How to Visit Lindholm Hoje: Viking's Burial Grounds
Lindholm Hoje was the first place in Denmark where we got to dive into Viking history - it was awesome!
Are you interested in Viking history? Come explore Lindholm Høje with us! Discover the ancient burial grounds and the museum, and immerse yourself in the fascinating Viking Age.
After saying goodbye to the stormy coast of North Jutland, we set off south to explore Aalborg, one of Denmark's largest cities. But first, we had to stop at Lindholm Hoje, the ancient Viking burial grounds in Norresundby. Since we were driving through Norresundby anyway, it made perfect sense to visit Lindholm Hoje first.
Lindholm Hoje, an archaeological site on North Jutlandic Island, is renowned for its Viking and Iron Age burial grounds. These days, it's one of Denmark's most significant historical locations from this era. There are two spots at Lindholm Hoje - the museum and the burial grounds that are waiting to be explored. Being a Monday, we could only visit the burial grounds. It was a cool little detour, and if you're planning to include Lindholm Hoje in your Denmark itinerary, here are all the details to make your trip a breeze.
Lindholm Hoje is a known for ancient Viking graves, featuring roughly 700 graves from the Viking Age and earlier.
Parking at Lindholm Hoje
We arrived at a mostly empty parking lot at Lindholm Hoje, which was no big shock - it was a rainy Monday morning, and summer had already passed. The good news was the free parking. The not-so-good news was the rain making us think twice about leaving the comfort of our car.
Lindholm Hoje Museum
After hanging out in the car for a while and munching on some snacks, we realized the rain wasn't going to let up. So, we geared up with our trusty rain jackets and even grabbed an umbrella (luckily, it wasn't windy like on the coast). We strolled around the small roundabout and followed the paved stone path for about 150 meters to the museum's entrance.
Unfortunately, the museum was closed because it was Monday. We had checked the website the day before just to be sure, as it's common for museums in Denmark (and Europe) to be closed on Mondays. Out of all the similar spots we visited, I think only Legoland House was open on Mondays, even though it's not exactly a traditional museum.
Since the museum was closed, we had to rely on the small panels scattered around the grounds for info on Lindholm Hoje.
Sure, it was a letdown that we couldn't dive deeper into Lindholm Hoje's history (beyond a few info panels scattered around the grounds), but we had other Viking sites on our Denmark itinerary. Places like Trelleborg Fortress, Roskilde's Viking Ship Museum, and Kongernes Jelling were lined up, so we knew we'd get our fill of Viking history. It was no big deal.
Opening Hours
The museum at Lindholm Hoje is open all year round from 10 AM to 4 PM, Tuesday through Sunday. And just a heads-up - it's closed on Mondays.
Tickets
The Lindholm Hoje Museum tickets were 100 DKK per adult at the time of our visit, but you can explore the burial grounds for free. We have to admit, we spent a lot on museum tickets (and castle, gallery, etc.) during our Denmark road trip, so it was nice to save some cash on admission for a change (we would've gone if it wasn't closed).
It was great being able to check out Lindholm Hoje for free!
Lindholm Hoje Settlement
Nowadays, Lindholm Hoje is mostly famous as a Viking burial site, but back in the day, it was a key settlement in the Limfjord area. It was a strategic crossroads for local settlers and traveling merchants, a spot where fjord Vikings could cross, and a safe haven for ships heading out for trade with distant lands or raids on England.
Lindholm Hoje isn't just a burial ground – it used to be a bustling settlement too.
The soil here was fertile but prone to sand drifts, which led to the village being abandoned around the 1100s. While the sand caused the settlement's decline, it also preserved many items, like a silver Urnes-style brooch, glassware, and Arab coins. There were some initial attempts to find stuff in this area as early as the late 19th century, but proper archaeological digs began in 1952 - nearly 600 out of 700 graves were excavated. Speaking of sand, it really shapes Jutland. One of the coolest spots where we could see its impact was the Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse on the west coast - it was truly a remarkable place to explore.
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Viking's Burial Grounds at Lindholm Hoje
Since the museum was closed and the rain kept pouring, we decided not to linger and headed straight to the Viking burial site. We turned left onto a dirt trail with some wooden steps and walked about 100 meters. It only took a minute or two to reach the top of the hill. The highest point of Lindholm Hoje was a small mound on our left, so we went there first for a great view of the whole burial ground and to pick our next path.
The path from the museum to the burial grounds was slightly uphill.
Apart from the beautiful views of the cemetery, which dates back to the Iron Age and Viking Age, we saw the rain was easing up - a good sign since strolling around Aalborg without an umbrella later sounded more appealing.
From the top, we noticed two things: the Lindholm Hoje cemetery is pretty much a meadow with hundreds of scattered stones linked by grassy trails. Another thing that hit us was that we were the only ones around. Not that it mattered much, but everything definitely felt more relaxed overall.
For centuries, Lindholm Hoje was the burial ground for Vikings living in this part of Jutland.
Thanks to our flexible schedule, we got to see lots of Jutland spots without too many tourists - like Romo Island and Bovbjerg Lighthouse (by visiting early or late) or Lindholm Hoje because of the rainy weather. Yes, considering the time and weather, it wasn't shocking.
To be fair, we weren't completely alone - some goats were silently observing us from a distance. So, without too much thinking, we decided to walk in a clockwise direction, but only because it felt a bit more natural - it didn't matter much in the end. Pretty soon, we noticed the goats were everywhere, often chilling in the middle of the pathways. Thanks to my superior navigation skills, Lucie's good strategy, a pinch of experience from similar encounters during our travels in South America, and the fact that the goats simply ignored us, we had no problems getting around.
We weren't the only ones at Lindholm Høje on that rainy day - the goats were there too!
The oldest graves, dating back to the 5th century CE, are up on the hill. The newer ones from the 10th century CE are lower down. A lot of the Viking graves are outlined by stones in the shape of a Viking ship, with two large stones marking the stem and stern.
We took our time making our way down and included a few small detours before looping back to the start. Wandering around the vast field full of boulders - knowing they were actually burial sites - was a pretty awesome experience. The grassy path was wet but not slippery, and the slightly uneven terrain was suitable for almost any age and ability.
Lindholm Hoje didn't look like much at first, but the more time we spent there, the more impressed we were. It took us about 30-40 minutes to wander around the complex, and if it hadn't started raining, we would've stayed even longer. You can easily spend another hour in the museum, so we'd recommend setting aside around 90 minutes to two hours to really experience Lindholm Høje.
To conclude, even though it rained and the museum was closed, we still had a great time exploring Lindholm Hoje - if you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit.
Hotels Near Lindholm Hoje
There aren't really any hotels close to Lindholm Hoje, so we'd likely stay in the city center instead. With that out of the way, here are some hotel tips: budget travelers usually go for Cabinn Aalborg or Hotel Jomfru Ane, both in central locations. If you're after a bit more comfort (or a touch of luxury, since Aalborg lacks 5-star hotels), KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg is a great choice.
The Aalborg Airport Hotel is about five kilometers away from Lindholm Hoje, which is about the same distance as driving to the city center. So unless you've got a flight to catch, staying at Aalborg Airport Hotel doesn't make much sense for those wanting to explore the city.
Getting to Lindholm Hoje
Located in Norresundby, around 5 kilometers northwest of Aalborg, Lindholm Hoje is easily accessible by car, bike, or bus. Since we were driving around Denmark and visited on our way from Skagen to Aalborg (a 75-minute drive), driving made the most sense. Lindholm Hoje is also about 90 minutes from Aarhus and three hours from Odense - check out rental car prices in Denmark right here.
Once we finished exploring Lindholm Hoje, we headed from Norresundby to Aalborg via the Limfjordsbroen bridge.
If you're already in Aalborg, you can ditch your car and use public transportation. Bus 12 (toward Vangen/Norresundby) runs frequently from Aalborg Busterminal to Lindholm Hoje and takes less than 20 minutes. You could also take a taxi, but the bus is a great option since it stops less than 10 minutes from the site.
I checked the map, and it looks like you can take a shortcut starting at Vikingevej (GPS coordinates 57.07582, 9.91107) to save a few minutes of walking by not going around the complex. Since Lindholm Hoje is only 4.5 kilometers from Aalborg's city center, you could also bike there (cycling is pretty popular in Denmark, so it could be fun) or walk the whole way (it should take less than an hour one way).
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
