Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church - Legoland Billund Resort

Route: Aarhus - Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church - Legoland Billund Resort - Aarhus
Duration: 10 h
The first stop in this tour we will make at Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church. Known as the “birth certificate” of Denmark as a nation, the largest of the two Jelling runic stones was erected by King Harald Bluetooth in the late 10th century as a commemoration of his unification of Norway and Denmark as one kingdom and of christening the Danish people. For these reasons Jelling holds unique value in Danish history as it has come to signify the thousand-year-old pillars of Danish identity: the unbroken lineage of the royal family, Christianity and the nation. In 1994, the monuments became a World Heritage Site. Today the two runic stones stand encased in glass by the entrance of a small whitewashed Rom- anesque parish church built in limestone with a small church yard around it. Just a few meters north and south of the church and stones lie two large burial mounds from the Viking Age, built for the parents of King Harald, his father King Gorm the Old who erected the smaller runic stone for his wife Queen Thyra. Through archaeological excavations in the late 20th and early 21st century a “stone ship” setting was unearthed. The decorative and monumental structure hails from the middle of the 10th century and consisted of large white granite boulders placed in a 356-meter-long ship formation. Our next stop will be at the Legoland Billund Resort, the original Legoland park, opened on 7 June 1968 in Billund. This  Legoland the largest tourist attraction in Denmark outside Copenhagen. There you will visit to The heart of Legoland is Miniland where are 20 million plastic Lego blocks snapped together to create miniature cities and replicate global icons (and re-create scenes from Star Wars movies). You can’t help but marvel at the brilliant Lilliputian models of the Kennedy Space Center, Amsterdam, Bergen or a Scottish castle and you’ll no doubt vow to head home and drag your Lego out of storage to see what masterpiece you can create. In Miniland you can also do some advance sightseeing of Danish landmarks including Copenhagen’s Nyhavn, Ribe, Skagen and various royal palaces. Or take a trip in miniboats past landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Acropolis and an Egyptian temple. The reconstructions are on a scale of 1:20 to 1:40 and the attention to detail is incredible. The park’s largest piece, a model of Indian chief Sitting Bull, was built with 1.4 million Lego bricks.  Pick up a map to assist with further exploration. The park is divided into themed areas, including Legoredo Town, a Wild West area that's home to a haunted house; Knights’ Kingdom, where a medieval castle awaits; Pirate Land, which hosts ships, sword-play and a swimming area; Ninjago World, the place to battle a ninja-loathing serpent; Adventure Land, a strange hybrid of Indiana Jones meets Egypt; Polar Land, with a roller coaster and a penguin habitat; and Duplo Land, with plenty of safe, simple rides and activities for littlies.  After that we will visit to the largest water park in Scandinavia, close to LEGOLAND. It is home to the largest Aquadome in Scandinavia, with a tropical water park where you can enjoy a wonderful beach, crystal-clear water, the sun and the heat, swaying palm trees and comfortable sun loungers all year round.A 10,000 m2 water park with 28 degrees in the water and 30 degrees in the air throughout the year. And as if this was not enough, there is also a whole host of other activities to keep you busy. You can also visit the major attraction at Lalandia - Winter World. You can battle your way up the 9-metre high climbing wall, go sledging or skiing down an indoor ski slope or skate around the ice rink. And there is even more to do than just going swimming or playing games! Bowling, handball, football, tennis, a fitness centre and indoor mini golf are among the many sports activities that you can do while you are waiting for your swimsuits to dry off. After we will return to Aarhus.
Price: Per person