Aarhus

Aarhus – the “other big city” in Denmark. Located on the popular summer island of Jutland, Denmark’s self proclaimed most cosmopolitan city is best known by Danes as ‘the city of smile’. Bolstered by its huge student population and thriving music culture, there seems little reason why the residents of Aarhus should not do much other than smile. The city is guaranteed to charm visitors into a happy state of consciousness with its artsy feel and dynamic nightlife.

Aarhus on the east coast of Jutland is steeped in history and the imprint of the Vikings is almost everywhere. As an important university town, the tendency is more towards museums and tradition, compared to say its fun loving cousin, Aalborg, further north. One of the main attractions in Aarhus is Den Gamle By (The Old Town). This open air museum consists of traditional Danish buildings brought in from around the country, and not just from Aarhus itself. Key museums include the Moesgård museum with artifacts going back to the beginning of Viking times, and the Aarhus Art Museum, which frequently organizes international exhibitions. Just south of the port area of Aarhus is Marselisborg Castle, a summer residence for Danish royalty, with a large and well-tended park complete with a strikingly innovative war memorial.

There are also a number of attractions for children, the most popular one being the Tivoli Friheden amusement park, modeled on the original in Copenhagen. Other possibilities include Legelandet, which boasts the longest slide (without water) in Denmark, and where the activities can be fun no matter what kind of weather there is.

Denmark’s most impressive of best known modern art gallery calls Aarhus home, in the shape of Aarhus Kunstbygning, with huge collection of modern arts, many of the pieces developed from the pines that Scandinavia is most famous for and in keeping with the clean living, ecologically conscious train of though of most Danes. The ARoS art museum sees older works of art on display, from across Europe. Aarhus also unashamedly boasts Denmark’s oldest standing church, at eight hundred years old; the unique spires of the Aarhus Domkirke Cathedral dominate the cities skyline in the most pleasant way. Lovers of Norse and Scandinavian history will relish the relics on display in the Viking Museum of Aarhus which houses an original wooden Viking ship.

Theatre and cinema tend to rule the entertainment scene in Aarhus and the city is certainly not short of hosting venues, especially in the late spring when the philharmonic orchestra often plays in the city and theatres are booked out for top class shows. The concert season in Aarhus is second to none, attracting a very sophisticated crowd from across the country and beyond.

Out of the city limits, Aarhus has much to offer in the way of shaded and cooling beech forests at Marselisborgskoven, where health conscious Aarhus residents head to for outdoor pursuits including biking, horse riding and lake sports. Impressive sandy beaches also make for a delightful daytrip in the half hour drive it takes to reach the shores. For fun filled family entertainment days, Djurs Sommerland is highly recommended as an outdoor amusement park, offering rides, shows and stalls. Slightly further afield, at a one hour drive away, the small town of Ebeltoft is home to Denmarks most impressive glass museum and also boats being the host town of the world’s longest surviving wooden ship.

Aarhus is well connected to Copenhagen by road and train while the nearby Aarhus Airport ferries in domestic and international flights daily.