In our opinion, Tivoli Gardens is one of the most interesting places you can visit in Copenhagen.
People often focus on the proud fact that it’s the World’s third oldest functioning amusement park, and while that’s true, we want to show you that Tivoli is so much more than that!
Because Tivoli is not your average amusement park, it’s a unique place where you’ll find a combination of music, food, fun, beauty, history, and joy. You have the fun rides, the historical buildings, the delicious restaurants, the full event calendar, the beautiful decorations in the gardens, and the overall feeling of joy.
In this blog post, we will do our best to show you just how amazing Tivoli is.
We will guide you through all you need to know in order to plan a visit to Tivoli by yourself – such as sharing ticket prices, opening hours, and the most popular rides. But we’ll also give you some historical anecdotes about Tivoli, and share some thoughts on the different seasons: Summer, Halloween, and Christmas.
Hopefully, you’ll want to visit this wonderful place yourself when you’re done reading.
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History of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen
Tivoli Gardens was founded by a Danish man named Georg Carstensen, an officer in the Danish Army and an entrepreneur. Carstensen’s idea behind Tivoli was to create an exotic pleasure park where people could go and enjoy themselves.
So he went to the Danish King Christian VIII with his idea, and thankfully he was granted permission to create Tivoli. In 1843, Tivoli Gardens opened its gates for the very first time, which makes it the third oldest operating amusement park in the entire world.
Tivoli Gardens was inspired by the Orient, and it included many different attractions: Flower gardens, cafés, a theatre, music, and some amusement rides. Basically everything that a pleasure park needs!
Over the years, Tivoli has naturally evolved a lot, and today you’ll find many different amusement rides, delicious restaurants, interesting cultural and musical events, and much more! All the while, the inspiration from the Orient has been kept intact.
There is so much history to find in Tivoli. You can read more about it here: Tivoli’s Timeline.
Tivoli Gardens Tickets 2023
You can find several tickets to Tivoli Gardens, so we’ll try to break it down for you as easily as possible.
We both have an annual pass since we live in Copenhagen and love to visit Tivoli several times over the course of the year. However, if you only intend to visit Tivoli Gardens during your one trip to Copenhagen, then here are two tickets you should look for – the entrance ticket and the ride pass:
| Tivoli Entrance Ticket 2023 | Tivoli Ride Pass 2023 |
|---|---|
| Mon-Fri: 8+ years 155 DKK / 3-7 years 70 DKK Sat-Sun: 8+ years 165 DKK / 3-7 years 70 DKK | All Rides 259 DKK / All Small Rides 169 DKK |
So basically, you can either choose to just buy the entrance to Tivoli Gardens without the rides, or you can buy the entrance to Tivoli Gardens with a ride pass included. So it’s not necessary to buy the ride pass if you only intend walk in the garden, dine in the restaurant, go see a concert, and such.
Here are two examples:
If you’re an adult who want entrance to Tivoli and to go on the rides, then you can expect to pay 414 DKK in total (155 DKK + 259 DKK).
If you bring a child under 8 years old, then you can pay the children entrance fee and the Ride Pass Mini, which allows your little one to go on a lot of the smaller children rides. Then you would pay 239 DKK (70 DKK + 169 DKK) in total for your child.
So what you can expect to pay in Tivoli really depends on the way you mix and match the Tivoli entrance fee with the ride passes.
Please notice: Entrance to Tivoli Gardens is included in the Copenhagen Card, so if you already have this, then you don’t need to buy an entrance ticket.
Tivoli Gardens Opening Hours 2023
Tivoli is a seasonal amusement park, which means that each season has something different to offer! The park is decorated according to the season, and there are different events to be found in Tivoli each season as well.
Unfortunately, this also means that Tivoli is not open all year round. So before you plan on visiting Tivoli Gardens during your trip to Copenhagen, then make sure that you can actually go.
Here are the next seasons of Tivoli in 2023/2024:
| Halloween 2023 | Christmas 2023 | Summer 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Dates: 12/10 – 05/11 | Dates: 19/11 – 31/12 | Dates: 22/03 – 22/09 |
I can’t find the exact opening hours for the different seasons, but expect it to look something like this: 11 AM – 10 or 11 PM depending on week days and weekends.
Summer in Tivoli
Summer is the longest season in Tivoli. It begins in the middle of Spring and ends in the early Fall, and during this time period, there are so many events and things to do in Tivoli.
The most popular event at this time of year is called “Fredagsrock”, which translates into “Friday Rock”. Every Friday evening during summer, Tivoli Gardens is hosting a concert. While it’s mostly Danish artists that are performing in the park, you’ll also find a few international musicians on the ticket every year.
Apart from Friday Rock, you’ll find many other cultural events including classical music, jazz, dance performances, theatre, and much more.
There is so much going on in the Tivoli Gardens during summer, but the best part of the whole season is the weather. Being able to enjoy the outdoors in Tivoli and walk around for hours without getting cold, like you do during Halloween and Christmas, is definitely the best thing about the season! It also gives you the opportunity to dine outdoors in many of Tivoli’s tasty restaurants and to do as many rides as possible.
Halloween in Tivoli
Halloween is the shortest season in Tivoli. It stretches from the middle of October until some time in the beginning of November.
During this season, the whole park is decorated with pumpkins, ghosts, a witch cauldron, spider webs, and much more! Basically anything that screams HALLOWEEN! However, it’s not really made in a spooky way. So don’t worry about bringing your kids here.
Every Halloween, the farmers in Denmark compete in growing the biggest pumpkin – the largest ones are then displayed in the park. Last year (2022), the biggest pumpkin weighed 868,8 kilograms! Which is just crazily big… When the season is over, all of these massive pumpkins are then given to the elephants in Copenhagen Zoo.
Apart from the pumpkin competition, you can also carve your own pumpkin, see the yearly monster parade, experience the light show by the lakes, and much more! Of course, you can also just decide to go and try out all the rides.
Christmas in Tivoli
Christmas in Tivoli is an absolutely amazing season, which often stretches from the end of November until the last day of the year – New Year’s Eve.
During this time of year, Tivoli Gardens is turned into a magical winter wonderland – probably the best one you’ll find in all of Copenhagen. The park is full of Christmas decorations, almost every tree is decorated with lights, you’ll find a Christmas market full of treats, Santa’s House, The Tivoli Youth Guard’s Christmas Parade, and much more!
December is the darkest month of the year in Denmark. We only have around 7 hours of sunlight, and the sky is often covered in thick, grey clouds that leave Copenhagen very dark. Therefore, seeing all the lights in Tivoli Gardens is definitely one of the best things to do in Copenhagen during the beginning of winter.
We’re not gonna lie, it’s pretty cold during this time of year, so remember to dress up properly before you head into the park. And make sure to try out Tivoli’s Gløgg – A Danish mulled wine, which is guaranteed to give you a little bit of heat.
Best and most iconic rides in Tivoli
Now that we’ve covered all the practical information about Tivoli, it’s time to talk a bit about all the rides you can do. Full disclosure – we haven’t tried all of the rides in Tivoli. This is merely a little information about some of the most popular- and some of the most iconic rides you can find.
Tivoli Gardens have more than 30 rides including other attractions like Tivoli’s Aquarium, the Haunted House Villa Vendetta, and the Dragon Boats in the lake.
Beneath is a selection of what we think are the 5 most iconic or interesting rides that you should consider doing while in Tivoli:
- Rutsjebanen / The Roller Coaster: Try one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the world, which are still in function. The Roller Coaster is from 1914 and it’s one of the most historical and iconic rides in Tivoli.
- Det Gyldne Tårn / The Golden Tower: This ride is 63 meters tall and will take you to one of the best views of Copenhagen. But don’t be fooled, you only have around 10 seconds in the tower before you get dropped and get a crazy adrenaline kick. Definitely not for those with fear of heights (like me!)
- Dæmonen / The Demon: The roller coaster in Tivoli with the biggest adrenaline kick. It’s fast, it has several loops along the way, and it’s definitely one of the rides in Tivoli that creates the most screams. A must try for any roller coaster enthusiast!
- Den Flyvende Kuffert / The Flying Trunk: One of the best rides for those who don’t seek adrenaline but still want to feel enchanted. This ride will take you through 32 fairytale scenes written by the famous Danish writer and poet H.C. Andersen.
- Himmelskibet / The Star Flyer: Try out one of Northern Europe’s highest carousels. It’s an 80 meter high attraction, which swings you around in the air while providing you with great views of Copenhagen.
This was just a small selection of the many rides you can do in Tivoli. You’ll also find classic rides such as bumper cars, children carousels, and much more. If you want to read more about the rides then check them out here: All rides in Tivoli Gardens.
Please notice: The rides in Tivoli are expensive to pay individually, so if you expect to go on a lot of rides, then you should buy the Tivoli entrance ticket with a ride pass included – that way, you can ride them all!
Why we love Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen
Before ending this blog post, we want to share our personal thoughts on Tivoli. I mean, there are so many great things to do in Copenhagen, so why exactly should you choose to visit Tivoli?
As we mentioned in the beginning, Tivoli is so much more than just an amusement park. But let’s not forget the fact that it is still an amusement park. Luckily for us, this means that the visitors are always happy. We love to visit Tivoli because people are often in a good mood, and it’s so lovely to be a part of this great atmosphere.
Apart from the great atmosphere of joyous visitors, the park itself is just so pretty. The flower gardens, the lake, the buildings, the decorations. It’s a beautiful place in Copenhagen, which we think everyone should experience. And we just love how the decorations change with the seasons!
Lastly, we love that there are so many things to do in here. You can go to Tivoli to enjoy a nice dinner, watch a ballet or experience a concert. It’s overall just a unique place that has so much to offer.
We definitely recommend you to visit Tivoli Gardens during your trip to Copenhagen – that’s really all we can do since we keep finding ourselves inside of the park. Our Tivoli Pass was definitely one of our best investments here in Copenhagen!
Remember to book your entry tickets here in advance, so you’ll get skip-the-line-access included in the ticket. This is especially a good idea during weekend visits.
Now, go enjoy Tivoli Gardens, and let us know if you have any questions in the comment section below. See you in the magical gardens!
