Weis Stue began as an inn hotel in 1704, and when you check into the rooms above the restaurant, you step back into time. You open your room door with a huge, old-fashioned metal key, and set it down on an old iron room stove repurposed into a lamp table. Some of original wood wall panels are still in place, coated with hundreds of years of paint, and if the furniture isn’t original, it at least appears to be very old (Mattresses are new and fresh, however). Out the window is a wonderful view of the old Viking town’s main market square and historic Ribe cathedral, built in 1150. That said, this is not an inn for divas: the (clean, modern) bath and shower are shared, and noise insulation is non-existent. There are heavy wooden doors slamming all over the place, the restaurant downstairs is open until 10pm with outdoor seating in the summer, and the bells from the cathedral next door begin at 7:45 am. During the long Danish winter, the rooms are rather dark. That said, as a history lover I found it to be a fun and memorable experience. This inn is also a great place for solo travellers, as the inn has rooms for one at a slightly lower price. People with mobility problems may have trouble getting up the steep wooden stairs. I also recommend the restaurant downstairs, which somehow manages to be touristy but still very, very good. I like the fried fish platter with Danish rye bread, and in summer the restaurant also serves excellent homemade lemonade. Book a table during the busy tourist season if you want to eat there.
