We kindly request that you book and pay your own transportation when visiting the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Aarhus University.
If it is agreed with your host, the department or project will reimburse your travel expenses after the visit. Please see the paragraph below on Reimbursement of your travel expenses.
In addition to flights into Aarhus (AAR), which has a small airport and limited flight options, we recommend checking flights into the following cities:
Copenhagen (CPH)
Billund (BLL)
Aalborg (AAL)
Bus
Bus 925X connects Aarhus Airport and the main train station in the city.
The bus timetable is flexible and aligned with flight arrival and check-in times.
Check the up-to-date timetable
It is possible to get the ticket in advance online or through the Midtraffik app.
It costs 126 DKK for a one-way trip. Bus tickets can be bought (by cash or card) when you are onboarding the bus.
Car
Driving from Aarhus Airport to the city centre takes about 40 mins.
Train
You can take a direct train from Copenhagen airport to Aarhus. Trains depart frequently.
A direct train from CPH Airport to Aarhus takes slightly more than 3 hr.
Information about train timetable is on DSB website.
Booking of train tickets can be done up to 2 months in advance on the same website.
Please make sure CPH Lufthavn or København Lufthavn is chosen as the starting point
(instead of København H).
Ticketing machines are available at the airport and offer English option.
Note:
If you book tickets online in advance, Orange Ticket is cheaper, but the ticket is not refundable and can only be used on the specific train you book. Standard Ticket is valid till 23:59am the next day, you can take any train with the same starting and ending points when the ticket is valid (convenient in case of missing a train due to flight delay).
Buying a train ticket does not guarantee a seat on the train. A seat reservation is a separate booking and costs an additional 30 DKK. If you have a train ticket without seat reservation, you can still take the train without any problems and use any seat marked as “kan være reserveret/can be reserved”. We recommend making reservations for seats.
Bus
Bus from Copenhagen Airport to Aarhus takes about 4 hours. Both Flixbus and Kombardo Expressen have multiple departures per day. The bus arrives at the bus station in Aarhus, which is just next to the train station. If you are travelling by bus, the Kombardo is a better option since you will be on a ferry as part of the trip.
Car
It takes about 3.5 hrs to drive from Copenhagen Airport to Aarhus and the trip goes over Denmark’s only tolled bridge (all other roads and bridges are toll-free).
Bus
Bus 912X travels from Billund Airport to Aarhus bus station every hour on weekdays.
See the full bus schedule It costs 164 DKK for the bus ride.
You can buy the ticket (by cash or card) when you are onboard the bus.
It is possible to get the ticket in advance online or through the Midtraffik app.
Car
The drive from Billund Airport to Aarhus takes about 70 mins.
Bus
As of autumn 2024, Flixbus is servicing between Aalborg Lufthavn St. and Aarhus C.
The trip takes between 1h 45 minutes and 2h 30 minutes.
Car
Driving from Aalborg Airport to Aarhus City Centre takes around 1h 20 minutes.
Train
Trains are available from Aalborg Lufthavn St. to Aarhus H.
Information about train timetable is on DSB website.
Booking of train tickets can be done up to 2 months in advance on the same website.
The trip takes around 1h 45 minutes.
Most hotels have parking options. Paid parking is available around the city.
You can also park at the University Campus Area for free if you send an e-mail to mpe@au.dk with the following information so we can register your car in the AU parking system.
The purpose of your visit
Who your contact person at the Department is.
Your license plate number.
The dates you need parking for.
If AU is paying for your hotel stay, it is important that AU also books your hotel room. This is because, AU has a special discount agreement with certain hotels around Denmark. If AU is to help you with the booking you must send an email to mpe@au.dk with the dates, your name, address and phone number.
We recommend the Cabinn (**, address: Kannikegade 14, 8000 Aarhus), as it is close to the city centre
Other options include:
Walking and cycling are the easiest ways to move around in the city centre. You can easily rent a bike from Swapfiets (rental for several days) or Donkey Republic (rental by hour or by full days).
For public transport such as bus and Light Rail, Google Maps is a good tool to find out the route and time otherwise you can also use journey planner.To buy tickets for both bus and Light Rail, you can use the Midtraffik app. Light Rail tickets can also be purchased at the ticketing machines at the stations (only cards are accepted). Only on selected buses, it is possible to buy tickets from the driver and only coins are accepted, so in general we recommend buying tickets on the Midtraffik app before boarding. As a general rule of thumb, a 2-zone ticket is good to get around in the city centre and the university, and the ticket is valid for 1 hour after purchase.
Taxi
It is expensive to take a taxi in Denmark and we recommend public transportation. The two major companies to book taxis are:
Dantaxi, call with their app or +45 48 48 48 48
Aarhus Taxa, call with their app or +45 89 48 48 48
If you are visiting the department as an invited guest, e.g. as external examinator, external guest lecturer, and it is part of the agreement with your host at the department, after the visit you can claim your reimbursement of your travel expenses:
Please send an email to mpe@au.dk where you attach the documentation of your expenses (invoices, receipts, etc.) and briefly explain the purpose of your visit and who your contact person at the Department is.
Please send an e-mail to mpe@au.dk and we will then send you a personal link you must use in order to claim reimbursement of your travel expenses.
All claims should be made within the current fiscal year – claims relating to visits in December, however, no later than by the end of January the following year.
Please be aware of the following from the Travel Policy at Aarhus University:
Flight and train tickets – must be booked on standard/economy class
Transportation by own car – mileage allowance according to rates
Parking, ferry and bridge toll – will be reimbursed according to receipts
Taxi – may be allowed if special circumstances demand it, such as late arrival/departure, defense delay making it hard to reach the airport in time, physical disabilities, or similar.
However, please explain why you have been travelling by taxi