Aarhus

Aarhus is a mix of young and old. Historically, it is one of the oldest cities in Scandinavia established by the Vikings around the year 770 but being a university city means that it is the youngest city in Denmark measured by the average age of its inhabitants.

Aarhus is the largest city on the Jutland peninsula and the second largest in Denmark overall. 315.000 people live in the city and 1.2 million people live in the greater Aarhus Area. Aarhus presents itself as a major city crammed into a mega village.

Here, the city centre, beaches, harbour and forests are all within reach of a 15-minute bike ride. 

Aarhus offers a wide array of experiences for every taste, be it culture, shopping, cafes and restaurants or stunning nature.

In 2017, Aarhus will be the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) - one of the most prestigious and prominent cultural events in Europe.

The 2017 project focuses on urban development, integration, business development, tourism, infrastructure and international collaboration, and operates under the title "Rethink".

Main attractions in the city include ARoS, Aarhus' Museum of Art where you can visit the Rainbow Panorama for a colourful view of the city and The Old Town, an open air museum, which gives you a living experience of what it was like to live in a Danish market town in the 1800s and 1900s. 

There is also ample opportunity to do some shopping while in Aarhus. The shopping mall Bruuns Galleri, located just beside the train station, and the 850 meter long pedestrian high street Strøget offers a wide array of shops and in the narrow cobblestoned streets of the Latin Quarter you will find chic shops selling one-off items.

At the conference venue, nature is just outside the doors. The Marselis Hotel Aarhus is located right on the beach where you can walk along the sand down to the Marselisborg Yacht Harbour. Behind the hotel, the forest provides beautiful paths for walking and mountain biking and in the Deer Park nearby you can visit deer and wild boar.

In 2014, not far from the conference venue, the new Moesgaard Museum on prehistory and ethnography opened in a building designed by Henning Larsen architechts. The building features a grass covered roof from where visitors can enjoy the view of the forest, the ocean, and the landscape surrounding the museum.

The forest is also home to the NRGi Park & Arena, home ground of the local football club AGF, and the Marselisborg Palace, the Danish Royal family's summer residence.

Aarhus is furthermore the home town of Play the Game.

For more information about the experiences Aarhus has to offer go to visitaarhus.com

Guided tours
If you are looking for a guided tour of Aarhus, the Aarhus Guides is the city’s authorised guide organisation. They offer guides in Danish, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian in Aarhus and its surroundings on foot and by coach. The Aarhus Guides also offers tours made on the basis of your requests.
More about the Aarhus Guides

Rent a bike
At the conference venue, Hotel Marselis Aarhus, a number of bikes will be avaiable for rent, either by the hour or on a daily basis. The rent of bikes is administered by Cycling Aarhus and by using the code "PlayTheGame2015" delegates will get a 20% discount on the price. Book your bike here

If you are looking for a guided Aarhus tour on two wheels, Cycling Aarhus offers a two-hours tour along the Aarhus habour on Saturday 24th October at 14:00.

Read more and book the guided cycling tour