Aarhus – a city of contrasts

Aarhus is Denmark’s second largest city and often referred to as the capital of Jutland. Its a great destination for a long weekend as it offers a great variety of sights and entertainment. All this is comfortably reached on foot, after you have settled in at one of the great value city centre hotels.

Aarhus is known for its great care of preserving Denmark’s past as well as being a modern and vibrant university city, attracting great talents in the fields of design, fashion and architecture.

The major attraction in Aarhus is Gamle By, The Old Town. This welcoming creation, consists of some 75 genuine Danish buildings, ranging from the Renaissance to the early 1900’s. Together, they give a genuine insight into Denmark’ past. You can walk through a wealthy merchant’s house, a baker’s home and shop, a bookshop, a pharmacy, a custom house and a school as well as an ironmonger’s workshop. There are also five historical gardens, planted with traditional flowers and herbs.

To make the visit even more interesting, the staff are all dressed in traditional costumes and ready to answer any questions that you might have. Gamle By has recently achieved a five star rating as a major Danish attraction, accompanied in the top only by Tivoli and the original Legoland.

In 2004, Aarhus got its latest attraction, the Aaros Art Museum. This striking modernist white building, constructed as a 54mx52m cube, has, since its opening attracted a new kind of visitor, those interested in contemporary international as well as traditional Danish works of art, many produced in the Jutland region. The collection spans some 300 years and is the largest outside Copenhagen. Here you can view and experience the works of renowned artists like Eckersberg, Kroyer, Asger Jorn and Olafur Eliasson.

After all that food for the mind, it is time to head for the trendy redeveloped area along the canal flowing through the city centre. This is the place to go for a rest from the sightseeing and get some food for the body. Order a traditional Smorrebrod, the open Danish sandwich filled with delicacies and enjoy it with a glass of cold Ceres, the local brew. Plenty of restaurants and bars offer waterfront outside seating, where locals and visitors alike like to spend a few hours each day, just watching the world go by. Join them!

No weekend away is complete without some good shopping and Aarhus
can hardly be beaten when it comes to that. Aim for the picturesque cobbled streets in the Latin Quarter. Here many small specialist shops are crammed together selling anything from excellent Danish contemporary design to street fashion and retro chic. You will not be disappointed.

How can I get there? Easy.

Ryanair is offering low fares from Stansted directly to Aarhus Airport twice a day. The airline also offers direct flights Dublin-Billund in the heart of Jutland, from where there is a coach connection to Aarhus. Ryanair.com

Sterling Airlines are offering a connection from Gatwick to Billund in the heart of Jutland, with a coach transfer to Aarhus after each flight. Sterling.dk

Wishing to take get together with friends or family and take your own car? DFDS Seaways offer direct sailings throughout the year from Harwich to Esbjerg. Dfds.co.uk

For more information on Aarhus, take a look at Visitaarhus.com.

For more on Denmark including hotel booking, go to Visitdenmark.com.