Denmark Guide
Jutland
Long ago, the people of Jutland (Jylland), the Jutes – pronounced "yutes" – were quite a separate tribe from the more warlike Danes who occupied the eastern islands. In pagan times, the peninsula had its own rulers and wielded considerable power, and it was here that the legendary ninth-century monarch Harald Bluetooth began the process that turned the two tribes into a unified Christian nation. By the dawn of the Viking era, however, the Danes had spread west, absorbing the Jutes, and real power in Denmark gradually shifted towards Zealand.
Unhurried lifestyles and rural calm (except for a couple of very likeable cities) make up the overriding impression of Jutland. This is a friendly land, populated by locals who seem to relish their position outside the national spotlight. Yet there's much to enjoy in the unspoilt towns and villages; it may be the most distinctive and interesting area in the country.
South Jutland is a territory long battled over by Denmark and Germany, though beyond the immaculately restored town of Ribe it holds little of abiding interest. Further north,Esbjerg gives easy access to the windswept beaches on the western coast as well as the hills, meadows and woodlands of eastern Jutland, and to some of the peninsula's better-known sights – from the old military stronghold of Fredericia and the ancient runic stones at Jelling to the modern bricks of Legoland at Billund.
Århus, halfway up the eastern coast, is Jutland's main urban centre and Denmark's second city. Just to the east, Djursland – the peninsula known as Denmark's nose – attracts thousands of visitors every year to its rolling hills and sandy beaches. You can head north to old and vibrant Aalborg, which sits on the southern bank of the Limfjorden, a massive fjord that cuts through northern Jutland from Hals on the east coast to Thyborøn on the west coast, leaving the area north of the fjord separated from mainland Jutland.
North of the Limfjorden, you'll get a taste of Jutland at its most dramatic: a sandy semi-wilderness stretching north to Skagen, at the very tip of the peninsula.