Ballehage Beach is an urban, public beach in the southern parts of Aarhus, Denmark and from 1929 it is one of the oldest sea baths in Denmark. Ballehage Beach is situated in the Marselisborg Forests on the Bay of Aarhus in the suburb of Højbjerg, south of Marselisborg Yacht Harbour and the Aarhus River mouth. Helgenæs lies across the bay to the east, a bit inland to the west is the Marselisborg Deer Park and to the north is the Varna Palace. The beach area is some 1,000 metres long and between 10 and 30 metres wide. It is a white sandy beach with occasional rows of boulders extending into the sea, for coastal erosion protection. Ballehage Beach is popular for sunbathing and swimming due to the shielding effect and scenic view of the nearby forest on the steep hillsides to the west. The beach has a single jetty extending some 20 metres into the sea, offering a platform to jump from or relax on. There are outdoor changing facilities, toilets and storage areas. The Beach is open year-round for everyone at no charge.
Ballehage Beach
Marselisborg Forests, or simply Marselisborg Forest, is a 550 hectares forest to the south of Aarhus City in the Kingdom of Denmark. Many present day sources now includes the forest of Fløjstrup, as part of the Marselisborg Forests, upping the total area with another 200 hectares. Marselisborg Forests runs along the coastline of the Aarhus Bay in a hilly terrain with steep slopes and deep gullies, especially at the shoreline. There are many traces of prehistoric activities here and the landscape have been covered by woodlands for thousands of years.
Marselisborg Forests. Early spring at the Giber stream.
Aarhus seen from Moesgård. Painting from the 1800s by Peter Holm.
A sculpture of Pan in the woods near the northern entrances.
The Varna Palace