Motion sickness at Tivoli Gardens: what's rough and how to cope

Photo: European Commission, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted.

Copenhagen, Denmark · Tivoli A/S · ~4.25M visitors (2024, industry estimate)

Tivoli Gardens is the rare park where motion sickness is entirely opt-in. This is a historic garden in the middle of Copenhagen, and many visitors fill an evening with the flowerbeds and the Pantomime Theatre without boarding a single ride. But the modern machines tucked between the trees are no joke. Vertigo is a rider-controlled looping plane ride with strong G-forces and spinning, The Demon packs three inversions into a compact layout, the Golden Tower drops you from 63 m, and Aquila holds you in sustained rotation. The gap between the gentle heritage core and those four machines is enormous. Know which side of the park you are riding, and Tivoli becomes one of the easiest parks in Europe for a sensitive stomach.

The rides most likely to set you off

• The Demon (Daemonen): compact coaster with three inversions.

• Vertigo: rider-controlled looping plane ride with strong G-forces and spinning.

• Golden Tower: 63 m drop tower.

• Aquila: spinning swing ride with sustained rotation.

Vertigo is the roughest thing in the park: a rider-controlled looping plane arm that combines strong G-forces with spinning, and having the controls makes it easy to overdo.

Where to reset between rides

When your stomach needs a break, head for The Flying Trunk (Den Flyvende Kuffert), Rutschebanen (1914 classic coaster with brakeman) or Gardens and Pantomime Theatre. Slow visuals, a fixed horizon and a seat that is not spinning give your inner ear time to settle before the next big ride.

Feeling queasy at Tivoli Gardens right now?

Stop the nausea

Open Dizzout, plug in any headphones, tap play. Drug-free sound therapy, and most people feel better in about 90 seconds. No pills, no drowsiness, no waiting for a tablet to kick in.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

On a computer? Dizzout installs on your phone — scan the code, or open dizzout.com/get on your phone and it'll take you straight to the right store.

Your survival plan for Tivoli Gardens

1. 1

   Decide before you enter whether Vertigo and Aquila are on the menu; both involve sustained spinning, the most reliable trigger in the park.

2. 2

   If you ride The Demon or the Golden Tower, do it early in the visit and follow it with a slow lap of the gardens.

3. 3

   Start kids and cautious riders on the 1914 Rutschebanen; its brakeman-controlled pace makes it a gentle test run.

4. 4

   Slot The Flying Trunk or the Pantomime Theatre between machines instead of queuing straight into the next one.

5. 5

   Save the long dinner for after your last intense ride, not before it.

6. 6

   At the first hint of dizziness, sit facing the gardens, breathe slowly, and run a Dizzout sound therapy session through your headphones; most people feel better in about 90 seconds.

Going with kids

The 1914 Rutschebanen is a gentle heritage coaster most kids handle happily.

Common questions