Aarhus is an excellent place to go shopping. In the center of the city, you will find several nice malls along with a few large shopping streets. To get more information on where you can buy interesting things, check out this guide to shopping in Aarhus!
Get a discount with the AarhusCARD
Before we start recommending the places where you can shop in Aarhus, we have a quick recommendation:
If you buy an AarhusCARD for your trip, you can get a 10% discount in most stores and malls in Aarhus. This is a huge benefit, and aside from this, the card also provides benefits for transportation and museum entries. We highly recommend it, since you might end up saving a lot of money.
Best malls in Aarhus
Aarhus has several malls, and going to one of these is arguably the best choice. The local weather isn’t always great in Aarhus, so it is nice to be able to do the shopping indoors.
Here is an overview of all the malls in and near Aarhus:
- Bruuns Galleri
- Magasin
- Salling
- Storcenter Nord
- City Vest
- Viby Centret
Bruuns Galleri is the biggest shopping mall in Aarhus. It has over 10 million visitors per year, and it offers over 100 stores. Bruuns Galleri is designed to be part of the central train station, so you simply enter the train station, walk past the doors to the train tracks, and you will be right inside the mall. There are two large floors, and aside from a large number of stores, there is also a supermarket, a couple of cafés and bakeries, a few restaurants and a large cinema. Open every day of the week.
Magasin is more of a department store than a mall since it is one large store with some cafés and juice companies here and there. However, it feels just like a mall since it is very large – and they sell everything, from clothes to toys, from electronics to souvenirs. It is one of the places where you can get a 10% discount with the AarhusCARD. Since Magasin has a very central location, it should be near the top of your list of places to go shopping in Aarhus. Open from 10.00 to 20.00 every day of the week, except for Sunday where it closes two hours earlier.
Salling is very reminiscent of Magasin: Also central, also a department store, but large and with all sorts of items. Perhaps you have already visited Salling in another city – for example, there is another large one in Aalborg – but if not, then we highly recommend it. They have some cheap items, and they have some expensive items. They sell small brands as well as famous international brands. Therefore, you’ll find a bit of everything, and it’s a great place to shop for men as well as women.
Storcenter Nord is a very popular mall in the northwestern part of the city. It has over 60 stores, a huge supermarket, several places to eat, a post office, a pharmacy, and over 1,000 parking spaces – the parking is free. It’s a very modern and impressive mall, so you can definitely do some great shopping here. The majority of the stores are related to clothing, but you’ll find a bit of everything. If you don’t have a car, take bus 2A. It’s very easy to get there!
City Vest is not located in the central part of Aarhus, but rather in the town of Brabrand, just a bit west of the city. However, it attracts many shoppers from Aarhus, and it is among the best malls in the area. There are many specialized stores, but there are also two supermarkets, a gym, a pharmacy, a post office and much more. You can easily spend some hours here, and you can reach City Vest in just a few minutes by bus, assuming you’re staying in the center of Aarhus.
Viby Centret is another mall slightly outside of central Aarhus. This time, head southwest – there are several buses going here, but you can also ride a bicycle if the weather is nice. It really isn’t that far from Aarhus. Viby Centret currently has 26 independent stores, and like City Vest, it is also equipped with a large supermarket, a post office, a pharmacy and some small entertainment facilities.
These five malls/department stores are the main ones in Aarhus. They are all highly worth visiting, but if you’re staying in the center, Bruuns Galleri, Magasin and Salling should be your top priorities to visit.
Popular shopping streets
Aside from some nice malls, there are also great outdoor shopping opportunities in Aarhus. Particularly in the central part of the city, where some streets are almost solely dedicated to shoppers!
Strøget is the main place to go to. The name “Strøget” is also used for the most prolific shopping street in Copenhagen, so it is usually connected to the capital, but Strøget in Aarhus is very well-frequented as well. This one-kilometer long street goes from the train station to the cathedral and has over 130 stores. This is also where you’ll find the department store Salling that we mentioned earlier. It’s a beautiful street with frequent decorations – Christmas is the best time to visit. However, there are solid discounts in the many Strøget stores during the summer months, so that’s also a decent time to come.
Vestergade is another nice street to visit – while Strøget is full of commercial chain stores, Vestergade has more local, boutique shops. You will find some more unique products here, and it’s a great place to go to. Volden is a smaller street where they also have a lot of boutique shops.
The entire Latin Quarter is also interesting for shopping. It has some commercial stores, but also a wide variety of smaller, locally-owned stores. With a good mix of stores, and with very charming surroundings, it is an excellent area to visit. Aside from shopping, you will also find some nice attractions here, along with a fair share of popular local restaurants. The whole quarter is very charming. Locals love it, and tourists underestimate it!
And of course, if you walk around the city and explore some of the minor streets for yourself, you will quickly find even more options. Aarhus is a great city for shopping, so there are decent options all over the city center.
Best stores in Aarhus
Aarhus naturally has all the main Danish commercial stores. No surprise there. Good examples are Elgiganten, Matas, Flying Tiger and Arnold Busck.
Several international chains have also made their way into the city, like H&M, InterSport, GameStop and Foot Locker. These are a few examples, but you will see many international stores when you walk around the city, that’s for sure.
For a more local experience, you should visit some of these unique shops:
- Badstuerock: A vinyl record store that has been open since 1973. It is the place to go if you are into music – especially rock music.
- Reverb: Another shop selling vinyl records and some merchandising. Newer, but very charming as well.
- Prag: A vintage store originally from Copenhagen, but also with a shop in Aarhus. They sell clothes, accessories, shoes and similar items. Most of it used, but high quality.
- Bülow Duus: Located in The Latin Quarter, Bülow Duus is a glassblower store, where you can see the glass being made, and purchase some nice pieces of art.
- Støy Munkholm: A large clothing store with some unique brands. They have quality clothing for both men and women, highly worth visiting.
Look any of these shops up in Google Maps and check them out. They are favorites among local shoppers in Aarhus!
Where to eat
If you want to take a break at some point, or if you simply want to end your day of shopping with a nice meal at a tasty restaurant, then you have several options. Get a full overview by reading our article on where to eat in Aarhus. Several restaurants and cafés are recommended in that article!
Price level in Aarhus
Are the prices better than in Copenhagen?
Generally not. Most items will be priced exactly the same. At least when it comes to clothing, electronics, souvenirs and such. However, it might be slightly cheaper to eat out in restaurants, so at least that is something. You’re also more likely to find free parking and such in Aarhus.
Overall, Aarhus is not a cheap place to go shopping, but you will find a wide variety of nice things, and it can be quite entertaining. If you have a day to spare on your vacation, it absolutely makes sense to dedicate it to shopping and eating out. It can be very fun, and this is also a great way to see how locals live in their day-to-day lives.
