Hjørring

Summer is the best time to visit, with long days and the beaches at their best. Spring and autumn are cooler and windy, but quieter on the coast. Winter is dark, damp and grey.

The biggest event is the Dana Cup, one of the world's largest youth football tournaments. It fills the town at the end of July, with teams from dozens of countries. Book accommodation early if you travel then, or plan around it.

The centre is small, and its main sights are a short walk from each other. The best-known landmarks are out on the coast, so plan a day out by car or bike for those.

• Sanct Catharinæ Kirke is the main town church, close to the old market square. It has a late Romanesque brick core, a late Gothic chancel and a 15th-century tower.
• Sankt Olai Kirke is a small Romanesque church from about 1200 on a hill in the old centre. Inside are a Renaissance pulpit and altarpiece.
• Vendsyssel Historiske Museum tells the story of Vendsyssel from the Stone Age to modern times. Its old buildings stand around a walled herb garden with picnic spots.
• Vendsyssel Kunstmuseum occupies a former textile factory. It shows North Danish painters and changing exhibitions, plus an underground gallery for Niels Larsen Stevns.
• Rubjerg Knude lighthouse stands on a 60 m cliff about 13 km west of town. Buses reach the village of Lønstrup, and the lighthouse is a walk or bike ride of about 3 km beyond it. In 2019 the whole tower was moved 70 m inland on rails to save it from the eroding coast. You can climb to the top for views over the sea and the sand dune.
• Hirtshals Lighthouse stands above the ferry port in Hirtshals, about 15 km north. Close by is the Nordsøen Oceanarium, whose huge main tank is the largest in northern Europe.

• By air: Aalborg Airport is the nearest airport with scheduled flights, about 45 km south. Take a train to Aalborg station, then change for Hjørring.
• By train: Regional trains link Hjørring with Aalborg in about 35–40 minutes. Trains also run to Frederikshavn, where you can change for Skagen. Local trains run to Hirtshals.
• By ferry: Hirtshals has ferries to and from Kristiansand, Larvik, Stavanger and Bergen in Norway. A ship also sails to the Faroe Islands, with an Iceland leg for part of the year. Hirtshals is about 20 minutes from Hjørring by train or car.
• By bus: The bus station is next to the railway station. Regional buses serve the coast and nearby towns.
• Tickets: Buy bus and train tickets in the Rejsebillet app or use Rejsekort. NT – Nordjyllands Trafikselskab

Quick practical facts for Denmark at a glance: