Frederikshavn: Port City Between Beaches, History and Nature

Frederikshavn combines a harbour, museums, green landscapes and an artificial beach. Frederikshavn Harbour offers ferry connections to Gothenburg in Sweden, Læsø and the Hirsholmene islands. There is a large car park within walking distance of the ferries and the town centre; the address is Sydhavnsvej 1. Cloostårnet is 60 metres high.

Harbour and artificial beach

Palmestranden was created in 1977 by adding sand and is an artificial beach. Its construction using added sand distinguishes Palmestranden from a naturally formed beach. As a coastal area, Palmestranden therefore represents a deliberately created type of beach, not a naturally formed one.

Maritime history and art

The Kystmuseet Bangsbo features the Ellingåskibet from 1163 in its maritime exhibition and presents exhibitions on various periods of Danish history. The fishermen’s cluster around Strandgade is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Frederikshavn. Frederikshavn Art Museum is a museum of modern art and crafts and has existed since 1978. Krudttårnet, the oldest building in Frederikshavn, now houses an exhibition on the harbour’s history. The bunker museum at Bangsbo Fort uses around 20 bunkers. Boolsen’s Stone Collection comprises worked stones of various kinds, from ancient millstones and medieval baptismal stones to more recent millstones and ship-mooring stones.

Those interested in culture will find a range of objects and periods here: a ship exhibit from 1163, modern art and crafts, harbour history, bunkers and worked stones. The cultural focus therefore lies on maritime, historical, artistic and stone-related themes.

Forest, park and route

Bangsbo Park covers a total area of 17,500 square metres. Vandværksskoven stretches from Cloostårnet to Bangsbo Museum. In Vandværksskoven, visitors can go walking, mountain biking, fishing and horse riding. One route starts at Møllehuset in Bangsbo and leads to the viewing platform at the summit of Pikkerbakken. The activities and the route offer different ways to spend time in the landscape: several activities in the forest compared with a path with a fixed start and destination. The start at Møllehuset and the viewing platform at the summit of Pikkerbakken give the route a clear direction.

Bangsbo Botanical Garden

Bangsbo Botanical Garden was founded on 29 November 1988 as a botanical garden for the benefit of residents and tourists in Frederikshavn. Its rose garden contains around 150 varieties of roses. Canals and lakes in Bangsbo Botanical Garden create habitats for plants, insects and birds. Guided tours lasting around 1½ hours can be booked at Bangsbo Botanical Garden; this duration provides a manageable timeframe for planning. The Bangsbo Flower Festival is an established, recurring tradition there. The guided tour of around 1½ hours can be considered as a separate time block alongside the rose garden, canals, lakes and the festival tradition.

Further destinations to choose from include Kvissel, Strandby, Lyngså, Dybvad, Nielstrup, Lodskovvad and Østervrå.

For the higher-level travel overview: Frederikshavn Municipality.

More about the destination

Useful information for planning your trip:

Frederikshavn.