Living in Aarhus

Here follows an expat view of Aarhus, for someone contemplating coming to live here from outside Denmark.  Aarhus is a small town.  This has advantages: it means that it's manageable, feels cosy, is cyclable, has a great road system, isn't stressful, has gorgeous countryside within close reach.  It cannot be said to have any kind of vibrant life and isn't what I would call a city.  Aarhusians would probably disagree. As to cultural life, there is a good concert hall and music programme, but tickets are so expensive you can't go, quite unlike London, eg.  There are restaurants, but good and reasonably priced ones do not seem to exist.  Perhaps because people in Aarhus just don't seem to have the habit of going out. 

The only social life visible is bars, of which there are some nice ones, and some students at the university and other youngs go. 

As to making friends as a foreigner, it is hard to do.  In residential neighborhoods people are very busy and just don't have time. It is not just a question of national shyness.  Danish society isn't very open unless you are very young.  This tendency is more pronounced here in Jutland. 

So it is important to be clear what you want in the place you plan to live.

Last edited by LucySW (2009-04-22 11:06:26)