The Wadden Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; most of its land areas lie within Varde Municipality. Millions of migratory birds use it as a resting area. At Filsø, birdlife can be experienced in a specific location: the area is an important resting place for 234 bird species and today covers around 915 hectares of natural and wetland areas. Filsø was restored as its original lake. Hiking and cycling routes, birdwatching towers and car parks are part of the visitor infrastructure there. In this way, nature watching combines with various ways to explore the landscape.

The Wadden Sea, Filsø and the coastal landscape

Vesterhavet Nature Park offers a different scale. Established in 2014, it stretches as a coastal belt up to nine kilometres wide across around 22,500 hectares, from Blåvandshuk to Nymindegab. These figures describe an extensive coastal landscape, while Filsø, as a single natural and wetland area, offers a clearly defined focus on bird resting places and routes. Together, they show different sides of nature in Varde.

Blåbjerg Plantation also combines landscape and activity. Denmark’s highest dune, at 64 metres, is located in Blåbjerg. The plantation lies partly on the Varde hill island; the national cycling route Vestkyststien runs through it. Marked hiking trails, bridleways and a mountain bike trail add to the options. The Natura 2000 site No. 83 includes Hennegårds Klitter, Lyngbos Hede and Løvklitten.

Trails through the landscape

The Kyst til Kyst Stien is a 130-kilometre hiking trail from Blåvandshuk to Vejle. Along the route, there are shelters and campsites with fire pits, water and toilets; car parks are located close to the trail. As facilities may change, it is a good idea to check the information before setting off. Varde Municipality also offers a cycling network with numbered junctions and digital maps, connecting nature, towns and landscapes along the west coast.

When planning, it is worth distinguishing between the different routes: the Kyst til Kyst Stien is a 130-kilometre hiking trail; Vestkyststien is a national cycling route that runs through Blåbjerg Plantation. This makes it possible to choose according to activity and route character, without treating the trails as one combined route.

Discover history and culture

The Tirpitz museum complex features three permanent exhibitions: “Den skjulte vestkyst”, “En hær af beton” and “Havets guld”. The original TIRPITZ fortress is also part of the complex and can be explored by visitors. FLUGT – Refugee Museum of Denmark offers a different approach to history. The museum uses the historic Oksbøl refugee camp as its setting and presents stories of displacement through personal accounts. While Tirpitz uses exhibitions and the fortress, FLUGT places individual stories at the centre.

Nymindegab Museum tells the story of one of Denmark’s first artists’ colonies: the Nymindegab painters were founded by Laurits Tuxen. The museum’s authentic surroundings include a carpenter’s house and a sawmill with a working workshop. Hjedding Andelsmejeri offers another way to discover the everyday workings of earlier technology. The dairy was founded in 1882 as Denmark’s first cooperative dairy. Its rooms are furnished as they were when it was established in 1882; exhibits include a steam engine, a centrifuge, a butter-making machine and a kneading table.

Art lovers will find a collection at JANUS – Museum for Contemporary Art, with works dating from 1950 to the present day. Its focus areas include women artists, outsider art and artists from West Jutland. Kunsthaven displays works by Danish and international artists; sculptures and reliefs are set around an old copper beech. For a glimpse of Varde’s former townscape, Varde Miniby depicts the market town as it looked around 1860, with more than 300 miniature buildings at a scale of 1:10. During the season, visitors can watch the miniaturists’ daily precision work in the workshop.

Gardens and events also add their own distinctive touches. Tambours Have is a visitor garden of around 25,000 square metres, divided into six areas, each with its own character. Features include unusual plants, streams, carved wooden figures and a playground. The recurring Varde Å Dag combines activities with culinary experiences and takes place along the river near Hodde, Varde, Janderup and Ho Bugt/Kjelst. Check the programme before your trip if you would like to plan around the event day.

Discover more destinations: Oksbøl, Ansager, Kvong, Nørre Nebel, Henne, Henne Strand, Lønne, Nymindegab, Grærup, Vejers Strand, Hovstrup, Blavand, Årre, Billum, Frøstrup, Næsbjerg, Sædding, Ovtrup, Borre, Tistrup, Varde, Agerbæk.

For the broader travel overview: Southern Jutland.