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Voykit pocket guide · Denmark
Aarhus
Give Aarhus 2 nights: ARoS and Den Gamle By on day one, Moesgaard on day two. Skip if you have under a week in Denmark.
Aarhus is Denmark's second city and its youngest: a university town of about 270,000 with a compact, walkable centre and three heavyweight sights — ARoS, Den Gamle By and Moesgaard. Two nights covers it well. Come May to September for street life; July empties out as locals leave. It is a 4-hour train ride from Copenhagen, so it works as a 2-night add-on to a week-long Denmark trip, not a day-trip.
- Country
- Denmark
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (grey, short days); mid-Jul to early Aug (locals away, some restaurants closed)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- DKK
- Money
- Currency is the Danish krone (DKK, kr); the euro is not used, though some tourist shops accept it at a poor rate.
- Daily spend
- Budget kr 500–800 excl. bed · Mid kr 800–1,400 excl. bed · High kr 1,400+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU roaming applies: EU and EEA SIMs work at home prices.
- Emergency
- Police, fire and ambulance 112 · Police non-emergency 114
- Plugs
- Types C, F, K · 230 V · 50 Hz · Two-pin European plugs fit; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Service included; round up or leave 5–10% for excellent service.; Café and bar: Nothing expected.; Taxi: Round up.; Hotel: Nothing expected.; Guided tour: Optional; DKK 50–100 for a good private guide.
- Water
- Tap water is excellent everywhere; restaurants serve it free or for a small charge per carafe.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are common in Copenhagen; stations charge DKK 5–10 or take cards.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | kr 35–55 |
| Lunch, smørrebrød or a sandwich | kr 80–150 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a supermarket | kr 50–80 / kr 10–20 |
| Museum entry (ARoS, Den Gamle By, Moesgaard) | kr 100–175 |
| Single bus or light-rail ticket, 2 zones | kr 24–30 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) taxi | kr 130–180 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | kr 100–250 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- AAR · Aarhus Airport
- About 45 min by 925X airport bus to Banegårdspladsen at the central station; taxi about kr 650 (check)
- BLL · Billund Airport
- About 90 min by 912X airport bus to Aarhus Rutebilstation, via Banegårdspladsen (check)
Typical fares
- Copenhagen → Aarhus, DSB train
- about kr 469 standard, plus kr 30 to reserve a seat; about 4 h
- Aarhus Airport → central station, 925X bus
- about kr 115, about 45 min
- Billund Airport → Aarhus Rutebilstation, 912X bus
- about kr 162, about 90 min
- Taxi Aarhus Airport → city centre
- about kr 650
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is compact and flat enough to walk: Indre by, the Latin Quarter and the station are all within 15 minutes of each other. Bikes are the local default — Donkey Republic app bikes cost about kr 1 per minute, capped around kr 250 per day (check), and shops such as Friis Cykler rent by the day. Note that Aarhus has some of Denmark's steepest streets, so plan routes to avoid the climbs. Buses cover the outer districts; a single ticket is valid across bus and train within the zones you paid for.
See and do
Known for
- ARoS art museum and the Your Rainbow Panorama walkway
- Den Gamle By open-air town museum
- Moesgaard Museum and its prehistoric collection
- Aarhus Festuge, Scandinavia's largest cultural festival
- Student-driven café and food scene
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Moesgaard Museum and Marselisborg Forests | City bus south to Moesgaard, or bike the coastal path through the forest | About 30–40 min by bus |
| Samsø | M/F Lilleøre catamaran from Dokk1 to Sælvig; bicycles only, no cars | About 1 h crossing plus boarding |
| Ebeltoft | Bus or car north-east along the coast | About 1–1.5 h |
| Silkeborg | Train west, then local transport to the lakes | About 1–1.5 h |
| Randers | Train north | About 40 min |
| Horsens | Train south | About 30–40 min |
Sleep
- Indre by and the Latin Quarter
- Medieval core, pedestrianised, cobbled streets. Best for a first visit: walk to ARoS, Den Gamle By and the station.
- Frederiksbjerg
- Just south of the rail yard. Restaurants, specialty shops, low-rise streets; 10–15 min walk to the centre.
- Aarhus Ø
- New harbourfront district. Modern apartments and water views; 15–20 min walk or a short bus ride to the old town.
- Trøjborg
- Quiet early-1900s quarter north of the centre with its own shopping street, restaurants and a cinema.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hejhi |
| Thank you | Taktak |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Undskyldoon-skool |
| How much is it? | Hvad koster det?va koster de |
| Can I pay by card? | Kan jeg betale med kort?kan yai betale me kort |
| Where is the toilet? | Hvor er toilettet?vor er toilettet |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake and eye contact; first names at once; avoid: Titles and small talk that goes on too long
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for meetings and dinners; avoid: Being 15 minutes late without a message
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring flowers or wine; say 'tak for mad' after the meal; avoid: Leaving right after eating
- Conversation: Dry humour, directness and self-deprecation; avoid: Boasting — Janteloven frowns on it
- Queues: Take a number (kølapper) where there is a machine; avoid: Pushing to the counter
- Cycling: Signal stops and turns with your hand; keep right; avoid: Riding side by side in busy lanes
- Toasts: 'Skål' with eye contact before and after drinking; avoid: Looking away mid-toast
Scams and watch-outs
- July to early August: many residents leave and some restaurants close for weeks — confirm hours before you plan around a specific place.
- Easter: streets can be near-empty as Denmark closes down.
- Bicycle streets give cyclists the full lane, but not every driver respects the rule — keep watching for cars.
- The harbour ferry dock is 3–4 km from the city perimeter; public transport links there are poor, so arrange a ride or a rental car in advance.
Aarhus is one of Europe's safer cities and the centre is calm at night. The real risks are pickpockets around the station and Strøget on busy weekends, bicycles and light-rail tracks underfoot, and dark unlit paths through the forests after sunset.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Aarhus yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- ARoS art museum and the Your Rainbow Panorama walkway
- Den Gamle By open-air town museum
- Moesgaard Museum and its prehistoric collection
- Aarhus Festuge, Scandinavia's largest cultural festival
- Student-driven café and food scene
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Aarhus (official city tourism site): www.visitaarhus.com/
- Aarhus Municipality: aarhus.dk
- DSB (Danish State Railways): www.dsb.dk
- Midttrafik (regional public transport): www.midttrafik.dk
- Wikivoyage: Aarhus, revision 5334388 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5334388
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Aarhus
Til denne adresse, tak
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Denmark hosts embassies in Copenhagen; Aarhus has no resident embassies. Most countries' citizens can use their Copenhagen embassy or a consulate (check).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/aarhus). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.