Aarhus

A.C.Perch's Thehandel

Perch's

A local branch of the venerable tea-house of the same name in Copenhagen with roots back to colonial times. The Aarhus café is smaller, and only a few years old, but has the same old-fashioned style as the original in Copenhagen. Slow down and take time to enjoy a well-made pot of high quality tea with more than a hundred varieties to sample. The clerks are there to guide you. Splurge with a Breakfast Plate or a Five O Clock Tea serving if you like. If you are a group, you can book a table online. No coffee here.

Mon-Fri 10:00-17:30, Sat 10:00-17:00·Pot of tea 95 kr, Breakfast Plate (including tea) 210 kr

Aarhus Botanical Gardens

Botanisk Have

Founded in 1873 as a research garden for students at Aarhus University, nowadays the Botanical Gardens have been repurposed as a pleasant outdoor park for citizens to enjoy during the warm months. However, for laypeople who may be interested in botany, there are still thousands of different species of plants on display throughout, all labelled in Latin and Danish. The bulk of the park is hilly open lawns, ponds, and landscaped gardens. Facilities include a large outdoor children's playground, an amphitheatre, toilets, and a big covered Greenhouse complex. At the Greenhouses you can experience plants from all around the world, including the tropics, and there's a café serving coffee, cake, ice cream, and light lunches.

Daily 24 hours·Free

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

Faour

Relatively new eatery, part of a wave of quality spots of Middle Eastern inspirations across Aarhus. Faour offers falafel, manakish and mezze of various kinds for affordable prices. Almost exclusively vegetarian menu. Good mint tea and Arabian coffee with cardamom.

Closed Sundays·Manakish menu for kr 59

Food markets

An outdoor farm and artisan market with fresh vegetables, fruit, bread, fish, meat, cheese, and some prepared foods sold by local producers. There's also a small permanent café here with good coffee. is an indoor food market in the city centre near the central station, offering a culinary world tour ranging from Korean bowls, Turkish grill, and luxury salads to pad thai, fish & chips, and Afro-Caribbean barbecue. The food court is open every day of the week 11:30-21:00. is another indoor food court from early 2023, located in the building complex Nicolinehus in the new harbourside district of Aarhus Ø. Stylish interior, yet with relatively low budget prices and self-help service. The food offered here is also of a broad cultural diversity and the food stations are also open every day from 11:30-21:00. opened in 2024 at the central square at the Aarhus Cathedral. Clean and stylish interior. It is the smallest of the three food courts.

Wed Sat 08:00-14:00·Free

Havnebadet

Aarhus Havnebad

Large floating bathhouse in the northern parts of the harbour, part of the developing docklands district, designed by renowned architecture company BIG. The open-air bathhouse has several pools, including child friendly paddling pools. It is open to the public from June through August. The surrounding area is still under development, but a number of small shops offers coffee, drinks, ice cream and some food.

Jul-Aug: daily 11:00 to 19:00·Free

Jacob Skomager

A regular værtshus with an old fashioned decor in an area with many local værtshus bars. Smoking allowed. Drop in for a cup of coffee in the early afternoon or a beer after work. You can get hot dogs at the small square opposite this place. Fun fact: Jacob Skomager is a character from the Renaissance play Jeppe på Bjerget by celebrated writer Ludvig Holberg.

Daily from 10:00

KØN

Gender Museum Denmark

Residing in the old, and former, City Hall building from 1857 behind the Aarhus Cathedral, this place focuses on the importance of gender in the past and today. KØN presents changing exhibitions on the cultural history of gender and possess a fair collection of historical stuff related to women specifically. You can look through, or buy, publications on former exhibitions that you missed or general books related to the role of gender. Some titles are in English. KØN has a café serving light lunches, coffee and cakes, and you are allowed to enter without a museum ticket.

Tue Thu-Sun 10:00-17:00; Wed 10:00-18:00 (closed Sundays and Mondays)·kr 125 (various discounts)

LYNfabrikken

"The Lightning Factory" is a business incubator for small creative concerns located in a restored old factory building, with an onsite café in the loft. The small laid-back rooftop terrace is a pleasant summertime oasis of seclusion in the midst of the bustling central city. The café offers beverages (good coffee), cakes and a small choice of food, plus a few books and crafts for sale.

Every day (8:00-22:00 for the loft café)

Latin Quarter

Another shopping district in the old city centre, in the Latin Quarter you'll find small independent shops as well as some of the city's oldest cafés. There's something for everyone here: unique clothing, furniture and design boutiques, many with an unmistakable Danish flair (check out the Bang & Olufsen Hi-Fi store for a particularly good example), storefront art galleries, record shops, tattoo parlors, hair saloons, not to mention plenty of opportunities for just soaking up the atmosphere and street life. Every year in May or September, the shops and businesses of the neighbourhood celebrate the Latinerfestival for a couple of days, with events and concerts.

Pinds Cafe

This small bar has served since 1848, but got its name from a miss Elna Pind who took control in 1936, notorious for her sharp tongue and very strict rules. Things are more easy nowadays but the old-fashioned decor clings on. The clientele is typically of the mature and relaxed kind. Smoking allowed.

Wed-Sat from 16:00

Royal Casino Aarhus

Play a round of roulette or a game of cards and hope for the big prize. Take a break from the action at the in-house Richard's Bar & Cocktails with a coffee or a drink, or just gawk at the bronze sculptures at the main entrance, designed by local artist Hans Krull.

Sun 15:00–02:00, Mon–Thu 15:00–03:00, Fri Sat 15:00–04:00, gaming tables open at 19:00·Entry kr 70 after 19:00 (kr 20 before 19:00)

Salling Rooftop

Impressive skyline view of Aarhus from the stylishly designed rooftop of the Salling department store in the city center. Walk around to enjoy the different vistas on your own, or find a secluded corner to enjoy a cup of coffee. There is also a good eatery, bar, and café here and sometimes small concerts and other events are happening. Check the website for details.

Ma-Fr: 10-20; Sat 10-19; Sun 10-18·Free

Stiller's Coffee

This oasis for true coffee aficionados is hidden away in a backyard of a larger building complex that used to house a chocolate factory. It is not easy to spot, but some of the best things in life require a bit of effort. There are numerous spots for truly great coffee around the city, but this place is among the very best for sure.

Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-16:00, Sun closed

Aarhus Brædtspilscafé

Two boardgame cafés operated by the same group of people. Just show up and hope for a free spot or reserve a table online if you are a minimum of four people and wants to be sure. The ticket gives you access to a vast number of games, from well-known classics like backgammon, chess or kalaha to various party games, quiz games and much more intricate and elaborate boardgames like Risk, Catan or Pandemic. You can play as many games as you like for as long as you like. Sometimes game-guides introduce new games to people and you can choose to join in. The spot in focus on lightweight games while the spot in presents more heavy and advanced games.

Mon-Thu 12:00-23:00, Fri Sat 12:00-01:00, Sun 12:00-22:00·kr 35