Ribe as seen from the old castle hill

Ribe is in Jutland, Denmark.

Get in

• 1 Ribe railway station (On the eastern side of the town, approximately 5-10 minutes walk from the centre.). Trains run to Ribe hourly from Esbjerg, during daylight hours, and less frequently at night, until around midnight. Trains also run to Ribe from Tønder with similar frequencies.  

Get around

Ribe is a small town. The old parts are practically all pedestrian streets, so the only really practical method for getting around is on foot.

See

Though Ribe is a small town - there is much to experience. Ribe is the oldest town in Denmark and the closest neighbour to marshland and the Wadden Sea. In Ribe you can stroll around in cobblestoned streets with half-timbered houses an enjoy the atmosphere, the cosy cafés and the speciality shops.

• 1 Ribe Cathedral (Ribe Domkirke) (The tower is visible from almost anywhere in town. Just look for it.). 10:00-17:00. Is worth a visit alone for the view from the top of the church tower, overseeing the complete town of Ribe, surrounded by flat marshes as far as the eye stretches. The view from above, of the town and the river running through it, gives a good impression of the medieval town. DKK 20 for the tower, the church is free.  
• 2 Ribe Castle and queen Dagmar (Riberhus) (From the pedestrian street follow the river towards the coast). Which is not really a castle, as much as a ruin with almost no ruins left. Surrounded by moats connected to the river, however, it presents a worthy site of defense and historical power.The beloved Queen Dagmar, who was married to King Valdemar Sejr, and who according to legend, became ill and then died at Riberhus Castle, but awoke from the dead to speak for the last time with her beloved husband and king.  
• 3 Ribes Vikinger (Across the roundabout from the railway station). The Museum Ribe’s Vikings – the Viking era and the Middle Ages.  
• 4 Ribe VikingeCenter (2 km south of town. There's a nice cycleway with signs running from south end of Hundegade.). – a visit to Ribe Viking Centre will provide you with a unique experience and new knowledge about the Viking Age. You can wander round the reconstructed life-size Viking estate, peopled with Vikings with whom you can work and talk  
• 5 Ribe Art Museum (in Sanct Nicolaj Gade). With paintings from Denmark’s Golden Age and the famous Skagen painters.  
• 6 The Wadden Sea Centre (10 km SW of town at the coast across from the island Mandø). Visitor center for the Wadden Sea National Park. Multimedia-show about storm surges, build your own dike, or experience the Wadden Sea through the eyes of the migratory birds who depends on these vast tidal zones. Nature guides arrange public tours in the National Park. kr 140, kr 50 for kids. (updated Sep 2023)
• 7 Jacob Riis Museum, Sortbrødregade 1 (100 m east of the cathedral), ☏ +45 76163980. 10:00-16:00 Sep-May, 10:00-17:00 rest of the year and week 42, week 7 and easter.. The life and legacy of social documentary photographer Jacob A. Riis 85 kr. (updated Oct 2019)

Do

• The Night Watchman in Ribe. Every evening from 1st of May until 29th of October you may accompany the night watchman in Ribe on his route through the old, winding streets, while he is singing to alert citizens about bedtime approaching. Along the way he will tell you tales about witches, floods and fires. 
• Town Walk in Ribe. Experience the Middle Age, the Reformation and the Renaissance in Ribe - the oldest town in Denmark. 
• "Black Sun.". Visit Ribe in Spring and Autumn - huge numbers of starlings land in the marshes at the Wadden Sea. They are looking for daddy long legs and garden chafer grubs in the wet meadows. At such time you can observe a fascinating panorama called “Black Sun”. 
• "Wadden Sea National Park" The Wadden Sea and the Ribe Marshes are established as National Park from 2009. The Wadden Sea has global significance as one of the world’s 10 most important wetlands. Tidal wetlands, like the Wadden Sea, are some of the most productive ecosystems known. Plant materials, myriads of animals and micro-organisms in the sediments of the Wadden Sea make the area to one of the largest feeding grounds for migratory birds.

Buy

• 1 Parmos Port Wine Fruits. 
• Ribe Beer. 

Eat

• 1 Restaurant Sælhunden, Skibbroen 13, ☏ +45 75420946. Nice small place at the harbor, decently-priced. 
• 2 Restaurant Dagmar, Torvet 1 (It's right next to the cathedral in the direction of the pedestrian street), ☏ +45 75420033. Restaurant Dagmar resides at the old Hotel Dagmar 
• 3 Restaurant Vægterkælderen (Under Hotel Dagmar). Informal cellar restaurant, meals and beer in company with the locals. 

Drink

• 1 strygejernet, dagmarsgade 1 (in the center of town. Just around the corner from the cathedral. The building is shaped like an iron. You can't miss it..). highly recommended bar with cheap drinks and good atmosphere:) Also nice to sit outside in the summer. 

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Danhostel Ribe. Ribe's hostel. 

Go next

• The island of Rømø with huge sandy beaches.
• Beautiful town Tønder