Go everywhere, Do everything

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park hidden right in the middle of Copenhagen. From the outside it is not immediately obvious that it is there but if you look up you may see a ride spinning above your head or hear screams and laughter coming from the other side of the wall. Entering Tivoli is like stepping back in time, into a beautifully manicured garden with flowers everywhere. It is not your typical amusement park. Tivoli is the third oldest amusement park in the world and it is said that after visiting Walt Disney was inspired to create Disneyland. You can see parallels but it is definitely not Disney. This was the day Pip was most excited about on our trip to Copenhagen and it didn’t disappoint. She asked if we could go back again and is now campaigning for us to go back at Halloween and Christmas so that we can see the park decorated for different seasons.

Tivoli is a 3 in 1 day out. There are the gardens which are beautiful and you could quite happily sit and enjoy the fountains and flowers, or wander and take in the park.

There are the rides which range from the oldest roller coaster to the modern adrenaline thrill seeking rides. And then there is the food! We downloaded the app before we went which was useful for checking times of shows and whether Pip was big enough for the rides. If you pick the photo package you can use the app to download the ride photos directly to your phone. You can leave the park and re enter during the day, you just need to stop at the food hall exit where they will stamp your hand.

Ticket Prices

There is a fee to enter the gardens. We had the Copenhagen card which gets you free entry. You can then pay per ride or get an unlimited pass which means you can ride as many times as you like throughout the day. There are various options and we choose to go with the unlimited ride pass plus which gives you the ride photos as well. This worked brilliantly for us as the park was quiet and we were able to walk straight on to most rides without queuing (or if we did queue, it was only for the ride in front to finish). This might have been because we went on a week day in September so the kids were back at school or Covid related.

The Rides

Tivoli has something for everyone, there are rides for the littles and then roller coasters for the thrill seekers and everything in between. Most are outdoors and not all are covered which is something to keep in mind if you visit on a rainy day or it is colder weather. We particularly enjoyed the Roller Coaster which is one of the world’s oldest, built in 1914. We were seated with our safety bars pulled down and the ride operator sits on a stool in between the 2 carriages and stands up for most of the ride! There are a number of faster rides which spin and take you upside down so if you enjoy your adrenaline rides you won’t be bored as well as some gentler ones including one where you ride through various scenes from Hans Christian Anderson’s stories.

Amongst the rides there are a number of fairground stalls and games so you can try your hand at winning chocolate or a teddy bear. These are not included in the unlimited pass but you can pay for all of them using card as well as cash.

The Food

If you are a foodie then Tivoli is the place for you. I’d imagine you could go every day for a year and not eat the same thing twice. There are restaurants, a food hall, cafés, bars, street food stands and shops. It was hard to know where to start. We ended up eating in the food hall as we all fancied something different and the food was plentiful and very good. We also had donuts and coffee, ice cream and various drinks to keeps us going throughout the day. There is a lovely looking bar in one area that has sun loungers and blankets for you to sit and sip your drink and we also spotted a group eating in what looked like a vintage greenhouse complete with tomato plants and fairy lights.

The Shows

In addition to the rides there are also various shows to watch throughout the day, we walked past a children’s show with singing bears in the smaller children’s area. It looked good and the younger children watching it seemed to be enjoying it, but as Pip’s Danish is non existent we decided not to stop. We did watch the pantomime on the beautiful peacock stage which was brilliant. We grabbed a deckchair and chilled while watching Pierrot and Harlequin in a wonderful ballet. Easy to follow as there isn’t any dialogue and lots of slapstick comedy. There was also another ballet later on in the evening and a light show when the park closes.

Tivoli was probably our favourite day in Copenhagen and it is definitely on the list to visit again.