Hotels in Silkeborg

Located along the Gudenå River and surrounded by lakes, Silkeborg lies in the heart of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula. Once the site of a castle and monastery in the 15th century, it flourished following the founding of the Drewsen og Sønner paper mill in 1844. Today, it is regarded as the nation’s outdoor capital due to its abundance of recreational pursuits.

Things to do in Silkeborg

In the heart of Silkeborg is Torvet square, which is ringed by some of the city’s most prominent buildings. Admire the 19th-century Hotel Dania and the Historicist-style Old Town Hall, then gaze up at the soaring spire of the Silkeborg Kirke. Completed in 1877 on a design by the Copenhagen-based HS Sibbern, its interior was vaulted in the 1940s by Harald Lønborg-Jensen.

Delve into the local history at the Silkeborg Museum, which occupies a beautifully preserved manor house dating from 1767. A highlight of the collection is the Tollund Man, a naturally mummified, 4th-century-BC man who was discovered in a Danish bog. The Silkeborg Museum also runs the Paper Mill where money was manufactured from the 19th century and a museum dedicated to poet Steen Steensen Blicher.

There’s no better way to tour Silkeborg’s harbour than aboard the SS Hjejlen, an 1861-built paddle steamer and one of the oldest in the world still in operation. Translating as the “Golden Plover”, it transports tourists between Silkeborg and the “Sky Mountain” of Himmelbjerget - one of the highest natural points in Denmark.

Getting around Silkeborg

Silkeborg is a 40-minute drive from the centre of Aarhus and an hour from Aarhus Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe. Regular trains connect to the Silkeborg railway station and buses travel throughout the city. The centre of Silkeborg can be explored on foot.