Valby Park, known to locals as Valbyparken, is Copenhagen’s largest green space at 64 hectares, packed with 17 themed gardens, a 12,000-bush rose garden, festival stages, and one of the city’s wildest nature playgrounds.
Valby Park: Copenhagen’s Quietly Spectacular Green Giant
I first stumbled into Valby Park on a grey Sunday after picking up furniture in the neighbourhood. What I found behind the rows of allotment houses was almost absurd in scale. A park this big, this varied, and this empty, sitting just a few S-train stops from the city centre.
Most visitors to Copenhagen never make it here. They tick off Kongens Have, the Botanical Garden, maybe Fælledparken. Meanwhile Valby Park, the largest park in the city, hides in plain sight in the southwest.
A Brief History of Valbyparken
Valby Park was built on reclaimed land between 1939 and the early 1950s. The ground was raised using soil from harbour excavations and rubble from wartime construction projects. What had been a wet meadow on the edge of the city slowly became a flat, planted parkland.
The big leap came in 1996, when Copenhagen was European Capital of Culture. Sixteen Danish landscape architects each designed a themed garden inside the park. Those gardens, plus one added later, form the famous “17 gardens” that still define Valbyparken today.
The 17 Themed Gardens of Valby Park
This is what makes Valby Park genuinely unusual among Danish nature spots. Each garden has its own concept, plant palette and mood. You can walk from a herb garden into a water garden into a fairytale garden in twenty minutes.
Among the best known are the Rosenhave (Rose Garden), the Duftehave (Scent Garden), the Stenhave (Stone Garden), the Vandhave (Water Garden) and the Smagsoplevelsernes Have (Garden of Taste). There is also a fruit orchard, a herb garden, and the quiet, contemplative Stillehave.
The Rose Garden: 12,000 Bushes of Pure Theatre
The Rose Garden is the showstopper. It holds more than 12,000 rose bushes across roughly 170 varieties, making it one of the largest rose collections in Northern Europe. From mid June through August, it looks like someone spilled paint over the south of the park.
I bring guests here when I want to short-circuit the cliché that Denmark is all minimalism and grey concrete. It is not. Stand in the Rosenhave on a warm July evening and Copenhagen smells like Provence.
Things to Do in Valby Park
Valby Park is not a manicured promenade like the King’s Garden. It is a working, lived-in park where Copenhageners actually spend their weekends. Expect dogs, kids, BMX riders, picnic blankets and the occasional outdoor yoga class.
The Nature Playground for Kids
Valby Park has one of the largest nature playgrounds in Copenhagen. It is built around wooden structures, climbing ropes, sand pits, water channels and a small wading pool that runs in summer. Danish parents call it “naturlegeplads” and treat it as a low-stress alternative to indoor weekend chaos.
If you have small children, this alone justifies the trip. Compare it to the tower playground in Fælledparken for a sense of how seriously this city takes outdoor play.
Sports, BMX and Dog Areas
The park has a dedicated BMX and pump track, multiple football pitches, and informal cricket and frisbee fields. There is also a large fenced dog area, which is unusual in Copenhagen and a relief if you have a high-energy breed.
For runners, the outer loop is roughly 3 kilometres and mostly flat. I have used it for interval training when I want green surroundings without the crowds of Søndermarken or the Lakes.
Concerts, Festivals and Stella Polaris
Valby Park hosts some of the biggest free outdoor events in Copenhagen. The most famous is Stella Polaris, the chill-out electronic festival that draws tens of thousands of people every August. Blankets, picnic baskets, slow beats, the whole Danish summer fantasy.
The park also hosts the Copenhagen Beer Celebration spillover, family festivals, and the long-running multicultural Cobra Festival. Check the official City of Copenhagen events page before you visit, especially in summer.
Allotment Gardens and the Karens Minde Connection
Around the park sit some of Copenhagen’s most iconic kolonihaver, the small allotment cottages that define Danish suburban summer culture. The Karens Minde cultural centre, with its café and small farm animals, sits just on the eastern edge.
For expats trying to decode Danish lifestyle, this corner is a gift. Kolonihaver are a quietly political institution, halfway between socialism and bourgeois fantasy, and you can study them at close range here.
How to Get to Valby Park
Valby Park sits in the Valby district, roughly 5 kilometres southwest of Copenhagen Central Station. It is easier to reach than most visitors assume, and you do not need a car.
By Public Transport
The simplest route is the S-train to Ny Ellebjerg Station, served by the F, A, E and B lines. From the station it is a 10 to 15 minute walk south. Bus 1A also stops near several park entrances.
If you are coming from the airport, take the M4 metro to Ny Ellebjerg directly. It is one of the few attractions in Copenhagen genuinely well-connected to Kastrup without a transfer.
By Bike
Cycling is, as ever, the most Danish option. From the city centre, follow the dedicated bike lanes along Vesterbrogade and through Valby. Plan for 20 to 30 minutes depending on your starting point and traffic lights.
There is no bike rental inside the park itself. Use Donkey Republic or one of the standard Copenhagen rental schemes before you head out.
By Car
You can drive, and there are free parking lots at several entrances along Hammelstrupvej and Gl. Køge Landevej. On festival weekends, however, parking fills up by mid-morning. Arrive early or accept a longer walk in.
Best Time to Visit Valby Park
Valby Park is open year round, 24 hours a day, with no entrance fee. That said, the experience changes dramatically with the seasons, and not every month is equally rewarding.
Late Spring and Summer
May through early September is peak Valby Park. The themed gardens are in bloom, the Rose Garden peaks in late June and July, and the festival calendar is in full swing. Average daytime temperatures sit between 15 and 22°C.
This is also when the park feels social rather than empty. Picnics, music, kids in the wading pool, dogs everywhere. It looks the way Danes imagine summer should look, but rarely actually behaves.
Autumn and Winter
October brings strong colour through the orchard and the more wooded sections. By December, the park is mostly bare, often windy, and very quiet. I find it perfect for the long Sunday walks that Danes call “en god gåtur”.
If you visit in winter, dress for it. Pack layers, a waterproof shell, and shoes that can handle mud. The weather here changes by the hour, as anyone who has survived a Danish January already knows.
Practical Tips for Visiting Valby Park
A few things I wish someone had told me the first time I visited Valby Park. They will save you time and a bit of dignity.
- Download a map in advance. The park is genuinely large, and the 17 gardens are not signposted in an obvious loop.
- Bring your own food. There is no restaurant inside the park. Karens Minde Kulturhus has a small café on the eastern edge.
- Use the public toilets near the main entrances. They are clean by Danish public-park standards, which is to say, fine.
- Respect dog rules. Leashed everywhere except in the fenced dog zone, and yes, pick up after them.
- Combine with another stop. Pair the visit with Kalvebod Fælled for a full day of nature near Copenhagen.
Accessibility
Valby Park is largely wheelchair accessible. The main paths are paved or hard-packed gravel, and most of the themed gardens can be reached without stairs. A few of the more “wild” sections involve uneven terrain.
Accessible toilets are available at the central facilities near the rose garden. Parking spaces for disabled visitors exist at the main entrance off Hammelstrupvej.
Photography in Valby Park
For photographers, Valby Park is one of the best targets in Copenhagen. The Rose Garden in golden hour is hard to beat. The Water Garden, with its reflective pools, gives you mirror shots that look nothing like the rest of the city.
Drone use, as in most Danish public parks, is restricted. Stick to handheld and respect the privacy of other visitors. The Danish “ret til at være i fred” attitude is real.
Why Valby Park Matters for Expats in Copenhagen
Here is where I will allow myself an opinion. Expats often complain that Copenhagen is small, that there is nothing to do after a year. That usually means they have stayed inside the Indre By bubble and never moved south.
Valby Park is the kind of place that quietly resets your relationship with the city. It is local, unpolished, and full of the everyday Danish life that tourist guides never quite capture. Visiting it once a season is, for me, a small act of integration.
How It Compares to Other Copenhagen Parks
If you want history, go to Ørstedsparken or Østre Anlæg. If you want global street culture, hit Superkilen. If you want coastline, try Amager Strandpark.
Valby Park is what you visit when you want all of it at once. Gardens, sport, festivals, families, dogs, biodiversity, and a horizon wide enough to actually breathe. No other park in the city does that combination at this scale.
Frequently Asked Questions About Valby Park
What time does Valby Park open and close?
Valby Park is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, with no gates or fences. Individual facilities like the wading pool and toilets have shorter seasonal hours. The themed gardens are best viewed in daylight, ideally between sunrise and sunset.
Is there an entrance fee to Valby Park?
No. Valby Park is fully free and publicly accessible. There is no entry charge for any of the 17 themed gardens, the playgrounds, the sports areas or the dog zone. Most festivals held inside the park are also free of charge.
Are dogs allowed in Valby Park?
Yes, dogs are welcome throughout Valby Park. They must be on a leash in most areas, but there is a large fenced dog park where they can run free. Owners are expected to clean up after them, with bins placed near most paths.
Can I rent a bike to tour Valby Park?
There are no bike rental stations inside the park itself. The easiest option is to pick up a Donkey Republic bike in central Copenhagen and ride out. Once inside, cycling on the main gravel paths is allowed, but not through the themed gardens.
What events happen at Valby Park?
Valby Park hosts Stella Polaris, the Cobra multicultural festival, family days, outdoor cinema and seasonal markets. The biggest events cluster between June and August. Check the City of Copenhagen events calendar before you visit for the most current schedule.
Is there food in Valby Park?
There are no permanent restaurants inside the park. During festivals, food trucks and pop-up vendors set up near the main stages. The closest year-round café is at Karens Minde Kulturhus, just on the eastern edge of the park.
Is Valby Park accessible for wheelchairs?
Yes. The main paths are paved or compacted gravel, and most of the 17 themed gardens are reachable without steps. Accessible toilets are available near the central facilities, and disabled parking is provided at the Hammelstrupvej entrance.
Can I privately rent Valby Park for an event?
You cannot rent the park as a whole, but you can apply to host a private event there. Permits go through Københavns Kommune (the City of Copenhagen), and processing can take several weeks. Larger events usually require coordination with the park’s caretaker office.
Are there bathrooms in Valby Park?
Yes. Public toilets are placed at several points across the park, mainly near the playgrounds, the Rose Garden and the central facilities. They are open during daylight hours and maintained by the municipality. Bring tissues for peace of mind, as supplies vary.
