10 Best Natural Areas in Copenhagen

Sydhavnstippen is a green area located south of the Copenhagen district of Sydhavn. This cosy oasis is a great place to spend your afternoon if you want a momentary escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Jump on your bike and take the 20-minute ride to the lush area by Sydhavnstippen, which is also often referred to as just ‘Tippen’.

With its small lakes with protected habitats and its rich bird and animal life, the area is a popular destination for Copenhageners, who flock to Tippen with their picnic baskets. However, if you are counting on enjoying your packed lunch in peace and quiet, think again – the grazing sheep and alpacas would very much like a taste.

Søndermarken is one of Copenhagen’s many large parks, and here you'll find large, green open spaces right in the midst of the Danish capital. The park was founded as far back as the 1730s, in extension to Frederiksberg Castle (Frederiksberg Slot). You can find three cisterns beneath Søndermarken, which were previously part of Copenhagen’s first water system, but today they are used for art exhibitions. Other historic artefacts include Mindehøjen, which was erected in 1925 to remember the Danes that emigrated to America.

Regardless of whether you are interested in history or art, Søndermarken is the ideal place to take your dog or kids for a walk or to go for a nice jog. The park is therefore also visited by many locals, who are attracted to the rolling, wooded landscape.

Frederiksberg Gardens (Frederiksberg Have) is a great place to spread out a blanket and enjoy a picnic. This park in Frederiksberg is one of the most visited parks in the capital, and for good reason. The garden reflects both the baroque and romanticism, with its lavish lakes, charming canals and majestic alleys with trees and bushes.

Frederiksberg Gardens is home to many cultural events, which attract numerous Copenhageners and tourists, for instance to the bonfire on Midsummer Eve. And even though the sight of the elephants at Copenhagen Zoo will put the other animal life in the park to shame, you can nonetheless enjoy feeding the ducks, geese and swans in Frederiksberg Gardens.

In the middle of the centrally-located district of Frederiksberg, you can find one of Copenhagen’s most popular natural gems, Landbohøjskolen’s Garden (Landbohøjskolens Have). It was founded in 1858 in connection with the establishment of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, and today it's owned by Copenhagen University. Landbohøjskolen’s Garden has over 6,000 plants, each with signs. The green oasis is also a public park, which is used frequently by university students with green thumbs. In its function as a university park, the thousands of plants are used for educational purposes at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences.

The thickest tree in the garden is a copper beech, with a circumference of five metres, and it adorns the park with its beautiful red leaves. The Danish Designer Georg Jensen also left his mark on the garden. He was an associate professor in horticulture and designed the rose garden, which includes hundreds of historic roses.

Damhus Lake (Damhussøen) is an enchanting lake located between Rødovre, Vanløse and Frederiksberg, west of Copenhagen centre. The lake was established in the Middle Ages, when it was decided to build a damn at Harrestrup Stream (Harrestrup Å) so as to create a water reservoir for Copenhagen. Today, Damhus Lake is a popular refuge for Copenhageners looking to jog or bike in natural and green surroundings not far from the city.

The area around Damhus Lake is one of Copenhagen’s largest recreational areas, and the water in the lake is home to rich subaquatic life, including perch and pike.

Utterslev Boglands (Utterslev Mose) is a large area with lakes, which attracts many joggers and bird watchers. For running enthusiasts, there are three different marked routes, of 1.75 miles, 3.2 miles and 4.8 miles, so there is something for everyone. Along the routes, you'll not only encounter beautiful nature, but also sensory-motor exercise locations and hydration stations. If you are interested in bird life, Utterslev Boglands is also the perfect place since the dense nature attracts a multitude of different birds. You can even go climbing in the lookout tower, from where you may be able to spot a few rare species.

This calm and therapeutic refuge is no more than a couple of miles from the Town Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen), bordering Copenhagen and Gladsaxe Municipality.

Next to Copenhagen stadium, Parken, you'll find a green recreational area with lots of activities. This place is called Fælledparken. Here, you can spend a beautiful day with the kids at one of the many playgrounds, play chess at one of the outdoor chess boards or catch your breath at the new flower garden by the lake while reading a good book. If you want more action, you can take your skateboard and try out some crazy stunts in the largest skating park in the Nordic countries.

Fælledparken is a relatively old park with fascinating nature, despite its very central location. Let yourself be impressed by the big, beautiful trees, lots of colourful flowers and, of course, the lakes in Copenhagen’s largest and most popular park.

At the beginning of the 1600s, King Christian IV established a rampart that was to protect Copenhagen and, more specifically, the district of Christianshavn, where the king intended to move. Christianshavn’s Rampart (Christianshavns Vold) is now the only preserved rampart from a number of such constructions that used to surround Copenhagen.

Today, Christianshavn’s Rampart is visited regularly by joggers along Stadsgraven, and there is ample opportunity for long walks along the old bastions, where trees and bushes have grown bigger and wilder since the rampart’s construction around 400 years ago. Christianshavn’s Rampart is a beautiful and protected natural area, which is mostly known for being home to Fristaden Christiania.

Amager Beach Park (Amager Strandpark) on Amager is certainly worth a visit. The beach part stretches out from Badeanstalten Helgoland to Tiøren and Femøren, which is an outdoor area where numerous concerts are held. The beach park is a 3-mile-long white sandy beach, where many Copenhageners enjoy summer days in the water and on land.

The area also has volleyball nets, ball game courts, cosy small cafés and kayak rental. Whether you are after relaxation, a dip in the sea, sunbathing or the feeling of wind in your hair as you roller skate or engage in other physical activities, then Amager Beach Park is the place for you and your friends. It’s not surprising that it is a favoured tourist destination, with over a million beach visitors every year.

Nature and Amager Common (Amager Fælled) go hand in hand. If you are lucky, you may see endangered bird species such as the bittern and western marsh harrier at Grønjord Lake (Grønjordssøen). The area is one of Copenhagen’s few connected natural areas, and constitutes 223 hectares of lakes, meadows and bogs. The entire area is protected, and you can enjoy picking fresh apples, sea buckthorn, blackberries, cherry plums, wild herbs and ground elders.

It’s the ideal place for a picnic, for roasting marshmallows over an open fire or for being active and going jogging or biking. From spring to autumn, you may also run into cows grazing lazily on the weeds and grass, which helps keep the vegetation from growing completely wild.