Mini Guide to Aarhus
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MINI GUIDE TO AARHUS ________ 2 MINI GUIDE TO AARHUS Welcome to Aarhus! ........................................................................................... 3 Language ................................................................................................................. 3 Prices .......................................................................................................................... 3 Payment .................................................................................................................... 3 Transportation ........................................................................................................ 4 Accommodation ................................................................................................... 6 Eating out ................................................................................................................. 6 Shopping ................................................................................................................. 11 Tourism .................................................................................................................... 11 Museums and Attractions ............................................................................... 12 Health ....................................................................................................................... 15 Print: SUN-tryk, AU Frontpage photo: AU Foto Last update: May 2018 MINI GUIDE TO AARHUS 3 WELCOME TO AARHUS! In this mini-guide, we have included some information that we thought would be helpful in making your stay in Aarhus as pleasant as possible. There are several categories of in- formation, including: Language, prices, payment, transportation, accommodation, eating out, shopping, tourism, museums and attractions, and health. If you need further infor- mation, please ask at the information desk at the conference. Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark with around 250,000 citizens. Due to Aarhus University, there are a very large number of students in the city, giving it a very young population compared to other cities of the same size. With more than 45,000 students, the university plays an important role in everyday life in Aarhus. Although not a large city, there are several tourist attractions, among the most prominent being the Old Town (Den Gamle By), Moesgård Prehistoric Museum, ARoS Art Museum, the summer residence of Queen Margrethe (Marselisborg), as well as walks along the seaside. For more tourist in- formation about Aarhus, see the official tourism homepage: www.visitaarhus.com that is also high (e.g., income tax is approx. Language 50%). Your bills also include a 25% VAT, which is added to all goods and services. Because the general level of education is fairly high among citizens in Denmark, many Payment people speak English. As such, when you go shopping and visit restaurants, it is safe to as- Almost all shops, cafes, and restaurants ac- sume that people will understand at least cept credit cards. However, some credit some English, and you may ask them to cards are not accepted in all shops down- translate menus, prices, etc. Some Danes town (you will need to inquire before pur- will also speak German, French, and/or chasing). If you need to exchange money, Spanish, but English is the second language Nordea on “Strøget” exchanges money (alt- spoken by most Danes. hough with an added fee). However, make sure that you bring along your passport, as Prices the bank needs this for their records. It is also possible to make a withdrawal from cash Denmark is fairly expensive compared to machines (located all around the city cen- most other countries. Part of the explanation ter). Visa and Mastercard can be used for is that Denmark has a set minimum wage withdrawal in almost all cash machines, that is quite high (110 kr. per hour = $17 per while American Express and Euro Card can hour), as well as having a general tax level also be used in cash machines from 4 MINI GUIDE TO AARHUS “Danske Bank” (the accepted cards are al- night is double the price, regardless of how ways shown on the machine). far you travel. One normal trip (prior to midnight) will typi- Transportation cally cost you 20 kr. ($3), as long as you travel within the city center. You pay by en- There are several transportation options in tering at the middle of the bus (or sometimes Aarhus (and in Denmark more generally) at the back) and using the automated pay from which you may choose: machine located there. (The machine only accepts cash). If you plan to travel a lot by Car-rental: If you wish to rent a car, try Eu- public transport, you may consider buying a ropcar ((+45) 89 33 11 11), Hertz ((+45) 70 Multi Trip Ticket (10 charges). A multi trip 33 66 99), and Avis ((+45) 70 24 77 30). ticket in Midttrafik app is cheaper than a sin- Bring your driver’s license, passport, and gle ticket, and it can be the best ticket if you credit card when collecting the car. These plan to travel a few times with bus and Let- three companies typically have special of- banen. Another option is the Tourist ticket fers for foreign citizens (e.g., renting a car for (24, 48 or 72 hours), which offers unlimited three days may come to approx. 1200-1500 travel in all of Central Denmark Region on kr. ($180-225), including insurance, tax, and Midttrafik's buses (including night buses), free kilometers). and Letbanen. Tourist ticket is not valid for travel with other trains. Prices vary accord- ing to the duration of the ticket (24 hours = 160 kr; 48 hours = 240 kr; 72 hours = 320 kr. The Tourist ticket cannot be purchased on the bus or at Letbanen's stations, but must be purchased on the Midttrafik app. The following buses stop near the University: 1A, 5A, 12, 13, 100, and 200. Buses: The public transportation in Aarhus is Letbanen (Aarhus light rail): operates be- generally reliable, although sometimes with tween the central station in Aarhus and minor delays. Most buses will run every 15 Aarhus University Hospital and also stops at minutes during the day hours and every 20- Aarhus University with six departures per 30 minutes during evening hours, stopping hour. You have to buy a ticket before you around midnight. There are also night buses get on Letbanen. You can buy a single available after midnight, however, keep in ticket in the ticket machine (rejsekort ticket mind that the fare for riding a bus late at machine) at one of Letbanen's stations. You MINI GUIDE TO AARHUS 5 can only pay with card - not with cash. You ($5) followed by a charge of 8 kr ($1.20) per cannot buy tickets in Letbanen. kilometer thereafter, while the rate is higher https://www.midttrafik.dk/english/plan- at night). your-journey/letbanen/ Bicycles: In Denmark, many people prefer to See this travel homepage for more infor- use bicycles, and as you may have noticed mation: www.midttrafik.dk/in-english.aspx there are separate lanes for bicycles along many streets in Aarhus. Please look out be- For additional travel information, you can fore you cross these lanes, as many cyclists also download a free and easy to use travel go fairly fast. Also, look out for cyclists when application for your phone from www.rejse- you enter or leave a bus, as they are not al- planen.dk. It has all the information about ways prone to stop for bus passengers. public transportation you might need. You If you’d like to travel by bicycle while you are can enter your desired destination and your visiting Aarhus, you may use the “city-bikes”. starting location and a guide will help you These are publically available bicycles lo- find your way. For an English version, you cated at several different bike stands in Aar- can push the “flag” in the right-hand corner. hus (for example by Radisson Blu and Stak- This application works everywhere in Den- laden). They are easily recognized because mark. the wheels are used for advertising. It is in principle free to borrow a city bike, but you Airport bus to/from Aarhus: There are shuttle will need a 20 kr coin for the coin slot. When buses between Aarhus and Aarhus Airport you return the city bike at one of the prede- in direct connection with the arriving and termined bicycle stations, you will get your departing flights. The trip from the central coin back. train station in Aarhus to the airport is ap- See this homepage for more information: prox. 45 minutes. The bus also has a stop at www.aarhus.dk/sitecore/content/Sub- Randersvej, located close to the University sites/AarhusBycykel/Home/Eng- and CON AMORE. The bus number for this lish.aspx?sc_lang=da shuttle is 925X. Tickets are purchased on board from the driver, and can be paid with Danish kroner, Norwegian kroner, US dollars, English pounds, or Euros. Visacard, Master- card, and JCB may be used as well. Taxis: For taxi service, contact Aarhus Taxi ((+45) 89 48 48 48). Note that travelling by taxi in Denmark is quite expensive (e.g., dur- ing the day there is a starting fee of 33 kr 6 MINI GUIDE TO AARHUS Walking: If you like to walk, Aarhus is almost 8000 Aarhus C perfect. The distances between the univer- (+45) 86 12 86 65 sity, the city center, and other places of in- www.radissonblu.com/hotel-aarhus terest are not too great (e.g., from the univer- sity to City Hall is approx. 3 kilometers). Aar- Scandic Aarhus City hus is considered to be a very safe city, and Østergade 10 you can safely walk in most areas of Aarhus 8000 Aarhus C even during the evening and night hours. (+45) 89 31 81 00 www.scandichotels.com/hotels/coun- Accommodation