Frederiksberg Gardens

The gardens were laid out behind Frederiksberg Palace in the early eighteenth century as a formal baroque scheme and remade around 1800 in the English romantic manner, with a lake, winding canals, artificial islands, bridges, a Chinese pavilion on one island and a Swiss cottage, and long views arranged toward the palace on its low hill. Rowing boats once ferried the royal family between the islands. The palace itself is a military academy and not generally open. What makes the park unusual is its neighbour: Copenhagen Zoo backs directly onto it, and the elephant house designed by Norman Foster, with its glazed domes, is visible from the park path, so you can watch the elephants across the ditch without paying. Herons breed on the islands.

What you actually see

• Canals and artificial islands - the romantic landscape scheme of about 1800.
• The Chinese pavilion - a garden building on one of the islands.
• Elephants seen from the path - the zoo enclosure open to the park.
• The palace on its hill - the summer residence closing the main view.

When to go

April to October for the full effect; the park is open year round and is used constantly by locals. Two to three hours. Summer evenings are busy with picnics. Boat trips on the canals run in the warmer months.

Honest expectations

The palace is a military academy and only opens on rare guided tours. Canal boats run limited hours in season only. The park is very busy on warm weekends. Paths flood in places after heavy rain.

Nearby

Copenhagen Zoo shares the boundary; Cisternerne is in the neighbouring Sondermarken park.