Kolding is an ancient medieval town and in the 16th century is was considered one of the most prominent towns in Europe. In everyday life only a few will notice that the buildings and squares, which they pass daily, bear witness of the time when Kolding was a real royal town. Take the look off the interesting shops and experience another side of the town.

Walking through Kolding, do you think about the fact that the paving stones under your feet are many hundred years old? Have you ever taken the time to look at the gables of the houses, the location of the roads and the view from Koldighus? Try taking a walk through the streets of Kolding – and imagine the town as it was 500 years ago.

Kolding was founded during the last half of the 12th century, and at the end of the 16th century was considered one of the most prominent towns in Europe. The old houses in the centre of town bear witness of the origin of the town, and all it takes, is to lay back your head to see that Koldinghus has been the focus of the medieval town Kolding.
Take a walk on the pedestrian street system and see how the old houses lie side by side with new shops. Right in the middle of the pedistrian street are houses from a quite different time. In Helligkorsgade lies the oldest preserved town house in Kolding. It is a read half-timbered house, which was previously used as the town's tourist office. The house is from 1589.

If you continue your walk along the pedestrian street through Østergade, the square of Akseltorv is well worth a break. Until 1930 Akseltorv was the market place, to which farmers from the surrounding area brought their produce etc. on axled carriages Today the square is still used as a market places a couple of times a week. At Akseltorv you will also find the town's tourist office, the town hall and the sloping approach to Kolding-hus. It is evident, that the square was and still is one of the rallying grounds of the town.

On the west side of Akseltorv lies Borch's House. The house is one of the country's finest examples of citizen's houses from the renaissance. It was built in 1595 and is still well maintained. With a view of the castle and exít to one of the central squares of the town, it is easy to imagine the good location, which this house had then and still has today. The house is now used as offices for the town's cultural administration.

The trip from Akseltorv towards Koldinghus gives a feeling of how it must have felt to march towards the castle. The cobbled streets, which wind up towards the highest point in the centre of town bear witness to the importance of the castle to the town. Koldinghus was built in the middle ot the 13th century. The roads to the castle are placed so that it was possible to protect the castle against enemies. Take a walk round the castle, settle on the lawns in front of the castle and admire the view of the town.

After such a stroll it is suddenly not hard to imagine that Kolding was once one of the most important towns of Europe.

Visit Kolding can assist with materials for walks around the town, so that you can read a little about the houses and squares of the town. All through the summer there will be walks with local guides, who will show you the places mentioned here and much more.

During holidays and weekends there shall be time for the children. The hectic everyday life, the quilty conscience and the time spent together, which quickly wrapped up in practical chores, is going to be replaced by presence, play and laughter.
During holidays and weekends the deprivation on weekdays shall be made up for with lots of quality time. Kolding is full of activities for children and their parents. We have many offers, which gives you the possibility to spend time with your children.

The Legeparken (the Play Park) is situated in the centre of Kolding next to Byparken. The admission to the play park is free for the entire family. Here you can go sailing, drive the pedal mooncars, play in sandboxes, on climbing frames and much more. While the children play, the adults can prepare meals on the barbecues set up. In the winter, when the lake freezes over, you can also go skating. In these surroundings you can but have a nice day.

When the sun shines, and the birds are singing, you can take the family on a trip to the Geograpical Garden. Bring your picnic basket. Find shade under a tall tree and unpack all your delicacies. Let the children rund around and play with the animals. Take a walk with your loved one and smell the flowers. Here are experiences for the entire family.

Summer fun on a winter's day
On a dark and dreary winter's day, when the children mope in front of the computer and the energy level has reached bottom, the best cure is a day of summer fun for the entire family. So pack your swim suits and go to the SlotssøBadet, the tropical aqualand of Kolding. It is healthy to move around, and it gives the family the possibility to play together. The large glass building of the SlotssøBadet makes you feel like you are outdoors, which gives an unique bathing experience. You can play on the water chute or make a swimming contest. Let the children splash around, while your tired winter body gets heated among the bubbles of the spa. You can go to the Turkish steam bath and finish off with a cold shower. If you want real luxury, you can pamper yourself with massage or zone therapy. The winter's darkness is surely completely forgotten after a day at SlotssøBadet in Kolding.

When the night falls, and the streetlights light up, the town shows itself from another side. Kolding has an exciting night life with experiences for every taste. The city has a wide selection of cafés, restaurants, discoteques and pubs, which all can contributor to making the night a fun experience.

When hunger gnaws
Kolding has a wide range of restaurants offering food experiences at all price levels. The town has approx. 60 different restaurants and cafés, all with their own speciality. Here is gourmet food for the fastidious, space and entertainment for families, café life, fast food, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Tyrkish, American and of course Danish food.

Not just a beer
Beer is more than just a cold Tuborg. Lately During recent years it has become popular to explore the differences of beer. Beer has become the same status as wine, it must be tasted and sniffed. In Kolding you can have a beer experience beyond what is usual. Taste a dark beer thick as sirop and with a strength, you can feel in your head the day after, or try a real girlie beer with sweetness and bubbles, which tickle your nose. A visit to one of Kolding's beer houses is the recipe for a really fun night. At Republikken (The Republic) in Munkegade they are selling special beers from all over the world. The place has a very wide selection of beer, which can be enjoyed in surroundings inspired by the 70-es. The English Pub in A.L. Passagen offers a wide selection of English beers and ales. A visit to the English Pub is like entering another world. Here are music, laughter and lots of English beer. When the kareokee-machine is turned on, the guests will not leave until the sun rises. Knud's Garage in Munkegade is the perfect place to hang out in the bar listening to old rock music. Here is wide selection of both beer and alcohol.

And then it is time to go dancing ….

After a visit to one of the beer houses in town, it is time to go dancing. Kolding has a wide range of discoteques and music venues. If you like live music, you can drop by Tavlen (the Blackboard) in Munkegade. Every weekend this place is visited by copy and party bands, which always can get the audience going, and the dance floor is quickly filled.

If you prefer discoteques, with drinks and thumping rhythms, you can easily find the right place. On weekends Jernbanegade is transformed to a party street, with several discoteques, which offers everything from R&B and Danish hits to electronic music. There is the Crazy Daisy, where the age limit is above 21, and Shakers, which is a three-storied discoteque with different bar areas.

There is also the Pitstop with a stage, live musik and rock bands from all over the country. If the music gets too loud you can withdraw to the Pitstop lounge.

Kolding is one of the best meeting towns in Denmark. The location in the middle of the country, the historical and cultural attractions and the beautiful scenery, make the surroundings perfect for a professional and eventful meeting town. Further Kolding has through a number of years established an untraditional cooperation, which unites the forces of the town, so that conferences held in Kolding always are a good experience.

Based on its central location in the country, Kolding has for many years been a natural choice for both local and international meetings and conferences. The tourist business in Kolding has many years experience in planning and implementing arrangements, and with the years Kolding has become meeting town No. 1 in Denmark outside Copenhagen.

In spite of its size Kolding has no less than four large hotels of international standard with modern meeting facilities and experience from international summits, large conferences and cultural arrangements. Together the hotels of Kolding have more than 900 rooms and meeting facilities with space for 700 participants at a time.

Kolding also has cultural offers, which can contribute with a new dimension to a traditional arrangement. The beautiful Koldinghus for example makes a magnificent setting. With its large halls and medieval atmosphere Koldinghus can be the host of impressive gala dinners or just be the untraditional frame of an otherwise traditional meeting.

If the facilities should be more modern, Trapholt can offer a very eventful frame for meetings, conferences and social arrangements with its surprising architecture and collection of modern art.

It is also possible to rent one of the largest sail-carrying wooden ships for a trip of the bay of Kolding. Such a sailing trip can induce a different break and be the transportation from a conference to an evening arrangement. Kolding can always offer both traditional as well as different surroundings, which inspire and give the participants and additional experience.

Visit Kolding functions as the point of rotation for the work with Kolding as conference town. The town cooperates across businesses to create good and successful arrangements. This means that Kolding as a conference town is encircled by a professional network, which covers all the areas, which are essential to being a perfect host town for our guests.

In connection with large international conferences, for example security matters are of great importance. In connection with conferences security jobs can be handled by the towns own emergency forces. Kolding has been the host of international EU summits and in this connection the police has handled the great security job in style. Kolding has a discreet yet professional emergency force, which takes all contingencies into consideration without being conspicuous
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In August 2005 Kolding hosted the annual international Cartoon festival. Here work of many years as a network town was tested, and the result was a great success. The hotels in town took care of the accomodation of the guests, while the town's shops, cafés, restaurants and citizens transformed the centre into a cartoon party. Wtih the Tourist Office and Trade Council as initiators the whole town backed up the arrangement and made the Cartoon festival a town fête and a great success for all parties involved. Therefore it is not hard to imagine all the great arrangements, which Kolding also will host in the future. We will continue to strenghten our cooperation with the tourist business in town, so that Kolding remains meeting town No. one outside Copenhagen.