Skagen, Denmark

Forty kilometres north of Frederikshavn, SKAGEN perches at the very top of Jutland amid a desolate landscape of heather-topped sand dunes, its houses painted a distinctive bright yellow. Its tranquil, remote setting makes it a popular holiday destination in the summer, when hotels and restaurants are packed to the limits and prebooking accommodation is essential. Visiting outside the peak period gives you a much better chance of experiencing the area's uniqueness. Skagen can be reached by a privately operated train (Scanrail, Eurail and InterRail passholders get half-price fares), which leaves from Frederikshavn train station roughly once an hour.