Three Days in Aarhus, Denmark: A Complete Guide on Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore
This post is Part 3 in my Danish Honeymoon series. Click here to read more about my time in Denmark!
As part of our 10-day honeymoon in Denmark, Max and I spent three days in the City of Smiles — Aarhus.
Aarhus is Denmark’s second-largest city and the largest city in Jutland. Aarhus can be easily accessed by plane, train, or automobile. (We opted to take a three-hour train from Copenhagen, but Aarhus does have its own airport.) As you move throughout the city’s museums, theaters, cafes, and incredible restaurants, you will notice striking architectural styles ranging from the Viking age to modern times. Just outside the city are vast forests and beaches begging for exploration. And, of course, you will find the cozy feeling of hygge around every corner.
Where to Stay
Hotel Oasia
We chose to stay at Hotel Oasia for all three nights of our stay in Aarhus. The location can’t be beat — less than a five-minute walk from the train station and within walking distance of bus stops, restaurants, and most attractions. We splurged on the Wedding Room and loved relaxing in the soaking tub after long days exploring the city. The hotel also offers a delicious complimentary breakfast, which we ate every day of our stay.
Book1 Design Hostel
Look no further than the Book1 Design Hostel for a more affordable option. BOOK1 is located in the city’s former main library (from 1934), and the design hostel maintains much of the original architecture.
Book1 provides an upscaled hostel experience, offering both communal and private rooms, an on-site food court, a lobby bar, and a sauna.
Where to Eat and Drink
Tipsy
Located just down the street from Hotel Oasia, this vegetarian/vegan restaurant was exactly what we were dreaming of after spending five days walking by non-veggie-friendly hot dog stands in Copenhagen. We ordered enough food for four people (three vegan hot dogs and a ‘chicken’ sandwich), and everything was absolutely delicious. In addition to its incredible menu, Tipsy provides a selection of board games for guests to enjoy. After we finished eating, we hunkered down for many rounds of Sequence before walking back to our hotel.
Svinbar
If you are looking for a wine bar with a dynamite charcuterie board, then you have to check out Svinbar, located just outside Aarhus’ Latin Quarter. We popped in for a mid-afternoon wine tasting and nibble board and enjoyed everything by candlelight. It was a perfect way to pass a rainy afternoon, and we even bought a bottle to go!
Aarhus Street Food
Aarhus Street Food is a permanent street food market located in a set of old bus garages by Aarhus Rutebilstation. Inside, guests will find more than 30 street kitchens and bars offering delicious and sustainable street food from all corners of the world.
Here you will find everything from Mexican street tacos, Vietnamese Bahn-mi’s, American soul food, traditional Danish smørrebrød (open sandwiches), and more. We ordered the Falafel Malawach Wrap from Za’atar and the Palak Paneer (mild) with Butter Garlic Naan from The Everest Kitchen — both were outstanding and so filling!
With plenty of seating inside and outside, you could easily spend all day eating and talking… and eating again.
Salling ROOFTOP and Salling Roofgarden
Can you believe that this roof garden is sitting on top of a shopping mall? Located on Aarhus’ main shopping and pedestrian street, Strøget, this incredible multi-level roof garden and café has plenty of indoor and outdoor space for you to have a drink or snack while overlooking the city. In warmer months, you can enjoy live music on the roof, and there is also a glass-bottomed walk-out where you can look straight down onto Strøget!
ÅBEN Aarhus is a modern taproom that offers 24 rotating beer taps in addition to a selection of bottled beers, wine, kombucha, cider, and alcohol-free drinks. Their beer can be found throughout Denmark, as their primary brewing location is in Copenhagen!
Tip — if you only have room for one, order their signature beer — a New England IPA called Bryg 61 (Brew 61).
Surdejspizzeria
Translated to mean Sourdough Pizzeria, Surdejspizzeria, is a Neapolitan-style pizzeria located near Strøget and the Salling ROOFTOP. Their wood-fired pizza is made from a sourdough base that rises for up to 72 hours before landing on your table. We ordered the MARGHERITA (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil) and the FUNGI AND SALVIA (tomato sauce, fontina cheese, mushrooms, sage, oregano, truffle oil, and olive oil), and both were phenomenal. And the best part — all pizzas are served whole, along with a pair of scissors for you to cut perfectly-sized slices.
*Reservations recommended.
Café Folkeven
We stumbled upon this Volkswagon-themed cafe on our way to Dem Gamle By when we were in search of a hot beverage. This cozy café offers a variety of pastries, sandwiches, soups, and salads, including vegetarian and vegan options.
Where to Explore
Aarhus Culture Walk
I cannot recommend the Aarhus Culture Walk enough! This was a fantastic tour and a way to learn about the history of the city, and our guide was so knowledgeable. She shared so many hidden gems that we would have missed by just exploring on our own.
Our tour lasted about 3.5 hours.
*Disclaimer — although we signed up for an English tour online, when we arrived, we were told that the morning tour was going to be in Danish. We were asked to return in the afternoon for an English tour, which was fine because our day was wide open otherwise. If you are on a tight schedule, I would recommend calling ahead to make sure your preferred language will be offered at your desired time!
The Infinite Bridge
Set about 20 minutes outside of Aarhus, the Infinite Bridge offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Aarhus Bay. The bridge was originally displayed in the 2015 Sculpture by the Sea event and has been reconstructed as a permanent piece of art for locals and visitors from across the world to enjoy.
The Infinite Bridge and Marselisborg Deer Park (below) can be easily accessed using a public bus.
Marselisborg Deer Park
While you’re visiting the Infinite Bridge, head down the road to the Marselisborg Deer Park. The Deer Park is situated on 54 acres of enclosed woodland area, and visitors can get up close and personal with many species of free-roaming deer! It was truly a magical experience (and one that could/would never happen in the United States).
*Visitors should exercise caution when approaching wild animals and review all safety warnings before entering the park.
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
ARoS is one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe, with ten stories and over 200,000 sqft of exhibition space. The highlight of the museum (for most tourists) is the rainbow rooftop. Here visitors can take in panoramic views of Aarhus from inside a glass rainbow!
Den Gamle By — The Old Town Museum
Take a walk through Aarhus’ long history in the open-air museum, Dem Gamle By (translated to mean The Old Town). Visitors will experience three centuries of Danish history, architecture, and culture; the museum consists of over 75 historic homes relocated from across Denmark!
We visited during Potato Holiday (a Danish school-free week during October that historically allowed children to remain home and assist in the annual potato harvest) and just before All Hallows Eve. Carved turnips (not pumpkins!) were placed throughout the museum; characters shared spooky fables from the town’s history, we sampled the most delicious potato leek soup in the festival area.
We only had 1.5 hours to spend at Dem Gamle By, but we easily could have doubled that.
And that concludes our three days in Aarhus! On our final morning, we took a train back to Copenhagen for one last night in Denmark before flying back to the United States.
We are so glad we were able to experience another part of Denmark on our trip! Comment below — is Aarhus on your travel wish list?
This post was originally published on Medium.