Liselund Park

Antoine de la Calmette built Liselund in the 1790s for his wife Lisa, and it is one of the purest examples of the romantic landscape garden in Denmark: a small valley running down toward the sea, laid out with winding paths, artificial streams, a lake, waterfalls and carefully arranged views, with a set of garden buildings among them, a Norwegian house, a Chinese pavilion and a Swiss cottage. The main house is deliberately modest, a small white single-storey building with a thatched roof, more cottage than palace, with delicate neoclassical interiors that are shown on guided tours. Hans Christian Andersen stayed here and set part of a story in the grounds. Part of the original cliff-edge planting has been lost to coastal erosion.

The main sights

• A thatched miniature palace - white and single-storey, more cottage than mansion.
• Garden buildings - Norwegian, Chinese and Swiss pavilions among the paths.
• Streams, lake and waterfalls - the engineered romantic landscape.
• Neoclassical interiors - delicate rooms shown on guided tours only.

When to go

May to September; the park is open year round but the house tours run in the warmer months only and at fixed times. Two to three hours. Spring for beech leaf, autumn for colour in the valley.

What to expect

The house interior is only seen on a guided tour at set times, and tours are small and can be full. The newer Liselund Ny Slot nearby is a hotel, not part of the visit. Paths are steep and slippery in places. Parking is limited in season.

Nearby

Mons Klint is a short drive; Fanefjord Church lies west on the island.