In the early 1950s, Walt Disney took a trip to Copenhagen. He was in the early planning stages of an amusement enterprise, and where better to gain inspiration than one of the oldest amusement parks in the world? Walt walked around Tivoli Gardens, making notes on the food, the gardens, the rides, and even the seats. When he left, he referred to the park as ‘what an amusement place should be’, praising ‘the gaiety of the music, the excellence of the food and drink’, and ‘the warm courtesy of the employees’, and you know what Walt? I couldn’t agree more. (Source: Insider)
As a Disney Parks fan, I’d heard for years how Tivoli had helped shape Walt’s park. This alone was enough to place this park toward the top of my must-do list. So when plans started taking shape for a visit to Scandinavia, how could I not make sure to swing by? Tivoli is located in Central Copenhagen, directly opposite the central train station, making it exceptionally easy to access via public transport, and so, it became the first stop of our trip across the region. Just a fifteen-minute journey from the airport found us standing outside the iconic archway that marks the main entrance of this historic park. We’d purchased admission online prior to arrival, so we simply needed to scan the barcodes in our order to enter the park. There are many different options available when purchasing tickets for Tivoli, with park admission and rides being sold separately. An admission-only ticket will currently set you back about £18, with ride wristbands – or individual experiences – an additional expense. We opted for the ‘Classic Tivoli’ package, which cost around £52 per person and included admission, unlimited rides, ride photos, aquarium admission, Villa Vendetta admission and one play on a selected carnival game. Once inside the park, ride wristbands need to be collected from one of the many, many automated machines. As first-time visitors, we made a complete rookie error here and got in line for the wristband machines directly adjacent to the main entrance – doh! It turned out that there were machines located all around the park, all of them with no line. Do not use the first ones you see (unless they’re free, of course!)
Wrists banded, it was time to begin to explore the wonderland that is Tivoli. From the moment we began to walk into the park, I was in awe. There were perfectly manicured gardens as far as the eye could see. Stunning architecture, beautiful sculptures, and even an enormous festival-style stage that most of the guests seemed to be gravitating towards. Upon seeing a full set-up of musical instruments, we began to get very excited about what the park’s entertainment could have lined up for us, at least until we opened the Google Translate app. On translating the signage around the area, it became apparent that we were visiting on Children’s Choir day – not really my genre of music, to be honest! Maybe we’d stick to the rides after all…
After a tip from a friend that this would potentially draw the longest lines of the day, we headed first to Dæmonen, a unique B&M floorless coaster that packs a lot of punch into its minuscule layout. Located in a gorgeous Chinese-inspired area of the park, Dæmonen works hard to fit as much thrill as possible into a tiny plot of land, and it works! With a vertical loop, an immelman, and an extraordinarily fun zero-g roll, this ride is one that had us coming back for more all day long. There’s even a fierce pop of ejector airtime on entering the brake run! We managed to ride five times throughout the day and never had to wait more than maybe ten minutes. The ride flipped between one and two train ops all day, but honestly with the very short layout and demographic of the park, this wasn’t an issue – though once on the train the ops were often glacial. The only thing worth noting, however, is that you are not allowed to wait in the station for the next train. If you scan in to the ride and the row of your choice is taken, you will simply have to sit somewhere else. This made it seem very unlikely that we’d be able to score a front-row ride, but on our fifth ride, we got lucky! A night ride no less! In an incredibly extra move, the park have installed lights on the track that change colour as the train passes over them. Being on the front row at night and watching those lights change under my feet was something extremely magical!
Remaining at the back of the park, we headed into an area heavily inspired by the Middle East. Here we hopped on our next of the park’s four rollercoasters, and the smallest, Kamelen. A small Zierer family coaster, Kamelen may not stun with its layout, but its setting makes for a truly special experience, at least during our visit. I think the first true moment of Tivoli magic I experienced was the moment we turned the corner on this kiddie cred and began to coast through a sea of cherry blossoms. It was just impossibly beautiful. We ended up coming back for multiple rides, just for how stunning the experience was. Plus, the trains are beautifully themed and super comfortable – a winner! Also in the area are a fantastic selection of flat rides, most notably Fata Morgana. No, not that Fata Morgana. This one is a mad two-in-one flat ride that towers 45 metres above Copenhagen, offering riders the choice of a ‘mild’ or ‘wild’ ride. The mild variant allows guests to sit in either a lion or antelope shaped vehicle and gently swing around in a circle as the ride rotates, whilst the wild option features outward facing seating on a circular vehicle. Of course, we had to try both, and honestly… both are pretty wild! Whilst neither exert particularly intense forces, the creaking of the hinges of the animal vehicles had me constantly picturing my antelope sailing off into the Copenhagen sky, whilst the circular vehicle continually throws you against the restraint in what feels like an attempt to do just that! This was also our first experience of a Tivoli ride cycle, and boy, are they long! Given that the park offers a pay-per-ride option, they seemingly ensure they’re offering value by running each and every flat for a long cycle! Long enough that even on this not-particularly intense ride, I needed a rest after! Thankfully, there was a very relaxed ride waiting directly opposite.
The park is home to two different carousels, The Music Carousel and The Classic Carousel. Though The Music Carousel is definitely grander, I opted to ride the classic for one reason – these enormous giraffes! I have never sat so high up on a carousel before! And though the other carousel claims to be ‘the music’ one, this was also playing some wonderful music as I swirled away high atop my giraffe. Rested and joyful, I was ready to take on some more of the flats in this very busy area of the park, and so we hopped on to The Golden Tower, a 63 metre tall S&S drop tower. This was my first experience with one of the towers that shoots the vehicle downwards from the top, and I absolutely loved it! I was not ready for the drop to be so forceful, and the views were nothing short of breathtaking! A fantastic ride.
We wrapped up this area with a flat ride, the like of which I’d never seen before. An inverted magic carpet, by the name of Monsunen. I love a good magic carpet – particularly the one at Parc Asterix – so I was pretty darn excited for this, and it didn’t disappoint! In fact, this was much, much better. A lot of that can be attributed to the fountains. The ride features large fountains, perfectly synchronised with the ride, to the point that you’re always certain that you’re about to get soaked, even though you never touch a single splash. The rows of seats opposite one another also make the ride really social. Looking over at your friends as you’re thrown about adds so much to the experience and just makes for one of the most fun rides at the park. A definite favourite.
Up until this point, I was really rather smitten with Tivoli, but it was the next area of the park that truly made me fall in love: Smøgen. Created in 1952 to mimic a fantastical Danish market town, Smøgen is a corner of Tivoli that overflows with the strange and unexpected – always my favourite things! It’s also a great spot to grab a pint or a snack – though to be fair, this applies to the whole park. There are murals, statues, and crazy mirrors and always one of my favourite attractions in European parks, a fun house! While it certainly wasn’t on the level of Phantasialand’s Hotel Tartuffe, Tivoli’s fun house was a delightful mess of slides and ladders and bridges that had us all laughing hysterically by the time we tumbled out. And just around the corner from Smøgen? The park’s signature attraction: Rutschebanen.
Rutschebanen is a wooden rollercoaster that is one of the few rides in the world to still employ a brakeman system, where an operator is on-board the train manually braking. It’s no surprise, therefore, that this is one of the oldest, most historic rollercoasters in the world. It’s also bloody excellent! For such a historic wooden coaster, it’s almost impossibly smooth and features a few theming elements that I was unaware of and unprepared for. I definitely should have been prepared, given that the whole thing is set around a gorgeous mountain. We rode this a few times on our visit, but, as we’d been told before our trip, there’s nothing quite like the back row – especially at night! With just a flip-down lap bar, you are sent flying into the air before crashing back down onto the wooden plank that constitutes your seat. It’s not the most comfortable of experiences, but absolutely one of the most fun! However, not every ride was quite this magical. Whilst having a brakeman often adds a lot to the ride experience – we had a few absolutely insane rides with a brakeman who was intent on showing off, standing on one leg as he barely touched the brake – however, sometimes you get an operator who is… shall we say, a little more cautious. Our final ride was the most disappointing, with barely any speed or airtime – even on the back row! This aside, Rutschebanen is undoubtedly deserving of its legendary status, and long may it continue – particularly with the wilder operators!
Sitting next door to Rutschebanen is Minen, one of the park’s two dark rides. Minen was an unexpected delight, being that rarest of things: a shooting boat ride! Sadly, I wish it wasn’t a shooting boat ride. The shooting was some of the worst I encountered and clearly had been tacked on to a more classic dark ride in order to add to its appeal. But the ride itself was cute! Sure, it’s very classic, with lots of just-about-moving figures, but it was kitschy and fun and had some surprises in its layout!
Whilst Minen is dark and damp, the park’s other dark ride couldn’t be further from it! The Flying Trunk is a stunning dark ride located in a gorgeous show building adjacent to Daemonen. The ride journeys through no fewer than 32 of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairytales. Some I was familiar with, some I was not, but all I adored. This ride is absolutely packed full of colour and life and adorable animated figures. The way the omnimover-style system is employed is like nothing I’ve seen, with the ride twisting in and out across itself at various elevations, which, for me, just added an additional layer of whimsy. Throughout the ride, narration is provided, explaining each of the stories, with a switch in the top of the vehicle allowing guests to choose between English or Danish – a touch I was very grateful for! A charming riot of colour and life that had me grinning all the way through.
Tivoli is overflowing with options for food and drink. In a complete change from parks back home, it was almost stressful to choose what to eat from fear that we’d miss something delicious elsewhere! Not every place offered a vegetarian option, with our first choices of sit-down restaurants all struggling on this front. But, on continuing around the park, we arrived at Garden Deli. This was a stunning eatery that served an admittedly limited menu, but what it served was all fresh, delicious, and served in the most gorgeous surroundings. It was, as you may have guessed, a garden. With it being slightly chilly, we opted to eat in a greenhouse, surrounded by plants, even indoors. With such a vibrant environment and fresh, flavourful food, this was a top-tier theme park meal. Who’d have ever thought I’d be saying that about a salad?! It was also acceptably priced with a large main and local, organic soft drink coming in at just under £20.
Aaaaaannnnddddd, this is where we tapped out. At least for a bit. Tivoli was the first stop on a 9 day trip, visiting theme parks throughout Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, and having been up at 3am for our flight, we were very much due a nap. Thankfully, with such incredible park hours (11am – midnight), this wasn’t even a source of stress for someone as dedicated to squeezing as much out of every day as I am! So we nipped back to our hotel to check in and grab some sleep before returning to the park three hours later.
That’s when things really began to get magical.
Even as we walked back toward the park from our nearby hotel, I could see the lights in the distance had begun to illuminate. The park was coming to life, and I was not prepared. Tivoli in the day is a work of art. It’s a riot of colour and life. At night? It’s magic. It shimmers and glitters. It glows. It’s simply alive. It’s the sort of place that has someone like me running over to every little corner, camera in hand, ready to fawn over some silly little lighting detail. Or stopped in my tracks on the way to a ride because I hadn’t realised that that could do that. It was a whole new place entirely, and I was head over heels. We rode the vintage cars, just because there were fountains filled with lights, took another ride on the drop tower to gaze out over the park, rode Dæmonen to watch the lights change beneath our feet, and then we tackled Tik Tak.
Undoubtedly the ride that most intimidated me, Tik Tak is a wild flat ride, with an even wilder lighting package. As I’ve continued to push myself to ride more and more flat rides, I’ve come to realise that if you stick a cool enough theme on your ride, I’ll most likely ride it, regardless of what it tries to do to me. Tik Tak is themed to time, with each circular vehicle hurling you through space, through light and sound. I really don’t know how to describe this other than insane. I lost all sense of direction, not knowing whether I’d flipped or merely rocked until my friend informed me that we’d flipped multiple times as he’d been rocking the vehicle to encourage this. With this being a bit much, when we came to re-ride (it may be ridiculous, but it’s a lot of fun), I decided to sit alone in order to achieve a milder ride. Big mistake. I did thirteen full flips. Thirteen! That’s a lot for a flat ride rookie like me. At one point I flipped backwards five times without a pause. All whilst spinning and twirling around. Safe to say, I needed a sit down after!
Right next door sits the park’s final rollercoaster, and another ride infinitely improved by nightfall, The Milky Way. This powered coaster is impressively nippy, but the best thing about it is undoubtedly its light package! The station is a series of light arches that flash in sequence when the train is dispatched, there’s also a large light sculpture in the centre of a helix, as well as a gorgeous array of lights on the trains themselves! This ride is just made for nighttime.
One attraction that you can only experience in the evenings, at least during our visit, is Villa Vendetta. This permanent scare maze was open from 4pm – 9pm and was included in our ‘Ride Pass Plus’ wristband. It was also absolutely stunning. Of course it was. Surely, one thing I’d learned about this park by now was that almost everything they ever do is stunning? Was it scary? Well, no, not really. We had two experiences of this attraction, and whilst one was definitely scarier than the other, with a larger number of actors, the interactions were still never particularly intense. (Though the actors touch you, this mostly consisted of stroking your hair, at least in my two runs!) But sometimes, you don’t really need the scares. I loved this maze. The sets are so rich, detailed, and immersive that I just wanted to take time to take it all in. The only real downside was that a conga-line is enforced, which was particularly difficult given the number of stairs in the attraction. Death to conga lines!
One thing I did not know going into this park, okay there were lots of things I didn’t know, and they offered an end-of-day spectacular! Tivoli Illuminations take place on the central lake and are best viewed from the bridge – as is apparent from the large crowds that gather here! It’s a show fusing lasers, smoke and fountains and is very, very pretty. But honestly, that’s just about it. The show lasts exactly ten minutes and is plenty long enough. It’s a lovely addition to an evening, but if you’ve only got one day and want to get everything done, I wouldn’t skip rides for it.
Thankfully, this wasn’t quite the end of our evening, and we had just a little more time to enjoy the park before the bells chimed midnight, and, like Cinderella, we were returned to normality. (Read: bed.) We spent this time getting a few last rides on Rutschebanen before finishing up, with just a few minutes to spare, on the chair-o-plane. Swirling around in a chair, as fountains dance below, in the middle of a gorgeous garden in Denmark at midnight? What a life.
How to summarise Tivoli, a park quite unlike any other I’ve ever stepped foot in? It’s one of the most beautiful, uplifting places I’ve ever been. It’s a park you could quite happily bring anyone, and I mean anyone, and you’d manage to have a great day. There are rides for everyone, gardens, live music, incredible food, theatre… quite simply everything. This is a place designed for one purpose: to make people happy. And how well it succeeds.
Speak again soon,
Claire
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