What to do in Aarhus? Find here our best Christmas TIPS
If you want to enjoy Jutland’s magnificent capital Aarhus in December, here are a few tips for things to do and not to miss. Aarhus in December is certainly worth a trip.
By Inger Stokkink and Susanne Kee Pictures below: Susanne Kee
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1.Jul i Den Gamle By
Travel in a time machine and discover how Danes celebrated Christmas in the past. A highlight on a weekend trip with the family to Aarhus was visiting Den Gamle By.
The wonderful folk museum Den Gamle By (the old town) has its traditional Christmas exhibition making it a perfect time to visit.
You can buy unique and hand-made gifts at the little Christmas market and at one of the many old-fashioned shops there are decorations, kids activities, music, and special treats.
Listen to elves telling stories by the open fire place while enjoying a Christmas brew or visit the Christmas museum and shop.
Why it is such a great experience
Described as an open-air museum, Den Gamle By is an immersive experience of multiple historical periods of Danish life, ranging from the mid-1500s to the 1970s.
The largest neighbourhood focuses on Denmark pre-1900s. Its cobblestone streets lead you to different half-timbered buildings, allowing you a glimpse into
the way the Danes lived, worked, and shopped before the 1900s.
You can visit the Mayor of Aarhus’s house, built in 1597, and the Mint master’s Mansion in its grand 18th century form.
There are gardens, courtyards, barnyards and shops to explore. Be sure to stop into the bakery on Anglade, where pasties, made from the original recipes from 1885, are sold.
There are also neighbourhoods devoted to Danish life in the 1920s and 1970s. You don’t want to miss the incredibly detailed 1970s apartments that give you a peek into the lives and living rooms of the different social backgrounds of people who lived in Denmark in the 1970s.
Enjoy Christmas at Den Gamle By until 5 January 2020.
Unlike most open-air museums, Den Gamle By is open year round. Check online as ticket prices and opening hours may vary.
If you have the Aarhus Card entrance is free.
More Information here:
https://www.dengamleby.dk/en/den-gamle-by/
http://www.dengamleby.dk/engelsk/den-gamle-by/discover/christmas/
http://www.visitaarhus.com/ln-int/denmark/see-more-pay-less/enjoy-aarhus-with-an-aarhuscard
2.Christmas markets
Aarhus’s pedestrian street, Strøget, is transformed into one long gigantic Christmas market –with stalls running all the way from the train station (Aarhus Hovedbanegård) to the square in front of Aarhus Cathedral.
You can nibble and shop your way across town and enjoy the lights, the sights and the Christmas bustle.
3.Totally un-Christmassy
The international exhibition at ARoS, Aarhus’s famous art museum, Objects of Wonder – From Pedestal to Interaction, is a major sculpture exhibition, the first of its calibre at ARoS, featuring works from 1960 until the present. This exhibition came about in collaboration with Tate Museum in Britain.
But ARoS has a lot more on offer – not least its gift shop, which has nice Christmas gifts to bring home. Note that on Wednesday nights, the museum is open until 22:00.
Read also our art historians take on Aros and why the Rainbow is a must see in Aarhus in our article here.
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4.Church concerts for Christmas
Aarhus’s churches open wide their doors to all people for Christmas concerts – some for free, some at a reasonable price.
On the 11 December, The Cathedral Organist’s Christmas Concert, is performed in Aarhus Domkirke (the Cathedral).
But there is more, much more: from organ concerts to evensong to ‘relay races’ for choirs.
See here for more info
5.Enjoy classical Danish food
At Pinden or Raadhuskafeen (both frokost (lunch) and middag (dinner). Or at Kohalen, only lunch, closed on Sunday, hidden away in the old meatpacking district at the seedy end of Jægergårdsgade, reservation necessary at 8612 1481.
Pinden
Raadhuskafeen
Kohalen
