My Favourite Things To Do In Herning, The Most Welcoming City Of Denmark

Herning is probably the most welcoming city I visited during my time in Denmark. This small city is located in West Jutland region of Denmark, just 2 hours from Aarhus. I spent two months in this city as I was persuing a course at the Innovatorium, a startup centre.

Despite being occupied during the week, I discovered that there are so many things to do in Herning. The city is full of fascinating art, historical monuments, churches, and so much more. Here are some of the things I really enjoyed doing during my stay in Herning:

Also Read: My Day In Cold Hawaii – Denmark’s Unlikely Surf Town!

Birk

This small neighbourhood has many schools and universities, including the Aarhus University Innovatorium where I was. Because of this, Birk was my starting point to connect with the rest of Herning. But even in Birk, there are a lot of things I enjoyed seeing. In between all the interesting buildings, there are green areas and parks with beautiful plants and flowers. I especially liked the lake behind the university building that was surrounded by beautiful red and yellow flowers. I used to come in the evening to see the sunset, accompanied by a cup of cold coffee!

Sculptures

One thing I think you must not miss in Birk is the large number of sculptures that which only a few other Danish cities can offer.

My favourite was “Elia,” a big sculpture in Herning designed by Ingvar Cronhammar that was built to mark the new millennium. It is in a hemispherical shape with wide steel staircases leading up to a viewing platform and four tall columns. In the centre is a fifth column that at random times sends up bursts of fire into the air.

Also see the sculpture park, a large circular museum, planned by C. Th. Sørensen, and the sculptures “Obelisken” at the centre of a roundabout and “The Earth is Flat” by Bjørn Nørgaard.

Museums

Right there in Birk is the HEART – Herning Museum of Contdesigned by Ingvar Cronhammaremporary Art. Here you can experience world-class contemporary art by Danish and international artists. Also in Birk is the Carl-Henning Pedersen & Else Alfelts Museum with more than 4000 works made by the married artist couple, and the Geometrical Gardens planned by the garden architect C. Th. Sørensen.

Food

In Herning, I got the chance the chance to spoil your taste buds and enjoy all kinds of meals. There are relaxed cafes with delicious tapas and tasty sandwiches. One of my favourites was Café Dyrbys in the city centre where I enjoyed the blueberry skyr with fruit and maple syrup. You can also visit one of the many bars and enjoy a glass of wine or a cold beer.

Steak

Herning is well known for its variety of premium steaks. If you enjoy steaks, Herning definitely has you back with over 30 different restaurants, cafés and eateries where you can enjoy them big or small, juicy, red, well-done or tender. According to locals, some of the top places to go to are Bone’s, A Hereford Beefstouw or The Charolais Inn.

The South Indian Restaurant Herning

Also in Herning is The South Indian Herning, a saviour for people like me who love to eat their Indian food. I used to visit this hotel quite often for their Idlis, Dosas, and the delicious green chutney. As a bonus, the interiors are also very beautiful. 

Herning Centret

One place where I spent a lot of my time was in the Herning Centret, which was near where I lived. It is the biggest shopping mall in Central Jutland and has 75 stores selling everything from clothes to electronics and groceries as well as small cafes, restaurants and a huge parking space. It will take you at least 5-6 hours to explore all the stores in the mall!

Nightlife

The nightlife of Herning is amazing! Just a short walk away from where I stayed, was a street lined with all kinds of pubs and clubs. For a cosy atmosphere with beer, whiskey, live music and a Scottish atmosphere we would go to the Fox and Hounds Herning. There are also places like The Old Irish Club that have mild music on weekdays and jazz on the weekends. My favourite club, however, was Memories, which had a great dance floor and some amazing bartenders. You can also check out the Danes Club for its pole dancing. 

I wish could describe Herning in just one small article, but I can’t, so, stay tuned for Part 2 – coming soon!