Autumn Holiday

The Vikings' Valhalla

In the Viking Age, autumn was a time where crops had to be harvested, the warriors came home from expeditions and the boats had to be maintained over the winter months ahead. The days were getting shorter and the dark time was approaching. In the evening, people gathered around the fire, where stories about gods and heroes were told to help pass the time.

The autumn holiday activities at the Viking Ship Museum take place around the Viking tents on 'Strandengen' – the beach meadow, where the lit bonfires create a cosy atmosphere and you can immerse yourself in life as it was 1000 years ago.

The longship 'Sea Stallion from Glendalough' is docked by a low bridge next to Strandengen, making it easy for everyone to get aboard. The Sea Stallion is the world's longest reconstruction of a Viking ship - a full 30 meters long - and when you are on board you can really imagine what it was like to travel across the sea in a longship.

Strandengen - the beach meadow

In the tent camp at Strandengen, you can train the skills a Viking would need when the spring came: throwing a mooring line, fighting with a sword, or training one's strength in a game of tug-of-war.

By the atmospheric fires, you can bake Birka-biscuits, a flatbread that is made according to a recipe from the Viking Age and is well suited for a day at sea or in the field.

Stories for children

If you fancy a quiet moment with a good story, take a seat in the storytelling tent and hear the exciting tales about the fantastic ships from Nordic mythology.

Hear about Frej's fantastic ship 'Skibladner', that always had the wind from behind and could be folded to fit in the palm of your hand.

Facts about tales from Norse mythology

Time: Every day at 11:00 and at 15:00 in Danish and 13:30 in English
Duration: Approx. 30 minutes

The family tour 'Tyr's lost courage'

Twice a day, children and adults can take part in the family tour 'Tyr's lost courage', which has Nordic mythology as its focal point.

Here the children must help the god Tyr to regain his lost courage by solving a series of tasks that require cleverness, courage and cooperation.

The tasks to be solved are all based on maritime life in the Viking Age and the fantastic stories from Nordic mythology.

Facts about the Family Tours 'Tyr's lost courage'

Time: Every day at 12:30 in Danish and 14:30 in English
Duration: Approx. 30 minutes

War, battle and sharp weapons

Had you survived in the Viking Age? The Viking warrior shows off his impressive weapons and shows how to use them. Most Viking warriors were equipped with axes and shields, while the great man could have expensive weapons, such as swords, helmets and chain mail. Martial arts have been a craft that one has learned and trained to become the best warrior and thus could hope to return home to the family after the expedition.

Facts about the Viking warrior
With the fjord and the Viking Ship Hall as a backdrop, the Viking warriors fight with swords, spears, axes and shields on Strandegen - The beach meadow

When: Every day during the autumn holidays 14 - 22 October 2023
Time: You can meet the Viking warrior from 10-16. At 12.00 and 14.00 the Viking warrior gives a special demonstration of the strength of the weapons.
Duration: Approx. 30 minutes.

The boatyard

At the boatyard, you will be able to see the initial work on the Skuldelev 5 reconstruction progress.

Watch our skilled boatbuilders work on the reconstruction of a Danish warship from the end of the Viking Age and ask questions about tools and clinker building techniques.

'Build a Boat' workshop for creative children and adults

At the boatyard, you can also test your boatbuilding skills yourself in our open workshop. The only limit is your imagination. A good boat must be able to float, be stable in the water and be able to sail. If the children have heard the stories about the ships of the gods in the storytelling tent, they can be inspired to give their boat divine properties using crayons, paper and a good imagination.

Special tour - Skuldelev 5 and the reconstructions

The Skuldelev 5 tour is based on the history of Skuldelev 5 and the reconstruction of the ship, which was previously built by the Viking Ship Museum's boatyard, as well as the new reconstruction, which will be underway for the next few years.

The tour passes the original Skuldelev 5 ship in the Viking Ship Hall, the reconstruction of Skuldelev 5, Helge Ask, in the Museum Harbor and the new reconstruction at the boatyard, which started this year. Find out more about the construction project, the importance, and the very essence, of experimental archaeology and the work at the boatyard.

Get answers to questions such as: why we are reconstructing Skuldelev 5 once again. What are we doing differently now? And why didn't we do that 30 years ago? Have we become wiser since then?

Facts about the Skuldelev 5 tour

Time: Every day at 11:30 in English and 14:00 in Danish
Duration: Approx. 1 hour

Explore the museum on your own

We have also made sure that there is plenty to do if you want to experience the museum on your own.

In the Viking Ship Hall, you can help solve the MuseumMystery, which is a digital game you can play on your own phones.

Listen to the museum's Audioguide telling stories for both children and adults - and a number of special 'expert versions' for those who really want in-depth knowledge.

One of the stories is about a ship's boy from Northern Norway. He comes for the first time to the large trading town Hedeby, which lies on the border between the kingdom of the Danes and the kingdom of the emperor to the south. He had never in his life seen so many people or houses gathered in one place - or at all! There are also stories about the boy who became a warrior and the princess who sailed onboard a longship to a foreign land to become queen of a distant Viking kingdom.

In the museum's special, child-friendly exhibition about the Vikings' voyages at sea, it is possible to dress up as Vikings and board the two large ships, which are surrounded by 'living walls' that make the ships appear to be sailing across the sea.

Autumn holiday program 14 - 22 October 2023:

Guided tours and storytelling:
11:00: Stories for children (Danish)
11:30: The special tour: Skuldelev 5 and the reconstructions (English)
12.00: Warrior Talk on 'Strandengen' - The Beach Meadow (Danish and English)
12:30: Family tour: 'Tyr's lost courage' (Danish)
13:00: Stories for children (English)
14.00: Warrior Talk on 'Strandengen' - The Beach Meadow (Danish and English)
14:00: The special tour: Skuldelev 5 and the reconstructions (Danish)
14:30: Family tour: 'Tyr's lost courage' (English)
15:00: Stories for children (Danish)

Activities:
• Bake Birka-biscuits over an open fire
• Meet the Viking Warrior and take a look at his weapons
• Fight with sword and shield
• Build a boat in the workshop
• Board Viking ships
• Dress like a Viking
• Compete in Viking games
• Solve the MuseumMystery - a digital game on your own phone
• Audio guide on your own phone

Activities opening hours:
14 - 22 October 2023 from 10:30-16:30

Museum opening hours:
Every day from 10:00-17:00

Entrance:
Children under 18 free of charge
Adults: DKK 160
Family ticket for two adults and children under 18: DKK 300

The Viking Ship Museum, Vindeboder 12, 4000 Roskilde