Denmark by campervan: best regions and routes

Areas of Denmark

The regions of Denmark: Jutland, the islands and Bornholm

Denmark is one peninsula and about four hundred islands, and no point in it is more than 50 km from the sea. Jutland in the west carries the dunes, the wind and the empty beaches. Funen and Zealand in the middle and east are gentler, greener and where the people are. Bornholm sits on its own in the Baltic, closer to Sweden and Poland than to Copenhagen, and is the sunniest and driest part of the country.

West Jutland and the North Sea coast

West Jutland and the North Sea coast: dunes, wind and the widest beaches in Denmark

A single line of dune and beach running most of the way up Denmark's west side, with the Wadden Sea and its tidal flats at the southern end and the fishing towns and fjords further north. This is the windiest, wettest and emptiest coast in the country, and the one people come back to.

Best May to September

What it is like

• Wind first, weather second. Esbjerg averages 102 mm of rain in October and 821 mm a year, the wettest station on this page.
• Beaches measured in kilometres rather than metres, and wide enough that a busy day still feels empty.

Where to go

• Blåvand and its lighthouse, at the corner of Denmark
• Rømø and Fanø, reached by causeway and by ferry

For the vehicle

• Some beaches here are signed for vehicles and most are not. Read the sign at the access ramp rather than following the car in front.
• Exposed coast roads in a gale are hard work in a high-sided van. Check the wind forecast, not just the rain.

North Jutland and Skagen

North Jutland and Skagen: where two seas meet at the top of the country

The tip of Denmark, where the Skagerrak and the Kattegat collide in a visible line of surf at Grenen and you can stand with a foot in each. Around it: migrating dunes, buried churches, a light that drew a whole school of painters north in the 1870s, and Thy, the first Danish national park.

Best June to September

What it is like

• Aalborg averages 21 °C in July and 46 mm of rain in January, drier than the west coast and a degree cooler than Copenhagen.
• Skagen is crowded in July and beautiful in June and September.

Where to go

• Grenen, where the two seas meet
• Råbjerg Mile, the migrating dune

For the vehicle

• Thy and the state forests behind the coast are Naturstyrelsen land, so driving off the road network is not allowed and the shelters there are walk-in.
• Skagen's harbour and town parking fill in high summer and several areas cap vehicle length. Arrive early or stay outside.

Funen and the South Funen archipelago

Funen and the South Funen archipelago: the gentle middle of Denmark

The island between the two bridges, and the softest landscape in the country: hedged fields, manor houses, orchards and a coastline that breaks up in the south into a scatter of small islands reached by small ferries. Odense in the middle is Denmark's third city and Hans Christian Andersen's home town.

Best May to September

What it is like

• Sheltered and green, warmer than the west coast and drier than east Jutland. The nearest published normal is Aarhus, across the Little Belt.
• The South Funen archipelago is a sailing landscape, and the island ferries are short, frequent and cheap enough to island hop with a van.

Where to go

• Egeskov, a castle standing in its own lake
• Ærøskøbing on Ærø, a preserved merchant town

For the vehicle

• Funen is the piece of Denmark you cross to get anywhere, and both bridges out of it charge by vehicle length. Budget the Storebælt before you budget the week.
• Island ferries price by length too, so measure the van with the bike rack on.