Tour de Aalborg- green travel guide
Best things to do in Aalborg
Utzon center and Kunsten museum of modern Art are two interesting museums, which are worth visiting. Did you know that Utzon center was designed by the famous Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who, by the way, designed opera in Sydney as well?
Aalborg is full of beautiful houses and streets. Just walk in the city centrum with map & guide of Aalborg, which you can take for free in tourist info centrum. We strongly suggest you to find Hjelmerstald and Peder Barkes Gade – two beautiful streets with wonderful small houses.
While wandering the streets of Aalborg, look for painted pictures on houses. Street art is very popular in this city, you can even take a guided tour aimed on street art.
Kildeparken is a park right next to train and bus station. This park is interesting for its “singing trees”. The park of music is in Aalborg since 1987, where the first tree was planted by Sir Cliff Richard. So, what are the singing trees about? Artists left their mark on the park by planting a tree. Some of the trees are accompanied by the artists' own music and can be activated by the park's visitors by pressing a button at the foot of the tree. It is nice to stand under the tree listening the music of sir Elton John, Sting or Bryan Adams.
In Aalborg, you can follow the steps of Viking´s history. Visit Lindholm Høje, where the old Vikings’ cemetery can be found. The cemetery is from the Germanic Iron Age and the Viking Age, two very important eras in Danish history. You can see how Vikings buried their relatives- shapes of rocks will tell you if it was woman or man. Nowadays, there is also museum of Vikings right next to cemetery.
Egholm is a small island between Aalborg and Norresundby (part of Aalborg). Take your bike with you while visiting this untouched island. There is a ferry, which will take you to Egholm in only few minutes. The price is 20 dkk for return ticket. On Egholm, there are few public routes you can explore. During the summer time, take some food with you and make a picnic near the sea. It is a nice relax.
Outside the city:
If you have some spare time, visit places like Blokhus, Skagen or Rubjerg Knude Fyr. Or all three in once- everything is close in Denmark.
Blokhus is beautiful summer destination. Natural sand beaches will take your breath away. There are also sand dunes, where Danes like to make BBQ in their free time. You can also find a Rock & Roll museum in this small town. Only few kilometers from Blokhus, family amusement park Faarup Summerland is waiting for all adventure lovers. It is definitely worth visiting this place.
Rubjerg Knude Fyr is on your way from Blokhus to Skagen. This lighthouse is expected to crash into the ocean before 2020 because the water is slowly taking the sand away. Now, you can even walk all the way up to the lighthouse. Lighthouse is surrounded by “desert”. Dunes are used by children as a slide and they always have a lot of fun in here.
Except of beautiful city of Skagen, where you can find a lot of good cafes, restaurants and museums, there is also another attraction in this northernmost city of Denmark. Grenen, northernmost point of Denmark, is favorite place of tourists, because you can see 2 seas meeting – Baltic sea and North Sea. Moreover, you can also stand on the northernmost point of the whole country. It is interesting geographical show.
Biking around
Biking is favorite activity of almost all Danes. There are many cycling paths around Aalborg. If you, however, like mountain biking, there are 4 routes for you- Hammer Hills, Lundby Hills, by Poulstrup Lake and in Kongshøj Forest. All of them are marked with posts, pictograms and tags on trees.
Transport in Aalborg
Even though everything is close in Aalborg – in walking distance basically, you can also use public transport. All buses in Aalborg are environmentally friendly. Aalborg implemented environmental zone in the center, what means that all motor vehicles of more than 3.5 tons must either satisfy Euro 4 emission standard or be fitted with a particular filter.
Where to eat
Local food can be found in many restaurants. Majority of Danes prefer organic ingredients not only in their kitchen, but also in restaurants.
The best restaurant in Aalborg is Morten´s Inn. It is luxury restaurant, mostly offering Danish local food. You can watch the cooks cooking your dinner behind the glass wall right from your seat.
While being in Denmark, definitely try "smørrebrød". It is traditional Danish dish, dark bread with various toppings and a modern twist.
Caféministeriet offer seasonal food like salats, burgers, smørrebrød, stjerneskud and others. All the dishes are made from fresh ingredients directly by competent chefs.
Where to sleep:
Skallerup seaside resort is perfect for families with children. It is the best holiday resort in North Jutland and they care a lot about environment. It is not directly in Aalborg but surrounding nature and sea will for sure amaze you more than the sound of busy streets.
Camping Aalborg is also a good choice for your holiday. It is few kilometers from the city centrum, very close to fjord, where you can take a bath or watch seals.
Author: Nikola Meciarova
Cover Photo: Photo by Rüdiger Stehn via Flickr
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