3-MINUTE TRAVEL GUIDE:
AARHUS, DENMARK
DON’T FORGET TO PACK A warm coat, rain gear, and comfortable walking shoes!
Also, bring a few favorite things that remind you of home.
BEST LEFT AT HOME Umbrella (it’s way too windy most of the time to even try to use one), any shoes with a heel (you will undoubtable wear your walking shoes at all times, even to the bars), fancy clothes (you’ll rarely wear them and if you are anything like me, when you have an event to go to, you’ll probably buy something new).
WHERE TO LIVE I lived in Universiteparken and it was so convenient for walking everywhere and going to class. I spent a lot of time in campus study spots and when I wanted to go downtown, it was just a short walk to the nearest Letbanen stop. A lot of my friends lived off campus and it was harder for them to take part in on-campus social events, like Friday Bars, because public transit stops running at around 11:30 at night and it was too far to walk.
BEST EATS NEAR CAMPUS My favorite food in Denmark was the bread and cheese from La Cabra Coffee. I seriously dream about that stuff and I wish there was a way to ship it back to myself in California. I also went out to eat with my friends a lot to Street Food, which is essentially a warehouse with a bunch of different food vendors. It’s pretty inexpensive for Denmark—and there are so many good food options.
FAVORITE LOCAL ACTIVITY The Friday Bars on campus is such a fun and unique social event. Basically, every Friday the different faculties across campus turn their buildings into a party. There is cheap beer, good music, and sometimes themed nights. You can go to a faculties bar and lots of people have their favorite that they frequent. They are all on campus, easy to get to, and add to the fun times.
BEST LOCAL EVENT Kapsejlads for sure! It is the largest student event in Europe. There is really no way to explain Kapsejlads to someone that has never attended, but I definitely recommend looking it up to get a feel for what it is. Kapsejlads is essentially a giant, school-sponsored relay race, where the faculties compete for a trophy (the golden bedpan), and everyone camps out overnight in the campus park to secure a spot to watch. If you are lucky enough to be in Denmark when this event happens in the spring, don’t miss it!
WHERE TO STUDY I absolutely loved studying in the Royal Library on campus. They have great food, cheap coffee, and a variety of comfortable spots to study. My friends and I would also frequent La Cabra coffee and Lynfabrikken for long study days.
MUST-TRY LOCAL DISH Again, the bread and cheese from La Cabra! You won’t regret it!
BEST PHOTO OP The Salling rooftop! It’s free to go up there and it has an amazing view of the whole city. When people came to visit me, it was always the first spot I took them. I loved to pop by to do homework or read when the weather was nice. They have a great rooftop bar to get drinks with friends!
BIGGEST FAIL My biggest fail happened on my first night in Aarhus. I had so much luggage and was traveling by myself and I tried to get my suitcases up the escalator in the train station and ended up tumbling down it with all my luggage and knocking over an elderly woman. Definitely a fail—but a good story now!
BUY THIS Comfortable walking shoes! I walked upwards of five to 10 miles every day, and even more when I traveled. I wore the soles off of my sneakers within a month of living in Aarhus. I bought a new pair that were less fashionable and more functional. It was definitely worth it. The Danes are all about functional fashion, and that is something I’ve really brought back into my life in America.
NOT THAT Fashionable boots or shoes with a heel. I brought too many pairs of boots with me thinking I’d be wearing them all the time because of the weather, but I rarely even touched them. When I did, I usually regretted it because I got blisters from walking so much.
MOST INTERESTING CLASS I really enjoyed taking my Danish Society and Culture class! I thought it was fun to get an insider perspective on the culture in Denmark because it was so different from what I was used to in the United States. I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the class, as it was all international students, which made it easy to connect and make new friends.
BEST PART OF THE PROGRAM I truly felt like a new person at the end of my program. I had a really hard first month adjusting to being away from my family and I was worried that I was going to absolutely hate my time away. Once I started to make friends and get myself busy, I had the time of my life. I grew so much in six short months. I feel like I can do anything after getting through that experience.
UNFORGETTABLE WEEKEND TRIPS I traveled a lot outside of the country when my family came to visit me, but my favorite trip was just a day trip I went on to Odense with my friends. We took the earliest bus from Aarhus and the latest bus back and we just fully packed the day with sight seeing. We were exhausted by the end, but it was such a good time and it really helped me bond with my new friends.
FAVORITE UCEAP TRIP OR ACTIVITY There was only one other UCEAP student at my university, but there were a few in Sweden and they came and visited Aarhus. We all got to get lunch together and explore. If was a fun taste of home to be back with people from the same area as me, and it was fun to show off the city I was living in.
BONUS PRO TIP Buy a rejeskort card for public transit when you get your CPR number! I saved so much money on train and bus trips with my card and it was so convenient to not have to worry about buying train tickets! You can also add and pay for guests on the rejeskort card if you plan on having people visit.
