Europe 2019: Tivoli Gardens

100 Places To See (and take a selfie) Before You Die:

Europe 2019

Tivoli Gardens

Copenhagen, Denmark

Tivoli Gardens was the first stop on our trip that was also on our "100 Places" wall at home. We decided to go on Friday evening because it was closing for the season after that weekend and I figured Saturday and Sunday might be really crowded.

A simple way to explain Tivoli is that it's an amusement park right in the center of Copenhagen. That's not really a fair description though, as it's sort of amusement park - gathering place - park all in one with a very real charm to it that can only be experienced in person. It's actually the 2nd oldest amusement park in the world, having opened in 1843 (the oldest is also in Denmark which is kind of weird). I was excited to visit for a number of reasons, not least of which was I thought Samantha would really enjoy it.

There are a lot of rides, but it's not Six Flags or Disney World by any stretch of the imagination. They aren't spectacular on their own, but charming as a whole. Samantha, surprisingly to me at least, really likes rides!

Sam was okay with the roller coasters...as long as she had Daddy to hold on to.

One of our favorites were the boats. You just drove around a small lake in a little boat and then when you saw the number of the boat you were in light up on the lakeside board you drove yourself in. 

Another favorite was the little antique cars. Most places have these, and they never disappoint. Sam loved them and rode it a lot as Nana was nice enough to hang out with her on a few rides while Nel and I hit up some of the more adult rides.

There are plenty of places to eat as well - I'm guessing over 50! We picked Pirateriet for dinner because, well, it's a pirate ship. It was pretty good and fun as well. 

We didn't catch any shows or anything like that while there. We just spent a full evening riding rides and eating snacks and walking around. The place really becomes magical when the sun goes down and the thousands of lights come on. 

I was very excited about hitting up Tivoli.

The grounds are nice - more garden like than US amusement park style. It's not super clean and organized like Disney World, so don't expect that kind of place.

We got in free with our Copenhagen Card and then bought the unlimited ride ticket from a kiosk. It's basically a wrist band and you just show it to get on any ride. It was convenient and not particularly expensive. 

Branelle gives Tivoli a thumbs up.

So should you go? Not just for Tivoli, no. If you have any reason to be in Copenhagen though, don't skip it. It's fantastic and is a very real part of Copenhagen life.

Here are a couple of short videos from a few rides:

One side note from our trip:  The majority of the evening the park wasn't very crowded. That all changed in no time as the night wore on. There was some kind of concert happening late in the evening and I swear every teen in Denmark crowded through the gates to see it. We just bailed as fast as we could from whatever gate we could find - barely escaped with our lives (it seemed like). Also, Danish teens are as idiotic and inconsiderate as American teens and ignore all the rules like the no smoking rule in the park. The difference is the Danes don't enforce any rules so everyone just smokes.