An Evening at Tivoli Gardens

 (A multi-part recap of my recent Scandinavia trip.)

After finishing up with our canal boat tour (read about it in my last post), my friends and I were ready to head back to the hotel for a little downtime.  It had been a busy day thus far, and there was still one optional activity on tap for the evening - a chance to visit Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen's famous amusement park.

Niels Juel statue

I'd fully intended to take a rest break back at my hotel room.  But as my friends and I rounded the corner to the hotel's front door, I was struck by the colorful buildings in the Nyhavn District, which was directly across the canal.  The photographer in me had salivated at all the brightly hued buildings earlier in the day.  Now afternoon light was illuminating them perfectly.  The following day's weather wasn't predicted to be so sunny and nice.  It was now or never - I told Kim, Debbie, and Alicia I was going to take a short photo break.

Time for photo walk around the Nyhavn canal

And - oh, I had the best half hour roaming around the three-block section of the Nyhavn District, capturing these historic, colorful buildings.

These buildings were super photogenic!

Earlier our guide Nina told us that the Nyhavn District used to be frequented by rough sailors and was considered the "bad" part of town.  When Nina was growing up, her mother wouldn't allow her to go here.  Apparently these buildings used to house bars and other shady businesses that catered to the sailor's needs.  

Lots of boats docked in the canal

However, sometime in the 1980's the city decided to revitalize the area.  Now the Nyhavn District is home to many good restaurants, classy bars, and cute cafes.  Historic wooden ships tie up on the adjacent canal seawall.  It's become quite popular with visitors.  Throngs of people now pack the sidewalks and the seats in the restaurants are full all day long.

I liked this white boat

So enjoy these next few photos from my afternoon stroll around the Nyhavn District........

The district ended at the French Embassy

Loved all the bright building colors!

The buildings reflected in the canal waters

Impressionist reflections

Typical Nyhavn scene

The shops and restaurants were really busy

Lots of people enjoying dinner

I watched canal boats come and go

Late in the afternoon many of the people from our Rick Steves tour, including Kim, Debbie and I gathered outside the hotel for a trip to Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Gardens.  Guide Nina, who had grown up here, was excited to show us all one of her favorite places.

Interesting statue

It was about a 30-minute walk from our hotel to the amusement park.  Nina led our group down a series of streets different from the ones we'd taken in our morning tour.  It was fun to explore another part of Copenhagen, and see "new to us" statues and buildings.

Nina led us through more colorful neighborhoods

And of course more colorful buildings!  The Danes sure knew how to liven up their neighborhoods.

There it is!

After a long walk, our group entered a large public plaza near a very busy street.  People were everywhere and a band appeared to be setting up for a concert.  Because tomorrow was a Danish holiday, (Constitution Day) it appeared the celebrations were getting off to an early start.

First we had to cross a very busy street

And there across this street I saw a brick building with the word "Tivoli" on its roof.  We'd arrived!

The grand entrance gate

Nina guided us all across the street and to the entrance gate.  She paid for everyone's admission, but said any rides or food was on us.  (I thought that was more than fair.)  Then Nina gave us a quick tour of a few highlights, and pointed out some restaurants we could go for dinner.

Escaping the rain in a nearby restaurant

We'd no sooner bid Nina farewell when thunder started rumbling in the sky.  Then it started to sprinkle.  Maybe it was time to get dinner?  As Kim, Debbie and I began walking towards the restaurant area, this sprinkle quickly turned into a downpour.  And our walk became a run!

Time to explore the place

We ducked into the first restaurant we came upon - and noticed that many of tour-mates had done the same.  The place had a glass roof, and we watched the rain absolutely hammer the panes above us.  I ordered a traditional Danish open faced sandwich with cod, while my companions ordered wiener schnitzel.  The portions were gigantic, but the food was just so-so.  Oh well, at least we weren't stuck out in the deluge.

The gardens were fabulous!

About the time my friends and I finished our dinners, the rain appeared to be letting up.  After paying our checks, we stepped outside to a very wet world, but dry sky.

More beautiful gardens

Established back in 1843, Tivoli Gardens is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, and the most visited amusement park in Scandinavia.  The founder of Tivoli is said to have obtained the charter to create the park by telling King Christian VIII "When people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics."

 

The little kid area

Not only an amusement park, Tivoli was also beautifully landscaped.  My friends and I chose a direction and walked beside a lovely pond surrounded by all sorts of blooming flowers.  Fountains and decorative lighting enhanced the placid garden environment.  However, it wasn't all tranquility - there was also a large pirate ship anchored in the water.

Cool looking pirate ship

Kim, Debbie and I continued along a gravel path, dodging large puddles as we went.  Colorful lights were strung up in trees and along the water's edge.  It would've been fun to stay here until sundown and see the place lit up, however this far north in early June it would be well past our bedtime.

There were plenty of puddles!

On one end of the pond, we looked across to see a large Japanese pagoda rising up from the opposite shore.  This place had everything!

Lovely pond and pagoda

Past the children's area, my friends and I entered the main midway where the adult rides were.  The place had four large roller coasters and 12 other wild, spinning carnival rides.  And there were 16 tamer rides for the little ones, including a large carousel.

Gotta get a selfie!

The sudden rainstorm had definitely thinned the crowds, but we still noticed plenty of young people having a good time in the midway.  Although Kim loves carnival rides, especially roller coasters, she didn't try any.  Probably because Debbie and I weren't interested in joining her.

Bumper boat pond

It was fun to walk by all the different rides, and watch the people enjoying themselves.  

Not sure what this building was

Tivoli Gardens also hosted lots of entertainment venues.  The place had several stages where musical performances took place.  Tivoli featured a pantomime theater, producing free shows at regular times.  There was an aquarium, many arcades, shopping (even a Lego store!) and a hot air balloon that gave rides (although we didn't see this.)  Many festivals were held here throughout the year.

Taking in all the rides

It really was the most well-done amusement park I'd visited (except maybe Disneyland.)

More midway scenes

One area had arches that lit up

I think this was junk food row

And let's not forget the food - my friends and I stumbled upon a long walkway lined with shops hawking every type of junk food you could imagine.  Still full from dinner, we weren't tempted.

Having fun in the house of mirrors

We did enjoy the house of mirrors, and had some laughs seeing ourselves distorted.  But of course the only photo I got Kim happened to be standing behind a pole.  (Sorry Kim!)

An amusement park isn't complete without a swing ride

My friends and I spied a few gorgeous peacocks wandering around the grounds.  But they definitely weren't very friendly.

We spotted a few peacocks roaming around

The finale for our Tivoli tour was walking by a huge building built to look like an Indian castle.  Lights covered the exterior.  Several fancy restaurants were inside, and we discovered you couldn't walk in without a reservation.  Oh well, we admired it from the outside and that was enough.

This building was quite impressive!

The day had been action-packed for sure.  Starting with the walking tour of Copenhagen, a bit of shopping along the Strøget, lunch on a boat at the "fish balls" restaurant, a canal boat tour, my photo walk of Nyhavn, and now ending at Tivoli Gardens.  My watch said I'd logged over 20,000 steps already - and I still had to walk back to the hotel.

Theatre building

There was a large, loud concert in the plaza near Tivoli Gardens

So my friends and I headed back to get some rest.  However Copenhagen was just getting started with their early Constitution Day celebrations.  Passing by the plaza directly across from Tivoli, the place was now packed with people.  A band was playing such loud music, it hurt my ears.  Walking through a park closer to the hotel we passed by another noisy band and more crowds.  And of course the Irish pub across the street from our hotel room was even louder than the night before.  But beyond tired from all the walking I did that day, I somehow managed to fall asleep.

Join me for my next post - another day in Copenhagen featuring a visit to the famous Rosenborg Castle.