During the summer of 2024 I was attending an internship at the department of psychiatry at the hospital of Aarhus (Denmark).

I learned a lot during my internship and I am very happy I chose Aarhus. The hierarchy is flat and the people are super friendly and helpful, therefore creating a very comfortable atmosphere to learn in. I could always ask questions and request feedback on my tasks. Because of the atmosphere and the friendliness, I felt very included which made it easier for me to challenge myself academically.

The city
Aarhus is a beautiful city in midtjylland, approximately 3 hours by train from Copenhagen. It is a perfect city for students because of the numerous events and the university. I was lucky to find a room in the city-center (Midtbyen), therefore no matter where I was meeting friends or attending events, I could walk there and it wouldn’t take me more than 5-10 min. This was perfect for me! Therefore I highly recommend finding an apartment/a room in “Midtbyen”.

There are a lot of nice beaches around Aarhus. I have visited Bellevue and Marselisborg. I liked them both a lot, however the weather was mostly a bit too cold for a swim in the sea. Next to beaches, Aarhus has a lot of beautiful nature. I loved visiting the botanic garden. There is a greenhouse there with a beautiful café and a botanic-shop. Another recommendable
nature-sport is Risskov, which is perfect if you want to go for walks in the forest. At Marselisborg, you have “den uendelige Bro“, which I highly recommend. There is also an animal garden with deers and a castle.

Activities
One of my favorite activities during my time in Aarhus was to visit the “smykbar”. This is a café where you can make your own bracelets and necklaces. You pay a certain amount of money for the necklace itself, and you can choose between a lot of pearls.

Another activity I did a lot during my time in Aarhus was to go to the Spilcafé in Vestergade. This is a café where you pay 35 DKK for an evening where you can pick and choose between lots of boardgames. They also offer drinks and food.

I can also recommend the standup-shows at the bar “Alberts”. On Sundays they are in english, the rest of the week they are in danish.

Cafés/Restaurants
During my internship I have seen a lot of Aarhus. The city center is relatively small and there are a lot of cozy cafés that are worth a visit. I can recommend la cabra, café drudenfuss, coffee collective and David Breadhead. There are also a lot of restaurants that are good, for example grappa, however the prices are pretty high for a meal. I can also really recommend going to “Aarhus street food”, which is a marked-hall with lots of different restaurants from cuisines all over the world.

The language
Most danish people are fluent in english. However, while doing an internship or working it is very recommended to learn danish or other scandinavian languages such as norwegian. There are also a lot of international students in Aarhus.

Tips for other students

Preparation

The preparation for the internship was quite straightforward. I sent an email 9 months before the start of the internship and got a positive reply 3 days later. My impression is that the danish people are very helpful and well-organized.

Visa

Not necessary in my case.

Searching for the internship

I was searching a lot online, especially on PJ-Ranking.

Looking for an apartment

I think the best way to look for apartments is through facebook. There are a lot of facebook-groups where students post apartments/rooms for sublet. I was very lucky to find a student who was going abroad at the same time as I was doing the internship in Aarhus, so that I could sublet her room in the meantime.

Insurance

Very individual. Some students apply for the CPR-Number, this is as far as I know required if you stay longer than 6 months, but not necessary if you stay for a period under 6 months. The insurance you need, in my experience, varies depending on which country/university you are from.

Formalities

Telephone/Internet

I used my normal telephone and got free internet at the place where I stayed.

Bankaccount

I used my German card.

Leisure

Nightlife/Cafés/Restaurants (summed up from the text above)

In Aarhus there are plenty of Cafés, Restaurants and bars to visit. My best tips:

• Cafés: La Cabra, David BreadHead, Café Drudenfuss, Coffee collective
• Restaurants: Grappa
• Bars: Oops, Tirnanoir, Waxies

My best tips for activities:

• Smykbar: here you can make armbands and necklaces while drinking
• Pubquiz: tirnanoir (english), Tanken (danish)
• Bellevue-beach
• Marselisborg beach and animal park
• Den uendelig bro
• Aros-Museum
• Spilcafé

Other

I can also recommend attending facebookgroups for internationals/erasmus-Students or other international groups such as “GirlGoneInternational – GGI”.