Europes Archives - Com Namibia

Europe’s Coast Nicknamed Cold Hawaii Draws More Visitors

July 21, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

At first glance, there is nothing about this coast that sets it apart from any other North Sea shoreline battered by wind. Yet, for about thirty years, it has built a solid reputation among surfing enthusiasts. Today, this region is undergoing a new metamorphosis: alongside wind-surfing schools and wild beaches, there are now Michelin-starred restaurants, contemporary art galleries, and even an outpost of the National Gallery of Denmark.

An evolution that makes “Cold Hawaii,” in Denmark’s Jutland, one of the most remarkable destinations in Northern Europe.

Waves That Changed the Destiny of This Danish Coast

The name may provoke a smile, but it has become a true hallmark. The expression “Cold Hawaii” appeared in the 1990s within the international surfing community, before being popularized by windsurfing world champion Josh Stone. This Danish coast owes its nickname to the contrast between its renowned waves, likened to those of Hawaii, and the frigid North Sea climate, and it designates nearly 50 kilometers of coastline between Hanstholm and Agger, where 31 official surf spots line the shore.

Here, there are no palm trees or turquoise water. The beaches stretch at the foot of the dunes, heathlands, and the forests of Thy National Park, the first national park in Denmark. The sea temperatures also necessitate wearing a wetsuit for much of the year, but that does not deter surfers, windsurfers, or stand-up paddle enthusiasts from enjoying the conditions offered by the North Sea.

The village of Klitmøller has become the nerve center of this scene. Each year, it hosts an international surfing competition and sees practitioners from all over Europe pass through. Surrounding this activity a new economy has developed: specialty shops, surf schools, coworking spaces, spas, and even a wine bar have gradually replaced the image of a simple coastal village. Several artists have also chosen to settle there, including the Danish visual artist Jeppe Hein.

The transformation is also evident in Vorupør. Once almost exclusively fishing-oriented, the village now attracts Danish, German, and Belgian visitors. New accommodations, restaurants, and shops are multiplying, without the sector losing its peaceful atmosphere, especially outside the summer season.

A Destination That Now Bets on Gastronomy and Contemporary Art

While Cold Hawaii remains a favored destination for water-sports enthusiasts, the region is now seeking to appeal to culture and gastronomy lovers. In 2022, chef Nicolas Min Jørgensen opened the Tri restaurant, awarded a Michelin star just one year later. His cuisine relies almost exclusively on local resources: North Sea fish and seafood, products from the nearby Limfjord, and ingredients gathered in Thy National Park.

The cultural development is equally spectacular. In 2025, the National Gallery of Denmark opened SMK Thy, an outpost installed in Doverodde, about a thirty-minute drive from Vorupør. The venue occupies a 42-meter-high grain silo dating from the 1960s, completely refurbished to host exhibitions. Visitors can notably discover the Living Landscapes exhibition, shown until October 18, which brings together works by Claude Lorrain, Edvard Munch, and the Danish artist Rasmus Myrup.

This surprising installation in a rural region has nevertheless quickly found its audience. “It’s hard to understand how the National Gallery of Denmark ended up in this peaceful region of Jutland, but it is already enjoying real success”, writes journalist Alice Godwin in The Guardian.

Just a few kilometers away, on the other side of the Limfjord, another project confirms this momentum. Opened in 2023 in an old barn on the medieval Boddum Bisgaard estate, the Kunsthal Thy gallery presents works by Danish and international artists specializing in sculpture, video, or contemporary installations.

For a long time regarded as a discreet destination reserved for surfing enthusiasts, Cold Hawaii is thus establishing itself as a territory where nature, gastronomy, and contemporary creation now progress in concert. A distinctive identity that allows this stretch of the Danish coastline to stand out from the country’s more frequented seaside resorts.

This Spanish Island Could Be One of Europe’s Best-Kept Secrets

June 19, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

While some European destinations are bursting with visitors, a small Spanish island keeps living away from the crowds. Located at the western edge of the Canary Islands, El Hierro preserves its discreet charm with limited tourism, dramatic landscapes, and a preserved way of life. Between volcanic scenery, age-old traditions, and ecological ambitions, this isolated territory draws travelers in search of authenticity. A uniqueness that helps explain why it remains largely unknown to the general public, as CNN notes.

A volcanic land preserved away from the major tourist circuits

At a moment when Tenerife, Lanzarote, or Gran Canaria welcome millions of visitors each year, El Hierro stands out as an exception. For instance, more than six million international tourists visited Tenerife in 2024, compared with only 4,100 to El Hierro. This gap is largely explained by its limited accessibility. The island has no direct international flight connections and no large hotel complexes.

With its roughly 12,000 inhabitants, El Hierro presents a face radically different from the Canary Islands’ seaside resorts. Nicknamed “the island of a thousand volcanoes,” it hosts nearly 500 visible volcanic craters and around 300 more buried beneath younger lava flows. These geological phenomena have shaped a dramatic landscape where, within just a few kilometers, one encounters varied sceneries and a remarkable diversity of microclimates, despite a land area of a little over 260 square kilometers: black cliffs plunging into the ocean, pine forests perched in the clouds, and natural pools carved into volcanic rock.

This particular geography has also fostered the development of an original agriculture. In the El Golfo valley, a vast natural depression 1,500 meters deep formed by an ancient landslide, crops play a major role in the local economy. Alongside traditional productions, farmers are now experimenting with coffee, cocoa, and even dragon fruit using permaculture techniques adapted to the island’s conditions.

El Hierro also stands out for its winemaking heritage. The island’s isolation helped preserve certain grape varieties that disappeared elsewhere in Europe after the late-19th-century phylloxera crisis. Vineyards remain an integral part of the island’s landscapes and stand as a testament to an old agricultural tradition deeply rooted in local culture.

The island’s isolation likewise safeguarded varieties that vanished elsewhere in Europe—such as Baboso Negro—following the phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century. As proof of the drink’s importance to island culture, Alfredo Hernández Gutierrez, head of La Casa del Aguardiente, tells CNN: “There was a time, not so long ago, when we drank wine produced at home because it was more available and cheaper than water.”

An island looking to the future without renouncing its heritage

If El Hierro protects its natural heritage, it also strives to safeguard its cultural traditions. One of the most remarkable is Silbo Herreño, a whistled language inherited from the island’s first inhabitants, the Bimbaches. Used for centuries to communicate across long distances through the rugged terrain, it nearly disappeared in the 1990s. In response to the decline, local authorities established free courses for younger generations. To this day, workshops are organized in schools and at the island’s markets.

The coastline of El Hierro is another major asset. Off the village of La Restinga, the Mar de las Calmas marine reserve is renowned for its volcanic seabeds, coral reefs, and underwater visibility of up to about thirty meters. Local fishermen continue to practice artisanal fishing there in order to preserve biodiversity.

But it is mainly in the energy sector that El Hierro has gained international recognition. The island aims to run on renewable energy. Its Gorona del Viento installation combines five wind turbines, each 60 meters tall, with a hydraulic system that uses two reservoirs carved into former volcanic craters. In 2019, this setup set a world record by powering the island for more than 24 consecutive days without resorting to fossil fuels.

This ecological strategy is now accompanied by a desire to develop a more sustainable form of tourism. New museums, vineyard visits, cheese-making workshops, and experiences of traditional fishing should be offered to visitors.

For residents, however, this growth must be kept in check. As one resident told CNN, “we are happy that more people come to visit us, but preserving our simple way of life is the most important thing.” She adds: “The pace of life here gives you the time and space you need to discover yourself. In this complicated and turbulent era, it is something incredibly rare.”.

These Coastal Trains Offer Europe’s Most Stunning Panoramic Views

June 13, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Between sheer cliffs, isolated villages and waves that seem to brush the rails, certain railway lines turn a simple trip into a true travel experience. All across Europe, coastal routes let travelers admire spectacular scenery without leaving their seats. From Scotland to the Spanish fjords, and along the Italian coast, these lines attract both slow-travel enthusiasts and lovers of maritime panoramas. And France has its own railway journey capable of rivaling the finest European itineraries.

Trains that skim the ocean as closely as possible

In Scotland, the line linking Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh threads through some of the UK’s wildest landscapes. Stretching 133 km, it offers glimpses of both the country’s eastern and western shores. After leaving Inverness, the train first follows the Cromarty Firth before venturing into the Highlands. The final twenty minutes of the journey provide a particularly spectacular view of Loch Carron and the Applecross Peninsula.

Further south, Ireland also offers a celebrated coastal route. The line from Dublin Connolly to Arklow tracks the country’s east coast for around 80 miles. The most striking stretch is at Bray Head, where the rail line climbs along a sea cliff. This segment was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the renowned engineer of the Industrial Revolution. The journey then glides past beaches and the Murrough Wetlands, with the Wicklow Mountains forming a backdrop.

Germany also has a singular line: the connection to the island of Sylt. To reach this North Sea island, trains traverse the Hindenburg Dike, built in 1927 above the Wadden Sea. Since April 2026, high-speed ICE trains have for the first time been able to run on this stretch. The route becomes particularly awe-inspiring at high tide, when the waters envelop the tracks.

Spanish fjords and Italian coastlines

In northern Spain, the line from Ribadeo to Ferrol runs along part of the broad coastline of narrow-gauge railways that skirts the Cantabrian coast. Over nearly 150 km, the train snakes between cliffs, eucalyptus forests and the Galician rías, these large estuaries typical of the region. The route remains relatively little known despite its spectacular landscapes, notably around Ortigueira and Cape Ortegal. The journalist Nicky Gardner describes this journey in The Guardian as “a slow-travel adventure.” He also notes that “the waves crash on the right while a dense eucalyptus forest stretches to the left.”

In Italy, the Calabrian Ionian line offers another striking setting. Between Reggio di Calabria and Soverato, the rails almost continuously hug the coastline for about 160 km. On one side appear the dark peaks of the Aspromonte, on the other the Ionian Sea extending toward the Libyan coasts. According to Nicky Gardner, “no other railway line in Europe hugs the coast with such constancy.” The journey passes through a succession of capes, coves and Mediterranean villages, far from Italy’s major tourist routes.

The Train of Wonders, France’s route that rivals Europe’s finest rail journeys

France also has its own spectacular itinerary with the Train des Merveilles, which links Nice to Tende in the Alpes-Maritimes. Reopened in December 2025 after a year of works, this line climbs about 1,000 meters in elevation over roughly 100 km, spanning the Mediterranean and the Mercantour mountains.

The journey begins just a short distance from Nice’s beaches before quickly delving into the Alpine relief. Built from 1883 onward, the line crosses more than 100 bridges and viaducts and traverses nearly as many tunnels. Some of these are spiral tunnels that allow the train to gain altitude inside the mountain itself.

In The Guardian, journalist Annabelle Thorpe describes “one of Europe’s most spectacular rail journeys.” She also notes “jagged peaks that give the valley road the appearance of a slender ribbon.”

The train serves several perched villages such as Sospel and La Brigue, before arriving in Tende, perched at nearly 800 meters above sea level. The contrast between the azure coastline and the Alpine landscapes is one of the journey’s highlights. Annabelle Thorpe also notes that “it’s amazing to think we’re barely an hour from Nice—we feel as if we’ve been transported to a wholly different region of France.” All that remains is to book!