Transportation
Getting around Aarhus
Bicycles
Cycling is the easiest way to get around in Aarhus. Everything is reachable within cycling distance and you can find bike facilities everywhere. It is possible to rent a bicycle for a shorter stay in Aarhus. Companies such as bikes4rent offer special rates for students.
You can also purchase a second hand bike at the police auction held on the first Saturday of every month. You can take a look at the bikes from 8AM and the auction starts at 10AM. The auction is hosted by Østjysk Auktion and is located at Kringelled 10, 8250 Egå.
Another possibility is to look for a second-hand bike in newspapers such as Gul & Gratis and Den Blå Avis (in Danish only).
Major supermarkets such as Bilka, Kvickly and Føtex offer new, but cheap bikes from around DKK 1,500.
During summer, Aarhus provides city bikes which you can use free of change. You release the bike from its stand by depositing DKK 20, which you get back when you return the bike to one of the 58 designated parking places in the city. For further information, please see www.aarhusbycykel.dk.
City bikes can also be found in Viborg and Copenhagen.
Buses
City buses
Midttrafik – the municipal bus company – runs the yellow buses in the city. The bus route number is indicated at the front and the back of the bus and the destination is displayed at the front and above the rear door. Aarhus is the only city in Denmark where passengers enter through the back door and exit through the front.
Every bus is equipped with a ticket machine and a validation machine at the back of the bus. You can purchase single and multi-ride tickets, as well as season cards if you are planning on taking the bus more frequently.
Night buses operate after hours and run every hour on the hour. They are double the price of a regular fare, which means that if you are riding with a multi-ride ticket, you must stamp it twice. Be sure to check the schedule since there are only a few bus routes at night and most only operate until 03.00 in the morning and do not run all year round.
Route changes for Aarhus public buses – August 8th
From August 8th the times, routes, and numbers of the public buses in Aarhus will change quite radically. The purpose of these changes is optimise the bus network as well as to lower the costs. Specifically, the changes will address the following by providing: shorter travel times, shorter intervals between bus connections, better overview, as well as less CO2.
On the following website it is possible to see what changes will take place, as well as find your new bus. www.nytbusnet.dk The website is only in Danish, so below are some helpful tips in English.
- Click the yellow “Find din nye bus” (find your new bus) – search for new buses by the place of departure and arrival (sourced by The Journey Planner)
- Click the brown “Rutekort” to find the new map of the bus network from August 8th
- Click the red “Køreplaner” to find the individual timetables.
- The blue “Flextur” is only relevant for those living far away from the ordinary bus network (it is in Danish only).
Regional buses
Regional buses are run by the five regional bus companies in Denmark. The busses are usually blue. You enter the bus at the front and buy your ticket from the bus driver. Multi-ride tickets and season cards are much cheaper than ordinary tickets, and you can purchase them in most kiosks and department stores.
Car
Because of the 25% VAT, cars in Denmark are very expensive. Add to that a high registration duty – 60–63 % of the market price – and you will understand why many people choose alternative means of transportation in Denmark.
If you wish to register your car in Denmark, you must do so within 14 days of your arrival in Denmark. Registration of vehicles is administered by SKAT, where you can also find rules and tax rates for imported cars.
For further information, please see www.workindenmark.dk under Information > Information for jobseekers > Life in Denmark > Transport > Car in Denmark
Do you need to convert your driving license?
Read more about converting your driving license here.
Travelling around Denmark
Trains
DSB is the Danish railway network that runs to all regions of the country. You can get discount tickets, called DSB Orange, which are considerably cheaper than the regular prices. You can also purchase a Wild Card which offers discounted tickets to students. You can buy either electronic tickets or paper tickets that you have to pick up at the railway station.
For information on ticket prices and timetables, contact the DSB Customer Centre at +45 7013 1415 or book your tickets online.
Long distance coaches
There are a number of bus companies that offer transportation within Denmark and to larger European cities, two companies are Abildskou and Eurolines.
Journey planner
You can book your trip online by using the Journey Planner (Rejseplanen), which finds the possible travel options (buses and trains) when you type in departure and destination points. It is an easy way to plan your travels until you get an understanding of the transportation network.
