Villas in Western Jutland

Rømø and Fanø have the widest beaches, Blåvand suits families and Hvide Sande has surf, but the North Sea here is cold and often windy. This is Denmark's main holiday-house coast, with more houses than any other region: timber sommerhuse set back in the dunes, many with a sauna or wood burner. You will want a car.

Where

Villas: 2,001
From, per week: £250
Cheapest month: September
Nearest airports: Billund is the nearest airport for most of the coast, with British Airways flights from Heathrow taking around one hour 45 minutes. Hamburg is a practical alternative for Rømø and the Tønder area. The northern end around Thyborøn and Lemvig is around two hours from Billund.

Where to stay in Western Jutland

Rømø (far south)

More of our houses are on Rømø than anywhere else in the region. A road causeway of roughly nine kilometres crosses the Wadden Sea from the mainland, and the west side is one long beach; at Lakolk you can drive and park on the sand. Havneby, at the southern tip, has the ferry to the German island of Sylt. Billund is around an hour and a half by car, Hamburg a little over two hours.

Best for: Families who want a huge beach and room for kites and dogs

Not for you if: You want shelter: the island is flat and open, and the wind off the sea is constant.

Blåvand, Oksbøl, Vejers Strand and Henne (south-west corner)

Blåvandshuk lighthouse marks Denmark's most westerly point, and the Tirpitz museum, built into the dunes around a wartime bunker, is a good wet-day option. Blåvand village has supermarkets, ice cream and bike hire. Vejers Strand and Henne Strand are smaller, with houses tucked into heather and pine, and Oksbøl sits inland beside large plantations. Billund airport is about an hour away.

Best for: First-timers and families who want shops and activities close by

Not for you if: You want somewhere empty in July: Blåvand is one of the busiest resort villages on the coast.

Hvide Sande and Ringkøbing Fjord (Hvide Sande, Ringkøbing, Hemmet, Skjern, Tarm, Nørre Nebel)

Holmsland Klit is a thin ridge of dunes with the North Sea on one side and the shallow Ringkøbing Fjord on the other. That gives you two kinds of water: rough sea for experienced swimmers and a flat fjord where children learn to windsurf. Hvide Sande has a fishing harbour and smokehouses. Ringkøbing's old centre is a short drive north, and Hemmet faces the quieter southern shore of the fjord. Billund is around an hour and a quarter.

Best for: Surfers, anglers and families who like a working harbour

Not for you if: You dislike driving the same coast road daily: houses string out along a narrow strip of dune.

Fanø (island off Esbjerg)

The ferry from Esbjerg takes about 12 minutes and runs many times a day. Nordby, where it lands, is the main village; Sønderho, at the southern end, has low thatched houses and narrow lanes. The west coast is one broad beach, and cars are allowed on parts of it. Houses listed under Esbjerg V are on the mainland side, close to the ferry. Billund is roughly an hour from the terminal.

Best for: Couples and families who like a small island with thatched villages

Not for you if: You want to avoid ferries: every supermarket run off the island means the boat.

Harboøre, Thyborøn, Lemvig, Ulfborg and Vemb (north end)

North of Ringkøbing the coast gets wilder. Harboøre Tange is a narrow spit between sea and fjord, ending at the fishing port of Thyborøn, and Bovbjerg lighthouse stands on one of the few clifftops on this coast. Lemvig sits on the Limfjord with a sheltered harbour, and Ulfborg is the base for Husby Klit and the Nissum Fjord shore. Billund is around two hours away.

Best for: Walkers and birdwatchers who want space and lower prices

Not for you if: You want a resort feel: this end has fewer cafés and shops, and the towns are working places.

Toftlund, Højer, Bredebro and Tønder (south Jutland marshes)

Toftlund has a large share of the region's houses, but it lies inland among farmland and woods, not on the coast. Closer to the sea, Højer and Bredebro sit on the reclaimed marshes behind the Wadden Sea dikes, where huge starling flocks gather on spring and autumn evenings (the Sort Sol). Tønder has a well-kept old centre, and Ribe, Denmark's oldest town, is within an hour. Billund and Hamburg are each around two hours.

Best for: Nature lovers and families happy to drive to the beach

Not for you if: You want to walk to the sea: Toftlund is inland, roughly 40 minutes from Rømø.

When to go to Western Jutland

July and early August are the warmest weeks and the busiest, with Danish and German school holidays overlapping. German holidays run on into late August and September, so the coast stays fairly lively longer than you might expect. June and September are quieter and cheaper, but the sea is cold and you need layers on the beach. The October half-term week is popular for storm-watching and sauna weekends. From November to March many beach kiosks and cafés close, and the wind can be fierce.