10 Things to Do While Studying in Aarhus

Students won’t ever be short of things to see and do in one of Denmark’s most historic cities. We will be exploring ten unmissable things to tick off your bucket list when studying in Aarhus.

You can get around the attractions using Aarhus’ free city bike scheme, where you can pick up a bike from one of the 56 stands in the city. Most amusements are within close proximity to Aarhus University, making them easy for students to visit after lectures.

1. See the rainbow panorama at ARoS Aarhus art museum

If your idea of fun is visiting one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe, take a visit to ARoS. The museum has more than one million visitors every year – for a good reason.

The basement area of the museum contains special exhibitions such as international light art, video art and installations. If classic art is more your thing, walk upstairs to where the museum houses its own collections of art from the 19^th century up until the present day.

If you go to the top of the museum, you will find a rainbow panorama, which allows you to see a 360 degree view of Aarhus through the lens of a rainbow tunnel.

Finish off your experience with a visit to the museum’s restaurant, which holds two Michelin stars.

2. Go back in time in Den Gamle By: The Old Town Museum

Den Gamle By is definitely worth a trip. In The Old Town Museum you will experience how people lived in Denmark in different time periods by walking through a Danish market town in the 19^th century, 1927 and in the 1970s, with streets, townhouses, shops, backyards, workshops and actors to give you the full experience.

The 1920s town has a more modern feel, with pavements, electric streetlamps, telephone poles and painted wall adverts, as well as an ironmonger’s, a bookshop, a chain store, a post office, a telephone exchange and an automobile workshop where you can take a look at old cars. 

The 1970s town is different again, with a radio and TV shop, a mini supermarket, a kindergarten, hairdressers and even a gynecologist clinic.

3. Relax at the Tropical Houses at the Botanical Garden

Take a break between lectures and visit the Tropical Houses in the Botanical Gardens. Here you will find plants from all around the world, in an artificial rainforest where you can walk around and learn about plants in four different climate zones. 

After this, you can explore the outside areas of the gardens including a heath and a beach, which will help to relax you and prepare you for studying at Denmark’s top universities.

In the evening visit the observatory to see the clusters of stars in the night sky.

4. See a world-class performance at Musikhuset Aarhus Concert Hall

Musikhuset Aarhus Concert Hall

Music lovers will appreciate Musikhuset Aarhus, the largest concert hall in Scandinavia, and home to the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and the Danish National Opera.

With pop, opera, rock and musicals: there’s really something for every type of music lover at Musikhuset Aarhus. The concert hall hosts up to a million guests each year and houses more than 1,500 concerts and events annually in its six concert halls and 11 stages.

5. Explore Aarhus beach on the infinite bridge

The infinite bridge is a circular pier on the beach of Aarhus. It was created by architects Niels Povlsgaard and Johan Gjødes in 2015 to help people more fully experience their surroundings. The bridge also reconnects the beach to a long-forgotten viewpoint in the sea.

The structure is positioned half on the beach and half in the sea, so you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the beach or jump off the pier to take a refreshing dip in the sea.

6. Thrill seek in the Tivoli Friheden theme park

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, visit Tivoli Friheden: home to 40 rides and four rollercoasters.

The Hjertekig, a 65-meter free-fall tower, was opened in the theme park in 2019. You can choose to either take the free fall (reaching speeds of 70km per hour), or descend slowly whilst sitting and enjoying the views.

The Sky Tower lets you jump off the 40m tower to land in a net. This is not for the faint hearted, as the jump allows you to reach a speed of up to 90km per hour.

7. Take a trip to the Moesgaard Museum

Photo/Media Department - Moesgaard Museum

With three Michelin stars in the Michelin attractions guide, the Moesgaard Museum is not one to miss. The museum is dedicated to archaeology and ethnography and offers a variety of exhibitions, especially about the Viking Age, Iron Age and the Bronze Age.

The architecture of the museum itself is enough to draw people in, but once inside the building, students can learn from its numerous exhibitions, which are all supported with state-of-the-art research. 

8.    See a play at Aarhus Theatre

If you’re in the mood for theater, there’s no better place to go than Aarhus Theatre: the largest provincial theatre in Denmark. With its gold decorated ceilings and eye-catching chandeliers, the décor is stunning on both the inside and the outside.

The theatre has four stages and was opened in 1900. It mainly features its own productions, but also hosts a few guest performances. After the performance, spend some time in the numerous restaurants and bars surrounding the theater. 

9. Sample the local cuisine at the Aarhus central food market

This permanent street food market serves all kinds of street food from more than 30 street kitchens and bars.There’s something for everyone at this food market, as it has fresh food from all around the world.

Try the Mexican tacos, Vietnamese Bahn-mi’s and Greek pastitsada. If you want to try some local food, order the Danish smørrebrød (open sandwiches). Anything you order is sure to be delicious!

10. Attend the annual Regatta at Aarhus University

Every year, 12 teams of students from Aarhus University compete in races on the lakes at the university. The races are usually held on the first Friday in May and are quite different to the type of races you might expect from universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.

Each competing team represents a different department of the university. The aim of the race is for each team member to individually cross the lake in an inflatable item. Once they cross the lake, the first participant drinks a beer, spins the bottle around 10 times and then crosses back over the lake. This is repeated by the rest of the team. The first team to complete this win the “det gyldne bækken" ("the golden bedpan").