10 Things to Do Off the Beaten Track in Aarhus

One of the easiest ways to experience the city of Aarhus and the surrounding area is on a rented bike. There are many options for renting bikes several places in town. Your hotel might even offer rented bikes to their guests. It’s fun to be a bicycle tourist in Aarhus, as it’s easy to get around town and many of the sights and attractions are within biking distance from the center, e.g. Tivoli Friheden and The Permanent Bathing Facilities (Den Permanente Badeanstalt).

You can rent a bike for a few hours or more and take a trip around town or go on longer excursions into the beautiful nature surrounding Aarhus. For example, take a trip through the forest to the exciting Moesgaard Museum, which is located in beautiful surroundings just about 6 miles south of the center.

The Cultural Production Center Godsbanen is based in the former goods yard in the center of Aarhus. Here, you can work in creative workshops, enjoy a concert, listen to a presentation, watch a theatrical performance or participate in one of the many other activities spanning all genres of culture.

There is something new and exciting every single day at Godsbanen, and even if you don’t have an activity to attend, you can let yourself be inspired by the life and activities that are always unfolding in and around the building. You can also relax at one of Godsbanen’s many cozy neighborhoods, at the restaurant and on the building’s special sloped roof.

In the Greenhouses at the Botanical Garden (Botanisk Have), you can see no less than 2,000 different plant species. They are split into four climate zones and presented so as to show how they grow in their part of the world. In the greenhouses, the climate is hot and damp year round, and apart from the plants, you can also search for some of the numerous butterflies and enjoy animal sounds from all over the world.

You have the option of downloading a guide from Useeum, which will provide information on the individual plants and zones. If you have children, they can be assisted by Ib the Sprout (Spire Ib), who helps them experience the plants at their own eye level through fun and educational clues.

When its summer and hot in Aarhus, a visit to The Permanent (Den Permanente) is highly recommended. This is one of the town’s best bathing beaches, located about 1.5 miles from the city centre. The bathing facilities are open in the summer, and you can find changing rooms, lavatories, taps and a kiosk. The water is clear and clean, and the beach has been awarded the Blue Flag, which is an international environmental symbol guaranteeing water quality and facilities.

During daytime in the summer, there are lifesavers at the beach, and on hot summer days, Aarhus’ inhabitants, and in particular the younger generations, flock down for a cool dip and to enjoy the weather.

In the middle of Universitetsparken in Aarhus, you can find the Natural History Museum Aarhus (Naturhistorisk Museum), where you can learn about Danish nature, biodiversity, the relationship between plants and animals and so on. The Natural History Museum Aarhus consists of museum buildings in the middle of Aarhus as well as a field station in Mols Bjerge, where you can freely access the untamed nature, wild cows and horses and lots of hiking trails. The museum has both fixed and alternating exhibitions, where you can learn about biological diversity across the globe. There are taxidermied animals, a sperm whale skeleton and interactive screens.

You can also discover how the landscape has evolved since the ice age, check out the taxidermied animals from the African savannah and explore the museum using QR codes and the museum’s app.

It is fun and easy to go canoeing on Aarhus River (Aarhus Å) since you can rent canoes in the city centre. The river is 32 kilometers long, and originates near Solbjerg Sø south-west of Aarhus. On its way toward Aarhus, the river runs through a beautiful part of Central Jutland before flowing through the center of town and out into the Bay of Aarhus (Aarhus Bugt).

The river once constituted the lifeblood of the city, with traffic, trade and fishing, and now, it once again plays a central role in city life with the cafés and restaurants along its banks. Paddling in a canoe through the beautiful natural surroundings of Aarhus is a fantastic experience.

At Marselisborg Deer Park (Marselisborg Dyrehave), you can get up close to the cute fallow and sika deer. The animals live in enclosed neighborhoods of the park, and if you bring them a little food, they will certainly give you some attention – but remember, these are wild animals and will react accordingly. There are fixed info boards and digital screens at the feed house, where you can also find a disabled toilet.

Marselisborg Deer Park is open from sun up to sun down, and you may feed the animals carrots and apples. There are lots of marked paths in the woods, which is one of Denmark’s oldest beechwood forests. There are also benches and tables where you are welcome to enjoy a sack lunch.

It is possible to exercise or relax in the Spain Public Baths (Badeanstalten Spanien), where you can swim laps in the 25-metre long pool, let the children play in the kids’ pool or soothe your sore muscles in the hot water pool and spa baths, where the temperature is 43 degrees Celsius. In Spain, you can also access Grosserbadet, which is a sauna with built-in self-indulgence and relaxation, and on Saturdays you can book time for aufguss.

In the lounge, you can relax with food and drink, and if you want treatments or anything else, the establishment’s external leaseholders offer massage, zone therapy, fitness and more.

DGI-huset in Aarhus is an active center where you can engage in activities such as team training, fitness, badminton, climbing, gymnastics, yoga, ball games and more. You can also rent rooms for stag parties, team building, birthdays and so on, and the instructors can assist you with activities, fun and games. DGI-huset is located in a listed building, which was once used by the railway’s central workshop, and you can find it in the middle of Aarhus center, close to the railroad station.

Whether you are in Aarhus for a short or long period of time, you can train and have fun at DGI-huset, and it is also possible to purchase food and drink at the establishment’s café.