Denmark's Best Seaside Hotel

Denmark is home to many wonderful seaside hotels, where ocean views, relaxation and charming surroundings go hand in hand. But where can you find Denmark's Best Seaside Hotel? Is it at a traditional seaside hotel full of historic charm, a modern hotel with luxurious facilities or a small, hidden gem with a truly special atmosphere?

At OpdagDanmark, we celebrate the country's best seaside hotels and give people across Denmark the opportunity to vote for their favourites. Whether you dream of long walks along the beach, exceptional dining experiences or a relaxing getaway overlooking the sea, you can help discover the best seaside hotels in Denmark.

Just like on X Factor, you can vote for your favourite seaside hotel by text or through our app and help decide who takes home the title of Denmark's Best Seaside Hotel! We crown both a national winner and the best seaside hotels in Denmark's regions and four largest cities.

1. Find your favourite seaside hotel on the list or nominate one that's missing.
2. Cast your vote and share the competition with friends and family.
3. Follow the results and see who wins the title of Denmark's Best Seaside Hotel!

Every year, we announce the winners before the summer season gets into full swing, helping you find inspiration for your next getaway along the Danish coast.

The History of Danish Seaside Guesthouses

The first seaside guesthouses appeared in Denmark in the late 19th century. This was when the upper middle class began taking holidays, and for Copenhagen's wealthier residents, a trip to Frederiksberg (which was considered countryside at the time) was no longer quite fashionable enough.

As doctors began prescribing fresh air and sea bathing as treatments for various illnesses, it became increasingly popular among Copenhagen's wealthy families to bring their servants along and spend the summer at country estates or coastal residences.

A brochure from 1912 titled “Skagen Badehotel paa Grenen – Danmarks Sundhedskilde” (Skagen Seaside Hotel at Grenen – Denmark's Source of Health) included the following description:

»Man springer ud af Sengen, gaar hen til Vinduet og slaar det op! Luften fra Havet stømmer ind saa morgenfrisk og salt, at man formentlig kan mærke det paa Tungen, naar man slikker sig om Munden.«

English translation of the original Danish quote:

“You leap out of bed, walk over to the window and throw it open! The sea air rushes in, so fresh and salty in the morning that you can almost taste it on your tongue when you lick your lips.”

Back then, the brochure did much the same as the popular Danish TV series Badehotellet does today – inspiring us to dream of a simpler life filled with relaxation and well-being by the sea.

Perhaps that's also why you've found your way to this page. But where can you still experience a traditional Danish seaside holiday at a hotel right by the water? Of course, you could choose one of the expensive hotels, but the truth is that since TV 2's hit series took Denmark by storm, countless hotels have added the word “bade” (seaside) to their names or descriptions.

The First Seaside Guesthouses

Fanø Vesterhavsbad opened in the early 1890s as Denmark's first dedicated spa and seaside guesthouse.

The spa hotel experienced a turbulent history with several changes of ownership after the war before it was eventually demolished in 1989.

Another of Denmark's earliest seaside guesthouses was Skagen Badehotel, which welcomed its first guests in 1898. It was among the country's largest and most prestigious seaside hotels, attracting royalty, influential figures and wealthy visitors from Denmark and abroad.

The idyllic hotel at Grenen, the northernmost tip of Skagen, is pictured below in 1912. Tragically, the hotel was destroyed by a fire caused by a lightning strike in 1938. Read more about the fire at Skagen Badehotel.

The Danish Holiday Act of 1938

Initially, holidays were a luxury reserved for the rich and wealthy. However, industrialisation in the late 19th century gradually created a clearer distinction between work and leisure.

Together with the introduction of restrictions on Sunday work in 1891, this helped encourage the development of Denmark's allotment garden movement. Over time, the concept of the weekend also became part of Danish life.

In 1938, Denmark introduced its first Holiday Act, granting employees the right to paid leave. In 1939, the law entitled workers to nine days of paid holiday, increasing to an impressive 12 days in 1940!

Today, the Danish Holiday Act guarantees five weeks of paid annual leave, while many employees are entitled to a sixth week through collective bargaining agreements.