24 Hours in Aalborg, Denmark

Last updated: 23 June 2023

Some people may wonder if it’s worth visiting a city for only 24 hours since you’re not going to be able to experience everything on offer so what’s the point?

And, you know what? If you’re one of these people then you’re absolutely correct. That’s right, you heard me. There’s no chance that you’re going to see absolutely EVERYTHING the city has to offer BUT you’re definitely going to make every effort to see as much as you possibly can! So doesn’t that then make the trip worthwhile?

I don’t know about you but I want to be one of those people who arrives in the the office on Monday morning and when I’m asked What did you get up to this weekend? Anything exciting? I can reply with a sly smile “Oh I went to Paris” or Brussels or yes, even Aalborg.

Yes, you read that right. Aalborg.

Where exactly is Aalborg?

Now, if you’ve read this far then you’re probably asking yourself “Where the heck is Aalborg” (I cleaned that up for you, Mum 😁) and to be honest, you’re probably not alone.

Aalborg is the fourth largest city in Denmark and is located right up the very top of the country (open Google Maps, do a search for Denmark, and just keep scrolling north! If you hit Oslo or Gothenburg then you’ve gone too far). This area of Denmark is referred to as the North Jutland Region. You can forget about visiting Aalborg and the capital city Copenhagen in the same day, they’re about 400 km (249 mi) away from each other so if you’re planning a weekend break in Aalborg then focus on Aalborg and save Denmark’s capital for another weekend.  

Only 90 min from London

The good news is that Aalborg is easily accessible from London via 90 min direct flights with Ryanair. Ok, so I can understand that not everyone is going to be thrilled with the idea of flying with Ryanair but let’s face it, it’s only an hour and a half in the air so that’s like one and a half episodes of Vikings – that’s doable, right? The best bit of all of this? 

Our flights were £1 each way per person with Ryanair!

If you’re still not sold with flying with Ryanair then there are other options including Norwegian Air and SAS but that’ll involve a layover in Copenhagen and increases the price and your flying time to 5 hours! I bet the 90 min Ryanair flight isn’t looking too bad now, right?

Aalborg: A Brief History

Ok, so you know I can’t write a post about travel without mentioning at least some historical highlights so here we go but I’ll be brief. I promise.

The history of Aalborg is all kinds of incredible because it dates back to over 1000 years ago! Its geographical location made it an important place for various settlements throughout history, the earliest of which dates back to the Germanic Iron Age in the 6th century.

Located at the narrowest part of the Limfjord, a shallow body of water with inlets from both the North Sea and Kattegat, it’s no surprise that Aalborg became a vital Viking settlement around 1000 AD (but more on the Viking settlement later). Oh that’s right, if you’re interested in Viking history then a visit to Aalborg is an absolute necessity.

It’s also interesting to note that the first official reference to the city of Aalborg was on minted coins from the 11th century. It was King Hardecanute who initiated the minting of coins featuring the name of the town – Alabu– from 1035 AD to 1042 AD.  

I could go but let’s leave the history there… for now

Do You Need a Car for a Weekend Break in Aalborg?

Once you arrive in Aalborg then you’re probably ready to get your sightseeing underway but before you do you’ll want to weigh up whether a rental car is needed for your weekend. Now, here’s one thing to keep in mind, the city of Aalborg is walkable, and quite a lovely walk at that. A rental car may not be needed.

We decided to hire a car (you know how much we love a good road trip, remember our road trips through the Baltics, Iceland, and Hungary?) and having a car made things ridiculously easy for our first stop to Lindholm Hoje, however we didn’t really need it for the rest of the weekend.

As with most of our travels, we’d recommend working out some of the essential places you want to visit and then working out if you need a car (Google Maps is always a good starting place. If a car isn’t needed during your Aalborg weekend then you’ve just saved some extra beer money (and you know Denmark won’t be cheap…)

What Should I do in 24 hours in Aalborg?

Lindholm Hoje

The first stop on our weekend break was Lindholm Hoje, a remarkably well-preserved Viking Burial Ground and first class Museum. Yes, my history loving friends, Lindholm Hoje is home to burial grounds from the Germanic Iron Age and the Viking Age dating back over 1000 years.

The Essentials – Lindholm Hoje

• Operating Hours: 10:00-16:00 (closed Monday)
• Address: Vendilavej, 9400 Norresundby
• Phone: +45 9931 7400
• Website

The Franciscan Friars

Believe it or not but there’s an underground city museum accessible only by elevator in the middle of Aalborg! Ok, when it was first described to be it sounded very clandestine, like I needed to know secret codeword or handshake to gain entry. The truth is, it’s much easier and far less secretive.

As you can see, it’s pretty well advertised so there’s not much chance that you’re going to miss the elevator but still it was pretty cool that the only way into the museum is via a street-level elevator. Once you pay the 40 DKK (£4.75) lift fee into the coin box, which also doubles as the museum entry fee since it’s completely operated without staff, and then you begin your descent into the museum. It’s also interesting to note that the fee for the elevator is for up to 250kg so see if can time a lift with someone and split the cost. Just saying.

The museum isn’t very big but what is lacks in size it makes up for in its historical relevance – you are literally able to see old Aalborg underneath the city as it exists today. It’s as close to time travel as you’re going to be able to get.

It was just over 20 years ago in 1994 (oh man, 20 years….. 😮) that a considerable portion of the town’s city centre was excavated in connection to the construction of a new city building and led to the discovery of a historic Franciscan Friary. The excavations led to new information about the Friary but also revealed many historic layers of old Aalborg.

Once you take the elevator from street level and arrive underground, a long narrow corridor will lay in front of you, take a walk through until you reach the end and that’s where the museum opens up into a larger space where you’ll be able to visit Old Aalborg – parts of buildings from centuries ago.

If you’re keen on history then you’re going to love a visit to the Franciscan Friary but even if you’re not then you’ll have bragging rights about that one time you visited an underground museum which was only accessible by elevator.

The Essentials – The Franciscan Friars

• Price: Per elevator ride (not per person): 40 DKK (£4.75)
• Operating Hours: 10:00-16:00 (closed Sunday and Monday)
• Address: Algade 19, 9000 Aalborg
• Phone: +45 9931 7400
• Website

Aalborghus Castle

Who doesn’t love a good castle? The good news about Aalborghus Castle (Aalborghus Slot) is that it’s located in the middle of town, right near the waterfront, and easily accessible to all visitors. The 16th century castle, originally designed as a fortress (complete with ramparts and a moat) and built by King Christian the Third, took a grand total of 16 years to build and when completed was deemed to be unsuitable as a fortress and instead became the seat of power for the King’s governors. Today it is the site of local state administration (basically, lots of paperwork….)

We visited during winter so that meant that we couldn’t visit the dungeon and underground casemates (not sure what a casemate is? That’s ok, I needed to Google it the first time. Casemate: a small room in the room of a fortress, with openings from which guns or missiles could be fired) but the castle park was worth visiting for.

The Essentials – Aalborghus Castle

• Operating Hours: 08:00-21:00 daily
• Address: Slotspladsen 1, 9000 Aalborg
• Phone: +45 9631 9200
• Website

Eating like a Local in Aalborg

Fontaenen

If you’re visiting a new city and looking for a good place to eat then I don’t think you go past the age old advice: eat where the locals go. And in Aalborg, that’s Fontaenen. Situated in the same location for the 50 years and serving a variety of hot dogs, burgers, fries, and beer. It’s not fast food, it’s good food served quickly.

I opted for the famous hot dog (onions, mustard ketchup, and optional pickles) and Roma settled on the hamburger and, as expected, they were both DELICIOUS. Am I just saying that? Well, the proof comes in the fact that I ordered a second hot dog because it was just that good!

Don’t take my word on it, the cook behind the counter told us that members of the Danish parliament stop by for a hot dog when in town. It’s a don’t miss.

The Essentials – Fontaenen

• Price: Hot dogs  from 13DKK
• Operating Hours: 11:30-21:00
• Address: Prinsensgade 42, 9000 Aalborg
• Phone: +45  2246 7215
• Website

The Wharf

If you find yourself missing the English Premier League during your visit to Aalborg then a pint at the The Wharf is exactly what you’re need. From the moment you walk in you can tell you’re with friends, fellow EPL fans, who are willing to agree with you about your teams, argue with you about why you’re wrong and why your team has no chance. If talking football isn’t your things then just pull up a stool at the bar and order a pint.

Now to say that we’re not EPL fans would be an understatement, but we do have friends who are massive fans so the moment we walked in and and saw the giant Spurs banner plastered across the ceiling, we took that as a sign we made a good choice.

Most of the beers on tap were ones we hadn’t heard of but thankfully the staff were helpful in narrowing down to a good few choices. Our recommendation is the Hancock (pilsner) and the Bernard (lager) for the total price 105 DKK (£12.45).

One thing we thought was very cool, when you walk in and take a seat at the bar, you will see a collection of large silver mugs hanging from an overhead rack, all engraved with a large number.  Both Roma and I stared at the mugs trying to figure out their significance. It was only when some locals walked in, gave their mug numbers, and had their mugs retrieved that we realized that the mugs belonged to regulars. It was pretty cool.

The Essentials – The Wharf 

• Price: Two beers cost 105 DKK (£.1245)
• Operating Hours: 14:00-01:00
• Address: Borgergade 16, 9000 Aalborg
• Phone: +45 9811 7010
• Website

Penny Lane

If you have a sweet tooth, craving coffee and you’re looking for somewhere Instagram-worthy then Penny Lane is the place to go. Part tea room, part delicatessen with an in-house bakery attached it has all the makings of a local gem.  Navigate your way here for freshly baked bread, local cheeses and cured meats. If you have time (we didn’t!) there’s a great Scandi brunch platter (105 DKK) but be sure to save room for something sweet.

The Essentials – Penny Lane

• Price: Pastries from 25 DKK
• Operating Hours: 08:00-18:00 most days
• Address: Boulevarden 1, 9000 Aalborg
• Phone: +45  9812 5800
• Website

Final Thoughts

If you’re thinking about where your next weekend break should be, don’t always choose a place your familiar with (or even a place you’ve heard of before) because that’s how we discovered Aalborg and we absolutely loved our 24 hours in this northern Danish city. If you get the chance to go then GO ❤