;<ED8IBËJ ?@;;<E ><D

BEER, bikes and some beautiful buildings – Aarhus could just be the coolest place you’ve never heard of.

Perched on the Jutland peninsula, Denmark’s second city boasts everything you could want for a perfect city break.

It’s been named the 2017 European Capital of Culture and there’s lots of art, museums and gourmet cuisine to justify the title.

As a university city, a fifth of the population are students – giving Aarhus (pronounced like the Madness song Our House) a young and vibrant vibe.

Pretty much everyone gets around on bikes but it’s easily walkable, too – so we started off with a gentle stroll up to Den Gamle By.

Perfect

This open-air museum was founded in 1914 and features recreated buildings from the 1700s up until 1974 with staff in period costumes.

There’s plenty to keep kids amused, including the surprisinglyentertaining fairground attractions from the 1700s.

Also in Den Gamle By is The Aarhus Story, which only opened in April. It’s an interactive exhibition about the history of the city, including a virtual bike ride and even Danish karaoke.

Handily, Den Gamle By is next door to the free-to-enter Botanical Gardens.

Covering 21.5 hectares, the gardens are a perfect place to chill or take a leisurely walk and admire the scenery.

Amble through four different greenhouses with plants from all over the world.

Once you’ve explored the outside space of Aarhus, make the most of this capital of culture by heading to the fantastic ARoS art gallery.

Spread over several floors, it boasts eye-catching and thoughtprovoking modern art.

Highlights include Boy, a 14ft-high 79-stone sculpture of a crouching youth, and the dark and disturbing No Man Is An Island exhibition reflecting Europe’s political problems.

But the most incredible work of art is one you can walk around.

Your Rainbow Panorama sits on top of the ARoS building, a circular walkway built out of multi-coloured glass.

Check out all the sights from up high, each a different colour depending on which section you stand in.

Next you could hop on the 18 or 100 bus and head for the Moesgaard Museum, just 20 minutes outside the Old Town.

It would be easy to spend a day taking in the exhibits charting Danish history from the cavemen onwards.

There’s plenty of child-friendly interactive elements, from touch screens to films and games.

It also houses the Grauballe Man – the body of a man who died 2,000 years ago, which was preserved in a bog before it was unearthed in 1952.

But make sure you leave plenty of time to enjoy the delicious food and drink on offer.

Everyone from cool kids to families and tourists hang out at the Street Food Market by the bus station. There’s cuisine from around the world, traditional Danish and craft beers on tap, and stalls selling wine and cocktails.

For Danish food, head to the NORD stall which serves organic Nordic tapas and delicious rye bread sandwiches.

Mid-market bars and restaurants are in the middle of the shopping area on Aboulevarden, complete with waterfront and outside tables.

We headed to one of Aarhus’s oldest restaurants for a slice of classic Danish cooking at the Raadhuus Kafeen.

It’s been there since 1924 and I couldn’t have been happier with my choice of the poetic-sounding Stjerneskud – Shooting Star – rye bread, fried plaice fillet, prawns, smoked salmon and a dab of caviar on top.

The meal didn’t come cheap – two main courses plus a bottle of wine and service came to just under £68 – but it was delicious. If you want to go high-end, Aarhus boasts four Michelin-starred restaurants. Drinking can be expensive so pick what and where you indulge.

The trendiest watering holes are on Jaegergardsgade, a street of bars and restaurants running up from the station, or the Latin Quarter.

For reasonably-priced booze, there’s British and Irish-themed bars in Frederiksgade.

Danish beers such as Tuborg and Carlsberg are the cheapest options – and taste better than at home – but Mikkeller, the beer from Copenhagen, is also a popular choice with its own bar on Jaegergardsgade.