Tips on Visiting Copenhagen's Famous Tivoli Gardens

Tivoli Gardens (or just Tivoli) in Denmark's capital Copenhagen opened in 1843. It is the world's third oldest amusement park after Dyrehavs Bakken and Vienna Prater park. Tivoli is also Scandinavia's most-visited amusement park today.

Tivoli is an experience suitable for any age and any traveler. In the park, you'll find romantic gardens, amusement park rides, entertainment choices, and restaurants.

Rides and Entertainment

Tivoli boasts one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the world that is still in operation. Called "Rutsjebanen," the wooden coaster was built in Malmö over a hundred years ago—in 1914.

Other highlights among the many rides are a modern zero-G coaster, a flight simulator named Vertigo, and Himmelskibet (Star Flyer), one of the world's tallest carousel.

Tivoli is also a popular event location in Copenhagen, especially the huge Tivoli Concert Hall. Other (usually free) entertainment choices are found at the Pantomime Theater. Tivoli is the host for part of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival concerts in July.

Admission and Tickets

Keep in mind that admission to the park does not include any of the amusement park rides. This means you have the choice of merely enjoying the gardens or getting some thrills by purchasing ride tickets separately. Admission alone is quite cheap, but it depends on the time of the year and the age of the visitor. Kids under 3 are always free, though.

Tivoli's ride tickets cost extra. Note that rides require one to three tickets each, but Tivoli also sells unlimited multi-ride passes which cost about three times as much as your park admission. Visiting Tivoli is definitely worth the expense.

The summer season at Tivoli is from mid-April until late September. Then, the park is transformed for Halloween in Tivoli until late October, followed by the beautifully romantic Christmas market during Christmas in Tivoli. Tivoli remains closed on December 24, 25, and 31.

How to Get to Tivoli

With the park being so popular, many transportation options stop here, for example, the CityCirkel a small tourist bus. The address of the entrance of Tivoli is Vesterbrogade 3, København, Denmark. There are lots of signs around Copenhagen, leading you to the park.

Accommodations

Tivoli is a popular destination, so much so that the park owns two hotels. The five-star Nimb Hotel was built in 1909 inside Tivoli Gardens. It is high-priced, but a classy option. This hotel is often used by couples getting married in or near Tivoli. It makes for a great honeymoon stay. The hotel has a little more romance to it than other more modern hotels in the center of Copenhagen.

Need an alternative? That is no problem at all. Near the park, there's the Tivoli Hotel at Arni Magnussons Gade 2, 1577 København, Denmark, which is a good alternative. The hotel offers more reasonable prices and therefore is a better fit for groups or families. Either way, it's a good idea to stay close to the park so you can visit during less busy times and enjoy everything that much more.

Fun Fact

Initially, the park of Tivoli Gardens was called "Tivoli & Vauxhall."