A visit to Grenen, near Skagen, where two oceans meet

On our recent northern European cruise we stopped for the day in Skagen in Denmark. I must admit that I had never heard of Skagen before our visit! But I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to visit. Skagen is the northernmost town in Denmark, and the northernmost point of land is at Grenen. The reason that most people visit Grenen is because on this sandy peninsula two seas meet - the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. 

Grenen is about three kilometres from Skagen and then it's about a half hour walk across the sand to get to the northernmost point. Your cruise company will probably offer some different options for tours in Skagen, but we've always found it much cheaper to explore cruise stops on our own!

We took a complimentary shuttle bus from the cruise port into the town centre and then headed out in the direction of Grenen. We didn't intend to walk all the way there, but we were doing so well that we just kept going! Many people had hired bicycles and this would be a really good option as the cycle path is flat, straight and easy to follow, but there were also lots of other people walking. The walk takes you out of the town past some attractive buildings, and then along the cycle path which is slightly inland but still a really pleasant walk. There were plenty of signs with maps so you could see where you were and identify the landmarks like the lighthouses. 

At Grenen there is a large car park, toilets, a gift shop and cafe. From Grenen you can walk out to the sandy peninsula yourself, and plenty of people were doing it, but it would be hard work across the sand. We opted to pay a little to take the Sandormen tractor pulled coach. You can use a credit card to easily buy tickets from a small vending machine in the car park, or you can pay cash on board. An adult round trip cost 35, 00 DKK and a child 15,00 DKK (you can find all the details here - Sandormen). It's quite a short journey out across the sand.

The Sandormen drops you right at the Skagen peninsula, where the two seas meet. Having seen enhanced pictures on social media I was a little bit sceptical about what we would actually be able to see, but when you are there you can really see how the two seas are washing together! It was very busy (get there early if you want the Instagram shots without other tourists in the background!), because lots of people wanted to take their photo with a foot in each ocean. It was really beautiful and although it was crowded it also felt peaceful.  

We didn't stop for too long here, and then took the Sandormen back to Grenen. We spent a little while there having a look around the gift shop and using the facilities. There are some lovely views and you can climb up on the dunes to have a look around.

Then for a change, we walked back to the town along the beach. Again it was easy to find the way, and it was a really interesting walk. The beach is both sandy and rocky and all along the coastline there are large concrete bunkers, some of which you can go inside. Then we walked back through the houses to the town centre. When we arrived at the town we used Google maps to find the way, but to be honest you can't really get lost because the town is so small.

I'm really glad that we made the effort to walk out to Grenen, it was a lovely walk in both directions which we found easily manageable and it was definitely somewhere that it was worth making the effort to get to.

When I was planning our trip I found this blog post a really useful resource - How to explore Skagen Denmark on your own. The author discusses various options for reaching Grenen from the town, the sights that you'll see along the way, and also other places to visit in Skagen while you're there.