Hirtshals Harbor

Hirtshals sits at the very top of Jutland, a lively port town where the North Sea meets the Skagerrak. Though it counts just over 5,000 residents, it is one of the most important harbours in Denmark, celebrated for both its fishing fleet and its busy ferry connections. The town is comparatively young: it was planned from 1919 and built through the 1920s and 1930s around a great artificial harbour, constructed between 1919 and 1931, which transformed a stretch of open coast into a working seaport. That harbour remains the beating heart of the town today. Visitors can soak up the authentic maritime atmosphere as fishing boats come and go, watch the daily fish auction, and even buy freshly landed fish straight from the quayside. Early morning is the best time to experience it, when the boats return with their catch and the auction gets under way around seven o'clock. From Hirtshals, large ferries set sail across the Skagerrak to Norway, and watching them glide out to sea is a favourite pastime, ideally with a portion of fish and chips in hand. Overlooking the town, the Hirtshals Lighthouse, dating from 1863, offers panoramic views across the sea and harbour for those who climb it. The town is also home to the North Sea Oceanarium, one of the largest aquariums in Europe devoted to North Sea marine life, where a giant tank teems with fish from the surrounding waters. Access to the harbour area is free and open at all hours. Hirtshals is easy to reach, about a twenty-minute drive from Hjørring and served by a railway line running right down to the harbour station. It makes a rewarding stop on any tour of North Jutland's coast.