The legendary Vikings of Scandinavia earned a reputation for being great warriors, skilled explorers, and expert seafarers during the Viking Age. Between 793 and 1066 AD, the Vikings spread out from their homelands in present-day Norway, Denmark, and Sweden and left their mark on Europe and North America.
If you want a true taste of the Viking lifestyle and to see some amazing authentic Viking artifacts, you are in luck. Plan a visit to some of these 14 places where you can soak up the Viking way of life, see incredible Viking ruins, marvel at ancient Viking relics, and experience Viking-style festivals.
1. Iceland’s Saga Museum
A collection of medieval stories, the Icelandic Sagas are a key part of the country’s literary and historical culture. The narratives began as oral traditions about heroic characters, epic battles, and historic events. They were later written down in Old Norse in the 13th century.
The Saga Museum in Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik, shares the stories of the Icelandic Sagas. There are life-like figures of Viking heroes, exhibits on the settlement of Iceland by the Vikings, and displays of Viking artifacts found in Iceland.
2. Denmark’s Jelling Stones
In 965 AD, the Viking King Harald Bluetooth – yes, the guy for whom wireless technology is named – commissioned an important message to be carved into a runestone in Jelling, Denmark. Among the messages on the runestone is Harald Bluetooth’s declaration of his conversion to Christianity.
This stone is just one of many Viking runestones and ancient mounds found in Jelling. Many of these can be traced back thousands of years. The Jelling Stones, which represent some of the most significant monuments from the Viking Age, are now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. Norway’s Viking Valley
Norway’s Viking Valley, also known as Njardarheimr, is a living history museum and attraction in the fjord area of Gudvangen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Viking Village emphasizes authenticity. The replica Viking houses, carvings, and ironworks are all based on actual Viking designs and made with natural materials found in the fjord.
The residents of Viking Village live and dress like it was a thousand years ago. They are all eager to share their knowledge with visitors. Guests will learn about the traditional building techniques, cooking methods, sailing, and religion of the Vikings.
4. Denmark’s Viking Fortress
The large island of Zealand, where Denmark’s capital city of Copenhagen is located, is also home to one of the most significant monuments of the Viking Age in all of Denmark. This Trelleborg, or massive circular fortress, is one of the best-preserved Viking fortresses in the world.
It is believed that this Viking fortress was built by King Harald Bluetooth around the year 980 AD. Today, visitors can see the Trelleborg for themselves and learn about the Viking Era at the on-site museum.
5. Scotland’s Skidbladner
On the Shetland Islands in Scotland, visitors can see the Skidbladner is a full-sized, authentic replica of a Viking ship. Modeled after the Gokstad ship, a vessel that was discovered in 1880 in a Viking burial in Norway, the Skidbladner offers guests the chance to climb on board and immerse themselves in the seagoing lifestyle of the ancient Vikings.
The Gokstad ship was built during the time when the Viking king Harald Fairhair ruled. The Skidbladner replica, like the original Viking ship, was constructed using oak and made with the traditional shipbuilding techniques of the Vikings.
6. Norway’s Kaupang Viking Town
Kaupang – which is a Norse word for “marketplace” – is a Viking era town that was established in 800 AD and served as a center for trade. In fact, it is believed to be one of the most important Viking villages in Norway.
Kaupang is now the site of ongoing archaeological excavations. In addition to the archaeological work, visitors can see the replica of a Viking house and a model of how Kaupang looked in the Viking Era. There is even a Family Day when youngsters can participate in archaeological digs, sample traditional Viking food, and watch a puppet show telling Viking stories.
7. Denmark’s Ribe VikingeCenter
In Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town, tourists can see the Ribe VikingeCenter, a living history attraction that recreates life in the town during the days of the Vikings. In addition to reconstructed buildings and an 8th century marketplace, Ribe VikingeCenter has much to offer in the way of hands-on activities.
Historic interpreters dressed in traditional costume demonstrate blacksmithing, archery, falconry, bread making, and Viking warrior training.
8. England’s Lindisfarne Priory
Lindisfarne Priory has a long and fascinating history. This place, located on Holy Island off the coast of Northumbria, is where Christianity took hold in England. It is also the spot where the Church of St. Cuthbert is located. In 793 AD, Viking invaders engaged in the first raid on English soil.
The Viking raiders looted the church and left a wake of destruction. This event marked the beginning of the Viking Age in Europe. The museum located at Lindisfarne Priory has on display a 9th-century grave marker that is called the Doomsday Stone on which seven Viking warriors are carved.
9. Canada’s L’Anse aux Meadows
L’Anse aux Meadows is the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America. It is located on Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula. Archaeologists have dated the settlement to the 11th century. The eight turf-covered, timber-framed buildings at L’Anse aux Meadows match the building style of structures from the same era found in Greenland and Iceland.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, L’Anse aux Meadows welcomes tourists and invites them to try their hands at weaving, blacksmithing, and other traditional Viking crafts.
10. Denmark’s Ladby Viking Museum
The Viking Museum in Ladby houses the only ship grave to ever be discovered from Viking-Era Denmark. Sometime around 925 AD, the King of Ladby was buried in a traditional Viking manner … in a ship and accompanied by his horses, dogs, and most valued possessions.
When the ship grave was found in 1935, archaeologists discovered more than 2,000 iron nails as well as a ship’s anchor. Visitors to the museum can take guided tours to the gravesite and a replica of the Ladby Ship anchored in the nearby fjord.
11. The Isle of Man’s House of Manamman
The House of Manamman, located on Peel Quayside on the Isle of Man, honors the rich Celtic and Viking history of the remote island in the Irish Sea. This interactive museum, named after the Isle of Man’s mythical sea god, Manannan, included costumed characters who retell the stories and myths from the Viking Era.
There is a replica of a Viking ship, a Viking longhouse, and a reconstructed Celtic roundhouse. The interactive exhibits are designed to educate visitors about the Viking way of life.
12. Norway’s Vikingr Exhibit at the Museum of Cultural History
The Vikingr Exhibit is housed in Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History. This is Norway’s biggest collection of Viking artifacts that have been unearthed in the country. The exhibit is presented in three aspects – Viking journeys, Viking warriors, and Viking society.
Among the artifacts on display are Viking swords, chainmail, brooches, and royal coins. The objects on display help offer insight into the Viking way of life.
13. Germany’s Viking Museum Haithabu
The Viking Museum Haithabu is located at one of Germany’s most important archaeological sites. In this site near present-day Schleswig, a thriving trading community existed roughly 1000 years ago. Here, traders from across Europe and Asia traded goods.
The Viking Museum Haithabu showcases many of the Viking discoveries from the archaeological site intermingled with multimedia displays. On the historic grounds, guests can see seven Viking buildings and a reconstructed bridge.
14. Sweden’s The Viking Museum
The Viking Museum opened in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2016. This modern, interactive, multimedia museum provides guests with a glimpse into the lives of Vikings. The museum’s displays showcase the Viking battles, the seafaring adventures, and the farming techniques of the Vikings.
Swords, knives, and helmets from the Viking Age are on display at The Viking Museum, along with demonstrations on Viking shipbuilding. Ragnfrid’s Saga is a thrill ride that takes riders back to the Viking Era.
15. Iceland’s Viking Village
A film crew for Universal Studios constructed an authentic Viking village in Iceland to serve as the set for an upcoming movie. That movie project, however, was abandoned. But the Viking Village, located in the southeastern part of Iceland near the town of Hofn, is open to the public.
It is now one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions. Visitors can stroll around the Viking Village at their leisure and marvel at the turf roofs and wooden structures that are reminiscent of the age of the Vikings.
