Hou on the Kattegat: Beach, Harbour and History

Hou is a coastal town on the Kattegat for travellers who want to bring together beaches, a harbour and maritime history when choosing their destination. Hou Beach is approximately 3 kilometres long, and its bathing water is classified as excellent. There is also a harbour bath, a coastal path and historic sites. This allows you to plan your stay according to your preferred focus, without reducing Hou to a single visit to the beach.

Beach and swimming in Hou

At Hou Beach, there is a public toilet, a life jacket and a waste bin. These facilities complement the clear landscape defined by the long beach and make it easier to assess this stretch of coast for your own stay. Anyone specifically looking for a bathing destination will find two concrete criteria for their choice in the excellent classification of the bathing water and the approximate length of the beach. The Hou Harbour Bath offers a different way to swim. It is located at the outermost part of Hou Harbour. The bathing jetty at Hou Harbour Bath has a crane that enables people in wheelchairs to go swimming. The water depth at the bathing jetty is approximately 1 metre. Hou Marina also has room for more than 200 sailing boats and motorboats.

Coast and paths

Between Hals and Hou, the North Sea Trail follows the Kattegat coast. This section is particularly interesting if not only the individual beach but also the course of the coast is to influence your choice of destination. The reference to Hals and Hou provides a concrete guide for planning your own route.

Historic sites and special impressions

Hou Church is a historicist church from 1900, built according to a design by Vilhelm Ahlemann combining Romanesque and Gothic forms. Construction began in 1899; it was completed in time for its inauguration on 14 October 1900. Inside, the church has whitewashed walls and flat, plastered ceilings. Hou Battery is also part of the town’s history. It was decommissioned in 1817; today, two cannons can be seen there, and information about its history is also available. A lookout tower at Hou Battery offers views across the Kattegat, and climbing is possible on the side of the tower. At the end of Hou Pier, where North Beach begins, the Vindharpen sculpture was erected in 1994. It produces sounds when the wind blows through it and plays only in westerly winds. If you would like to compare Hou with other places from the same broader selection, you can also include Lundby (Lundby), Sulsted (Sulsted), Hostrup (Hostrup), Ajstrup (Ajstrup), Store Restrup (Store Restrup), Egense (Egense), Gandrup (Gandrup) and Svenstrup (Svenstrup) as well.

To the broader travel overview: Aalborg Municipality.