Christmas in Copenhagen is famous for twinkling lights, cosy hygge vibes, and some of the best Christmas markets in Europe — but nothing compares to the Tivoli Christmas Market.
Tivoli Gardens transforms into a winter wonderland with thousands of fairy lights, Nordic decorations, wooden market stalls, festive food, and rides for all ages.
If you’re planning a festive city break, here’s my complete guide to visiting Tivoli Gardens at Christmas - including costs, stalls, food prices, ride passes, opening times, and tips to make the most of your trip.
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We flew from Manchester to Copenhagen on a Saturday morning flight ( 7:15am departure)
Time on aircraft: 2 hours
Time in the air: 1 hour 30 minutes
Scheduled landing: 10:00am
Despite Europe-wide delays due to the new biometric immigration system, security was very fast. We were out of arrivals by 10:30am - not bad for a weekend in December and certainly better than we anticipated.
Getting into the city is incredibly easy and one of the reasons people love Christmas breaks in Copenhagen.
You can buy metro tickets in the airport for 30 DKK (£3.50) per adult. Just follow the signs after bag collection for trains and the metro. The machines are located within the metro terminal. You can switch the language on the to English to make it easier. Danish people are incredibly friendly and will help you if you are stuck.
To get to Tivoli Gardens using the metro from the airport we took:
M2 (yellow line) from the airport to Kongens Nytorv.
We then switched to the blue line towards København Syd (M4). Riding it 3 stops and getting off at København H (Copenhagen Central Station).
From there, Tivoli Gardens is directly across the road.
Alternative option - Train
You can also take the train directly from Copenhagen Airport to Central Station, which is faster and avoids changing lines.
Our visit was on a Saturday, when Tivoli was open:
11:00am – 12:00 midnight
Other December opening hours normally follow:
Sunday–Thursday: 11:00–22:00
Friday–Saturday: 11:00–23:00 or 00:00
(Always check the official Tivoli website for the year’s exact dates.)
The Tivoli Christmas season usually runs mid-November to early January, reopening on Christmas Day but closed on December 24.
For 2025, you'll find Tivoli Gardens celebrating Christmas between November 14th 2025 & January 4th 2026.
Tivoli features around 60+ traditional Christmas stalls set among snowy decorations and sparkling lights.
Expect a mix of:
If you’re used to standard European markets, Tivoli feels more curated, more premium, and much more atmospheric.
Copenhagen is known for great food and the Tivoli food stalls don’t disappoint. Expect typical Danish Christmas market food like:
Being Copenhagen, we expected to spend £££'s, but we didn't find it to be overly expensive. The prices are inline with other Christmas Markets we've visited in Europe.
Tivoli has plenty of indoor dining too, including:
Prices are higher than the markets, but perfect if visiting Copenhagen in winter and want to warm up indoors.
We chose the unlimited ride and gardens pass after weighing up the two options. We got these via Get Your Guide as they allow you to buy now and pay nearer the time, plus include free cancellation. They're always our go to for excursions as they give great flexibility. You can save 5% with our exclusive code BUILDABREAK5 when you purchase tickets via their app.
After booking we were given a QR code, which was scanned at the gates to allow entry. The queue to get in was huge, but it moved very quickly.
If you have a ride ticket, you'll then need to find one of the wristband machines within the park. Scan your QR code again, and it will dispense a wristband to you - all very easy.
It does NOT include rides, but if you purchase this ticket you can pay for rides individually (see more info on this below).
If you want to experience Tivoli properly at Christmas, especially with kids, the ride pass is worth it. You can purchase a gardens only ticket, but rides will cost you up to 90 DKK (£10.50) per ride, if you choose to pay-as-you-go.
A gardens only ticket costs around £23pp, where as a ticket with rides included is £44-£47pp. So it's definitely worth paying the extra and having the flexibility to do as many rides as you wish. You only have to do two big rides to make it worth your while.
Weather permitting, many of Tivoli’s iconic rides stay open in winter.
Aquila — Min. height 120 cm. Tivoli
Fatamorgana – Wild Ride — Min. height 140 cm. Tivoli
The Golden Tower — Min. height 132 cm. Tivoli
The Demon — Min. height 132 cm. Tivoli
The Star Flyer (Himmelskibet / Star Flyer) — Min. height 140 cm (or 120–140 cm if accompanied by a paying 14+ companion).
The Monsoon — Min. height 140 cm.
Tik Tak — Min. height 140 cm.
The Roller Coaster (Rutschebanen / The Roller Coaster) — Min. height 120 cm (no height required if accompanied by a paying 14+).
The Star Tower — Min. height 105 cm.
The Temple Tower — Min. height 120 cm.
The Panda — Min. height 90 cm (no min if accompanied by a paying 14+).
The Ferris Wheel / The Ferries Wheel — For everyone
The Bumper Cars — For everyone
The Elf Train — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Little Dragon — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Camel Trail — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Classic Carousel — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Forest Carousel — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Flying Trunk — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Fun House — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Galley Ships — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Dragon Boats — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Music Carousel — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Mine — For the little ones / no min. height listed.
The Milky Way Express, Villa Vendetta (scary house — age guidance listed on page
Tivoli is unlike any other Christmas market in Copenhagen.
Here’s why it’s magical:
Total: £176 per person
Breakdown:
We stayed The Annex Copenhagen which was perfect for our one night stay. Very reasonable for such a central hotel in one of the world's most expensive cities. The hotel is located just a few minutes walk from Copenhagen central station and Tivoli Gardens. Note: this is a self-check in hotel, however it is located within the Absalon Hotel, so has a lovely restaurant and bar onsite.
The rooms were very clean, however I must point out they have shared bathrooms. I must admit at first this put me off, but for the price range, this seems quite common in Copenhagen and location was very important to us. However, the bathrooms were beautiful and there were 3 shower rooms and 3 toilets on our small corridor so it wasn't an issue.
In my opinion yes. Even on a busy Saturday we didn't find the ride queues too long. For the big thrills, the longest queues seemed to be around 30 minutes maximum.
On Friday and Saturday's,, the park is open for 13 hours. That's definitely enough time to explore the markets and to enjoy all the rides too.
Yes - massively!
If you’re choosing between Copenhagen’s free markets (Nyhavn, Højbro Plads, HC Andersen) and paying for Tivoli, Tivoli is the one you absolutely shouldn’t miss.
It’s not just a market! It’s lights, rides, music, food, atmosphere, and pure Christmas magic.
For an easy, festive winter trip from the UK, Tivoli Gardens at Christmas is one of the best experiences in Scandinavia.
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