Not many people have the second largest Danish city of Aarhus on their bucket list. That should change, because Aarhus is the perfect size for a weekend city trip. It offers a fantastic mix of history, art and culture as well as plenty of nightlife options. In this article, I’ll give you lots of Aarhus tips for your perfect city trip.
Aarhus is located on the east coast of the Danish peninsula of Jutland and has only around 330,000 inhabitants. Nevertheless, it gives the impression of a vibrant city. Aarhus is even playfully referred to as the smallest city in the world. There is something going on everywhere and the best thing about it: you can discover many of Aarhus’ sights on foot or by bike.
Especially if you are a fan of unusual architecture, then you should definitely pay Aarhus a visit sooner or later. Because the city offers some great architectural highlights.
1. Den Gamle By – A journey into the past
Den Gamle By is an open-air museum on the site where Aarhus was once built. Here you travel back to 3 different times from the past. You can walk through 3 quarters from 1864, 1927 and 1974.
The special feature: the houses in this open-air museum are originals. They come from all over Denmark and have been specially rebuilt here. Inside them, various interiors from homes but also from different trades have been used with many original objects from times long past.
It is quite exciting to see how the various professions of the time, some of which no longer exist, once carried out their work, such as the hatter, the tailor, the apothecary or the bookbinder.
There are also several museums in Den Gamle By, which are included in the entrance fee:
- In the toy museum you can marvel at all kinds of toys from different eras and countries
- The poster museum shows a selection of different posters from Denmark
- At the Aarhus History Museum, you will learn all about the city’s origins up to its current appearance
The entrance fee of €20 is definitely justified. There is so much to see, do and experience here that you could fill the whole day. Children in particular will be thrilled by the many possibilities. However, you should definitely plan at least 2-3 hours. Everything is described in English and partly also in German.
2. The greenhouses in the botanical garden
Right next to Den Gamle By you will find the botanical garden with its greenhouses, which you can even visit for free.
First you walk through a photo exhibition of macro images of some of the plants found in Denmark.
Then you can admire all kinds of flowers, trees and cacti from all over the world in the plant garden. The sound of birds and frogs chirping can be heard from the loudspeakers.
The large round tropical house with its butterflies and a wooden tower in the middle, from which you can also view the trees from above, is also really cool.
The useeum app gives you even more details about many areas of the exhibition:
3. Salling Rooftop – Café with panoramic view
A café that you should definitely visit, even if you don’t want to drink or eat, is the Salling Rooftop. It is located in the middle of the city under the open sky on the roof of a shopping center.
Here you can sip your glass of wine or a latte macchiato on wooden steps, wildly curved benches or rings hanging freely in the room. Watch the hustle and bustle on the shopping street through one of the transparent floor glasses and enjoy the fantastic 360-degree panoramic view.
4. Basin 8 with the Havnebadet seawater swimming pool
Street food and wakeboarding – sounds like a good combination to you? Then head to Bassin 7 at the harbor. Because you can find both here, as well as the harbor pool where you can even swim a lap in the sea if you feel like it.
It consists of a 50 meter long pool, a children’s pool, a round diving pool and 2 saunas. However, it is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8.00 – 12.00.
5. Special architecture at the harbor
Once you’re at the harbor, don’t miss the various buildings here. Just walk along the promenade and discover …
- … the obscure residential building complex Isbjerget with its lacy houses from which blue balconies protrude. Incidentally, the name translates as “iceberg”, which probably explains the desired appearance of the buildings.
- … the terrace house – This is also a residential complex whose floors get smaller and smaller as you go up, like a staircase, creating terraces on the roofs with green areas planted on them
- …The house with clock
6. Aarhus Domen – Urban living at Pier2
Pier 2 is home to another architectural highlight of Aarhus – the “dome” made of wood and glass, which you can see from afar and which stands out clearly from the rest of the harbor area.
The interior is tropical with lots of green plants and a café, where events are also held regularly. Domen is a “green open space” where urban living is a top priority. There are many urban gardens around the dome and bee hotels and birdhouses everywhere.
7. Cathedral of Aarhus
In the middle of the city, the “Aarhus Domkirke” towers above the rooftops. It was built at the end of the 12th century, but was not completed until the middle of the 14th century.
Inside, you can also discover many frescoes on the walls. Aarhusen Cathedral is the church in Denmark with the largest total area of walls and arches still covered in frescoes.
8. City hall of Aarhus
Aarhus Town Hall is one of the strangest buildings in the city and you simply can’t look away – especially at night when the tower with its strangely placed clock is illuminated.
The building is clad in Norwegian marble and still looks quite modern despite being 75 years old. You can also get to know it from the inside on guided tours.
9. Aros Art Museum
A great museum that is really worth the €22 entrance fee is the Aros Art Museum. It was founded in 1859 by citizens of the city and has the largest art collection in Denmark outside of Copenhagen.
You can recognize it from afar by its rainbow-coloured walkway on the roof. This is also the museum’s main photo spot, but it offers so much more. On 10 floors, there are a wide variety of changing exhibitions – from classic paintings and modern installations to special exhibitions.
10. Aarhus University + Natural History Museum
Aarhus University also demonstrates the city’s connection to architecture. The yellow brick buildings, overgrown with plants, are all located in a small park with a lake and were designed by Danish architect C.F. Møller.
The Aarhus Museum of Natural History is also located in the middle of the university grounds and has many exhibits, many of which are only described in Danish.
11. Infinity Bridge
Certainly inspired by the stairway to nowhere, the InfinityBridge in Aarhus is another one of the city’s architectural features.
It is located on Varna Beach/Ballehage Beach in a really beautiful area. You can take an endless walk here or simply use the bridge as a bathing jetty and jump off into the crystal clear, turquoise blue water.
12. Marselisborg Castle
This castle has been the summer residence of the Danish Queen for many years and is not far from the Infinity Bridge.
Unfortunately, you can’t visit it, but the castle park and rose garden are open to the public as long as the castle is not inhabited.
13. Tivoli Friheden
Every reasonably large city in Denmark has its own amusement park – including Aarhus with Tivoli Friheden. Denmark’s largest flower festival takes place here in July and with the 65-metre high “Hjertekig” – a tower from which guests free-fall downwards – it also has Denmark’s highest ride.
14. Museum Moesgård
An absolute must-do for me is this fantastic museum about the history of mankind, the Vikings and the development of Denmark.
What I found so great is that everything is told in comprehensible stories, which brings the many exhibited finds to life, such as all the weapons from a battle in the Iron Age.
There are also lots of interactive elements, all of which are really well done. In addition, archaeologists and other experts provide answers in videos to exciting questions such as where mankind once switched from hunter-gatherers to agriculture and how this revolution spread around the world.
There are 6 separate exhibitions here for the different eras, each of which took me about an hour and I haven’t read everything by far. In total, to really read and try out everything, you easily need 2 days. But you should plan at least 3 hours.
All information about the exhibitions is in Danish and English.
Where to stay in Aarhus
Aarhus doesn’t have many super cheap hotels. The Scandic Hotels in the city probably offer the cheapest rooms. For example, I stayed at Scandic Aarhus the Mayor, which is right next to the town hall and not far from the Aros Art Museum. There was also a great breakfast buffet here, where I could eat my fill for the whole day ;)
As you can see, there is a lot to discover in Aarhus. What other Aarhus tips do you have for me? Feel free to write them in a comment!
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