The municipality is part of Triangle Region and of the East Jutland metropolitan area, which had a total population of 1.378 million in 2016.

[4][5] To the east is a strait, first called Snævringen ("The Narrowing") and then further south Bredningen ("The Broadening"), that separates the Jutland mainland from the island of Funen in this area, where the two lie very close to each other, often less than 1.5 km apart.

Snævringen is an extension of the Kattegat, and begins near the cities of Fredericia and Middelfart, north and east of Kolding municipality.

It was built in the 13th century by King Eric Glipping and is now a museum with certain parts of the castle, including its chapel and hall, being used for governmental ceremonial events.

Other popular tourist attractions include the Trapholt Art Museum and the Geographic Garden (Geografisk Have).