Denmark Aalborg

Aalborg is a melting pot of cultural, architectural and gastronomic delights

Who says size is important? Take Aalborg, in Denmark. It crams in more culture, good looks, fine food and cool shopping than anyone could expect for a town about the size of Bournemouth.

A waterside location on the Limfjord has shaped the flow of history across this North Jutland port, which, in the 16th and 17th centuries, rivalled Copenhagen, courtesy of the wealth from herring, glass-making and spices.

For decades, Danes have seen Aalborg as a jumping-off point for the beaches that stretch in a ribbon 161 kilometres up the Jutland coast from Hals to the 19th-century artists' colony at Skagen.

But Aalborg itself has found a new driving force in culture. This post-industrial transition is exemplified by Nordkraft, a former generating station that is in the process of turning into an artistic powerhouse. At present, Nordkraft is primarily a night-time venue, with arthouse flicks at the Biffen cinema or gigs at Skraaen. But the Kunsthal Nord gallery on the first floor provides a rough-hewn daytime draw, its contemporary art framed by old brickwork and metal ducts.

Have your fill of fish

Culinary pleasures complement cultural ones. Seafood, of course, is a familiar Danish delight — blue mussels, plaice, cod, salmon and herring — but Aalborg's chefs are also turning to the likes of aged goat's cheese from Nibe and mineral-rich sea salt from the island of Laes. Before lunch, we take in the waterfront homage to Aalborg's most famous modern son. Architect Jrn Utzon may be best known for designing the Sydney Opera House but the Utzon Centre shows how the master learnt his craft in Aalborg, taking inspiration from the curved hulls of the boats his father designed in the city's shipyards.

Wandering along the quay, we mull over options among Aalborg's restaurant boats. The musk ox and reindeer on the menu at the sturdy old ice-breaker Elbjrn are tempting but as it's sunny, we opt instead for a deck table and the laid-back ambience of the converted houseboat Den Fede Aelling. We tuck into plaice with lingonberries and capers as we watch the swing bridge rise and fall for yachts cruising out.

We set a course past the imposing 17th-century Aalborghus Castle into the old town, where pastel-hued period buildings now shelter shops mixing modern style with retro classics. Nrregade has some of the best, often tucked away in cobbled courtyards or tiny side streets, such as the vintage hotspot Det Gyldne Ddyr or the Lange ceramics gallery, amid period cottages on cobbled Hjelmerstald.

Feast in a fjord

We avoid the city's two most high-profile restaurants for dinner — the Michelin-noted Mortens Kro and the 400-year-old Sohngrdsholm Slot. We're happy to find ourselves back bobbing on the fjord aboard Prinses Juliana. This 80-year-old Dutch vessel now hosts distinct dining spaces of varying swishness, though the food is excellent wherever you sit. We go for twilight upper-deck water views, accompanied by turbot with foie gras on a compote of apples and pears, and braised monkfish and lobster on pea pureé with smoked almonds.

Back in town, 1000Fryd provides sharp post-dinner contrast. Hidden away on Kattesundet, this old-town hangout has dished up alternative Aalborg vibes for three decades. But Monday is quiet and we soak up the boho vibe in peace over a couple of organic refreshments.

The next morning, an amble through the tranquil Ansgar churchyard brings us to the sculpture-dotted Skovdalen and North Jutland's principal gallery, Kunsten. From its unflashy rectangular white exterior, you would never guess it was partly designed by Alvar Aalto, the Finnish "Father of Modernism"; he saved his genius for a light-flooded interior, where modern Danish art vies for attention with gorgeous fixtures and fittings.

I've no idea who the architect of the Budolfi church was but this is Aalborg's most outwardly beautiful building — a ravishing 14th-century affair on Algade (the main shopping street), mixing pale-walled serenity with painted wood panelling. The house of merchant Jens Bang is another eye-catcher.

Culture on show

We have lunch a stone's throw away at Sgaards Bryghus, on the restaurant-ringed CW Obels Plads. Back by the water, the industrial tangle near the Ostre Haven conceals Platform 4, our final cultural stop. Another post-industrial space, our visit finds local artists on show but its programme reveals upcoming events ranging from alt-cinema festivals to showcases of cool electronica.

A spectrum of arts, nosh and Danish chic. If these are small-town charms, I'm all for them.