Nightlife in Aarhus

26 clubs, live music venues and late-night spots in Aarhus.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
Aarhus Aadal Golf Club
This golf club is west of Aarhus near the town of Harlev. Beautiful countryside. 18 holes. Restaurant.
Do
Aarhus Golf Club
Boasting a great view of the Bay of Aarhus and the excellent bistro and restaurant UNICO (which you can visit even if you're not a golfer), the Aarhus Golf Club has 35 years of experience and more than 1,000 members. 18 holes.
Drink
Alberts
Alberts is a bar in a historic 14th-century monks' cellar at the cathedral. Quality beer, wine, and spirits with free open-mic stand-up comedy; Monday-Thursday in Danish, Sunday in English. You can play dice here too. On weekends, this places turns into a high quality cocktail bar, where the bartenders really shows off their skills. Tapas can be had Friday and Saturday evenings as well, but you need to pre-order and book a table for that.
Every day. Outdoor serving at the big square in the summer Mon-Sat from 12:00Cocktails from kr 100, drinks and wine from kr 60
Drink
Bro Cafeen
Bro Cafe
Claimed by some to be the oldest værtshus in Aarhus still in operation, Bro Cafeen has presumably served thirsty guests since 1899. Nice old-fashioned, bright yellow townhouse at an excellent location, right at the central Frederiksbroen bridge. Outside terrace, dart, and occasionally live music.
Mon-Thu 11:00-22:00, Fri Sat 11:00-01:00, Sun 11:00-18:00
Eat
Café Gaya
A good variety of organically-grown vegetarian food, with cozy decor and occasional live music. Gaya also serves brunch (ad libitum) on Saturdays.
Mon-SatAll-you-can-eat lunch buffet kr 89, evening buffet kr 150
Drink
Café Paradis
Den Sidste
Bar and nightclub with cocktails, shots, bubbles, wine and beer. Lively dance floor with DJs on most nights. Age limit is 21+ on weekends.
Thu-Sat from 21:00kr 40 entry
See
Den Gamle By
The Old Town
Open-air museum village comprising a collection of 75 original Danish buildings from 1597 to 1909, gathered from all corners of the country. There are historical shops and eateries, most true to the period. A few staff members and volunteers dressed up in historic clothes adds to the ambience, and sometimes events are arranged. You can buy a round-trip horse and carriage ride through the museum's cobblestone streets or through the outside park. A new addition to the complex showcase Danish town culture and buildings from the 20th century, including a bakery, several stores, a poster museum, and a jazz club. As well, for the European Capital of Culture celebration in 2017, the museum inaugurated new permanent exhibitions focusing on local history and classic Danish jewellery from the 20th century. You can easily spend a whole day, exploring the town, its life, and the underground exhibitions. After regular opening hours, you can still stroll the streets (free of charge), but there is no access to exhibitions and buildings. Be sure to also spend some time in the large surrounding Botanical Garden and the Greenhouses.
kr 205 (discount for students), free for children. Botanical Garden and Greenhouses are both free
Drink
Gedulgt
If you are willing to spend some time on a nightlife treasure hunt, try if you can find Gedulgt. It is a super hip cocktail bar with the most creative drinks, but located in a nondescript backyard as some kind of secret speakeasy. Look for the green door. Outstanding cocktails, including non-alcoholic mocktails. also Quality beer, wine, bubbles, and spirits. Cocktail workshops and tasting arrangements can be ordered for groups online.
Thu 18:00-24:00, Fri Sat 16:00-02:00Cocktails kr 110 and up
Do
HeadQuarters
HQ
HeadQuarters is a small cultural venue for theatre, dance and music in a basement. There are usually three concerts per week on a tiny stage, as well as a night club with DJs.
Tue-Sat from 19:00
Drink
Hos Anders
A bar with occasional live music, mostly jazz. The audience here is usually a bit more mature.
Beer kr 20
Eat
Kiin Kiin
Asian food with a Vietnamese bend. High-end restaurant quality, yet served in cosy, laid back and rustic surroundings for affordable prices. Start with a cocktail in the lounge area for an in-house evening experience, or have your food as takeaway; this place serves the whole range.
Every day, all yearShared meal, family-style kr 395; Restaurant main course from kr 165; Take-away full meals from kr 135
Drink
Lava
Another jack-of-all-trades type of place at the riverside, Lava is a café, bistro and bar all in one. The latter identity comes into the picture on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights after 21:00, with an international wine list (including champagne by the bottle), superb rums and cognacs, and French spirits like armagnac, calvados and eau de vie for a very reasonable price. They occasionally host live music as well.
Cocktails from kr 80 (two for kr 90)
Drink
London Bar
A cocktailbar with dimmed lightning, black tiles and individual tables open for reservations. Many of the bars at the riverside attracts a very young audience, but this bar has a minimum age of 25 and a corresponding relaxed atmosphere. The cocktails are good quality, all made from scratch, half-price before 23:00. Champagne and quality liquor also available. On occassion, events or cocktail courses (1-2 hours) are arranged.
Fri Sat from 20:00Cocktails from kr 95 (discounts available)
See
Moesgaard landscape
The Moesgaard landscape in the southern part of the Marselisborg Forests contains a marked history trail, The Prehistoric Trail, running from the Moesgaard Museum (q.v.) right down to the beach, with reconstructed Stone, Iron, and Viking Age houses and tombs, runestones, etc. If history isn't your thing, just enjoy the beautiful and varied nature of this place; in the spring and summer, it is worth a visit just for that. If you want to eat or drink, start your tour with a meal at the museum, at the nearby Aarhus Golf Club restaurant, or drop in later at the old watermill of Skovmøllen in the woods. You can also bring your own supplies and have a picnic lunch at any spot of your choice; the grassy fields at the Moesgaard Beach is popular for that.
Free
Do
Mollerup Golf Club
Apart from the golf facilities, Mollerup is known for its beautiful setting near the forest of Mollerup Skov and the lake area of Egå Engsø, with a view across the valley here. 18 holes. Café and restaurant.
Do
Musikhuset
The Concert Hall
The largest concert hall in Scandinavia, Musikhuset has seating for more than 3,600 people in six halls with a large variety of events and concerts throughout the year: classical performances, rock and jazz concerts, operas, musicals, chamber music, as well as more intimate performances on some of the smaller stages. Good restaurant and café.
Eat
Mör
Great steakhouse in a new location at Frederiks Plads behind the central station. Flame grilled steaks par excellence. Also fish and vegetarian options. Sometimes live music in the evening.
Closed SundaysThree-course menu kr 579
Drink
Peder Wessel
Nice classic bodega on Trøjborg, north of the city center. Relaxing and cosy atmosphere on the week days, but packed with people ready to party on weekend nights. Often live music.
Mon-Sat from 11:00, closed Sundays
Drink
St. Pauls Apothek
This old restored pharmacy (hence the name) from 1899 now wears many hats: St. Pauls Apothek is a high-end restaurant in the early evening, a fashionable cocktail bar afterward, and a nightclub when it gets really late. Creatively conceived and artfully executed speciality cocktails come served on their own or paired with gourmet dinners.
Tue-Thu 17:30 - 00:00, Fri Sat 17:30 - 02:00
Drink
Tir Na Nóg
A huge Irish pub with nice decor, a festive atmosphere, live music, and pub trivia on Thursday night. Good selection of high-end whiskey, scotch, and rums. As at Sharks, the TVs around the bar are a popular place to catch sporting events.
Daily
Do
Train
Train hosts a large variety of modern contemporary music concerts and other events, from rock, pop and jazz to hip-hop and electronica.
Drink
Under Masken
This bar and café in the basement next to the Royal Casino and Hotel is owned by local artist Hans Krull. The walls here are decorated with strange tribal wooden masks, artsy pictures and miscellaneous objects from his travels around the world. Krull is a prominent artist in Denmark and you can enjoy some of his finer works by glancing at the three bronze sculptures outside the casino next door or his large whole-wall mural in Fiskergade nearby of a woman kissing a sea gull. Be aware that smoking is allowed here and the place is often packed. Happy hour every day from 17:00-21:00 and sometimes live music.
Daily
Drink
Waxies
Another Irish pub closer to the river with three floors of action in a hip riverside location. Premier League football Monday and Tuesday nights, pub trivia Wednesday nights, poker Thursdays, and live music on the weekends starting around midnight. Show up early for discounted drinks and a small food menu.
Daily from 12:00, happy hour from 22:00-00:00
Do
Øst for Paradis
Showing a mix of indie and European arthouse films with some mainstream Hollywood fare thrown in for good measure, Øst for Paradis (East of Eden) comprises three stories of what is left of an old former craftman's guild complex from 1868, most of which was destroyed during the Second World War. The cinema has seven screens, equipped with state-of-the art digital technology. There is a cozy café at the cinema with newspapers and cultural magazines to browse, as well as a nightclub (Café Paradis) on the top floor.
Do Not mapped
Aarhus International Jazz Festival
Held every year in the summer, following the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Hundreds of concerts, many of which are free and open to the public, with a mix of nationally and internationally famous names as well as local up-and-coming talents.
Drink
G-bar
Aarhus' gay and lesbian club.
Thu 20:00-02:00, Fri Sat 22:00-05:00

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Aarhus (CC BY-SA 4.0).