Fredensborg lies in leafy North Zealand between Lake Esrum and rolling forests, a town inseparable from its centrepiece, Fredensborg Palace. The elegant baroque residence was built in the 1720s under Frederik IV to mark the peace following the Great Northern War, and it still serves as the Danish royal family's spring and autumn home. Around the palace spreads a grand baroque garden with long avenues, clipped hedges and the romantic Nordmandsdalen, dotted with folk-life sculptures. When the royals are away, parts of the palace and gardens open to visitors. The town itself is quiet and genteel, with cobbled lanes, welcoming cafés and easy access to lakeside walks along Esrum, Denmark's second-largest lake. Nearby lie Esrum Abbey, the ancient Gribskov forest and the beaches of the north coast. Blending royal history, baroque architecture and gentle countryside, Fredensborg makes for a peaceful, refined escape in every season.
