I love Tivoli, the world’s second oldest operating amusement park, right in the center of Copenhagen. So when we spent two and a half days in Denmark’s capital during fall break, another visit was on the top of my list. We went there on a Saturday evening, just when it was getting dark. As Tivoli is open until 11 p.m. on Saturdays, that felt like an appropriate time. We bought tickets to enter the park and another one for my boyfriend to use all the rides. I, unfortunately, get a little sick rather fast so I passed on the rides this time. I tell you: the older I become, the more wise decisions I seem to make. Once we entered the park, it was like entering into a magic world of Halloween. There were giant pumpkins everywhere, broomsticks flying around, cats and ghosts in several spots …
What I love particularly about Tivoli is that you don’t really have to try all the rides, it is already worth walking through the beautiful park and marveling at the amazing decorations that change with every season. I also like that the park is always full of Danish people, i.e. the locals still go there – even after 176 years of Tivoli. When you are in Copenhagen, you can hardly miss the park. It is right next to the central train station and the townhall square.
While I mainly enjoyed the park’s beauty, my boyfriend lined up and went on all the major rides. He tried the roller coaster where the line was unfortunately the longest and the Vertigo – a looping plane ride. But his favorite was the Monsoon, a giant swing with water underneath.
All parts of Tivoli were wonderfully decorated. There were also plenty of stalls and shops that sold decorations and souvenirs. I only looked and didn’t buy anything because we didn’t have much space left in our luggage. At least not enough for a pretty pumpkin or broomstick or witch’s hat.
I think night time is a perfect time to visit the park because the light makes everything look even more special. Also, there are less kids around. I suspect that lines to the rides are even longer during the day. I would have loved to go to the Hospital, a haunted house that they set up for only this season. Unfortunately, the lines were extremely long there and it also started to rain that evening. So we ended up not going. I read many good reviews on that attraction though.
This is the Fatamorgana, a tall Condor ride. My boyfriend enjoyed all of these big rides and I had a lot of fun watching. At that time it started raining more and more though. Eventually we needed a break to dry a bit and sat down in one of the many little cafes. We had our first mulled wine of the year to warm up.
The light show on the little lake is one of my absolute favorites. They play it once every hour and it is accompanied by music.
To me a visit to Tivoli is always worthwhile. Initially, it feels expensive when you have to pay for entry to the park plus extra for the rides. We then calculated that both together cost about $ 45, a tiny fraction of tickets to amusement parks in the U.S. During the day there are also different shows on the several stages, although we missed them this time. Food and drinks are extra. But I feel that they aren’t more expensive than anywhere else in Copenhagen. Denmark just is more expensive than Central Europe for instance. It also is fun to have a typical Danish hotdog or a licorice stick while walking through the park.
Just in case you didn’t know:
Have you ever been to Tivoli? Or which is your favorite amusement park?
© janavar