Christmas at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

10 Comments / By /

Christmas at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

Posts on this site may have affiliate links. If you make a purchase using an affiliate link I earn a small commission at no extra cost to yourself. Thanks for your support.

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was opened by Georg Carstensen in 1847. This makes it the second oldest amusement park in the world. Funny enough the world’s oldest amusement park is also in Denmark, not too far from Copenhagen. When I decided to take a quick trip to Copenhagen the one thing I wanted to do was to visit Tivoli Gardens. When I was there, they had a Christmas Market and they were all decked out for the holiday season.

I got to Copenhagen in the late afternoon, and it wasn’t very long before the sun started setting. I wanted to visit Tivoli Gardens at night to see it all decked out in holiday lights. The amusement park is open until 11 pm (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays). This makes it a great place to check out in the evening. While there were lots of people around it wasn’t too crowded.

The main entrance to Tivoli Gardens on Vesterbro. This is the main entrance where you can buy admission for the park. If you are looking to see a show at one of the theatres in Tivoli Gardens the box office is here.
You can find Christmas Markets all over Europe from mid-November to mid-December. I wasn’t able to visit a Christmas Market last year, so I was excited to go to my first European Christmas Market in Copenhagen. In this cute little cabin, you could shop for things like souvenirs, and decorations. Some had delicious treats like gløgg (mulled wine).
Christmas decorations for sale at Tivoli Gardens.
The Japanese Tower here is a restaurant called Letz Sushi. There are over 30 different restaurants and dining options in Tivoli Gardens. You can also see the Dæmonen (Demon) roller coaster, one of four roller coasters here. There are several rides for thrill-seekers (like this one). There are also lots of rides for young kids as well.
The Nimb Hotel and Restaurant in Tivoli Gardens. It is hard to tell, but there is snow on the ground here. While the snow here is artificial, it was still cold (and rainy) during my stay. If you’re visiting Copenhagen in the winter be sure to dress warmly. Have a waterproof coat and umbrella for the rain. And stop for gløgg whenever possible. You know to “warm up.”
There were lots of holiday lights at Tivoli Gardens. I also loved the heart lights in the trees. On the left, you can see a mountain looking peak. That is from the Rutschebanen. It’s a wooden coaster that has been in operation since 1914. This makes it one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the world.
The Swing Carousel. It arrived at Tivoli Gardens in 1907.
Tivoli Gardens has several carnival games including this shooting one. Most of the game booths were made of wood. The background and props are hand-painted, which gave it a classic look. Walking by these games, I felt like I stepped back to 1847 when Tivoli Gardens first opened.
The Pirate Ship at Tivoli Gardens. At another part of this lake, there was a fountain and light show set to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. This was one of the free shows you can enjoy.
The Dyrekarussellen (Carousel). I always love the look of carousels, and this double-decker one was gorgeous.

I didn’t go on any rides (although I was tempted by the carousel above). I was happy to wander around Tivoli Gardens and take photos. While it was cold, there were several gas fire pit heaters to stand by and warm up at. Outside one restaurant they had chairs by fire pits where you could even roast marshmallows (for a fee). I sat by one of these fires for several minutes when I realized that my jacket would smell like campfire for the next few days. Oh well. #worthit

Another thing I didn’t do at Tivoli Gardens was see a show at one of the theatres. There are a few different theatres around Tivoli Gardens that have both paid and free shows. The little fountain and light show was one of the free shows. There are also free concerts during the day, but I got there too late for those. I was there the night before the musical Elf was opening up, which would have been fun to see. Of course, it’s worth noting that the theatre shows at Tivoli Gardens will be in Danish.

Christmas at Tivoli Gardens, as cheesy as it sounds, felt magical. Maybe it was the fake snow, the Christmas Market, the alcohol in the gløgg, or the twinkling lights but I was in a festive spirit after visiting Tivoli Gardens. If you’re in Copenhagen during November or December I recommend a visit to Tivoli Gardens. I’d love to go back to Tivoli Gardens on my next trip to Copenhagen.

Things To Know
Tivoli Gardens is at Vesterbrogade 3, 1630 in Copenhagen. Admission is 110 Danish Krone (DKK), and ride tickets are 25DKK each. Most rides take 2 to 4 tickets. Ride passes are available for 230DKK. Tivoli Gardens is open from 11 am to 11 pm Monday to Thursday and Sundays. It’s open from 11 am to Midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
While in Copenhagen, I stayed at the Urban House Hostel in an 8-bed dorm, for 2 nights for 323DKK (about €43 total). The rooms were spacious, well maintained with a modern design. The hostel has a kitchen/dining area, a large common/TV area, laundry facilities, and a restaurant/bar. The location is close to the Copenhagen Central Train Station. It was a fantastic base for my stay in Copenhagen. There are plenty of other great hotels in Copenhagen that you can book here.

Have you been to Tivoli Gardens? What’s your favourite amusement park ride?

Related Posts

10 thoughts on “Christmas at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen”

  1. Soraya

    Oh my! How I absolutely love all the Christmas lights set up around Tivoli Gardens! It looks so beautiful…like a fairytale Christmas. It’s nice to hear that all the buildings in the area are lit up to be part of the festivities. And I love that they have setup fire pits around the place to keep you warm during the winter. I hope one day I will get a chance to visit Copenhagen and the Tivoli Gardens during Christmas.

  2. Lisa

    I remember visiting Tivoli Gardens during Christmas too, and it was magical! I loved seeing all the lights, and like you, didn’t go on any of the rides. I can’t remember the Japanese tower, but it looks incredible!

  3. Kathy VA

    I’ve not been to Copenhagen’s Trivoli’s Garden but I must admit it is a beautiful place during Christmas season. Everywhere is colourful and lit depicting the festive mood. I began to think Christmas starts earlier in some countries than some. The sight at Letz Sushi is so beautiful. It’s the highlight for me. I also love Christmas markets and shopping in that cabin would feel so different as I’m used to open air shopping. The Dryrekerusellen is worth riding, especially if there are kids around. I just love Christmas

  4. Francesca Murray

    I love amusement parks – I can’t believe I’ve never heard of the Tivoli Gardens! Especially since it’s the second oldest one in the world. For some reason I thought that park with the ferris wheel in Barcelona was the oldest.

    This looks like a lovely spot to get into the Christmas spirit! I like the idea of roasting marshmallows as well ^_^

  5. Dan

    Looks like an interesting place. I know that a lot of my favourite rock bands have played in the Tivoli Gardens over the ages.

  6. YUKTI Agrawal

    Christmas at Tivoli Gardens looks so wonderful and magical. Whole setup looks like a fairyland or wonderland. Everything is so dreamy specially that swing carousel and wooden shooting area. Not only kids even adults will enjoy here a lot. As it has 30 dining options and sever roller coaster, this place has won me over.

  7. Raghav

    Fun fact: I had my wedding ceremony at Tivoli Gardens. NO, not the one you have mentioned, but we have a hotel/resort here in New Delhi with the same name. Although I was aware of THE Tivole Gardens, I had never seen any photos or read about it in detail. It looks truly spectacular all lighted up and now I wish that is where the wedding took place – imagine getting everyone there, HA!

  8. Diana Chen

    I was at Tivoli during the holiday season last winter and loved it! It must’ve looked so festive and cozy with the snow on the ground when you went. There was no snow when I went, and I always find these Christmas markets to feel so much more Christmas-y with snow. I would love to go back and visit again in the future!

  9. Ryan Biddulph

    What an incredibly different feel than many Western amusement parks Alouise. Feels refined and stately even, being lit up beautifully during night time hours. Many Western parks are more of the carny nature; a bit schlocky, or, just garish. The rides may be OK but those loud lights and rough music pales in comparison to this beautiful spot, which is about as old as it gets, amusement park wise. Awesome post.

    Ryan

  10. Samah

    I could feel the magical-ness of Christmas at Tivoli Gardens through your pics! the lights are stunning. I love photographing the motion of swing carousels, those rides always have an old-town, nostalgic vibe. I’ve never been to Tivoli Gardens, and as for my favourite amusement park, probably Motiongate in Dubai. The kiddy themes really fool you, as some rides are really hardcore

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top