Amusement at Tivoli Gardens

I chose this day to blog because it included the Tivoli Gardens. There is a lot about this site providing inspiration for notable people and I wanted to find out what the appeal was that put this on top of many Copenhagen’s travel suggestions described as a “must-see” for all ages.  My travel team each had a Copenhagen Card that granted access to the park.  At the ticket entrance, there was an additional option to purchase an unlimited ride pass, but no one in the group seemed interested, so I declined.  Upon entering the gate, I first came across this massive white Moorish-inspired architecture building bordering a large portion of the park’s side. Later, I came to learn that it was the Nimb Hotel - a 5-star boutique hotel that boasts amazing accommodations and restaurants.

Since multiple colleagues arrived at different times, we had all planned to meet at one central location. This did take awhile to coordinate because the place was large (20 acres) and most of us did not grab a park map. Entering deeper into the park, we saw several stages that I imagine are used for planned shows and concerts. The one that I found interesting had a large colorful peacock on the stage curtain.

One of the understated features of Tivoli is its beautiful landscapes.  There are gardens and small water features that are dispersed throughout and provide tranquil respites from the adrenaline-inducing rides. There are little water areas, even one large enough where you steer one’s own small boat ride around a lake.

We passed by many food booths that had sweet and more substantial fare, but there were also larger places for sit-down restaurants.  One striking location was that at the Japanese Pagoda.  This boasts a revolving pop-up restaurant that is run by featured Michelin chefs who rotate through during the seasons. Sadly, we had already eaten before arriving at the park.

A couple of my travel mates wanted to ride a roller coaster.  They found out that you could pay for individual rides and decided to take one. The rest of our group waited for them and then we continued on.  Shortly, we came upon another ride called “Den Flyvende Kuffert” (The Flying Truck).  It was an homage to the Hans Christian Andersen stories. The bibliophiles were very excited and insisted that the whole group participate. 

Before I had a chance to protest, I was led through a descending staircase and paid for my single-ride ticket.  Paired up with Jamie, we were escorted to a trunk-shaped car that was anchored on a moving track. The track took us through a tunnel which had staged scenes recounting HC Andersen stories with the use of 3D models that depicted his fairy tales.  During our ten minute experience, I was able to recognize the Little Mermaid, the Snow Queen, the Nightingale, and The Emperor’s New Clothes.  There of course were many more, but I could not place the stories. (Note to self - get H.C.A. book to learn more.) The ride did evoke memories of Disney’s “It’s a Small World”. It is known that Walt Disney himself visited Tivoli Gardens in 1951 and drew experience for Disneyland. I also later learned that HC Andersen also visited Tivoli Gardens and rumor has it that he drew inspiration for The Nightingale fairytale.  Of course, this would have been over a  century before Disney’s visit.

We walked around some more and visited shops, observed other rides, and witnessed arcade games.  But, it was time to head back to our hotel, so a couple of us broke from the group and left this historic amusement place.