“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”
Aalborg is Denmark's fourth largest city with a population of 142,937 (as January 2021), with a total area of 1,140 km2 (440 sq mi) whereas for Singapore, the population is 5,685,800, with total area of 728.3 km2 (281.2 sq mi), such a big contrast!
An ancient city where Viking ships once sailed past on the Limfjord ( a shallow part of the sea, a term that been used since the Vikings Days), Aalborg has evolved to a vibrant cultural hotspot with a spectacular waterfront of iconic architectural buildings.
Aalborg, the capital of the Northern Jutland regions which makes up of total 16 towns. With a population of 217,075 (as of 2019), Aalborg is the third most populous in the country after Copenhagen and Aarhus.
Aalborg city displays all the characteristics of a cultural buffet; cozy streets full of street arts, charming old houses, award-winning architecture, and gastronomic gems to spoil your taste buds.
We will start with the city center a.k.a. The Centrum - this area is the most popular shopping streets in Aalborg. It is made up of a few streets ... Algade , Bispensgade, Nytrov and few smaller streets. Aside individual shops, departmental Malls like Salling, Friss & Magasin are found here too.
Usually, people will come here for a stroll, dine and shopping. Just a highlight, the tax is 25%.Aalborg Train station
Located just 5-minute walk away from the city center. The train station is serving as a connecting hub for rail traffic between North Jutland and the rest of Denmark. Since 1869, this train station has been standing tall here. The Bus Terminal is located just outside of the train station. It's well organized and it's easy to find the right bus or train to get on.
Public Bus in Aalborg
Aalborg Busterminal on John F Kennedy Plads , located right by the station is a large regional hub for long distance, regional and local buses. This is how the buses look like here. New and comfy, 3 doors with wheelchairs or prams accessibilities.
The Franciscan Monastery Museum ( The Grey Brother Monastey)
The Franciscan Monastery Museum is an underground museum 3 m below one of the busiest pedestrian streets, Algade in Aalborg.
The Franciscan Monastery Museum is an underground museum 3 m below one of the busiest pedestrian streets, Algade in Aalborg.
Visitors can access the ruins via the elevator tower outside the Salling Shopping Mall. It is a regret that despite being here for 6 months, we did not have the chance to visit as it is temporary closed due to Covid.
The museum shows impressive ruins of the monastery, skeletons from the cemeteries and many fine findings from the city of Aalborg’s Viking and medieval past. was established in Aalborg around 1250. In the Monastery, displays tell the visitors about the excavation of the monastery itself, which required churches and town houses to eventually give up the square to the monastery. The museum also tells the story of life in the monastery in Medieval Aalborg.
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| This lift is the entrance to the Musuem which is located along Algade, right next to Salling Mall |
Budolfi Cathedral is placed on the highest spot in the old Aalborg between the old streets of Algade and Gammeltorv.
Aalborg’s cathedral was built towards the end of the 1300, but if you step down to the crypt you’ll see stonework that belonged to an even earlier church from the 1100s. This church is probably the most important building in the skyline of Aalborg. Anywhere in the city this one rises above the rest in the views. The interior of this place enchanted me, see these photos - it speaks thousands words.
The Little Cozy Streets
Fantastic colors and the charms of the old houses surrounded with cobblestones. Most of these houses today are being purchased by elderlies as retired homes.
Salling Mall & Rooftop
Salling is a Danish retail chain that operates two department stores located in the Danish cities of Aarhus and Aalborg.
Level 1 - Men's Department + A supermarket which is higher end for a higher quality.
Level 2 - Ladies Department, Cosmetic , Perfume
Level 3 - Children
There is a rooftop cafe where there are both indoor & outdoor seating.
Below photo of the mall, I took it from goggle as at the time of my visiting, the surrounding was having a big renovation.
Magasin Nytorv & Friis Shopping Center
Magasin is a Danish chain of department stores. It has seven department stores with its flagship store located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen.
I been to the one in Copenhagen and I think this store in Aalborg is a smaller scale one scatter between 3 levels.
Magasin Nytov is connected to Friis Shopping center which is a mall that house individual shops.
Fotex - as shown in below as well, this is a common supermarket here.
Aalborg is such a gastronomic place that it is easy to satisfy your taste buds, the only challenge is that a reservation is necessary especially during weekends. These are the restaurants and cafes that we frequent or visited in the city center area.
Cafe Peace
Cafe Peace offers a nicely decorated environment complimented by friendly staff and good food.
We came here for breakfast for a few times. The scrambled egg taste so different, it is so delicious.
Unlimited refills if you order your in-house black coffee.
Penny Lane
They had so much choice of breads and cakes that I always had a hard time choosing which to buy.
Love the croissant - very big & soft.
This is actually a cafe cum shop, most of the displays and ornaments are for sale, there is a room beside that selling crockeries and kitchenware.
Slotbageri
This is an old school bakery that is famous for the chocolate buns
Nobody knows the opening hours, usually when someone happen to see it open, this person will text and call the friends who will quickly pop over for a quick purchase. While stock lasts basis. 
Paradis Ice Cream
This shop is always packed with people during Summer.
Danes love ice cream very much.
Yummi - ceased operations in 2022
90% of the staff are Chinese. I conversed mandarin with them whenever I visit this place.
I think this is one of the nicest places to have ramen.
Søgaards Bryghus
This is a popular hunt for the local.
It houses its own brewery. If you want to experience a real local Danish brewery combined with local food, this is the place to visit when you’re in Aalborg! Indoor and Outdoor seating are available.
Jensens Bøfhus
Jensen's Boefhus is a chain, it is not easy to find them in Denmark.
We felt that food portion is small, price is on the high side. But it is very delicious that I am willing to come again.
CafeMinisteriet
Another cafe with a choice of indoor or outdoor seating
This place is packed at meals hours. It is very popular with the people.
Skagen Fiskerestaurant
Original flagship restaurant located in Skagen. this is a great seafood restaurant.
The ground floor is decorated with sand to let you have the 'Beach Feel" whereas the upper floor house a giant fish tank.
This is a high-end restaurant, service and food grade are good.
Highway 66 - ceased operation in 2023
American restaurant with a better price tag. The decoration is based on Old American Highway style.
Food is good, especially the fries which sprinkle with their in-house dressing.
Bone's
Another American restaurant located by the Limfjord. Service was very good - everything with a smile. Professional and attentive staff. This is a spacious restaurant with themes from America's movie and Hollywood. Love the Smoked Barbeque Sauce very much. I enquired with the staff if this is an in-house sauce, he was so honest to tell me that it is an out-sourced sauce. Love his honesty and I bought 2 bottles back.
Restaurantskibet Prinses Juliana
This is a cruise restaurant that anchored along the bed of Limfjord. High Class restaurant with good service. The food serve is good in a great ambience, worth the price tag.
Beside the city center, we did explore the beyond too.
Skalborg region and nearby - Skalborg is a southern neighborhood of Aalborg.
Bilka & The Storcentre Mall
The other place I like to go is Storcenter shopping mall, which is in Skalborg, I need to change another bus at the Bus Terminal to reach this place . Aalborg
, biggest shopping center in Aalborg, has 75 specialized shops and cafés. My favorite hypermarket - Bilka is here too, I visit this hypermarket twice a month.
IKEA is just 10 minutes' walk away, beside IKEA, there are also few specialized shops like tool shop - Harald Nyborg, BR toy shop and many more. Each has a building of its own, scatter merely few meters apart.
These are the common Danish food that I love, they can be found almost everywhere.
1)Smørrebrød - I called them open face sandwiches
Difficult to pronounce (try ‘smurr-brull’), Denmark’s classic open-faced sandwiches are a traditional lunchtime dish that every visitor should try. smørrebrød comprises thin slices of rye bread topped with ingredients like pickled herring, fried plaice and chicken salad.This local delicacy is easy to find thoughout the whole Denmark, I always bought it for lunch from Super Brugsen supermarket in Aalborg.
My favourites choices are :
2) Stjerneskud a.k.a. Shooting stars
This is one of the most famous smørrebrød varieties. This open-faced sandwich consists of various seafood ingredients such as fried fish fillets, shrimps, caviar, and salmon, carefully arranged on top of sliced buttered bread.
The last place I want to talk about is Lindholm Hoje Museum which is also the ancient burial site of the Vikings, this is a "must come" place to understand more on the Vikings who ruled this part of the worlds long long time ago. Do you know who are the Vikings ? Watch the animate : " How to train your dragon".
See this gate here ? The ancient burial ground lie beyond. If you just want to visit this outdoor burial ground, there is no entrance fee at all.
The stone borders are made up of different shapes of oval or circular and triangular borders . It has turned out that the graves with the triangular and ship-shaped stone phrases have been reserved for men, while fire pits with women were oval or circle-shaped.
This aerial views shot that I got from the Goggle.
Thank you for reading, this blog will end here.
If you have more time to spare, I would like to invite you to check out further on the rest of my blogs on how we spent our beautiful six months in Denmark.
Meanwhile, if you are keen to know more about the other trips I had made, please browse through the content on the main page. 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
Cheers and Good Luck 💓
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