Northern Denmark Travel Guide – Destinations, Routes, When to Travel

Northern Denmark is one of the most visited regions of the country. Thanks to great beaches and small idyllic towns, it gives you a proper taste of Danish culture.

An introduction to Northern Denmark

The windy and loosely populated northern region of Denmark is – perhaps surprisingly – one of the most popular destinations in the country by tourists. Every spring and summer, lots of Norwegians and Germans make their way to Northern Denmark to stay in cozy beach houses.

But people from other countries are also becoming rapidly more interested in the north of Denmark.

In recent years, the city of Aalborg has become a much more international city. The university attracts exchange students, and with the fast emergence of the airport, cultural travelers are also starting to visit.

But the smaller coastal towns around the region still ranks supreme. They attract high amounts of tourists each and every year. In many of these towns, there will be more tourists than locals if you visit during peak travel weeks.

Geographically speaking, Northern Denmark is primarily an island for itself (Nørrejyske Ø) and also a small part of the peninsula of Jutland. Historically, most inhabitants were fishermen and farmers. These occupations are still common, but nowadays a majority of the people living in Northern Denmark are working in the service sector. It is the least populated region in Denmark with just shy of 600,000 inhabitants. Approximately a fifth of the people in North Jutland is living in Aalborg.

Best travel destinations in the north

The city of Aalborg will likely be your entry point to North Jutland. It is the only city in the region with an international airport. In fact, it is the third-largest in all of Denmark. You can find frequent routes between Aalborg and cities such as London, Amsterdam and Barcelona. There are also countless connections to Copenhagen at all hours of the day.

If the main reason for your visit is to experience the culture, you should absolutely focus your trip around Aalborg. Choose a nice hotel there, and use it as a base to explore the rest of the region, which can be done by car rental, buses or trains.

Aalborg is a booming cultural city with a large student population, many museums, many events (such as Northern Europe’s largest carnival) and incredible nightlife. It is by far the biggest city in the region, and it is where you can expect most things to happen.

However, the secondary towns of Hjørring and Frederikshavn are also quite interesting. Hjørring offers great opportunities for shopping, and in the summer it hosts the largest youth football tournament in the world, Dana Cup. Frederikshavn, on the contrary, is a coastal city with frequent ferry connections to Sweden and Norway. Very charming in its own right.

We mentioned some popular coastal towns earlier – these are primarily Skagen, Løkken and Blokhus. These three towns are cute and historic at the same time. Skagen has the most cultural things to see, but don’t underestimate Løkken. All of them have beaches and are plentiful of restaurants!

Aside from that, you can explore some smaller towns on your own. Hirtshals, Sæby, Aabybro, Nice and other towns are also worth a few hours. Due to the small size of the region and the nice quality of roads, it is easy to visit several places on the same day. It can easily be done if you have the energy for it.

Planning your route

If you prefer a cultural vacation, you should stay in Aalborg. If you prefer a calm holiday by the beach, you should stay in Løkken or Blokhus.

No matter where you stay, it will be easy to explore the rest. Renting a car or bringing your own vehicle is a great choice, but there are buses and trains connection every part of the region as well. When you have chosen your main place to stay, you can do day trips to every other place you want to see. One option is to improvise when you’ve arrived, but you can also plan everything ahead. Google Maps is a great tool to use for this purpose.

Best time to go

The summer months (June, July and August) are the best months to visit since you can go to the beach. All restaurants and shops will also be open during this time, as it is the peak season.

However, that also means prices will rise and that there will be a lot of other tourists around. If you wish to escape this, but you still don’t want to visit while it’s too cold, months like May and September are also quite alright.

In the autumn, there will be a lot of local events in the cities and towns in North Jutland, but the weather is hardly worth mentioning. Usually, the autumn is dark and rainy. In December, it doesn’t get much better, but with beautiful Christmas decorations everywhere, it is a nice time to visit. The coldest months are typically January and February. These are also the cheapest months to visit North Jutland.

Northern Denmark Vacation Package

At the moment we are not offering any vacation package for a trip to Northern Denmark.

However, we can still recommend some hotels in the region, we can help you find the best plane tickets, and we can help you decide which towns to visit. Simply use the contact form or write a comment below if you want us to get in touch with you.