13 Tips for Visiting Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen – Before you go

Tips for visiting Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. We visited Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world in the heart of Copenhagen during the Halloween season. It was by far the best thing we did during our three-day visit to Copenhagen, the Danish capital. So much so that we can not wait to go back. It is meant to be beautiful at Christmastime so I think we will be planning that for the future. During our trip, we learnt a few things which will help you if you are planning on visiting. These tips will really help you regardless of what time of year you visit. 

Copenhagen is such a great European city break for kids. With so much to do for children in Copenhagen, it can be hard to decide what to do. Tivoli should most definitely be on your list. 

Tips for making the most of your visit to Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

Tivoli GardensApp

Before you go make sure you download the Tivoli App. As it will give you details of opening times. They do vary slightly depending on the day of the week and the season you are visiting. With the weekends being open later. When we visited it was open from 11 am to 10.30 pm. We arrived at the main entrance around midday and there was no queue to get in. Although I do think that is partly because of when we visited. However, it does get a lot busier in the evenings. 

You can also buy your tickets and ride passes (more on those below) via the app. By doing this you will gain entry quicker. It is possible to then scan the bar code on your phone to get your ride pass. Or use your phone to access single rides. 

The app will also tell you when shows and events are on. As well as having an interactive map and details on each of the rides including their prices. Plus those rides which may not be running such as the wooden rollercoaster on our visit. Although not vast the amount that is squeezed into Tivoli is immense. I would encourage you to look at the map and rides in advance if you are only planning on visiting as part of a wider trip. As it is so easy to miss something because it is all on top of each other (but in a good way). 

You can also scan QR codes onto your phone from the ride photos to download at a later date. Depending on the package you brought photos are 25 DKK each which when we visited was the equivalent to £2.91.

Ride Passes at Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen

It took me a little while to get my head around the sheer number of options for admission tickets. First of all you need to buy both entry to Tivoli and the rides separately including the roller coasters. This is unusual for those of us that live in the UK as normally rides are included. There are three options essentially and I have tried to simplify them below for you. 

Entrance tickets only for Tivoli Gardens

• See below for details on the Copenhagen Card.
• The entrance fee varies depending on the time of the week you would like to visit.
• Under 3s are free if they are with a paying adult.
• When we visited the prices were 145DKK (£16.89) for 8+ and 65DKK (£7.57) for 3-7 years Monday to Friday.
• Weekend tickets are slightly more expensive at 155DKK (£18.06) for 8+ only.
• If you want to buy a two-day pass which must be used on consecutive days this costs 225DKK (£26.51) for 8+ and 100DKK (£11.65) for 3-7 years.

 

Ride Passes for Tivoli

• There are two basic types a Ride Pass or a Ride Pass Plus or you can choose to buy your ride tickets separately.
• We had a standard ride pass which cost 245DKK (£28.54) and allowed us on all the rides as many times as we wanted. The unlimited ride pass did not include the Haunted House which was especially for the Halloween season. For us this was the best value.
• The Ride Plus Pass includes the same, but with entrance to the Haunted House (age12+). And also the ability to download your ride photos without additional cost via the app, a free spin at one of the attractions and a free digital photo at Fotoprix and which costs 295DKK (£34.37).
• Just to confuse matters you can also access a Ride Pass Mini 165DKK (£19.22) which is designed for smaller visitors. Allowing unlimited access to a certain number of the smaller rides
• Harry is 6 and we had a standard ride pass as he would not have been able to go on the rides he wanted with a mini one.

 

Packages for Tivoli Copenhagen

• They also offer a number of packages. These do change seasonally so it is worth checking the app to see what is available when you visit.
• These include entrance fees, ride passes and food options. Prices vary but it is something we will look at more closely next time when we visit. 

 

We saved a considerable amount of money on the rides when we visited by having a ride pass. You can see a breakdown of this saving in the post about our Halloween visit.

Food and drink bring your own

There are so many different options when it comes to food including plenty of traditional Danish cuisine. But Denmark is not cheap in general. We found eating out quite expensive in comparison. Think London artisan prices. And although what we did have was delicious. If you would like to save a bit of money then we saw others eating food and drink they had brought with them. So picnics are allowed. There are also plenty of restaurant options around the outside of Tivoli Gardens amusement park.

Copenhagen Card

If you are visiting other attractions during your visit to Copenhagen then it may work out cheaper for you to buy a Copenhagen Card. We saved a considerable amount of money when looking at purchasing the attractions we visited individually. Read more about it – Copenhagen Card is it worth it? If you do decide to purchase one then you do not need to pay for entrance as Tivoli Gardens tickets are included in the 80 main attractions and so you get free admission.

Avoid School Holidays

Tivoli Gardens is very popular and so consequently busy during the Danish school holidays. And also the Swedish school holidays. When we visited during the October half term we were in between the two which meant it was not too busy for us. We hardly queued, there was plenty of space in restaurants and seating areas. It was a much calmer experience. Depending on when you are visiting you may not be able to avoid them completely but it is worth checking and trying to make your own plans around them. You can check the Danish school holidays here and the Swedish school holidays here. Although ultimately the best time to visit depends on the time of the year you are considering.

If it is not possible to avoid the holidays completely then try visiting on a weekday rather than a weekend or Saturday night. We also noticed that it got a lot busier in the early evening as people came after work. They do have membership passes which are great for families that live locally.

Stay Nearby Tivoli Gardens

I would suggest staying nearby the popular amusement park if you can. As it will be a late night with little ones and the last thing you want is a long walk back to the hotel. Although there is a metro station in the main square. 

There are plenty of places to stay in Copenhagen. We stayed at the Steel House* which is a cheap alternative to a standard hotel. Family rooms are set up to sleep six and come in pod-style bunks. With a private bathroom. Downstairs there is a gym, pool, games rooms and cinema. Plus a bar and plenty of space to sit and chill out. Or if you prefer desks and power points if you want to work. 

There is also a kitchen where you can cook your now and parking (paid for) underneath. From here it is only a five-minute walk to Tivoli. 

Walk around the whole park

This may sound obvious. But make sure you do. We stumbled on a lovely kid’s play area towards the end of our visit completely by accident. As the theme park is in the city centre they have had to be very clever with the way space has been used. Consequently, there are a lot of things on top of each other. It can feel a little overwhelming at first. But we soon got used to it. And it is not a large park so easy to walk all the way around with children. Which will make sure you do not miss rides such as the Ferris wheel. The flying trunk which covers many of the Hans Christian Andersen stories and other amusement park rides. As well as the beautiful gardens.

Look Up

The detailing especially for Halloween was brilliant. I suspect that it is the same all year round. If you don’t look up you will miss so much of this beautiful place.

Visit the Aquarium

If you buy a ride pass then you will also gain access to the Aquarium. It is really one large tank which runs the length of the reception room in the theatre. It is a beautiful tank with lots of different fish to spot. It can be a little hard to find because it is essentially part of the theatre. But if you head to the far left side of the theatre you should be able to find it. 

Daytime into Evening at Copenhagen Tivoli Gardens

Tivoli Gardens has a very different feel to it depending on whether you visit in the day or in the evening. However, I think my favourite point is when the day turns into the evening in the late afternoon. There are so many lights that come on in the twilight it really is magical. Wandering around and seeing it all lit up. And these lights are on regardless of whether it is a special event. There is a garden near the lake with a seating area and pools of water that light up. The lake is also lit up. You can see some of the video footage that captured in my Tivoli Gardens Instagram Highlight Reel. 

Reusable Cups

Purchased drinks such as hot chocolate and soft drinks, as well as beer and mulled wine are sold in plastic cups. These are decorated with different Tivoli scenes. Each drink includes a 5DKK markup for the beaker. You can exchange the beakers in several different machines around the theme park. This gives you a 5DKK coin back. Which the boys found extremely interesting as it is one of the coins which have a hole in it. It also means that you have….

 

Change for Games

Around the outside of the theme park, there are various old fashion fairground games to play. With very impressive-looking prizes such as giant chocolate bars! So be warned as the kids are automatically drawn to the bright colours. The prices vary from 10-20DKK a go so make sure you have plenty of change. 

Stamp to Re-enter

If you are travelling with little ones then you may need to take a break during the day. Or perhaps you want to visit the Tivoli Food Hall. If you leave then you can re-enter on the same day but you must get a stamp. It is not possible to rescan your ticket once it has been done at the gate. 

We had a great time visiting the famous amusement park and it was by far one of the best things we did in the heart of the city. Have you visited Tivoli? Am I missing any tips please let me know in the comments below?

Related Blog posts

If you have enjoyed this blog post about visiting Tivoli at Halloween. If you are planning on visiting Copenhagen then you may be interested in some of the other blog posts I have written about our visit.

• If you are thinking of visiting Tivoli at Halloween like we did this will help – Tivoli at Halloween everything you need to know. 
• Three Days in Copenhagen – an idea for an itinerary for your city break including what we actually did and where we ate.
• Copenhagen with Kids – there is so much to do for children in the city the challenge will be narrowing it down!
• The National Aquarium of Denmark – everything you need to know before you visit
• What will you see on a Copenhagen Cruise – including the Little Mermaid, where to pick a cruise up and whether it is worth doing? 
• Our visit to the National Museum of Denmark – everything you need to know before you visit. 
• The Copenhagen Card – is it worth it? – Find out what we did and how much it would have cost us and whether the Copenhagen card is worth the money. 

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