging collection of artifacts discovered during more than 100 years of excavations in the area. Jewelry crafted from gold, silver, and bronze, richly decorated weapons, household items, and clothing, coins from as far away as today’s Middle East, and a ship that was unearthed from Hedeby’s harbor are all on view. Originally encircled by a still visible rampart, the Viking town has been partly reconstructed based on archaeological research, and we will step back in time as we stroll through the thatched-roofed buildings on a private tour with an archaeologist who works here. Then, we will continue to Danevirke, a massive fortification system that protected Hedeby. Both Hedeby and Danevirke are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Return to Middlefart in the late afternoon with dinner on our own. (B/L)

Today is filled with several fascinating sites. Recently discovered in Ravning Enge, are the remains of a half-mile-long bridge that was built across the Vejle River Valley by Harald Bluetooth in 979 AD. A remarkable engineering achievement, the span of 760 meters would have facilitated the king’s access to the royal center of Jelling and would also have made a statement about his power and wealth. In the Viking Age, the water levels were higher here, and the structure was used both as a bridge and a jetty for ships. The Jelling Stones, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprised a royal monument in the 10th century during the reigns of Gorm and his son Harald Bluetooth, the ruler who introduced Christianity into Denmark. To proclaim his achievements, the king erected the larger of the two enormous runic stones. The largest and most splendid in Scandinavia, it still stands overlooking the fields below. Our final stop is at Fyrkat, a huge circular fortified settlement from the 10th century. Overnight for one night in the Herman Bang Hotel in the port city of Frederikshavn. (B/L/D)

Our scenic 3½-hour ferry ride takes us from Denmark across the Kattegat Sea to Gothenburg, Sweden, and on to Hedared to see Sweden’s only surviving medieval stave church. Once common in northwestern Europe, these distinctive wooden churches were constructed of upright vertical posts of split timber rammed into the earth. This one, according to dendrochronology studies, was one of the last erected – in the early 1500s. A caretaker will unlock the door so that we can enter the interior of this tiny sanctuary, covered with beautiful sculptures dedicated to Saint Francis and the Virgin, as well as biblical images painted directly upon the wood. There is an old altar in the church dating from the 13th century that suggests there was once an earlier church here. Overnight for one night in the delightful Hotel Tanumshede Gestgifveri, set in a 17th-century manor house in Tanum. (B/L/D)

Accompanied by an archaeological specialist, spend this morning on a private tour of Tanum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This region of granite bedrock was worn smooth as the Scandinavian Ice Sheet slowly moved northward, and the polished stone left a perfect canvas for early artists. Stretching for more than ten miles, over 40,000 rock carvings on almost 600 panels reveal the social life and religious beliefs of the people who lived here more than three thousand years ago. The rich and varied motifs of people, animals, weapons, boats, and other symbols give a unique testimony to the Bronze Age world. Drive to Oslo and overnight for two nights in the boutique 4-star Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz. Dinner is on our own. (B/L)

Today is an Oslo day. Enter the outstanding Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum), where 160 historic buildings stand in the open air. One of the most important attractions is the 13th-century Gol Stave Church, a medieval sanctuary constructed of upright planks or staves. During the Middle Ages, when immense cathedrals were created in stone in other countries in Europe, the people of Scandinavia built their churches out of wood. They frequently featured both Christian designs and pre-Christian Viking motifs, such as intertwined dragon themes. Indoor exhibits feature Norwegian traditional costumes and folk art, along with displays of the Sami culture. We will also visit the Viking Ship Museum, housing the world’s two best-preserved 9th-century wooden Viking ships. The museum is most famous for the intact Oseberg ship, excavated in 1904. Found in the grave were the remains of two women interred with 13 horses, two oxen, three dogs, four elaborately decorated sleighs, and a splendidly carved four-wheel wooden cart. (B/L/D) 

(Note: The Viking Ship Museum is currently closed for renovations with a projected reopening date of September 2027; Alternative museum visits will be organized until its reopening). (B/L/D)

Fly from Oslo to Stockholm. After lunch, walk to the Vasa Ship Museum, which houses the remains of the warship Vasa. Built in the early 17th century on the orders of King Gustav II, this magnificent vessel, with two decks of 64 bronze cannons, was meant to be the dominant war machine for the Swedish forces. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king’s ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion, the vessel was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However, the ship’s structure was flawed, and the Vasa sank within one nautical mile of the start of her maiden voyage in 1628. Hundreds of exquisite carved wooden figures of Roman emperors, Greek gods, mermaids, angels, and devils decorated the ship. Raised in 1961, a museum was built in 1990 to display the ship. The rest of the afternoon and evening are on our own. Overnight for two nights in the Radisson Collection Strand Hotel, in the heart of Stockholm with stunning views over the Nybroviken waterfront. Originally opened for the 1912 Olympic Games, the building is a compelling mix of modern and historic décor. (B/L)

We travel by ferry to the Viking City of Birka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren. Birka was the Baltic link in the river and portage route from today’s Russia to the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate in today’s Iraq and was the center of one of the most important and elaborate trading networks of Viking-Age Europe. Archaeological excavations, begun in the late 19th century and continued into the 20th century, have exposed the significance of the town. A hill fort, ramparts, jetties and harbors, and the site of the Viking Age settlement are still visible, and a museum on site displays artifacts found here. Dinner is free this evening. (B/L)

An early-morning flight takes us to Visby, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on Gotland Island. Archaeological excavations have exposed an important commercial town from the Viking era, which was a key location for Baltic trade between Western Europe and Russia during the Middle Ages. Visby is gorgeous! Constructed in the 13th century, forty-four formidable turrets are strategically placed in the ramparts encircling the town, making Visby the best-preserved and most impregnable commercial city in northern Europe. Inside the walls, the serpentine cobblestone lanes, rose-covered cottages, and profusion of old churches make this one of the most enchanting towns in Sweden. Our afternoon walking tour includes Visby Cathedral and Gotland’s Fornsalen Museum, lodged within an 18th-century distillery, where items on display reveal Visby’s history. Among the most striking sections is the collection of richly carved runic picture stones dating from the 5th to 11th centuries. Overnight for two nights in the 4-star Strand Hotel, located within the city walls of Visby. (B/L/D)

We venture outside Visby and drive through the island’s countryside to explore several captivating sites. During the 11th century, Gotland began to move from the Old Norse beliefs and adopt Christianity, and there are many fascinating places of worship on the island. Stenkyrka has picture stones taken from nearby Little Bjärs Grave Field embedded in the church walls. The 14th-century church of Martebo is well known for its beautifully carved portals. Gammelgarns Kyrka still displays its 12th-century fortified tower. The Bunge Museum displays three farmsteads from three different centuries, along with several reconstructed graves. Dinner is on our own this evening. (B/L)

We will spend this morning exploring a wealth of historic sites outside Visby. There are more than 500 stone labyrinths and mazes across Scandinavia, some of them reputed to date back to the Bronze Age. They were generally found on islands or by the sea, and possibly served ritual purposes. Trojaborg Labyrinth, Gotland’s most famous, is on the outskirts of Visby. In Hablingbo Church, a large fresco of a labyrinth was painted on the internal west wall of the church tower. Intriguingly, there is also a lesser (and faded) graffito of another labyrinth on an adjoining wall. At the medieval Lutheran church in Fröjel, frescoes in the chancel date from the 14th century, and there is a pre-Christian maze just outside the building. The name Fröjel was derived from the goddess Freya, suggesting that the labyrinth was associated with fertility rites. Gnisvard Ship Grave is a ‘stone ship,’ an oval-shaped stone circle that symbolizes a boat that was to carry the deceased to the realm of the dead. The afternoon is free for explorations on our own. Fly back to Stockholm in the early evening. Overnight for two nights in the Clarion Arlanda Airport Hotel, located within the international airport terminal, with dinner on our own. (B/L)

We drive west on an all-day jaunt that takes us first to Sigurdsristningen, an elaborate Viking-age rock carving that tells the mythological story, described in the Germanic Völsunga Saga, of Sigurd, who killed the dragon Fafnir. The ten-foot-long engraving on top of a massive boulder shows Sigurd roasting the heart of Fafnir over a fire. We continue to Anundshög, Sweden’s largest burial mound, standing 30 feet high. Surrounding the tumulus are smaller graves, huge stone ships, and standing stones, including a large 11th-century rune stone. This was an important royal site from the Iron Age until about 1050 AD. It was here people gathered for the ting, or district court, even as late as the Middle Ages, and where the community sacrificed to their gods and later prayed to the new Christian god. Our final stop is Sigtuna, created in 970 AD by the order of King Erik the Victorious. Today, this small medieval village is filled with charming, multi-colored wooden buildings, but the purpose of our visit is to see the old churches and the rune stones scattered throughout the town. Come together this evening for our final dinner together. (B/L/D)

Transfer to the airport for our flights home. (B)