Tivoli Gardens: Copenhagen for families

by Paola Agostini (sissi_mum) 23/08/2017

Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen can really be enjoyed by the whole family: more than just a park, it can be the perfect place for adults, to have a walk, dine or attend a music or theater live show. And it is definitely a place that will bring out the kid that lives in you!

Nowhere in the world a single park combines magic, nostalgia and a bit of romance like Tivoli Gardens, especially when it’s getting evening and the lights come on.

Did you know that Tivoli Gardens are the most visited attraction in Denmark?

Yes! Tivoli Gardens are the most visited attraction in Denmark, more than Legoland Billund and even more of the Little Mermaid, Copenhagen’s icon.

Did you know that the Tivoli Gardens are also the oldest amusement park in the world? Opened in 1843, it took its name from Tivoli Gardens in Paris, and today it’s the oldest still intact amusement park (during the Second World War, many attractions were burned, but the Danes worked industriously and reopened the Park after a few weeks).

Tivoli Gardens: attractions

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park that combines rides and attractions (for all ages) with bars and restaurants and entertainment shows, such as the open air theatre.

The rides have limits of height and age, but generally a child over 90 cm can access accompanied by an adult to many attractions: obviously the ideal is to plan your visit by checking Tivoli’s official webpage or downloading the App (which will be very useful also in the Park, thanks to geolocation feature).

If you love roller coasters and adrenaline racing, in Vertigo you will run at 100 km/h upside down: it was voted best attraction in Europe in 2014. The oldest and most popular ride in Tivoli, The Roller Coaster is made of wood and is dated 1914: is one of the seven roller coasters in the world that have a man that is holding brakes on board each train. But Tivoli is not only vintage racings! In 2017, Tivoli introduced a new digital dimension thanks to the virtual reality of The Demon, a roller coaster where passengers are taken on a journey through a universe of China with dragons launching fire and explosives.

If you have young kids (preschool age, like Sissi) these are the races that you can’t miss:

The Ferris Wheel, lots of little balloons that from 1970 offer a beautiful view upon Tivoli and Copenhagen
The Dragon Boats, where you can pilot your own boat on the water, opened in 1936
The Classic Carousel: a vintage carousel, which fascinates everyone. Built in 1920, it has that retro charm that you can’t resist
The Fun House, a playground to climb and explore
The Light House, a air carousel in the world of Petzi, the mascot of Tivoli
The Little Pilot: the dream of piloting small planes
Minimorgana: new in 2016, mini bumper cars
The Panda, a mini drop tower (similar to the attraction for adults, but child-size)
The Temple Tower, where you pull yourself up with a rope and then… go down!
The Trolley Car: from 1969 a panoramic tour of Tivoli for children and families
The Vintage Cars, all the children’s passion since 1959: driving an old style car

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And for dinner?

Tivoli Gardens offer many possibilities for every taste (and budget): from the picnic to the restaurant Fru Nimb, elegant and typical, passing through cafes, grill, burgers, hot dogs… I mean there’s really spoilt for choice! We dined on a pirate boat, Pirateriet restaurant, with a great kids menu with lots of pirate gadgets (pirate hat and eye patch).

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Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen: don’t miss it

The highlights vary depending on your level of adrenaline… but I absolutely recommend to your little ones The Vintage Cars and to your whole family The Mine, a battle of lights and sounds in the land of Grotes, with its dragon-guardian, and The Flying Trunk, a journey through Andersen’s tales in 32 scenes.

Not to be missed is The Tivoli Illuminations, a fantastic lighting show that creates a dream universe with colors, music, lasers, fire, smoke and water. Also, you can’t miss a walk through the park, enjoying the truly magical atmosphere of the evening.

Above all, I recommend you visiting Tivoli on Wednesday: around 22.30 take place in front of The Open Air Stage: you will find people sitting on the ground and people on chairs, all facing the fountains… Why? Because at 22.45 there are Tivoli Fireworks! An emotion not to be missed (here’s a piece of our Stories)!

Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen: how to organize your visit

We returned to Tivoli finally! This was my first thought when we crossed the main gate of Tivoli Gardens. Actually our second time was a bit like the first…

I recommend to organize the visit to Tivoli Park at home. Last year our visit was improvised: we banged quite by accident the nose against the gates of the Park. We hadn’t planned the visit but we were there and from the outside it seemed so beautiful that we dediced to buy the entrance ticket, despite it was late and Sissi was still a little girl. Result: we didn’t know well how it worked with the double entry ticket for park/rides and then we spent a lot and didn’t see a lot.

Tivoli Gardens have several options for tickets: you can buy the only park entrance ticket (DKK 120 adults and children over 8 years – free for children under 8 years) – that is a valid option if you want to have dinner, take a walk or a picnic or assist a show- or the combined ticket that provides also access to all the races (DKK 230).

This was our first mistake in Tivoli last year: buying a pass for the races only for Sissi, assuming she could go alone on most of them! But under 120 cm in most of the rides your child needs a co-rider and, if you don’t have a pass, you must pay the single ticket for each ride: from 25DKK to a maximum of 75DKK for each individual attraction!

If you want to (and in my opinion you should) try all the rides, for kids, adult and family, it is absolutely recommendable to buy a pass for the whole family: you can do it online and save time at gates!

At this point Tivoli will really be YOUR TIVOLI and you can immerse yourself in the magic of the father of all the parks.

To stay informed about all activities, opening times and attractions you can visit the official website (in English and Danish) or to get all the information you can consult the website Visit Denmark.