Before You Book Tivoli Gardens: Every Cost, and What's Worth It
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Prices last checked 2 November · 5 min read
Tivoli is unusual among theme parks: the entrance ticket gets you into the gardens, but not onto the rides. On top of entry, there's a Ride Pass, single ride tickets, an annual Tivoli Pass, the Copenhagen Card and prices that change by date. Most of them sound like something you need. You don't need all of them. In this guide we walk through what each one costs, what you really get, and how to choose the right one for your visit, whether it's a quiet weekday afternoon or a busy Saturday night.
At a glance
Entrance (8 and over)
About DKK 150-210, by date
Children 3-7
About DKK 90. Under 3 free
Ride Pass (unlimited rides)
About DKK 309-349 on top of entry
Entrance + Ride Pass
From DKK 469
Single rides
About DKK 50-90 each
Copenhagen Card
Includes entry, not rides
Quietest
Weekday afternoons
Busiest
Friday and Saturday evenings
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At Tivoli, entry and rides are separate. Many visitors come for the gardens, the lights and the atmosphere and only ride a couple of things, so the right ticket depends almost entirely on how many rides you'll take. Prices are dynamic: weekends and peak weeks cost more than early-season weekdays.
Option
Price (adult)
What you get
Verdict
Entrance ticket
About DKK 150-210
The gardens, shows, the lake light show and the atmosphere
Enough if you're here for the gardens and the evening
Entrance + single rides
Entry plus DKK 50-90 a ride
Pay as you go, ride by ride
Best value for one to three rides
Entrance + Ride Pass
From DKK 469
Entry plus unlimited rides for the day
Worth it from about four big rides
Tivoli Pass (annual)
Varies by type
Entry on every visit through the seasons
Only for repeat visits, mostly locals
Copenhagen Card
Card price
Tivoli entry plus many city attractions and transport
Good value if you're sightseeing anyway. Rides are extra
Ride Pass or single rides?
The Ride Pass costs about DKK 309-349 on top of entry, depending on the date. Single rides cost about DKK 50-90: the 1914 wooden coaster Rutschebanen is about DKK 60, while The Demon and the Golden Tower drop are about DKK 90. Rides are paid with ride tickets from the 29 vending machines around the gardens.
Your plan
Single rides
Ride Pass
Cheaper
Rutschebanen only
About DKK 60
About DKK 309-349
Single ride
Rutschebanen, The Demon and Golden Tower
About DKK 240
About DKK 309-349
Single rides
Those three plus the Star Flyer and one more
About DKK 360-420
About DKK 309-349
Ride Pass
Our verdict: with three or fewer rides, pay as you go. From four big rides, or with older kids who will ride everything twice, buy the Ride Pass, and buy it with your entry, since the combined ticket starts from DKK 469.
Is the Copenhagen Card worth it for Tivoli?
The Copenhagen Card includes garden entry only. Rides, food, arcade games and ticketed concerts are extra, although card holders can buy a discounted Ride Pass through the card's booking link. Our verdict: don't buy the card for Tivoli alone. If you're also visiting several museums and using public transport, Tivoli entry is a useful bonus.
What visitors say
Visitors love Tivoli's atmosphere, especially after dark when the lights come on, and many say the gardens alone are worth the entry. The most common complaint is that rides cost extra on top of entry, which surprises first-timers, so the advice is to decide how much you'll ride before you buy.
Prices last checked: 2 November. Prices vary with the season, peak and off-peak dates and promotions, and we recheck them every month. Visitor-reported costs are marked as estimates, and US$ figures are rough conversions.
Short on time? What you'd regret missing
Tivoli after dark, when the lights come on across the gardens and the lake.
Rutschebanen, the wooden roller coaster from 1914, still braked by hand by a brakeman riding on board.
The Demon (Dæmonen), Tivoli's looping coaster.
The Star Flyer (Himmelskibet), an 80 m swing ride with views over the Copenhagen rooftops. Best at night.
The lake light show, a short evening show that's included with entry.
With only an evening: arrive around 4 pm, walk the gardens in daylight, buy single rides for Rutschebanen and the Star Flyer, and stay for the lights.
The crowd tax: why Friday and Saturday nights cost more
Our crowd data shows Tivoli moderate on weekdays, and busy on Friday and Saturday evenings from about 4-6 pm until late. Weekend evenings have the best atmosphere, but also the longest ride queues, so a Ride Pass gives you fewer rides per hour. Weekend dates usually cost more too.
When
Crowds (our data)
Ticket choice
Weekday afternoons
Moderate
Ride Pass pays off: short queues, many rides
Weekday evenings
Moderate
Entrance plus a few single rides
Friday and Saturday evenings
Busy
Entrance only for the atmosphere, or ride before about 4 pm
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Tivoli Gardens, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Quietest time
Monday, 11 am-4 pm
Getting there
Tivoli is in the centre of Copenhagen. Copenhagen Central Station and Vesterport Station are each less than five minutes' walk away, and the station has its own Tivoli entrance on Bernstorffsgade. The main entrance is on Vesterbrogade. If you drive, the nearby Q-Park car park gives Tivoli guests a discount, but you don't need a car in central Copenhagen.
At the gate: what your ticket doesn't cover
Cost
Price (DKK)
Type
How to cut it
Rides
DKK 50-90 each, or a Ride Pass
≈ US$8-14
Optional
Count your rides first: under four, pay per ride.
Locker
DKK 50 large, DKK 70 jumbo
≈ US$8-11
Optional
Lockers are at the main entrance, the Glyptotek entrance and under The Demon. Travel light and skip it.
Food from a stall
About DKK 60-90 a dish
≈ US$9-14
Optional
Eat before you go, or use the Tivoli Food Hall.
Reusable cup deposit
DKK 5
≈ US$1
Avoidable
Afternoon, evening and the lights
Ride in the afternoon, before the evening crowds arrive.
Eat before about 6 pm, ahead of the dinner rush.
Stay for dark, when Tivoli is at its most beautiful, and catch the lake light show.
Leaving and coming back? Exit through the Tivoli Food Hall for a re-entry stamp. They aren't given during major events.
Tivoli is seasonal
Tivoli opens in seasons: summer (roughly April to September), Halloween (through October) and Christmas (mid-November to early January), with closures in between. The Halloween and Christmas seasons have their own decorations and markets, and are popular with locals, so book weekend dates ahead. Check the official calendar before you plan your trip.
Coming with kids
Children 3-7 pay about DKK 90, and under-3s are free. From 8, it's the adult price.
Check ride heights before buying a Ride Pass for young children: if they can only ride the small rides, single rides may be cheaper.
Gentle rides like the Flying Trunk, a fairy-tale ride based on Hans Christian Andersen's stories, suit young kids.
The Family Amenity Centre near Petzi's World has a baby-changing room where you can heat food and milk.
What can go wrong
You expect rides to be included: they're not, even with the Copenhagen Card.
You buy a Ride Pass for two or three rides: single rides are cheaper.
Tivoli is closed when you arrive: it shuts between seasons. Check the calendar.
Saturday night queues: ride earlier in the afternoon.
A surprise card fee: non-EU cards are charged a small extra fee.
What one adult really spends
Level
What's included
One adult
Gardens only
Entrance on a mid-priced date
About DKK 180
A few rides
Entrance plus Rutschebanen, The Demon and Golden Tower
About DKK 420
Ride everything
Entrance plus Ride Pass
From DKK 469
With the Copenhagen Card
Entry covered, three single rides
About DKK 240 on top of the card
Before food. A child aged 3-7 with no rides adds about DKK 90.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other. Crowd figures come from our own crowd data. Prices last checked 2 November. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
Busiest time
Saturday, 4-11 pm
When
What to expect
Verdict
Weekdays, 11 am-3 pm
Light crowds, easy to move around and take photos. Quiet even in the middle of the day.
Best
Weekdays, 3-6 pm
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Similar to the rest of the day.
OK
Weekdays, 6 pm-midnight
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Steady into the evening.
OK
Saturday
Peak crowds, queues at the entrance and main sights. Busier than weekdays, as locals join the visitors.
Worst
Sunday
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Similar to weekdays.
OK
📍 Live crowd check
See how busy Tivoli Gardens is right now, plus today’s hourly forecast.
