Voyay walking tour

Garden Kings of Frederiksberg

Royal retreats, Romantic follies and woodland paths beyond Copenhagen’s bustle

Copenhagen, Denmark
12 stops
150 min
3.9 km
Nature

Free in the Voyay app

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This walk reveals a greener, dreamier side of Copenhagen, where kings once escaped court ceremony among canals, rustic cottages and carefully staged wilderness. It begins with the literary world of Bakkehuset and enters Søndermarken, where shadowy paths, a grotto and Oehlenschläger’s monument connect nature with Danish Romanticism. From Frederiksberg Palace, the route descends into a landscape designed to appear effortlessly natural. Winding water conceals what lies ahead, while the Apis Temple, Norwegian House and Chinese Pavilion create imaginary journeys through antiquity and distant cultures. Even an elephant may appear at the edge of the former royal garden. The final stretch shows how exclusive pleasure grounds became part of everyday civic life. Frederik VI is remembered as a king among walkers, the Horticultural Society Garden shares cultivated beauty with city residents, and Frederiksberg Church gathers poetry and local memory beneath mature trees. Garden lovers, history enthusiasts, photographers and anyone seeking a peaceful escape will enjoy this route. It is worth taking slowly: the changing light, concealed views and winding paths are not background scenery but the heart of the experience.

Try the first stop

Free sample · Stop 1

Kildegrotten

A shadowy grotto where engineered nature creates genuine Romantic mystery.

Cool stone, moss and trickling water make Kildegrotten feel like a secret cave, although its wild appearance was carefully designed. This atmospheric garden feature captures the Romantic taste for mystery, ruins and supposedly untouched nature. Notice how dramatically the mood changes as you leave Søndermarken’s open lawns and enter the shade.

The route

12 stops, in order.

1
Stop 1 · Free sample
Kildegrotten
A shadowy grotto where engineered nature creates genuine Romantic mystery.
Stop 2
Oehlenschläger Monument
A Romantic poet emerges through woodland in a landscape of memory.
Stop 3
Norwegian House
A rustic royal retreat evoking Norway’s forests within Frederiksberg’s pleasure grounds.
Stop 4
Bakkehuset
An intimate literary home where Danish Romanticism blossomed beside a beloved garden.
Stop 5
Frederiksberg Palace
A hilltop royal retreat commanding gardens reshaped by changing ideas of nature.
Stop 6
Apis Temple
A tiny classical temple turns the royal garden into an imagined ancient world.
7
Stop 7
Elephant Viewpoint
A surprising park vista where royal scenery meets Copenhagen Zoo’s elephants.
Stop 8
Frederiksberg Waterfall
Falling water reveals the ingenious engineering behind this seemingly natural landscape.
Stop 9
Chinese Pavilion
A colorful royal tea retreat stages an exotic journey across the water.
10
Stop 10
Horticultural Society Garden
A hidden garden brings cultivated beauty from royal estates to city residents.
Stop 11
Frederik VI Statue
The remembered garden king watches modern Frederiksberg promenade past his monument.
Stop 12
Frederiksberg Church
An octagonal church and leafy cemetery close the walk with Romantic memory.