Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden, Botanisk Have, is one of the most peaceful places in central Copenhagen and one of the loveliest free sights in the city. It belongs to the Natural History Museum of Denmark, part of the University of Copenhagen, and it holds the largest collection of living plants in Denmark, including many rare and endangered species. The garden has moved several times since it was first established under Christian IV, and it has been on its present site since the 1870s, when it was laid out on part of the old fortifications of the city, the ramparts and moat that once ringed Copenhagen. That history shapes the garden: its lake is a surviving stretch of the old moat, and the paths climb and wind over the remains of the ramparts, creating hills, views and hidden corners in what is otherwise a flat city. The garden was designed by the landscape architect H.A. Flindt, and it is divided into areas for different climates and plant families, including a rock garden with mountain plants from around the world, a collection of Danish plants, perennials, trees and a lakeside landscape with water plants. The highlight is the Palm House, a great nineteenth-century glasshouse of iron and glass inspired by the Crystal Palace in London, with a spiral staircase leading up to a gallery among the palm fronds, and humid tropical rooms below. The Palm House is under renovation in stages, with some sections closed at a time, but the rest of it remains open; it has an entrance fee and is closed on Mondays in winter. The outdoor garden is free to enter and open every day: from 8:30 to 18:00 in the summer half of the year and from 8:30 to 16:00 from late October to the end of February. A Butterfly House opens in the summer months and requires a ticket. The garden is right by Norreport station, the busiest transport hub in the city, and directly across the road from Rosenborg Castle and the National Gallery, so it fits easily into a day in the centre.

The garden is changing. The Natural History Museum is building a new museum on the edge of the garden, due to open in 2027, which will bring together the university's zoological, geological and botanical collections, and the paths of the garden have already been renovated to make them more accessible and better at handling rainwater. The restoration of the Palm House, which is around 150 years old, involves repainting the iron framework, repairing the masonry, cleaning the glass and upgrading the climate controls, and it is being done one section at a time so that visitors can still enjoy most of it.

How to visit well: in the warmer months, come early in the morning, when the garden is quiet and the light is soft, or bring a picnic lunch and find a bench by the lake. In winter, the Palm House is a warm, green refuge from the cold, so time your visit for its opening hours, and avoid Mondays. Climb the spiral staircase in the Palm House for the view across the palms, and walk up onto the old rampart for views over the lake. The garden is also a good place for children to run around between museums, and it is popular with students from the nearby university.

The location makes the garden easy to combine with other sights. Rosenborg Castle and the King's Garden are across the road, the National Gallery of Denmark is next door, and Torvehallerne, the food market at Norreport, is a five-minute walk away for lunch. A relaxed morning could start at Torvehallerne for coffee, continue through the Botanical Garden and end at Rosenborg in time for your ticket slot. In late spring, when the rhododendrons and the rock garden are in flower, the garden is at its most spectacular.