Spring in Scandinavia - Tivoli Gardens, Liseberg, and Gröna Lund!

Hey guys!

So I'm just now getting around to editing our videos from this last trip we did to Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen), Liseberg (Gothenburg), and Gröna Lund (Stockholm), and I thought I would start a thread to begin sharing them as I finish... Not sure if that's the right way to do it or not. ::Shrugs::

Just off the bat I wanted to say that all three of these parks are absolutely incredible. Tivoli is hands down the most beautiful park I have ever seen in my life, Liseberg has a truly incredible collection of attractions, and Gröna Lund is a super quirky park with the most epic ferry ride to get there.

So this first video is a day and night POV of Rutschebanen with Álvaro doing some narration for good measure (in Spanish, with English subtitles).

Honestly, stunning... I really think I liked this 1914 scenic railway more than I liked Daemonen (the B&M floorless). You actually get some fun pops of air, and the entire ride is a joy to look at the whole way through.

Anyway, here is the first video if you want to check it out.... Lots more coming soon(ish)

Watch the video here!

Also, if you guys have any comments on the video let me know... I'm just learning how to put these together as a hobby, so I'm open to suggestions.

Cheers!

Eric & Álvaro

If you're just going to post videos here now and then and not participate in the community regularly, that's just spamming the forum.

Ops, sorry... That definitely wasn't my intention. My idea is to talk more about each park in this same thread as I get the videos put together (so that there is something to look at, I didn't really take many pictures).

Anyway, I'm new to the whole forum thing so sorry if I'm doing this wrong...

Forgive me if I say that I've heard that before.

If you want to share your own videos in this community, then be a part of the community first. You have 8 posts total before this one, both in new threads to link to your video. That smells like spam.

I just made my first trip to Tivoli last month - it took me about 15 seconds to completely fall for the place. After entering through the turnstiles right off a city sidewalk in downtown Copenhagen you're transported to one smile-inducing turn after another. So much charm oozing in every direction. It's like Disneyland, Kennywood and Chicago's old Riverview Park had a baby. Walt apparently visited while dreaming up his park and the references are obvious, particularly around the hub.

Like so many great public spaces in Europe, Tivoli is just immensely rewarding to stroll through with countless numbers of quality full-service restaurants and outdoor cafes, live entertainment and leafy winding promenades. It's almost like one big immaculately landscaped beer garden with rides interspersed throughout (the rides are okay but here the space itself takes center stage. We spent more than half our time here just people watching as we sipped beer from a glass stein). At night the lights dazzle yet it all feels comfortable and quaint, never overwhelming or uncomfortable.

I know I sound like a broken record here but the American parks would do well to study the simple pleasures of Tivoli Gardens. Simply one of the best amusement park experiences I've ever had.

I couldn't agree more, one of the best parts about Tivoli is just enjoying the space! And I agree with you, I wish we would see this type of thing more in the US. I feel like a lot of amusement parks have forgotten the word "park" :).

Also, I really want to see their cup policy exported elsewhere. For those of you that haven't been, basically they serve you your drinks in these plastic cups with a sensor on the bottom. So you can choose to either reuse the cups, or when you are done with them there is a machine that scans the sensor and gives you back your deposit automatically. It couldn't have been easier, and more environmentally responsible. A few weeks later we went to a music festival where there were plastic cups EVERYWHERE after the shows. I was thinking how amazing a system like this would be even someplace like that.

Getting back to Tivoli, I disagree about the rides. There weren't MANY rides, but what they had I thought was very good quality... Especially for families. Although I'm not sure if that insane Flying Trunk ride is for families or for those that enjoy controlled substances lol.

One note about the Scenic Railway in particular I was blown away by.... 3 TRAIN OPERATION ALL DAY!!! That, and no stacking (I don't think that's even possible on this ride to be honest). The operations were completely incredible.

All in all, we were planning on getting in, doing the credits, and heading out... But we ended up closing the place down at 1am because we were just having so much fun! Such a cool experience. Hopefully it won't take me long to put together the videos of the park itself, because the lights at night are really what sets the place apart.

Love your thought about putting the "park" back into amusement parks. Imagine a US park taking cap ex funds and investing solely in landscape design and environmental placemaking rather than a big new ride. It might be scorned on a coaster site and the ROI might not be immediate but over time I can't help but think the value is there through longer stays, higher food/beverage tickets and repeat visitation.

Tivoli's pricing model is interesting too. General admission is only $15 with rides offered a-la-carte or via an unlimited ticket. This provides a revenue source for the park to maintain its atmosphere and incentivizes better food offerings. Imagine the idea of people paying to enter a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park for the privilege of walking around and eating at its restaurants. Sounds crazy but this is precisely what Tivoli executes so well. Granted, this idea works better in parks centrally located next to population centers where its easy to swing by for dinner (Tivoli is right downtown). Indeed, Tivoli's closest US sibling is Kennywood which resisted a POP ticket for years. Unlikely? Perhaps. But fun to think about. It would be fun to see a park pursue this strategy.

Regarding your comment on rides -- I agree they are good quality but the rides alone don't warrant a trip, particularly from the States. It's the experience that's unlike anywhere else I've been.

About the atmosphere itself being a revenue source for the park, I thought it was interesting that two friends of mine who actually live in Copenhagen have season passes to the park just for the sake of hanging out and going to their free concerts... They have actually never been on any ride at the park (they have weak stomachs and are afraid of heights by their own account lol).

Getting back to the rides, what are your thoughts on Daemonen? Did you do try the new VR experience? We did not, but I was wondering what the head banging situation would be like with those hard B&M restraints.