The North Atlantic Lighthouse: Sleep where the lightkeepers once lived

By Signe Hansen | Photos: P+P Arkitekter & Thomas Illemann

Waking up in the assistants’ quarters of Denmark’s oldest west coast lighthouse is something few forget. Perched above Hanstholm, with the North Sea on one side and Thy National Park on the other, the holiday flats at The North Atlantic Lighthouse offer a rare chance to stay inside coastal history, with art, culinary experiences and wild nature just outside the door.

The flats are part of the listed lighthouse complex, where lighthouse staff and their families once lived. Today, they offer an atmospheric base for one of Denmark’s most distinctive coastal landscapes and one of Thy’s most unusual cultural destinations.

“Everyone says the same thing: ‘I didn’t know you could actually stay here.’ But once they’ve experienced it, they always come back,” says general manager and lighthouse keeper, Simon Toftdahl Olesen. “Actually, many guests often book again right after leaving.”

Built in 1843 and fully restored in 2017, the lighthouse was once the most powerful in the world. It stands between the national park and Denmark’s largest fish landing port. Guests can climb the lighthouse, follow heather-lined paths, or head towards Hanstholm’s harbour, where food is part of the experience.

The North Atlantic Lighthouse: Sleep where the lightkeepers once lived

The dining scene ranges from Hanstholm Madbar, “a kind of mix between a hipster hangout and a local fisherman’s diner,” as Olesen calls it, to the lighthouse’s own seasonal café and restaurant, run by chefs with Michelin experience and focused on local produce.

In summer 2026, the lighthouse’s exhibition space presents Festen for fiskene, bringing five major artists – Erland Knudssøn Madsen, Kirsten Klein, Kurt Tegtmeier, Steen Folmer Jensen and Tróndur Patursson – together. Running from 6 June to 30 August, the exhibition pays tribute to the legendary Nordatlantiske Nætter of the 1980s: wild, visionary gatherings on the edge of the sea, where poets, musicians, chefs and artists from across the North Atlantic turned Hanstholm into a cultural meeting point. “This is the biggest exhibition we have ever created here. It will span the machine hall, assistants’ building, courtyard and lighthouse garden, with major artists and a strong local anchoring,” says Olesen. “Moreover, it opens a door into Hanstholm’s history for our visitors, with information in Danish, German and English.”

For couples, families and anyone drawn to nature, culture and food, the exhibition adds an extra layer to what is already a distinctive getaway shaped by history, coastal life and the wide horizon of the west coast heather.

The North Atlantic Lighthouse: Sleep where the lightkeepers once lived