Randers.
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Overview

Randers is a city in East Jutland. It is located at the mouth of the Gudenå river, the largest and longest river in Denmark.

Get in

It is next to the E45, the main north-south motorway in Jutland, so getting in by car is an easy option. Randers is well served by regional buses (blue) and train. It is possible enter Randers from the seaside, by the fjord, but only if you travel in your own boat.

Get around

The central train station and the bus terminal are in the city center on the northern shores of the Gudenå River. Most of the town can be reached within a 30-minute walk from these places and as the inner city is home to most of the attractions, and larger parts of it pedestrianized anyway, walking is a recommended form of transportation. If you plan to visit more outlying places such as the Memphis Mansion for example, it would be a good idea to rent a city-bike or take a local bus.

City-bikes for tourists and visitors can be picked up for free at five spots in the inner city, including the central station and the bus terminal. The city-bikes are quite good quality bikes, but requires a rather large deposit and a special instruction when using foreign credit cards.

Randers has a local network of buses (yellow) and taxi cabs is also an option.

See

The Museum of Cultural History and the Museum of Art are in the same building.

Museum Østjylland. Museum of Cultural History.

Randers Tropical Zoo. Tropical-themed zoo.

Gudenåparken. A wild-growth 28-hectare nature park area near the Gudenå River, just west of the central station and the Randers Regnskov. A fantastic birdlife in the reed beds, alder swamps and willow thickets. Watch from close by or climb the tower at the Nature School in the eastern parts for an elevated view across the river delta. Take a stroll here any time of year, a roundtrip is 3 km. With benches and tables, you can easily arrange a picnic of your own. The graveled pathways are also suited for bicycles and connects with the nature park of Vorup Enge south of the river.

Vorup enge. 119 hectares of wet meadows nature park south of Gudenåparken and less than 500 metres from the city center. Vorup Enge is home to several old Danish landraces, some of which are very rare, as part of a conservation project managed by Randers Regnskov. Watch the goats, sheep and cattle grass freely here or climb the tower in the east and scout across the lake for interesting birds. Bison were released here in 2010 in an effort to experiment with rewilding. Bison has a natural place in the ecosystems of European (and Danish) nature, but has gradually went extinct from wild nature in the course of previous centuries. Vorup Enge is a great place for a picnic in nature, but close to town. A roundtrip is 7 km.

Memphis Mansion. Memphis Mansion is a replica of Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee and presents a museum of all kinds of Elvis Presley paraphernalia, all collected, built and financed by an avid fan from Randers. There is also an American diner here, where you can indulge in food inspired by the cuisine of the southern states of the US, including Elvis Presley's favorite foods.

St Martin's Church. Historic red-brick church completed in 1520 AD.

Do

Football: Randers FC play soccer in Superliga, Denmark's top tier. Their home ground is Cepheus Park (capacity 10,300) 1 km northwest of city centre. Underværket is a culture centre on Stemannsgade, a couple of blocks east of town centre. Randers Festuge is a cultural and sports event in August. The next is 12-20 Aug 2022.

Eat

There is a good selection of restaurants and eateries in Randers. Most places have take-away options.

Mad og Vin. Brunch (including buffet option), café and evening dinners with a gourmet cuisine. Tasting-menu dinner option in the evening. This arrangement is regularly referred to as tapas menus in Denmark, although the food has nothing to do with Spanish tapas whatsoever. Outdoor serving offered from May to September. Great value for the money.

Østergade 1. High-end culinary gourmet restaurant with French cuisine inspirations. Brunch and lunch options. Also diverse take-away options, perfect for a picnic.

Slotskroen. Slotskroen means "The Castle Inn" and this central restaurant is situated where the former and now gone Dronningborg Castle were placed. High quality Danish-style cuisine with French gourmet inspiration. Lunch and evening dinners. À la carte and seasonal 2-, 3- or 4-course menus. Traditional Danish food such as pickled herring, smørrebrød open-faced sandwiches and omelette with fried pork, mustard and rye bread can be had, but also gourmet dishes such as stuffed breast of cockerel with grilled vegetables and creamy herb-sauce or braised knuckle of veal with glacé and rustique vegetable garniture.

Bistroteket. Bistro inspired by Danish and French cuisine. Lunch and evening dinners.

Pakhuset. Seafood restaurant at the harbour. The food is served buffet-style and has a very large variety. Game and meat dishes is also served buffet-style here. Sometimes events and cultural arrangements. Book a seat on-line.

Luna Ristorante. Italian restaurant with a stylish clean decor and a very good variety of authentic Italian dishes, including a large selection of good pizza and pastas. Lunch and brunch too. Special dishes and prices for children.

Hellas. Greek taverna. Fair selection of both food and Greek wine, including retsina of course. Special menus for kids. Try a baklava or a Hellas Coffee (with ouzo) for dessert.

Niels Ebbesens Spisehus. In a historic merchants house, this restaurant serves Danish-style food, including pickled herring and pepper steak. Brunch, lunch and evening dinners. À la carte, buffet and take-away. Take-away luxury brunch (min. 10 people), perfect for a larger picnic. Five rooms, each with their own historical decor.

Highway 51. An American diner at the Memphis Mansion Elvis Presley museum. The food here is inspired by the cuisine of the southern US.

Det Gamle Apothek. Restaurant in a former pharmacy. Non-specific gourmet cuisine style, but with plenty of local delicacies involved, including Danish Black Angus beef, Unika cheese and organic produce. Lunch and evening dinners. Special menus on Sundays.

Cetini. Good quality and fairly priced sandwich, wraps, salads, burgers and pasta dishes. Also grill food and nachos.

JP Brød. This place is a high quality bakery, but besides the great bread and cakes you can also buy smørrebrød and sandwiches here. There are two stores in Randers, one at Udbyhøjvej 85 in the neighbourhood of Dronningborg and one in Slotsgade10 in the central parts.

Restaurant Skovbakken. Good restaurant in a modernist building overlooking a central park. This place is built to accommodate larger gatherings and celebrations, but easily caters for small groups or individual guests. Lunch and evening dinners, ordered à la carte or as menus. Lunch from 11:30 to 17:00. Regular Danish-style fine cuisine with its usual French cuisine inspirations.

Traditional Danish Danish-style cuisine of various kinds can be had at many places across Randers, but most places are not dogmatic about it and has often been inspired by other cooking styles and also serve other kinds of foods; see the general list for examples. Some places that seems to have specialized in traditional Danish dishes, and offering a fair selection, includes

Hos Anne Marie. Danish-style cuisine south of the river. Mostly geared towards larger events and celebrations, but also catering for single and random guests in their café.

Dit Smørrebrød. Large selection of smørrebrød, which is basically rye bread decorated with various meat cuts, fishes or salads. Great quality. Also coffee and cakes, including several kinds of Danish pastry. There are only a few tables and chairs at this place.

Café Jens Otto. Danish cuisine, but also nachos. Lunch buffet on Saturdays and brunch buffet on Sundays. Beer is the best companion to Danish food; try their Hancock or Skovlyst brews, both are high quality micro-breweries.

Jørgens Café. A fair selection of smørrebrød, but also frikadeller meat balls and hot dishes like hakkebøf and tarteletter.

Restaurant Sejlklubben. Good selection of Danish-style food for lunch and evening dinner. Here you can get smørrebrød, pariserbøf, frikadeller, Danish fish-and-chips and hakkebøf, but also steak with sauce bearnaise, wienerschnitzel, burgers and nachos. A fair wine and beer selection. Try the Hancock or Gambrinus beer, they are good Danish micro-brews. Restaurant Sejlklubben provides a nice vista across the yacht harbour.

Restaurant Dragon City. Chinese restaurant south of the river at a major road. Also sushi.

In Sushi. Small place with excellent sushi. Also Japanese sake, plum brandy and beers.

China Wok House Randers. À la carte, menus, buffet and takeaway. Special discount at lunch time (11:30-16:00).

Golden House Restaurant. Spacious Chinese-style restaurant. Also Mongolian barbecue and sushi. Lunch and evening dinners, with à la carte, buffet and take-away option. Discount for take-aways.

Hereford og Valhalla. Two restaurants in the same building. Hereford is a steak house restaurant with high quality meat from grass fed, free range Hereford and Angus cattle. Great wine card. Vegan steak option and special kids menus. Valhalla is a buffet restaurant with a good selection of dishes based on homemade ingredients and cooking in tune with the season. Various starters, meat cuts, sauces, vegetables, salad options, stews, cheeses, cakes, ice cream and fruit. The kitchens close F Sa at 20:30, 21:00.

Bone's. Local branch of a Danish chain of American-style barbecue restaurants.

Jensens Bøfhus. Local branch of a Danish chain of steak houses.

Cafés Several cafés offers quality burgers, sandwiches, salads and brunch and some places also a number of hot dishes.

Cafe Borgen. Classic café at the central pedestrian zone.

Cafe K. Good selection, including several burgers, sandwiches and hot dishes. Special menus and prices for children. Good selection of cocktails.

Cafe Kræs. Good selection of café-style food. Specialties includes omelets and homemade chicken-salad or tuna-salad on toasted rye bread.

Café Mathisen. Central café with a stylish fashionable design and decor. Good selection of food for brunch, lunch to evening dinners. Good lunch and brunch plate. The evening dinner options here has a broader range than most cafés, comparable to a regular restaurant. À la carte includes sirloin strips, langoustine bisque and today's fish, but Café Mathiesen also serves a 3-, 4- or 5-course evening dinner of gourmet dishes. Large wine cart, including sweet wines to be enjoyed with food or on their own. Tasting-menus for take-aways. Café Mathiesen is part of Hotel Randers, but can be frequented by everybody.

Tanja's DeliCafe. A small deli with a good selection of food items. Build your own sandwich or mix a tasting menu (tapas-style) box from a selection of homemade specialties that you would like to try.

Kro Kro is a Danish-style inn. Usually situated in the countryside, these places are held in higher regard than the typical English inns and usually offers good food and overnight stays for the general public. Perfect for a quick getaway.

Fladbro Kro. Excellent international gourmet food with seasonal variation and plenty of local produce, much of it organic. Lots of New Nordic inspirations here, but the chefs does not restrict themselves to this approach. On Sundays luxurious brunch or smørrebrød with a modern creative twist. Fladbro Kro is several centuries old, and has been restored.

Hvidsten Kro. Historical kro from 1634, administered by the 4th generation Fiil family since 1884. The building complex is listed and parts of it are being restored. The entire kro is a living museum on many levels. Danish-style food (mixed opinions about the quality) and homemade baking, including kringle, layer cake, apple pie and småkager (Danish cookies). The residential rooms are unavailable Sunday and Monday.

Fru Larsen. Celebrated gourmet cuisine. In the village of Langå about 14 km southwest of central Randers.

Á Porta. A Porta is in a historic house in the village of Mariager about 20 km north of Randers. With a Portuguese sounding name, this place nevertheless serves Danish-style smørrebrød for lunch. A good selection of choices here. Try the Á Porta aquavit, specially made for this place in cooperation with a distillery on the island of Bornholm. There is also a winebar at A Porta that is open from 11:00-22:00 and 02:00 on weekends. Nice patio. You cannot sleep here and it is closed in January through March. Mariager is a beautiful village worth a visit.

Drink

A lot of the action takes place around Storegade in the central pedestrianised parts, but not exclusively.

Tante Olga. Music venue, bar and dancefloor.

MacAle. Bar with a good selection of beers, cocktails, Scottish single malts and South American rum. Also a café with a brunch buffet Thursday to Sunday at 10-14 hours.

Randers Bryghus. A micro-brewery opened in 2007, with quality beers. All beers are unfiltered and unpasteurized to maximize flavour. Visit the brewery or try their brews across town.

Club 5. Music venue and dancefloor. It changed its name from Rock'Sann to Club 5 in 2016.

Barry's Pub. A place for people of all ages, with what they claim is the largest beer selection in Randers. Pubquiz, karaoke and live music. Televised major sports events.

The Old Irish Pub. One of several old Irish pubs in Denmark.

Sleep

Hotel Randers. Central hotel with an attached fashionable café. Café Mathiesen also works as an evening restaurant and lounge bar in the night.

Stephansens Hotel. A central hotel with a great restaurant.