Aarhus - a Modern City
A vibrant mix of youthful energy and a blast from the past makes Aarhus a city with an energetic beat of the pulse. In Aarhus, when we say walking distance, we really do mean walking distance.
The art museum, ARoS, delivers groundbreaking works from some of the world’s most progressive artists. Den Gamle By – The Old Town Museum is a unique international attraction and Moesgaard Museum will give visitors a world-class museum experience.
More information and pictures at www.visitaarhus.com.
The Old Town Museum
'Den Gamle By' (The Old Town) is a unique attraction in Aarhus for the whole family, taking you on a fascinating journey back in history. The museum has been awarded the maximum three stars in the Michelin Travel Guide.
In the Welfare State of Denmark
In the 70s town district you can drop by the shops, including Poul's Radio and TV shop, the mini-supermarket, the gynaecologist clinic, the kindergarten, and the hairdresser's. The townhouses are inhabited by various people, including a nuclear family, a commune, and a blind man. In the backyard are parked a Beetle and the plumber's Citroën. And you can also go inside the moped workshop and the scouts' meeting room. At the end of the Havnegade street lies the historical Aarhus jazz bar Bent J with occasional live music on stage.
Museum of living history
You can meet people dressed, working and behaving just like they did in the olden days. They are cooking food, chopping wood, sewing and knitting, or attending to customers in the shops. Feel free to stop for a chat with them; perhaps they will tell you to go and fetch water from the well or throw rubbish on the midden.
Go for a ride in the horse-drawn carriage, or make a good bargain in the period shops. Have a pint in the beer cellar and enjoy a cup of coffee with cake in the tea garden.
In the Festival square the whole family can race on stilts, play skittles, or have fun on the swing boats and on the merry-go-round.
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
Enjoy a Michelin experience in Aarhus at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum. ARoS is the main art museum in Aarhus and one of the largest museums in Northern Europe. On the roof of ARoS you can also visit Your rainbow panorama.
Current exhibitions
ARoS offers a large number of exhibitions and activities all year round.
Art from top to bottom
In the downstairs area you can enjoy the major special exhibitions, with the 'nine spaces' presenting international art installations. The upper floors house the museum's own collections of art from the 19th century up to the present day.
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum is part of Cultural Paths in Denmark in the route "Local Ways to Global Art". In Your rainbow panorama you can move around in a 150 metre long, circular panoramic path with 360º views of the surrounding city. ARoS has two Michelin-stars in the Michelin attractions guide.
The restaurant
The restaurant ARoS WINE & FOOD HALL is located at the top of ARoS, and from the roof there is a spectacular view of the city and the bay. At the museum street level you will find a café and a shop where admission is free.
Moesgaard Museum
The past is brought to fascinating life at the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus. Moesgaard Museum has two Michelin stars in the Michelin attractions guide.
Presenting the past in a magnificent architectural setting
Prehistory presented innovatively in a breathtaking architectural setting makes for a world-class museum experience when you visit the Moesgaard Museum. The past becomes alive, and the people in the exhibits will step forward and provide visitors with a better understanding of the past and how we arrived at where we are in the present.
An international attraction
The Moesgaard Museum is a huge attraction not only because of the architectural design of the building and the exhibitions, but also due to its location in the beautiful natural surroundings south of Aarhus, overlooking the woods and sea.
The evolutionary stairway
The evolutionary stairway at Moesgaard Museum is not only a key element of the architecture, which leads to the various exhibitions of the museum, it is also very much an opportunity for you to see where we human beings originate from.
On the stairs you will see seven hominins. They were members of the tribe Hominini, which means ”human species”, but they don't all look like the modern human being.
A museum experience for everyone
Staged settings, dramatised storytelling and state-of-the-art research all combine to make the exhibitions at the new museum appeal to visitors of all ages, while also creating a sense of bonding, fellowship and shared experience across generations.
Tivoli Friheden
It’s all about entertainment
The cosy garden offers plenty of experiences with beauty, entertainment, concerts, theatre and much more. With its wide range of opportunities and entertainment, Tivoli Friheden is the ideal choice for all kinds of excursions.
Tivoli Friheden is a theme park in the center of Aarhus located within walking distance of the city centre in the beautiful Marselisborg Forest. In Tivoli Friheden you will find four roller coasters and forty rides, plus stalls, games and playgrounds.
‘Hjertekig’ free-fall tower
In 2019, Tivoli Friheden presents their new amusement ‘Hjertekig’, a 65-metre free-fall tower and the highest in Denmark. The highly distinctive tower has changed the Aarhus skyline noticeably.
There are two ways that you can take the ‘jump’. The daring can take the free-fall from the top and reach 5G acceleration. Or you can sit and enjoy the views while descending slowly and steadily, going round the tower all the way up and down.
The stinging Cobra
Have you got nerves of steel? Do you dare go 70 kilometres per hour head down? Can your body stand the same G effect that a fighter pilot endures? If you can say yes to all three of these, then you are ready to board the Cobra and try the most awesome roller-coaster in Tivoli Friheden. This adrenaline-rushing orange monster is the ultimate test of whether you can stand the strain when the speed gets really serious.
The Sky Tower
If you are one of those who can't wait until the next adrenaline kick, then the Sky Tower at the Tivoli Friheden amusement park is exactly what you have been waiting for. This is certainly not for the faint-hearted. This is only for those with nerves of steel who are literally not afraid to leap into wild adventures. Standing 40 metres above the ground, overlooking all of Aarhus, it is only the toughest of the tough who dare take the leap. Before you awaits the maddest free-fall, where you reach a speed of up to 90 kilometres per hour before landing in the net. Only one question remains: Do you dare?
Tropical Houses at the Botanical Garden
The Tropical Houses (the Greenhouses, in Danish "Væksthusene", in the Botanical Gardens) are where numerous plant collections are presented in four different climate zones.
An educational and sensuous experience
You will have an educational and sensuous experience strolling through the beautiful and varied scenery, and you will find plants from most parts of the world. Here, you get to witness what happens when the heat of the dense rainforest intertwines with life-like animal sounds and the soft smells oozing from the many plants.
Fascinating stories about nature and botany
You can also hear fascinating stories about nature and botany and gain insight into the interdependence between us humans and nature. In the outside areas of the Botanical Gardens you can experience typical Danish types of landscape, such as heath and beach, which are sure to inspire you to visit the ‘real’ nature on the outskirts of Aarhus.
Enjoy a delicious lunch in the café
In the Botanical Gardens you will find the Tropical Houses Café, which is a breathing space in the heart of the city where you can enjoy a light lunch or delicious cakes.
There is free admission to the Tropical Houses at the Botanical Garden.
Silkeborg Søhøjlandet - Outdoor Capital of Denmark
Silkeborg and the surrounding Lake District is an amazing - and at times forgotten - gem in the Danish landscape. With more than 50 lakes and a forest area, which streches beyond 224 square kilometers Silkeborg Søhøjlandet is the largest nature area in the entire country. This combined with the cultural and art heritage found in Silkeborg makes the perfect destination for families, couples and friends looking for new experiences and time to relax.
Things to see and do
The Lake District (Søhøjlandet) has everything you, families with kids and couples need for a nice relaxing and different break from everyday life. Whether you are a serious athlete, history nerd or enjoyer of life who wants to explore breathtaking landscapes, Silkeborg is the perfect place.
We recommend people to take a small, yet, wonderful trip down the Gudenå river in a canoe or hike along the ancient road (Hærvejen) surrounded by heather and rural serenity before making a stop at one of the local cafés or restaurants for something to eat and drink. It is possible to enjoy a large variety of experiences within a short period, as Silkeborg is located within a short drive from major attractions such as Aarhus and LEGOLAND in Billund and the enchanting woodlands (the largest in Denmark) start just a ten-minute walk from Silkeborg town square.
Art galleries and historical museums
The Silkeborg area is known for its exceptional artists, such as Asger Jorn, who spent his life challenging the conceptions of reality and breaking with the role of art as a commodity. You can explore his great collection of art pieces at Museum Jorn, which features both sculptures, ceramics, graphic works and tapestries. For an alternative art experience, we recommend a visit to Art Centre Silkeborg Bad located right next to the scenic area of Lake Ørnsø, which means you can combine a day of cultural sights with a day of outdoor activities.
Few are aware of that the German General Staff in Denmark from the end of 1943 until the liberation in May 1945 had its headquarters in Silkeborg. Today, you can enter the main bunkers with a guide or go explore the few which are open 24/7 - just remember a light, as they can be fairly dark to enter. Alternatively, visit the Silkeborg Bunker Museum and get an impression of the area. Near by in Skanderborg, you can find the Luftwaffe's headquarters on the banks of Skanderborg Lake. The Skanderborg Bunker Museum has a very rare German Enigma code machine in the collection, which is fun to see.
Learn more about what to see and what to do in Silkeborg.com.