Haithabu, known in Danish as Hedeby, was the greatest Viking trading town in northern Europe, and its site lies on the shore of the Haddeby Noor, an inlet of the Schlei, only three kilometres from the town of Schleswig. From the eighth century to the eleventh, ships from Scandinavia, the Baltic, the Frisian coast and even the Islamic world met here, because the town sat at the narrowest point of the Jutland peninsula, where goods could be hauled overland between the North Sea and the Baltic, avoiding the stormy journey around Denmark.
Everything was burned and abandoned after a raid in 1066, and the town never came back. That is lucky for archaeologists, because the site was left alone, and the wet ground kept wood, leather and textiles in excellent condition. Excavations have found workshops, jewellery, coins from distant lands and the wrecks of ships, including a long warship. A museum on the site shows finds and has reconstructed houses on the original plots, a good way to understand how cramped and busy the town must have been. Haithabu and the great earthwork of the Danevirke were inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018.
For a rider it is a quiet, flat place, with the road running through meadows and reed beds beside the water, and a slight smell of mud and fish in warm weather. The best time to come is in the morning, before the school groups and coaches. Walk along the shore and the old rampart, which still curves around the site in a half-circle, and you can almost feel the size of the town.
Fahrdorf, a few kilometres away, has some shops and a bakery, but for fuel and a proper lunch go to Schleswig, a town of twenty-four thousand, where there are stations and a fine harbour. The ground is only eight metres above sea level, so there are no hills, only long views over the water. Bring a jacket, since the wind can be sharp even in summer. The Viking festival days are a lively time to visit, but check the dates.