Aarhus (Århus), Denmark - Aarhus Travel Guide

Aarhus, Denmark

City bicycles in Aarhus, Denmark (cc)

Aarhus Travel Guide

Introduction

Aarhus, Århus in Danish, is often touted as the most livable city in Denmark – "the perfect size!" Indeed, it's a compact city with a refreshing mix of small town charm and cosmopolitan flair. It has in it a university of note, the largest and second oldest in Denmark, and a youth culture centered around cafés, bars, restaurants, discothèques, cinemas, theaters, museums, and cultural happenings such as Århus Festuge, the biggest themed arts and culture festival in Scandinavia, usually held during the first week of September each year and bubbling with some of the most imaginative themes one can conjure up. Aarhus also, one might add, is the oldest big city in Scandinavia, dating from 770 AD or earlier, with half-buried long houses and other Viking relics and architectural gems to show for it. Besides which, it has the largest harbor in all of northern Europe, which gives it huge stature as the principal port of Denmark. The city, by the way, is the unofficial capital of the Danish province of Jutland.

Location

Aarhus is situated along the east side of the Jutland peninsula, more or less in the geographical center of Denmark. It is 52 miles (84 km) north of Odense, 62 miles (100km) south of Aalborg, and 96 miles (154 km) west of Copenhagen.

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Where to Party

Essential Information

Nearby Destinations

How to Get There

Aarhus can be reached from Copenhagen and other coastal cities on the island of Zealand, such as Kalundborg and Sjællands Odde, by some of the fastest ferries in the world, traveling at 100km/h.

Sightseeing

For visitors to Aarhus the main attractions include the city's Old Town, Den Gamle By in Danish, which showcases period architecture from all parts of Denmark; the Tivoli Friheden amusement park, with its themed sections to engage visitors; the restored and rebuilt 12th-century Århus Domkirke, which is the tallest and longest cathedral in Denmark; the Art Nouveau Aarhus Teater, which is the largest provincial theater in Denmark; and a string of interesting museums, led by the Kunstmuseum (Art Museum) and Moesgård Museum, the latter with several impressive reconstructions of Viking houses and a traditional stave church; as well as Kvindemuseet, a museum devoted entirely to the cultural history of Danish women. The Viking Museum, or Vikingemuseet, located in central Aarhus, also holds some interest, especially for fans of the Viking Age.

Main Neighborhoods