Aarhus self-guided walking tour: 10 stops with audio and quiz

Ten stops trace how Denmark's second city keeps reinventing itself

A self-guided walking tour of Aarhus on your smartphone covers 10 stops across the city's reinvented quarters: the Dokk1 harbourfront, the cobbled Latin Quarter, Aarhus Cathedral, the river promenade at Aboulevarden, Stroget shopping street, ARoS art museum, and Den Gamle By open-air old town. Audio stories and interactive quizzes play at each stop. You start any day and time, take breaks as you wish, and need no app or physical guide. The tour runs in seven languages.

Step-by-step itinerary

Self-guided walking tour of Aarhus

• Start at Dokk1 waterfront library
• Walk through the Latin Quarter
• Visit Aarhus Cathedral
• Stroll along Aboulevarden promenade
• Pass Lille Torv square
• See Church of Our Lady
• Walk Stroget shopping street
• View ARoS Art Museum rooftop
• End at Den Gamle By open-air museum

The experience

Ten stops trace how Denmark's second city keeps reinventing itself, and you move through them at your own speed on your smartphone. At Dokk1, the waterfront public library and civic centre opened in 2015 where the Aarhus River meets the bay. The terraces give an open view over the redeveloped docklands. From there you walk through the Latin Quarter, the oldest part of central Aarhus, a grid of narrow cobbled lanes lined with low painted houses, independent shops and cafes. The route leads to Aarhus Cathedral on Store Torv, the longest and tallest church in Denmark, begun in the late 12th century and rebuilt in Gothic form, with a large collection of medieval frescoes inside.

The second half of the route opens the city's modern face. Aboulevarden runs along the Aarhus River, which was uncovered in the 1990s after running under a road for decades. The banks are now lined with bars and restaurants. Stroget, the main pedestrian shopping street, links the old market squares with the station end of town and is the busiest stretch of the city. ARoS Aarhus Art Museum sits at one end, one of the largest art museums in northern Europe, topped by Your Rainbow Panorama, a circular walkway of coloured glass by Olafur Eliasson that is visible from across the city. The tour ends at Den Gamle By, an open-air museum built from historic Danish town houses dismantled elsewhere and re-erected here. You can look over the timbered facades from outside or buy a ticket to go in.

Audio stories and an interactive quiz play at each of the 10 stops. You can play the quiz solo or against friends. A clear map and directions keep you on route. The tour runs in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German and Danish, so you follow the commentary in your own language. You start any day, any time, and take breaks as you wish. There is no fixed departure time and no group to follow. The whole tour takes between 1.5 and 2 hours if you move straight through, but the pace is entirely yours.

What’s included

• Self-guided tour on your smartphone with no app download needed.
• audio guide with an interactive quiz at each of the 10 stops.
• clear map and directions to keep you on route.
• commentary in seven languages.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Audio guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Ciceru

Is this one for you?The tour runs entirely on your phone with no physical guide, so you follow the audio in your own language at your own pace: ideal if you prefer to explore without a group or a fixed schedule.

Top questions

How do I access the tour on my phone?

The tour runs on your smartphone with no app to download. Audio and text load directly, though you need an internet connection on your phone to start it.

What is Dokk1 and why does the tour start there?

Dokk1 is Aarhus's waterfront public library and civic centre, opened in 2015 on the harbour where the Aarhus River meets the bay. The terraces outside give an open view over the redeveloped docklands and set the theme of the city's reinvention.

Does the tour include entry to ARoS or Den Gamle By?

Museum entry to ARoS is not included, and neither is entry to Den Gamle By. The tour stops at both places so you can see them from outside or buy a ticket to go in if you wish.

Can I take breaks during the tour?

Yes. You start any day and time you choose, and you can pause and resume whenever you like. The tour is entirely self-paced, so you set the rhythm.

What languages is the audio guide available in?

The tour runs in seven languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German and Danish. You choose your language when you start.