Things to do in Ribe
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Night Watchman Tour
One of the best free activities in Denmark is Ribe's 45-minute night watchman tour, which departs from out the front of Weis Stue, on Torvet, once or twice a night in the warmer months.
Nowadays, it's a stroll through the town's historic streets, designed to entertain and educate visitors to Ribe, but the night watchman's walk was originally born of necessity. As early as the 14th century these watchmen made their nightly rounds in Ribe, making sure the streets were safe for locals to walk. They were also charged with being on the lookout for fires or floods threatening the town. The job was abolished in Ribe in 1902, but reinstated in 1935 as a tourist attraction. These …
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Ribe VikingeCenter
Embrace your inner Viking (well, leave aside the raping and pillaging part) at the Ribe VikingeCenter, a much more hands-on experience than the museum. It attempts to re-create a slice of life in Viking era Ribe using various reconstructions, including a 34m Fyrkat-style longhouse. The staff, dressed in period clothing, bake bread over open fires, demonstrate archery and Viking era crafts such as pottery and leatherwork, and offer falconry shows (at 1pm and 3pm in July and August, 12.30pm in May, June and September). All of which you can actively partake in (and you’ll no doubt learn more about Viking life than you could from a textbook). The centre is about 3km south of …
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old town hall
First-time visitors may be bemused to see passers-by stare inquisitively at the roof of the old town hall. Put simply, they’re bird-watching, and have been caught up in the ‘stork culture’ this town cherishes. This is the oldest rådhus (1496) in Denmark and was used as a courthouse until 2006 – these days it’s a popular spot for civil weddings. As well as ceremonial artefacts, there’s a collection of medieval weapons and the executioner’s axe.
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Museum of Ribe’s Vikings
To better come to grips with Ribe’s Viking and medieval history, head along to see the informative displays of the Museum of Ribe’s Vikings. Two rooms provide snapshots of the town in AD 800 and during medieval times in 1500. These portrayals are complemented by rare archaeological finds and good explanations, which add real substance to the tales. There’s also a thought-provoking 30-minute video of the legendary Viking era.
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Stormflodssøjlen
Where Fiskergade and Skibbroen meet is Stormflodssøjlen, a wooden flood column commemorating the numerous floods that have swept over Ribe. The ring at the top of the column indicates the water's depth during the record flood of 1634 (6m above normal!), which claimed hundreds of lives. Although these days a system of dikes affords low-lying Ribe somewhat more protection, residents are still subject to periodic flood evacuations.
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Ribe Kunstmuseum
Ribe Kunstmuseum has been able to acquire some of Denmark’s best works, including those by 19th-century ‘Golden Age’ painters. The singing birds outside present a glorious backdrop to collection pieces by big Danish names including Juel, Abildgaard, Eckersberg, Købke and Michael Ancher, and the garden area behind the museum (open to all) is just lovely.
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St Catharine’s Church
Founded by Spanish Black Friars in 1228, St Catharine’s Church was originally built on reclaimed marshland, but it eventually collapsed. The present structure dates from the 15th century. Of the 13 churches built during the pre-Reformation period in Ribe, Sankt Catharinæ Kirke and Ribe Domkirke are the only survivors.
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Ribe Cathedral
Dominating Ribe’s skyline is the impressive and historic Ribe Cathedral, which dates back to 948 – making it the oldest in Denmark. The cathedral was largely rebuilt in 1150 when Ribe was at the heart of royal and government money, which in turn paved the way for some fine architectural structures.
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Det Lille Ølhus
The Little Beer House sells interesting local and international beer - in bottles to take away, or on tap, to enjoy in the courtyard. There’s also a good array of picnic-worthy deli products on offer, and homebaked cakes too (which don’t necessarily work too well with beer, but hey it’s worth a shot).
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Fiskergade
On Fiskergade you'll notice many alleys leading east to the riverfront. Take a look at the black-painted 'bumper' stones on the house corners; the alleys are so narrow that the original residents installed these stones to protect their houses from being scraped by the wheels of horse-drawn carriages.
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Sælhunden
Top choice for a leisurely meal is this handsome old black-and-white restaurant down by the waterfront, with outdoor seating by the Johanne Dan sailing ship .Sælhund means seal, so it’s no surprise this place dedicates itself to serving the best seafood in town.
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Ghost Walks
The summertime ghost walks operated by Museet Ribes Vikinger show the town in a whole new light – listen out for tales of the last woman to be burnt to death in Ribe, accused of witchcraft by a paranoid community. Walks are staged once a week, in Danish, German and English.
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Kolvig
Kolvig is gorgeously situated by the water, so alfresco dining is understandably popular and offers prime Ribe-watching. The menu is a good mix of traditional and modern; most interesting is the tapas plate of local flavours that includes lamb from Fanø plus shrimps, mussels and codfish.
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Café Valdemar
The beach comes to Ribe! In the warmer months this place guarantees relaxation with its tropical outdoor furniture and a stretch of sand down to the gentle river, making it a perfect spot for lazy afternoon drinks. There’s plenty of grass and a kids’ play area, too.
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Johanne Dan
On the riverfront is the Johanne Dan, an old sailing ship designed with a flat bottom that allowed it to navigate through the shallow waters of the Ribe Å (river); an onboard visit is usually only possible in conjunction with a guided tour (enquire at the tourist office).
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Strygejernet
A small and cosy two-storey pub with a flatiron triangular shape – it’s a little slice of New York in Ribe. The top floor has just a handful of tables and looks out to the rådhus (look for storks!), or join the locals propping up the bar downstairs.
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Vægterkælderen
The timber-heavy décor down here seems made for cold weather – soft leather banquettes and booths (a touch dated but very cosy). The menu is huge and runs the gamut of small dishes, salads and smørrebrød to quality steaks.
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Town Walks
As well as the very popular night watchman tour, the tourist office also stages guided 90-minute town walks in peak season, but at the time of research these were only being conducted in Danish and German.
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Taarnborg
On Puggårdsgade you can't miss the 16th-century privately owned manor house, the charmingly skewwhiff Taarnborg, where no corner is 90 degrees. Next door at number 5 is a half-timbered house dating from 1550.
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Maren Spliid Memorial Tablet
On the corner of Bispegade and Sønderportsgade is a memorial tablet dedicated to Maren Spliid, who was burned at the stake on 9 November 1641, the last victim of Denmark's witch-hunt persecutions.
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Ribe Bryghus Brewery
Look out for Ribe Bryghus locally brewed beers at restaurants and bars around town, or pop into the Ribe Bryghus brewery during its limited opening hours.
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Isvaffeln
On a warm day, Isvaffeln is swamped with holidaymakers devouring the great ice-cream flavours.
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Kvickly Supermarket
The Kvickly supermarket is well placed for self-caterers staying at the hostel.
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