The Botanical Garden of Copenhagen — known in Danish as Botanisk Have — has occupied its current 10-hectare site since 1874, when it was relocated onto the city's historic fortification ramparts and laid out according to a plan by landscape gardener H.A. Flindt. That military earthwork origin is still legible in the garden's topography today: the old moat survives as a tranquil lake at the heart of the grounds. The garden is maintained by the University of Copenhagen and forms part of the Parkmuseerne museum district, placing it alongside some of the city's most important natural history institutions. In 2024 it celebrated its 150th anniversary at the current location, a milestone marked throughout the summer with special tours and public events.
The collection spans more than 13,000 plant species, making it one of the most comprehensive botanical assemblages in Scandinavia. The undisputed centrepiece is the Palm House (Palmehuset), a soaring Victorian glasshouse constructed in the 1870s and modelled on the great iron-and-glass conservatories that defined 19th-century horticultural architecture across Europe. Its wrought-iron ribs and curved glazing panels shelter tropical palms, cycads, and giant water lilies that would otherwise never survive a Copenhagen winter. The Palm House carries an entrance fee separate from the garden itself, which remains free to the public. The wider grounds were sensitively restored in 2012 by landscape architect Jens Hendeliowitz, who is also known for his meticulous restorations of the royal palace gardens at Fredensborg.
Wandering the garden, visitors move through themed sections — a rock garden, an arboretum, systematic plant beds arranged by botanical family, and hothouses holding cacti, orchids, and carnivorous plants. The rock garden alone contains several hundred alpine species cultivated in beds that replicate high-altitude conditions. In spring, the grounds erupt with flowering bulbs and blossoms that make it one of the most photographed green spaces in the Danish capital. The garden's position on the old ramparts also means it offers unexpected elevated views over surrounding Nørreport and the rooftops of the inner city.
Botanisk Have is located just a short walk from Nørreport Station, the busiest transit hub in Copenhagen, making it effortlessly accessible by metro, S-train, or bus. Entry to the garden itself is free year-round, while the Palm House charges a modest fee. Visitors holding a Parkmuseerne ticket on the day they visit the Natural History Museum of Denmark are entitled to a 10% discount in the garden shop. The garden is open daily, though hours vary by season — checking the Natural History Museum of Denmark's website before visiting is recommended, particularly in winter when daylight is limited.
