Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park in Copenhagen, Denmark at Halloween

Many people come to Denmark every year looking for the best things to do in the country’s capital city of Copenhagen. It is no surprise that visitors in the millions go to Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park every year to experience a fun-filled day in Denmark. Tivoli Gardens opened its doors for the first time in 1843, and it still continues to excite visitors and locals. With its many diverse roller coasters, high-quality restaurants, beautiful gardens and exciting events, Tivoli keeps the fun coming for nearly 9 months out of the year. It is also a lot of fun to visit Tivoli Gardens at Halloween!

On a trip to renew a passport at the American Embassy in Copenhagen during fall break, my husband and I decided to surprise our two boys with a trip to Tivoli Gardens. As far as they knew, we were going to Copenhagen for our passport meeting, eat lunch and then find a playground. They had no idea that the best playground in Copenhagen (plus much more) was located inside Tivoli Gardens, but they were about to find out!

The Big Reveal: Telling the Boys We Were About to Go to Tivoli Amusement Park

As we sat in the Dag H restaurant that was located just a short walk from the American embassy, we told the boys that we would be spending the rest of the day at the Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park. We were first met with faces of disbelief, then excitement, then disbelief again only to be followed by genuine smiles! That emotional roller coaster they went on for that brief 2-minute period was no comparison to the real rides they were going to experience at Tivoli, and we were ready to get the party started.

We know that we could have taken them to see the Rosenborg Castle, the Frederiksborg Castle, Little Mermaid or any of the other top 10 things to do with kids in Copenhangen, Denmark, but when you have  limited time to spend in Copenhagen, you go to Tivoli! In my mind, there were no other options!

Taking the Train to the Tivoli Gardens

We walked back to the Østerport Station to get a quick train down to the Central Station. Did you know that if you walk out of one specific door at Copenhagen’s main station, all you have to do is cross the street and you are at the side entrance to Tivoli? It is that easy to find Tivoli if you are coming to Copenhagen by train!

We wanted to get the full effect of the experience, so we went to the main entrance to find the counter for the Tivoli Gardens tickets. This was also where we picked up our free entry passes and free “turpases” (unlimited rides passes), which Tivoli so graciously gifted to me and my family for the day! Thanks, Tivoli!

This post is sponsored by Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen who graciously gave me and my family free entry and ride passes during our day out in Copenhagen. All opinions are my own to share. This post may contain affiliate links which means that at no extra cost to you, I will make a commission if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

Main Entrance to Tivoli in Copenhagen

The main entrance to the Tivoli Amusement Park had lots of fun jack-o-lanterns and other Halloween decorations for us to look at, but many of these decorations were a bit different this year because of the current pandemic situation. The jack-o-lanterns had face masks. I thought this was a nice touch to make the whole “corona thing” seem kind of normal and accepted.

There were also many signs up discussing that if face masks were required on a ride, they would be provided at the entrance to the ride. There was also hand sanitizer in all areas throughout the park and requirements to wears masks only when entering restaurants. Tivoli was following the corona guidelines put into place by the Danish government to make everyone safe, which was very helpful.

Turpas Machines and Getting a Ride Wristband at Tivoli in Copenhagen

As we entered the main entrance, we noticed that there were some green machines just to the left. This is where we scanned our turpas (tour pass) tickets to get our wristbands printed. It was a very interesting system. You could also use these machines to buy ride tickets if you didn’t originally buy then when you entered.

Fees and Ride passes at Tivoli Gardens

In order to get into the park, you had to pay an entrance fee, but if you wanted to buy ride tickets or passes in addition to that, you would have to pass an extra fee. This made a lot of sense, since there were many grandparents there with their grandkids who didn’t seem to ride the rides. It didn’t make sense for them to pay the same fee if they weren’t there to ride anything.

I liked this option. If they wanted to ride a ride at the last minute, they could buy a ticket. On the map of the park, there was a page that said the height requirement of each ride as well as how much they would cost if you were to buy an individual ticket. It really helped people plan the day.

Check our my video on the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark on my YouTube channel to learn more.

Halloween Décor, Corn Maze and More at Tivoli in Copenhagen

If all of the Halloween decorations at the entrance didn’t impress us enough, we were more than impressed by all the spooky displays that they had inside the park. There were pumpkins of all shapes and sizes in every possible place you could imagine: on stages, near buildings, hanging over walkways and even in display areas in front of places like the Pantomime Theater.

We saw that they had spooky little booths in this area as well where you could buy various fall or Halloween-inspired items or play in the many little places that were hidden behind the buildings.

There was even a haystack maze for children and adults of all sizes to enjoy with lots of spiders and jack-o-lanterns around to give visitors a true feeling of being in Halloween Town.

It was after exploring all of these Halloween extras that we decided to find our first ride at Tivoli in Copenhagen.

Nimb’s Hotel in Tivoli Gardens at Halloween

I loved the pumpkin house that was in the area of the giant pumpkins in front of the Nimb’s Hotel. I could have easily imagined the Fairy Godmother turn one of these “kaempegraeskar” or huge pumpkins into Cinderella’s carriage, since they were much bigger than a normal pumpkin.

Riding the Rides at Tivoli in Copenhagen, Denmark at Halloween

I’m going to tell you right now that we didn’t go on any of the bigger rides at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. I think that was too hard of a sell for our boys who aren’t used to large and fast roller coasters, so we stuck with smaller ones and medium-sized rides to get into the groove of the place. Luckily, the boys were at a size that allowed them to try pretty much everything they felt brave enough to try.

Minen (The Mine) at Tivoli in Copenhagen

Our first ride was at the Mine. I have to say that my youngest son was very unsure of this ride, since it was all inside a building and he couldn’t see what it was like. However, he and the rest of us soon discovered that this was one of our most favorite rides in the entire park.

The Mine is a ride, where you sit in a car, in which you travel inside a mine to see the animals digging for treasures and tending to a dragon. At the same time, you and your family will be using light lasers to gain points by blasting various jewels throughout the ride. This ride is definitely for everyone in our family, and we had a fantastic time with a little friendly competition. At the end of the ride, we were able to see our scores from the jewel blasting. It is no surprise that mom was the big winner! 😉

Rutschebanen (The Wooden Roller Coaster) at Tivoli in Copenhagen

The obvious choice for our next roller coaster was next door to the Mine and was called Rutschebanen, or roller coaster in Danish. This is one of the most famous rides at Tivoli and actually dates back to the year 1914, which makes it the oldest wooden roller coaster in not just Copenhagen but the world. This ride makes you feel like you are going up and down, inside of a mountain, but the joyful screams of the riders were enough to turn my little guy away. We patiently waited as my husband and older son went on the ride.

Due to it being Corona Times, each rider was given a mask and was expected to use the provided hand sanitizer. There was hand sanitizer at every ride, which was nice for those wanting to stay extra safe during a very uncertain time. My older son and husband loved going on Rutschebanen so much that they both said it was their favorite ride at Tivoli!

Ballongyngen (Ferris Wheel) at Tivoli in Copenhagen

As we stood waiting in line for the Mine ride, we couldn’t help but notice the Ballongyngen nearby. Since it was October, each of the carriages was made to look like jack-o-lanterns instead of hot-air balloons. I really thought this was cute.

In order to get to the entrance to this ride, you first had to walk up a flight of stairs. I really liked that the Ferris wheel was elevated, because it offered us some amazing views of the attractions below. We also could get a very good view of the town hall or rådhus of Copenhagen, which was the neighbor to the Tivoli Gardens. In fact, did you know that Tivoli is a part of Copenhagen’s old town and is situated in between the main train station and the town hall?

Astronomen (Spaceships) Ride at Tivoli Gardens

When we came back down from Ballonbyngen, we walked into a different section of the park. This area looked like a future world with lots of airplanes and spaceships like the ones someone from the 1950s would have dreamed their future to look like. You could see the Tik Tak ride that spun you to another planet if not in reality, but perhaps in your dizzy head.

There was also Mælkevejen, which was one of Tivoli’s newest roller coasters that took you high in the sky and all around the futuristic area.

Knowing that our future was limited in the park and that our stomachs were a tad bit on the sensitive side, we decided to try out Astronomen or “the astronomer” ride instead. This ride still allowed you to travel by futuristic spaceship in a circle like the Tik Tak, but also gave you the option of going up to the stars like the Mælkevejen. The difference with the Mælkevejen ride was that you could choose when to go up and down on Astronomen.

My History with the Himmelskibet ride

I was kind of bummed that Himmelskibet wasn’t running during that trip. Once upon a time, I actually rode on that swing ride. You may be thinking that a swing ride isn’t that bad, but there are two sing rides at Tivoli. One is on the ground and quite normal, and the other one is up so high that you can practically see all of Copenhagen from it. That is, if you keep your eyes open. I wasn’t hoping to relive that experience, but I was very curious to see if I could get my older son and husband to try it!

My son had a great time being in charge of our spaceship. I just loved all the beautifully decorated rides. They were very pleasing to the eye and very inviting to the guests. However, we weren’t anticipating how fast this ride was going to go, and we laughed most of the ride at how we were smashed together! I don’t know how my tween-aged son felt about being so close to his mom, but I didn’t mind!

Galejen (Pirate Ships) Ride at Tivoli in Denmark

As we were walking around and surveying all of the rides, there was one that really caught the eye of my younger son. That was Galejen, or “the galley”, which is a ship that is set into motion by rowing. However, there was no rowing on these ships. They were set in a circle at different heights, and because I didn’t see this one in use before we boarded, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

At first, it looked very sweet with the pirate in the middle of the ride and beautifully painted boats for two people in a lovely blue ocean. Since the look of it seemed to be more for children, I thought that it would be a very easy ride.

When the ride started spinning us at nautical speeds in a large circle, I quickly started to change my mind, as we also went up and down with the waves. I was riding with my younger son who normally gets ill on things like this, but for some warped and twisted reason, he was really enjoying himself. However, I went through my normal mantra that I say whenever he or I am in an airplane or boat when our stomachs start to get a bit queasy, which I had to do with closed eyes. There was no way I could focus with all the waves and swirling.

When walking the plank seems like a good idea

I have to say that I really thought it was quite funny when I kept my eyes closed. I think that it was more of a tickle in my stomach than a queasy feeling and from what my son said at the end of the ride, he had to agree. He even said that the ride was one of his favorites, which completely caught me off guard. The smiles from my husband and older son seemed to say that they enjoyed it as well. I guess ol’ mom was the only one who didn’t get her “sea legs” yet!

This ride was one of a selected few that you could only enter if you had first downloaded the Tivoli app and scheduled a time. I think that this was something that Tivoli did to reduce the wait-in-line time since they wanted things to be safe during corona. We were able to download the app and schedule the time for Galejen as we walked there from Astronomen, so there were no issues with getting on board.

Bolchekogeriet (Candy Shop) in Tivoli Gardens

As we walked around the park, we reached the back corner where the Bolchekogeriet was located. This candy shop had all kinds of delicious treats that were even made in the store. You could also see the workers making new candies while we were there. I particularly like the candies that had a Halloween theme.

Den lille Drage (the Little Dragon) Children’s Ride at Tivoli

The area where we found the Bolchekogeriet was also were there were some smaller rides, like the Stjernetårnet, which was a ride that sat four across. It went straight up and then dropped.

My boys thought that they would try Den lille Drage instead, which was somewhat of an airplane ride. It went around in a circle and they had the option of using the lever to bring them up or down during the ride.

My younger son thought that this one looked like it would fit him, and they both seemed to have fun. However, when little brother got off the ride, he mentioned how it was “too easy”. There were very small children on this ride being accompanied with their parents, so it wasn’t a surprise to hear him say that.

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I also loved the added décor on the buildings. One of the sweet shops looked like a fortune teller lived there with a very cool fountain out front. If you rubbed the golden nose, you would get good luck!

Den flyvende Kuffert (The Flying Case) Fairytale Ride at Tivoli

We continued walking even though we were somewhat interested in trying out the bumper cars. We thought we would try back when the line wasn’t so long, but I can tell you now that we completely forgot.

As we walked some more, we passed arcade games and sweet stands, and it wasn’t long until we came to Den flyvende Kuffert. This is one of my most favorite rides in the entire world. We actually took the boys on this ride when they were 1 and 3, which was the last time we went to Tivoli. This ride is very easy for all ages, and I just love the theme.

We walked down some stairs to get to the giant suitcases. These would take us all throughout the world of H.C. Andersen. Each suitcase holds 2 adults and 1 child. We decided to split up and put one parent and child in each suitcase. We also changed the language of the speaker from Danish to English. This is easy to do with the push of a lever at the top of the suitcase. It was very nice to have this feature, since not all travelers to Tivoli understand Danish.

Travel The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen

As you travel within your suitcase you are taken through 32 of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. You can see the Little Mermaid, the Snow Queen, Thumbelina, and so many more. The colorful figures are so beautifully created, and visitors feel that they are magically taken inside the stories as the suitcase goes high above buildings and deep under the sea.

Riding on Veteranbilerne (Old-fashioned cars) at Tivoli

Across from the Chinatown, we were very excited to see that they had antique cars called Veteranbilerne. Being too young to drive a real car, the boys were very excited at the thought of driving one of these vehicles. Tivoli also made the ride more special with Halloween-decorated cars and path. I loved driving through a archways of gigantic spiderwebs and spiders with tons of pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns all around.

Musikkarrusellen (Musical Carousel) at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

I don’t know about you, but I love carousels. The older the carousel, the better, and when we saw the double-decker carousel at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhangen, we were very impressed. The boys decided to go for the horses on their ride of Musikkarrusellen, though there were many other options. There is nothing wrong with sticking to traditions though. They had a great time!

I took this as an opportunity to get to know a local Copenhagener, who seemed to take quite a liking to me. He was getting a bit too fresh for my tastes, but luckily, my husband thought it was cute and took our picture. I never caught his name, though!

Tivoli Sø og Piratskib (The Lake at Tivoli and Pirate Ship) at Tivoli

On the western side of the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, you will find the Tivoli Sø, which is a lake that not only has a really cool pirate ship and some of the biggest koi fish I have ever seen, but it also is a great spot to be at nighttime when the illumination starts. This is a light show set to music that is one of Copenhagen’s must-see sights if you want to have a unique experience with night life when at Tivoli.

We love how much nature is present in the park. At other amusement parks, there are so many places that are filled with metal and concrete, but when you go to Tivoli in Copenhagen, Denmark, you don’t feel that you are in an amusement park. The plants and trees make it a very cozy place, and I feel that they add to the charm of why so many people feel that this Copenhagen theme park is one of the top 10 sites in Copenhagen.

Rasmus Klumps Verden Lejeplads (Rasmus Klump’s World Playground) 

If you know the Tivoli Gardens map, you would know that the western side of the park was also the home to one of the best playgrounds in Copenhagen. If you have ever wanted to travel to Copenhagen with toddlers, you can be happy in knowing that Tivoli is a great place for even the little ones. Heck, my 8 and 10 year-old boys also loved the playground. Having a playground at an amusement park is probably one of the best additions that Tivoli could over to a family in Copenhagen, because sometimes, kids just want to play.

Rasmus Klump is a beloved, children’s cartoon figure who is the inspiration for this playground. You can find his ship and play in the lighthouse. There are different areas at the playground that might also attract different-sized children, which makes it a perfect place for children of all ages to enjoy.

Rasmus Klump House and Pandekagehus in Copenhagen

Next to the playground, Rasmus also has his house, which is where he is known to put on a show or two during peak times during the year.

The playground was also just above the Rasmus Klump Pandekagehus (pancake house), where families can get coffee and pancakes, one of Denmark’s favorite snacks for children. This is also a great place for diaper changing, since there is a well-equipped toilet facility that caters to all sizes.

We even were able to find Rasmus Klump for a quick photo op!

Boulevardhaven (Haunted Graveyard) in Tivoli Gardens at Halloween

During our visit to experience Halloween in Tivoli, we were more than eager to try out Boulevardhaven, which was a haunted graveyard that lay in between the Rasmus Klump playground and the Arabian Nights area of the park. I wasn’t sure how my youngest would respond to this, but since I didn’t know what to expect either, we just decided to give it a try. There was a sign that mentioned it was mainly for children around 12 and older, but smaller children could enter with an adult.

The spooky part about the Boulevard was that there were zombies walking around. I have to say that the costume and makeup on those zombies were outstanding. It was beyond what I had expected the “scary” people to look like. We just got a kick out of a lady that was behind us who was really freaked out by one of the zombies. I think it helped my youngest son feel more at ease if he saw a lady who was older than his mom get scared!

Bigger Rides at Tivoli Gardens

It wasn’t long before we were at the other end of the haunted graveyard and at the Arabian Nights section. This wasn’t actually called Arabian Nights, but that is how I called it. They had a camel ride and very pretty décor on the buildings that made me think of something I would find in a Northern African or Middle Eastern city.

Kamelen (The Camel Ride)

We actually tried Kamelen, which was a very small roller coaster that went around many times instead of once to give you more bang for your buck.

For some reason, my youngest was not having it on this ride. We had to ask the controller to stop the ride before we had our allotted number of rides around the circle because he thought we was going to be sick. I had seen so many other children on this ride with adults, who seemed to have a great time. My older son was one of these happy kids, but it just wasn’t my younger son’s favorite. I couldn’t believe he loved the spinning of the pirate ship over this. In my opinion, this was much easier than the pirate ship. Who knows!

More (bigger) Rides at Tivoli

There were many other, bigger rides in this area. I can imagine that if I were a teenager or adult who didn’t get sick on big roller coasters, I would love this area. My husband was just stunned by the one called Vertigo. This was a ride where four people sat in an airplane and flew up in a backwards circle that left them upside down for part of the trip. No thanks!! I was happy to stay with my feet firmly on the ground!

Chinatown in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

Many of the buildings throughout Tivoli are designed to resemble places in different parts of the world. We could easily see this after we left Den flyvende Kuffert. We seemed to walk straight into Chinatown by going under a very fancy gate. This area had many temple-like buildings and even a Chinese dragon. In this area, you could find bigger rides, shops and places to eat. I thought it was kind of funny that there weren’t any Chinese food stands in the Chinatown. However, it did have a good variety of other types of foods.

Brdr Price Restaurant in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark

It was time for supper, and because we weren’t sure how busy Tivoli Gardens restaurants would be since getting a reservation in a typical Copenhagen restaurant could be difficult, we called ahead. There are so many great choices for places to eat at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. It was really a hard choice for me, so I let my husband decide. He went with the Brdr. Price I Tivoli Restaurant.

We could have gone to any of the fast-food types of places that were located all throughout the park and at the Tivoli Food Hall, but we were very eager to eat at a Danish restaurant that was created by two very famous, Danish chefs, The Price Brothers. These guys have their own cookbooks and their own show on TV, so we were very excited to try out their restaurant.

Fine Dining Experience at Tivoli

When we approached the outside of the restaurant, we thought it looked quite fancy, and as we walked inside, we were simply blown away at the beauty of it all. It gave me a feeling that we were walking in a restaurant during the 1920s, since it had that type of architectural vibe to it. I’m not expert, but the whole atmosphere was very “hyggeligt” (cozy) if you asked me.

The boys ordered fish and chips off of the children’s menu, and my husband and I got the catch of the day and vegetarian risotto. It was all very well-done, and the service was also very proper. I actually found it hard to believe that I was actually in an amusement park with the elegance that was all around me.

Finding Fine Quality Food at an Amusement Park

It was such a nice surprise to get such good quality food and service at Tivoli. I have heard that some people pay the entrance fee to get into Tivoli just so they can go to their restaurants. This seems like a logical idea, since it has some of the best family-friendly restaurants in Copenhagen.

You also know that it is a great restaurant for kids when your 10-year-old son comments, “man, this place has great service”. I wasn’t even aware he knew about stuff like that. How funny!

Overall Thoughts on Tivoli Gardens at Halloween

It was getting late, and since we had a train ride and short drive back to our cabin at the Stevns Camping Campground, we decided to say “tak for denne gang” (thanks for this time) to Tivoli and vow to return for more fun in the future.

Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen is a great, family-friendly place to visit if you are in Copenhagen with kids. I would even highly recommend it for adults who are looking to have a little bit of fun and a fantastic meal. Going to Tivoli in the summer will allow you to experience their concert nights and parades. However, being there in October for Halloween is truly a unique experience in Copenhagen that you won’t find in many other places. If you are looking for Halloween activities in Copenhagen, you can also find daily activities at Tivoli.

If you are traveling to Copenhagen, be sure to put Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park on your Copenhagen bucket list. We did, and we were very happy to have had a very spooky day filled with fun and new adventures!

Getting in Touch with Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

If you would like to get in touch with the Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park in Copenhagen Denmark, here is their information:

Website: www.tivoligardens.com (Dansk)

Address: Vesterbrogade 3, 1630 Copenhagen (Denmark)

Telephone: +45 33150001

Email: info@tivoli.dk

Map and Practical Information for Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen

Tivoli App for Rides and Map can be found HERE!

Events and Activities Calendar can be found HERE!

Map of Tivoli Gardens with Rides and Food can be found HERE!

Buying Tickets and Passes can be found HERE!

Important Information to Know about Tivoli can be found HERE!

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