If you love Scandinavian architecture and have enough days to visit Denmark, I recommend including Aarhus in your itinerary. Located about three hours by train from Copenhagen, it is the second largest city in the country and one of its oldest. Being situated next to the bay and the river Å, it used to be a strategic point for the Vikings. A city with a very interesting tourist offer.
What can you see in two days?
Den Gamle By
When I read about this place, I didn’t imagine it to be so big. It is like a small city and you are transported through it on a journey back in time from 2014 to 1600, where every section, every street, every building, transports you in a surprising way.
It is advisable to follow the map and read all the directions so that you can go down the decades. It is also important to know that it will take you several hours, at least five, to see the entire complex. We spent a lot of time going through the 20th century, since a simple building can be a museum with several floors (that is why I advise you to be prepared to spend several hours here).
At the end, it was getting late and we hadn’t even made it to the 19th century yet, that we ended up rushing through the rest at a fast pace. Here, you will see a typical 1970s house, a music store from the 1960s, a 19th century bakery, a house from the 1600s, etc. The best thing is, that in many of the shops, they sell food or products from that period, with the employees dressed in costumes corresponding to the year they are trying to represent. All very interesting, very well done.
Unmissable streets
In no particular order of importance, each one has its own charm. The first one is Åboulevarden, which is located along the river, where you will find restaurants, cafés and shops. The second one is Møllestien, a very picturesque cobbled street dating back to the Middle Ages, with colorful houses, most of them built in the 18th century. You enter the old town through Skolegade, where you will see typical buildings and attractions such as the Aarhus Theatre or the cathedral.
Other lovely streets are in the Latinerkvarteret or Latin Quarter, where you can find many charming bars and restaurants and above all a great atmosphere. Although I recommend this area more in the evening, to have dinner (not too late because the restaurants close early) and then go bar hopping.
Dazzling architecture
You can’t miss the Aarhus Ø area, where you will find the city’s most iconic building called Isbjerget (The Iceberg), which, as its name suggests, imitates glaciers and is an apartment complex with a view of the sea. Next door is the Lighthouse building, the tallest in Denmark, that simulates a lighthouse at the entrance to the city, all built in a sustainable way.
The truth is that when I read about this district, I thought that those were the most important buildings, but there are other spectacular ones that you can admire as you approach the area. In fact, Isbjerget is lower than the others, so at the beginning, you will first see other tall, beautiful buildings, but you have to walk along the promenade that runs besides the sea to get to the “glaciers”. By the way, in that area of the pier, Havnebadet, people go to sunbathe and swim in the water when the weather is good. We had a cloudy day and a bit of rain, but even so, people were doing water sports.
What we missed…
There are other attractions that we didn’t get to see, so I recommend staying at least two nights, as some are further away from the centre, such as Den Uendelige Bro, a circular wooden bridge that goes over the water and is only installed in the warm (or less cold) months of the year. And while you are in that part of the city, visit the Mindeparken and -in case the kings aren’t there- the gardens of Marselisborg Palace, which is not open to the public.
Another popular attraction is the ARoS art museum, which features artist Olafur Eliasson’s “Your Rainbow Panorama” experience, a circular walkway offering 360-degree views of the city, complete with stained glass.
As a final fact, I will tell you that Aarhus is the happiest city in the world. I am not the one who says it, it was selected in the Happy City Index 2024 ranking and after having visited it, I am not surprised at all. It must be wonderful to live in a place that is not only beautiful, but also quiet, clean and modern. At least having had the opportunity to visit Aarhus made me very happy ;-).
If you want us to design and organize your trip to Europe through our travel agency Tripdreaming, contact me at silvia.lucero@tripdreaming.com. For editorial questions, write to silvia.lucero@latrotamundos.com.
