So it's December and dark and I'm day-dreaming of long days and dock jumping at Islands Brygge…read more Not to stereotype or anything, but this is definitely where the beautiful Danes hang out during the summer the second it's above 18 degrees (celsius). The families tend to stay closest to the gated bathing areas (havnebadet), while the 20/30-somethings are in the middle near the "badebro" just after Kulturhuset. All areas are jam-packed on the warm summer afternoons, and by mid-August the ground is basically dirt and covered with cigarette buds, but it's still my all-time favorite place to spend a warm summer afternoon. Hourly dips in the canal (points for fanciest dives!) are an absolute must. Don't forget your beer, én-gangs-grill, and pølser, if you want the true Danish experience. Officially counting down the days until summer 2014.

It's the garden of the Royal Library. This was our favorite of all the sights seen during our…read morewalking tour of Copenhagen. It's pretty much hidden from the Inner Harbour. I don't think we would have discovered it on our own. It's like one big courtyard garden that's located on the Castle Island between Christiansborg Palace and the historic Royal Danish Library. The Black Diamond (the modern extension of the library) building that you see from the harbor kind of obscures it all. It's feels like an oasis when first encountering it. That feeling multiplies when you see the koi fish swimming around the pond, and the water flowing from an impressive 26-foot-tall bronze sculpture. The architecture of the historic Library building in the background truly adds to the scenery. The fragrances coming from the flowers in this garden are amazing. I think it was the scent of the wisteria and flowering crab apple blossoms that stood out to me the most. It's all beautifully landscaped and manicured with colorful blooms. It was such a quiet and relaxing visit. I'd return again and again if I lived in this area. Don't miss this experience when passing through the grounds of Christiansborg Palace.

Beautiful little park in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a city centre. The park is…read morebasically located between the black diamond library and Christianborg. My first visit to this "garden" was back in 2013 or 2014 during the Copenhagen Cooking festival. At that time this park was full of small stands serving all sorts of food and drinks from smoked cheese, shrimps, ice cream and other food to beers from small home breweries and Danish snaps. Overall it is a beautiful little park with a fountain in the middle, a lot of benches all around, very quite and secluded. Great place to relax.

Søndermarken is yet another glorious Copenhagen park, across the street from the larger…read moreFrederiksberg Have. While the Frederiksberg Have is big enough to have an actual castle, Søndermarken is also impressive and enormous. I only saw one part of it, and it was the part containing The Cisterns, a reservoir/dripstone cave/subterranean art exhibition space that once held the city's drinking water. Nothing you could hide under a humble neighborhood park where I live. We came here on rented bikes, and it was nice to ride through this glorious scenery. The path was smooth and clean, and the lawn was an incredible uniform green. It seemed to extend for a mile, interrupted only by a fountain and the twin entrances to The Cisterns, which protruded like mini Louvre pyramids. We didn't spend much time in the actual park, but its beauty did not escape us. I'm glad The Cisterns enticed us here during our bike journey through Copenhagen.

A big park, good for jogging and walks with a lot of shade from trees. Although it's allowed, I…read morewould NOT recommend it for a picnic since dogs are allowed to run off-leash in over a third of the park and their owners may lose control of them or forget where they are allowed. If you want to have a picnic, just go across the street to Frederiksberg Have. Absolutely no grilling in either place! The toilets are close to the middle of the park and there is even a spot where you can peek in on the zoo for free. Great to have a nice big green oasis in the middle of Frederiksberg. It's open all the time but it is not well-lit at night.

We didn't have a lot of time to explore this beautiful park here in Copenhagen, but the areas we…read morewalked through were gorgeous. It is advertised as a romantic garden park, and that name seems very appropriate. There is lush, beautiful green everywhere, with flowering plants throughout. Several little lakes and cute bridges are found throughout. Swans, ducks, geese, pigeons, and seagulls were found in many places.There was an area for kids with many young families gathered for some special event the night we were there. At another part of the park, it looked like people were arriving for a concert of some kind later that night. There were a lot of people enjoying the park, but it never felt overwhelmingly crowded, as the park is so big. If I lived in Copenhagen, this park would be a regular for me.

In the western part of Copenhagen is a yellow castle from 1699. Tours are offered inside, but…read morewhat's popular for even locals is wandering the massive gardens outside. With trails throughout, joggers and runners can be seen every day. The zoo is right next door making for a perfect family day!