Seeing the beautifully restored Koldinghus was our top priority when we went to Kolding.

We wrapped up our Jutland adventure in Kolding.

After journeying all over Jutland, Kolding was one of our last stops, so we were really hoping it would give us a fitting farewell to this incredible part of Denmark. The main reason we added this town to our itinerary was Koldinghus, a 13th-century castle that's undergone one of the most impressive renovations we've ever seen.

Once there, Kolding didn't greet us with sunshine like we'd hoped, but since we were mainly there for the castle, the gloomy skies and constant rain didn't take away much from our visit.

While planning our visit, we realized there wasn't all that much to see or do in Kolding, at least for us. We still hoped to explore the town a bit more, but the heavy rain pretty much washed away our additional plans. So our plan became simple: visit the castle, then see what the weather allowed for. And with that, here's how our visit to Kolding went down.

In Kolding's town center, we came across a gorgeous Renaissance-era house with classic timber framing.

Parking in Kolding

By the time we made it to Kolding, the weather had worsened even more. We didn't think much about where to park and just went for the free lot at Rutebilstationen. It looked alright under the trees, but the second we stepped onto the street, we realized it really wasn't.

On our way to the castle, we stumbled upon another parking lot, Parkeringsplads Slotssøen. Later, I looked it up and found out it actually has a free section, too.

Another option was Koldinghus Parkeringsplads, barely 100 meters from the castle entrance. But since it was a paid lot (and oddly, only payable through an app), we saw no reason to use it when free parking was just a 10-minute walk away.

There's parking at Koldinghus, but it's not free.

Getting to Kolding

Whether you’re driving your own car like we did or renting one for your trip, it’s by far the easiest way to reach Kolding. If public transport is more your thing, don’t worry, Kolding has good train connections to both Copenhagen and Aarhus.

Koldinghus

The castle was only about a kilometer from where we parked. On a regular day, we'd take our time strolling over, making a few quick stops to check out Kolding's side streets along the way or even walk around the lake first.

On a rainy day, the pathway around Slotssøen didn’t look quite as welcoming.

Today, we just picked the simplest route I could spot on the map (with a little help from navigation, of course) to minimize our time in the rain. In those 10 minutes, our rain jackets got pushed to their limits, keeping our upper bodies dry, though the lower half was a lost cause. All we could do was hope that stepping inside the castle meant museum-level warmth, not a drafty medieval chill.

Tickets and Opening Times

Once inside, we bought our tickets for 130 DKK and headed off on a self-guided tour. Since Koldinghus is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, arriving just before 3:30 PM meant we had roughly an hour and a half to explore. Thinking about it now, two hours would've actually been the perfect amount of time for Koldinghus, but of course, that depends on how you like to take things in.

Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was the weekday, but either way, Kolding Castle was extra quiet during our visit.

Self-Touring the Kolding Castle

After stashing our bag in the locker, we checked out a nearby room next to the ticket office, packed with Koldinghus's history, before slowly heading toward the castle's most exciting spots. After a long day on the road, I was really just looking for a visual experience, but Lucie was all about diving into the walls of text on Danish history. So, in the end, we got a solid introduction to the castle.

Speaking of history, Koldinghus has an interesting one. Initially built as a fortress in the 1250s to protect Denmark from Schleswig, it was eventually transformed into a royal castle in the 16th century. In 1808, Koldinghus completely burned down but underwent major restorations (finished in 1991), which made it one of the coolest features of the castle.

Ruin Hall

At first, everything seemed pretty standard. The rooms and courtyard gave off the typical castle vibes we've seen over and over. But as soon as we crossed into the southwest wing, the experience changed completely.

Entering the Ruin Hall was hands-down the best part of our visit. As we approached the castle, we spotted the shingle-covered south wall but didn't think much of it at the time. Once inside the Ruin Hall, we realized it was actually added to protect and stabilize this section of the castle.

The interior, with its spacious hall, towering limewood columns, new mezzanine floors, and steel walkways, turned out to be one of the coolest restoration projects we've ever seen.

Flora Danica

After climbing to the second floor, we headed to the West Wing and found one of the most impressive exhibits in Koldinghus. It was Flora Danica, a breathtaking porcelain dinnerware collection (not exactly a sentence I ever thought I'd say, but here we are).

These fancy porcelain sets, containing around 1,500 pieces, are famous for their incredibly detailed botanical designs, inspired by Flora Danica, a botanical atlas of Denmark's native plants. They were, of course, used by the Danish Royal family.

Yeah, it's kitchenware, but honestly, I don't think we've ever seen anything quite like it. Later, we checked out some kitchenware in Egeskov Castle, but this collection was definitely in a league of its own.

Believe it or not, they still produce these! If you want to eat like a Danish royal, you can buy a set. After seeing the price tags, we'll be keeping things simple with IKEA for the foreseeable future.

The Gigant's Tower

To end the tour, we climbed to the top of the tower, expecting to soak in the views of Kolding. What we got instead was more rain, this time paired with strong wind gusts that made it clear we wouldn't be lingering too long.

With no crowds around, we had the place to ourselves. That's what we love about smaller sites: you're not crammed shoulder to shoulder with a crowd, like at big attractions such as the Empire State Building. Even with the rough weather and the tall metal safety fence, the views from Koldinghus's tower made the climb totally worth it.

With the entire town laid out before us, we got a panoramic view of Kolding, along with the lake, the port, the fjord, and even the sea far off in the distance. As 5 PM approached, we slowly made our way down, grabbed our daypack, and paused for a moment to decide the best route back to the car.

Despite the rain, the visibility from the castle tower wasn't too bad.

Travel Insurance

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Exploring Kolding Town

As we headed back to the car, we decided to tough it out and wander around a bit. But with the gloomy weather, the streets were empty, and there wasn't really much going on.

After a quick walk, we realized Kolding isn't as charming as Ribe, and without an old town, it didn't (not surprisingly) have that same atmosphere. The pedestrian zone with cafés and shops was nice, but that was really all it had going for it.

The heart of Kolding was pretty compact, just a handful of streets, but at least there were no cars around.

What surprised us about Kolding was that it's technically a seaside town with a sizable port. Yet, aside from a few fleeting views from the main road as we arrived and departed, the town itself didn't give off that coastal vibe.

With the castle set away from the water and the rain making things less inviting, we didn't feel like wandering too far. Having already been to Aalborg and Aarhus, we could tell that each town had its own unique (coastal) atmosphere. It's hard to explain, but we definitely noticed it. Maybe a clear day would've given us a different impression.

We weren't the only ones taking cover from the rain while wandering Kolding's streets.

We also noticed that Kolding's other main attractions, the botanical garden (Geografisk Have) and the modern art museum (Trapholt), are about three to five kilometers from the castle, making them a bit tricky to reach on foot. Since the sites are spread out across town, checking out both would've taken more time than we had as day-trippers.

Trapholt - Museum of Modern Art and Design

If we had planned our timing better, we could have visited Trapholt, the Museum of Modern Art and Design. But since we didn't, we ran into two 'small' issues.

By five in the afternoon, Trapholt was shutting down for the day. Not that it made much of a difference, though, since it was Monday, and, as expected, Trapholt follows the classic museum rule of being closed on Mondays.

If you ever find yourself in Kolding on a rainy day or just love modern art, Trapholt is a solid choice. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM, and on Wednesdays, it stays open until 9 PM. Entry is 140 DKK per adult.

Jelling Kongernes and Monuments

Jelling is another fascinating stop from Kolding; to us, it felt like stepping straight into the Viking Age. We kicked off the day early, checked out Jelling Kongernes and Monuments in the morning, and then headed to Billund, which we'll get into shortly.

With all these places situated fairly close together, getting around with a car was easy. For anyone staying in Kolding, this would be just as hassle-free. Jelling is another UNESCO site on our list, and for those fascinated by Viking and Danish history (especially since this is where the Danish kingdom was founded), it's a must-visit. If UNESCO sites with fascinating history aren't your thing, we've got one more tip for you below.

LEGOLAND Billund

We stopped in Billund for a few hours before heading to Kolding. It's a small town, but it's the birthplace of one of Denmark's most famous products, LEGO. You'll find both LEGOLAND and LEGO House there, offering different kinds of experiences depending on what you're into.

We checked out Billund's LEGO House first, then headed to Kolding.

Legoland is your classic amusement park, packed with rides and attractions for families, while LEGO House is more of an experience center, featuring a museum and tons of interactive exhibits. Since we had already visited Legoland Germany earlier that year, we opted to check out LEGO House instead, and you can read all about it here.

For a day trip from Kolding focused more on fun than pure history (though there's a bit of that, too), Billund is definitely worth considering.

Christiansfeld

We weren't quite ready to call it a day, but with the rain coming down hard, there weren't many options for what to do next. Lucie kept bringing up Christiansfeld, and out of the few options we had, this UNESCO-listed town seemed like the best choice.

So, we made our way back to the car, sat for a bit, and talked about how the weather hadn't improved. If anything, it had gotten worse. Since we were already committed to the idea, I shifted into reverse, backed out, and started the slow drive to Christiansfeld. You can read all about our visit to Christiansfeld here, but for now, let's just say it's a great spot if you enjoy discovering places off the beaten path.

A quick visit to Christiansfeld was a lovely addition to our rainy afternoon.

This 18th-century settlement was built for the Moravian Church, which focused on democratic and equality-based ideals but faced persecution from the Catholic Church. While it's not your typical tourist spot, it was definitely an interesting place to visit.

Since Christiansfeld is just a 20-minute drive from Kolding, it's an easy day-trip destination, though you won't need a full day to explore.

Accommodation in Kolding

While exploring Christiansfeld, we started thinking it would be a great place to stay. The historic Moravian settlement had the perfect atmosphere for it. The Brødremenighedens Hotel, set in a stunning historic building from 1000, looked amazing—but, unfortunately, it was fully booked.

We also looked into staying in Kolding and found some great hotels like Hotel Kolding and Milling Hotel Saxildhus, but the prices were a bit steeper than we preferred, so we searched elsewhere. That said, Kolding is easily one of the best bases for exploring southeast Jutland, with excellent access to plenty of fascinating sites.

We spotted Hotel Saxildhus as we made our way to Koldinghus.

Since we planned to visit Odense the next day and, as always, kick things off super early, we checked out some hotels there - Hotel Odeon - only to realize they were also pricier than we were willing to pay for just a quick overnight stay.

In the end, we chose Frederik VI's Hotel, just outside Odense, thanks to a great deal. The distance wasn't an issue since we had our car, and the quieter surroundings were actually a plus.

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.

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Visiting Kolding, Denmark