Discover Skagen: Art, Nature and History

Skagen combines art history with landscapes and historic buildings. If you are looking for a hotel in Skagen, its varied themes can help you shape your trip around your own interests: from museums and traces of history to hiking trails and birdwatching.

Art and Life Stories in Skagen

Skagens Museum houses the world’s largest collection of works by the Skagen painters. The collection comprises 20,000 objects, including sculptures, interiors and decorative arts. The museum’s guided tours explore the distinctive artists’ community that emerged in Skagen in the late 19th century. The museum visit therefore focuses both on the works and on the community’s setting.

Drachmanns Hus preserves Holger Drachmann’s original interior, his art collection and numerous objects he gathered on his travels. A guided tour of the house covers his life and work in Skagen. Another guided outdoor tour follows in the footsteps of Anna, Michael and Helga Ancher in the area around Anchers Hus and Brøndums Hotel. Tour dates may change; check the latest information before planning your visit.

Anchers Hus is a small listed house with limited accessibility. Bear this in mind when planning a visit. Kystmuseet Skagen has a different focus: this combined open-air and exhibition museum features reconstructed houses from three periods in Skagen’s history. The Black Period extends to around 1875, the Yellow Period runs from around 1875 to 1907, and the Red Period begins after 1907.

Buildings and History

Skagen Bunkermuseum is located near Grenen in an authentic German bunker from the Second World War. It is housed in a Regelbau 638, a medical bunker built during the occupation to treat wounded German soldiers. The Sand-Covered Church, also known as Sankt Laurentius Kirke, dates from the late 14th century. Its surroundings are well suited to walks, photography and quiet reflection.

Skagen’s Vippefyr, Denmark’s first rotating beacon, was built in 1627. The Vippefyr standing at the same site today is a faithful reconstruction of the original lighthouse. Each year on Sankt Hans Eve, 23 June, its fire basket is lit again; the annual events may vary. This site brings together the history of the beacon and a recurring tradition.

Grenen: Landscape, Birds and Trails

The landscape around Grenen is designated as a nature reserve and is open to everyone. Shallow lagoon lakes often form on the outer beach, attracting large flocks of wading birds. The old lighthouse keeper’s house at the Grey Lighthouse houses the “Wingbeat” exhibition about Skagen’s distinctive landscape, wildlife and birdlife; the exhibition name may change. The Grey Lighthouse also organizes guided birdwatching tours together with the Skagen Bird Observatory. At the Bird Observatory, visitors can take part in bird-ringing tours and learn more about ringing migratory birds; arrangements may need to be made in advance.

Those wishing to explore the landscape on foot will find more than 20 kilometres of trails in Grenensporet, winding through the hinterland of Grenen. The shortest route is three kilometres long and has a gravel surface suitable for wheelchair users and families with pushchairs. Surface conditions may change; check them before your visit. For a longer route, the 132-kilometre Nordsøstien runs along the entire east coast in Frederikshavn Municipality, circles Skagen’s Gren and continues along the west coast to Skiveren. These different distances give you a concrete guide for tailoring your hiking plans to the length you want.

Alternatively, visitors can travel from the car park at Grenen to the tip of Grenen on the Sandormen. The seasonal service runs from Easter through calendar week 43 inclusive; check the dates before travelling. Visitors to the Grey Lighthouse can climb the 210 steps to the top and enjoy views over the tip of Grenen and the town of Skagen. Check access conditions in advance.

Guided Tours and Visit Planning

The available activities offer different ways to explore Skagen’s history and nature: a guided tour may focus on the artists’ community or Holger Drachmann, while guided birdwatching and bird-ringing tours focus on birdlife. Dates may also change for the outdoor tour in the area around Anchers Hus and Brøndums Hotel. Check the latest information about the tours and any arrangements needed for bird-ringing tours before adding them to your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Lyngså, Lodskovvad, Kvissel, Østervrå, Bunken, Ålbæk, Tolne, Voerså

For the overview of the wider area: Frederikshavn Municipality.