Aarhus, Denmark: best things to do, weather & more

21.07.2023 - 07:28 / roughguides.com

Copenhagen’s cool credentials are known around the world, but Denmark’s second city has so far kept just under the radar. This won’t last for long, though – people are starting to catch on that Århus (or Aarhus) is a compact, accessible city with more than enough Scandi cool and culture to charm your thermal socks off. Here’s what you need to know about things to do in Aarhus, the “city of smiles”.

The information in this article is inspired by The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget , your essential guide for visiting Europe.

A short walk northwest of the centre is one of the city’s best-known attractions, Den Gamle By, on Viborgvej. This is an open-air museum of traditional Danish life, with halftimbered townhouses and actors in contemporary dress. Many buildings date from the 1800s, but a new town expansion features shops and homes from the 1920s and 1970s.

You can enter places such as a pastry shop, a haberdashery and a gynaecologist clinic, and there are also pony rides, a bookshop and a working central telephone switchboard.

Historic village of Den Gamble By of Aarhus © Constantin Iosif/Shutterstock

ARoS is one of Europe’s most beautiful contemporary buildings and a fantastic modern art museum. It contains seven floors of works from the late eighteenth century to the present day, accessed from a centrepiece spiral walkway reminiscent of New York’s Guggenheim.

The Skagen artists head the fine collection of home-grown art, though the likes of Warhol are also represented along with the eerie 5m-high Boy, by Australian sculptor Ron Mueck.

Its standout permanent exhibit is artist Olafur Eliasson’s fantastical addition to the roof, known as Your Rainbow Panorama. Suspended between the city and sky, and loosely inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, this 150m circular pathway spans the colour spectrum and gives panoramic views over the city.

ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum © Tom Roche/Shutterstock

Marselisborg Skov, 3km south of the centre, is the city’s largest park. This is also the home to the summer residence of the Danish royals: its landscaped grounds can be visited when the monarch isn’t staying. Ten kilometres south of Århus, the striking, just-refurbished Moesgård Museum details Danish civilizations from the Stone Age onwards.

Its most notable exhibit is the “Grauballe Man”, a startlingly well-preserved sacrificial victim dating from around 100 BC discovered in a peat bog west of town in 1952. Also remarkable is the Illerup Ådal collection of Iron Age weapons and the scenic “prehistoric trail” which runs 3km to the sea.

Moesgaard Museum © Shutterstock

There are innumerable ways to get involved in Danish culture in Århus. Event spaces like Godsbanen host markets – try to catch the excellent Finders keepers when