Everything you need to know about Aarhus, Denmark before your trip, from currency to language, local festivals, time zones & safety of the water. Plus great ideas about what to see, do and eat while there!
† Making the literal translation of the river's name = River Mouth river :)
@ a glance essentials:
Language:
Danish
-
Most Locals can speak English
Danish Krona
Water safety
Safe to Drink
Currency:
DKK
Local Transport
Metro, Bus, Tram & Trains are sufficient for the cities. Remote areas require a car
.
The second-largest city🔍 in Denmark, dating to the late 8c, Aarhus was a Viking Age trading hub due to it's central coastal location. Even today it's still known for the Aarhus Ø - the waterfront region now with stylish apartments, trendy restaurants, and stunning views of the harbor.
a bit of background...
CHECK OUT THE:
..............................There is a seductive Twin Peaks-inspired corner joint, Erlings Jazz- & Ølbar, that hosts live jazz every Saturday (and some Wednesdays.)
HIDDEN GEM:
It's one of my favorite cities in the kingdom🔎 with it's strange little multileveled canal streets. And I am not the first to be charmed by the city; J.R.R. Tolkien was fascinated by the whole East Jutland region, taking many of his place names for Lord of the Rings from the area.
Smørrebrød ("bread w/ butter") - Rugbrød (rye) w/ Leverpostej (liver pâté), boiled egg, Gravlax (cured salmon) or
Stegte Sild - fried pickled herring ∞ Rød Pølse† - Danish Hot Dog 🔍 w/ pickled cucumbers & fried crispy onions
Stegt flæsk - crispy pork belly ∞ Frikadeller (meatballs) Boller I Karry - in curry w/ rice
Krasesuppe - giblet soup w/ fritters ∞ Rødkål - shredded red cabbage w/ red currant juice
Wienerbrod (Viennese bread††) = the local term for the world famous Danish (pastry)
Aebleskiver - donut balls ∞ Varme Hveder -traditional sweet, cardamom spiced rolls
Risengrød - rice pudding ∞ Lumumba - a cocktail made w/ Cocio (Danish chocolate milk) & brandy/ rum
➿➰➿
† Many served from pølsevogn (sausage wagons) on the street
†† Introduced to Denmark in 1870s, when striking Danish bread makers were replaced by Viennese immigrant bakers, with their repertoire of sweet breads, cakes, and puff pastries
Must Try Local Cuisine:
SEE
DO TRY
&
VISIT
What to Where to Why . . .
Highlights:
📍 Aarhus Cathedral🔍 c. 1200 - Romanesque Basilica 📸 longest & tallest church in Denmark,
with interior remodeled in the Gothic style in the 15c
📍 Helsingor Teater - Denmark’s oldest theater c. 1817 (with acoustics so good, performers
don’t need microphones.)
📍 Den Japanske Have - a kaiyu style Japanese Gardens with a tea house, waterfalls,
Japanese trees and flowers, koi ponds, and miniature mountains
📍 Aarhus Street Food - in an old bus garage turned market
📍 The Prehistory (Walking) Trail (2.5m/ 4km) - starting at the Moesgaard Museum,
(of archaeology and ethnography) the trail goes through swamp forest, past an
old watermill with reconstructed prehistoric houses and Viking age stave church
📍 Bispetorvet (Bishop’s Square) Dinosaur Footprint 📸 - fossilized footprint, likely an
Allosaurus, from a sandstone quarry in Germany in 1921 and installed in 2006
📍 Bülow Duus Glassblowers is not just a great shopping destination it offers glassblowing workshops
📍 Infinite Bridge - a wooden bridge, on the outskirts of the city, that's a 200 ft circle out over the sea.
📍 Magic Mushrooms 📸 - an inverted metropolis model installed randomly in ceiling of a parking structure
....
Most Known For:
♦️ Legoland Amusement Park - birth place of Legos (1932, when blocks were wooden)
with rides & a Miniland with famous international landmarks like Lego Thai Gand Palace.
(A live-size Lego [play] House made of giant blocks is also nearby in Billund)
🔸 Den Gamle By - (Old Town) featuring historic buildings from the 16 - 20c in an
open-air museum with educators dressed in period clothing
♦️ Marselisborg Slot (Palace)† - Victorian summer residence of the Danish royal family
& Clausholm Castle - c. 1690s, Baroque mansion on an "H" shaped man-made island
🔸 Deer Park - 22-acres home to 🦌 deer & 🐗 wild boar etc that you can feed at their zoo
♦️ Tivoli Friheden - a smaller version of the famous Tivoli in Copenhagen, featuring
art shows, concerts, clowns, rides, restaurants, and an open-air theater
🔸 AroS - one of Europe's biggest art museums with 18c Danish Golden Age art and a circular
rooftop viewing platform encased in rainbow colored glass
† The palace isn't open to visitors but gardens + grounds are, and the changing of the guard can be watched daily when the royals are in residence
📽️ NOTABLE FILMS SHOT IN AARHUS:
⭐ Dicte (Danish TV) 👁️🗨️ Aarhus was one the center of all Silent Film production in Europe
🍿
.......................J.R.R. Tolkien was deeply influenced by the myths of Jutland (particularly Aarhus Bay & nearby island
of Samsø) In LORD of the RINGS, the famous saga of the female warrior Hervør inspired Eowyn, and Samsø
has myths both of a restless ghost king & his warriors waiting to be set free and a Viking myth of magical sheer armor created by Irish elves that no sword could penetrate.
🌀 Moesgaard Vikingedage (Viking Days) / Viking Moot (July) - the biggest & oldest Viking Market in
Scandinavia with storytellers, wrestling, weaponry, crafts, bands and animals
🌀 Aarhus Festuge (Aug) - arts & culture festival with concerts & street artists; 1,000 events at around 100 venues
🌀 Passage International Street Theater Festival - with performances in public spaces around the city
Close Enough to Visit:
🪧 Jelling's Stones | DK - 10c runestones, recording King Gorm the Old's love for his wife & accomplishments of
Harald Bluetooth (for whom wireless Bluetooth is named)
🪧 Mols Bjerg National Park | DK with Bronze Age Burial Mounds
🪧 Samsø Island | DK - home of the world's largest Labyrinth
🪧 North Jutland | DK with Thingbæk Kalkminer - limestone mine turned candlelit sculpture museum† in Skørping,
Svaneapotek Chemists in Aalborg - a wizard-like collection of Renaissance miracle tonics, or the world's largest
collection of Hair Jewelry @ Bangsbo Museum | Frederikshavn
🪧 Velling Koller - an abandoned mechanical fairytale garden amusement park, Bryup | DK
🪧 A walkable garden map of the world in Hobro | DK
† They also host concerts, crochet workshops & story-times taught by a witch and during the cold months it's home to multiple species of bat colonies.
Mønsted Kalkgruber in Stoholm | DK also has 40 miles of limestone mines that can be toured
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
Make the Time!
Worth the Effort/ $
Going to visit
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