Lejre: Viking Age, Cultural Landscape and Hiking Trails

Lejre combines impressive traces of the Viking Age with a protected cultural landscape and a variety of trails. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home for their trip can tailor their stay to their preferred daily itinerary: the focus is on historical experiences, walks and hikes through open landscapes, as well as special insights into ways of life in earlier times.

Viking Age and Living History

The Lejre Museum presents modern, interactive and engaging exhibitions about the great significance of the Lejre area in Denmark during the Viking Age. Sagnlandet Lejre offers another form of time travel, showing houses and ways of life from the Stone Age, the Iron Age and the Viking Age. Admission to Sagnlandet Lejre is required to visit the Kongehal in Sagnlandet Lejre. You also need an admission ticket for Sagnlandet Lejre to visit Den Vilde Vej.

Den Vilde Vej is a 330-metre-long walkway that runs up to 8 metres above the animal enclosures at Sagnlandet Lejre. From above, visitors can see wild boar, goats and aurochs. This makes the walkway an attraction in its own right for anyone who wants to combine historical settings with an unusual view of animals.

Castles, Farms and Monuments

During the summer season, guided tours of Ledreborg Castle can be booked. The tour includes the church, the beautiful halls, the old kitchen and the dungeon. Gammel Kongsgård is a preserved residential building from an old farm built in 1740. Gl. Kongsgaard was formerly a tenant farm under Ledreborg Castle and is now a monument to the rural culture of the Lejre area. Together, these sites provide different perspectives on history: courtly rooms, peasant life and the rural development of the region.

Another prominent historical trace is the ship setting near Gl. Lejre, which is one of the largest ship settings in Scandinavia. Mysselhøj is one of the best-preserved burial mounds in the area. Those interested in archaeology, historic building forms and the connection between landscape and history will therefore find a variety of focal points for excursions in Lejre.

Hiking Trails and Protected Landscape

The 50-kilometre Skjoldungestien hiking trail passes through Gl. Lejre. Between Gl. Lejre and Gevninge, it follows the Lejre Å river. For a shorter route, the 1.8-kilometre Kongehal-vejen leads from the Lejre Museum to Sagnlandet Lejre.

Herthadalen is a narrow meltwater gorge in the forest near Sagnlandet Lejre. From the 1850s to the 1960s, it served as the setting for major political and popular gatherings. Around Gl. Lejre, the protected area offers trails through fields, meadows and nutrient-poor grassland. The open landscape is a habitat for pheasants, roe deer, hares and birds of prey such as common buzzards, marsh harriers, red kites and peregrine falcons. Up to 50 different plant species per square metre grow on the burial mounds there.

The Right Accommodation for Planning Your Trip

When looking for accommodation in Lejre, it is worth first deciding on your preferred travel rhythm. A trip focused on the museum, Sagnlandet Lejre and historic buildings involves different priorities than a stay centred on long hikes and nature observation. Therefore, when considering holiday apartments and holiday homes, check which starting point suits your own itinerary. Hikers and cyclists can also use the Lejre shelter and camping site on the outskirts of Lejre, in a small wooded area near the Skjoldungestien. Groups of fewer than 10 people can use it free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Other Places to Include in Your Search

If you would also like to compare other places when planning your trip, you can find Gershøj, Kirke Hvalsø, Kisserup, Kirke Hyllinge, Kyndeløse, Kirke Såby and Ordrup here.

To the higher-level travel overview: Lejre.