Botanical Garden & Palm House

Copenhagen's Botanical Garden has existed in one form or another since 1600, making it over four centuries old, but it only settled into its current location in 1870 after two previous moves. The gardens span ten hectares next to Rosenborg Castle and contain over 13,000 species of plants from every corner of the globe, making it one of the most comprehensive living collections in Northern Europe. Admission is free, and yet most tourists walk right past it on their way to the castle next door.

The centrepiece is the Palm House, a magnificent Victorian glasshouse built between 1872 and 1874 with brewer J.C. Jacobsen — father of the Carlsberg empire — as one of the driving forces behind the project. Designed by architect Peter Christian Bønecke and inspired by the Crystal Palace in London, the Palm House rises 16 metres at its peak and is constructed from cast iron and glass in a style that makes it look like something from a Jules Verne novel. Narrow cast-iron spiral stairs lead to a passageway at the top, where you can look down on the canopy of tropical trees in the middle of Scandinavia.

Inside the Palm House, a palm tree planted in 1824 still grows — making it nearly two hundred years old. The cycad collection includes specimens over a century old, and the entire conservatory complex spans 3,000 square metres. The warmth, humidity, and lush green density inside create a genuinely disorienting contrast to the Danish climate outside, especially in winter when you step from freezing rain into a tropical greenhouse.

The outdoor gardens include an extensive rock garden representing Scandinavian alpine flora, a pond system, and a herbaceous garden arranged by botanical families. In spring, the flowering cherry trees near the lake turn the garden into one of Copenhagen's most photogenic corners — a secret that Copenhageners jealously guard from the tourist crowds descending on Rosenborg next door.