From the street it is a polished city hotel. Walk through to the other side and it becomes a 1909 Moorish palace of domes, turrets and thousands of glowing bulbs, set inside the amusement park said to have inspired Walt Disney

Why book Nimb Copenhagen

From Bernstorffsgade, opposite Copenhagen Central Station, Nimb gives very little away. The façade is white and clean, the branding discreet, the lobby spacious and calm. It looks like a very good city hotel. Then things start to feel different. Walk down a short flight of stairs and you are standing inside Tivoli Gardens, the second-oldest amusement park in the world, with your room key as your ticket in.

Turn around, and the building you just walked through has changed entirely. From the park side, Nimb is a Moorish palace: domes, slender minarets, keyhole arches and almond-shaped windows, outlined after dark in thousands of softly glowing bulbs. It was designed in 1909 by Knud Arne Petersen, Tivoli’s own director and an architect, and in the city of Hans Christian Andersen it looks exactly like a page torn from one of his stories.

That is the trick of Nimb, and its great charm. There are just 38 rooms and suites, and every guest gets free daily entry to Tivoli, plus a wristband fastened at reception that unlocks unlimited rides – a rare and brilliant perk. And while crowds photograph the palace from the gardens, remarkably few make it inside. It feels like a secret, and on an autumn weekend in Copenhagen, it doesn’t get much better.

Once upon a time in Tivoli

The story begins in 1843, the year Tivoli opened, when a Chinese-style bazaar stood on this spot selling everything from chocolate to gloves and flowers. It burned down in 1862, was rebuilt the following year, and was finally demolished in 1908 to make way for the Central Station. Petersen’s Moorish replacement opened in 1909, named for Wilhelm and Louise Nimb, the restaurateurs whose Restaurant Nimb was the talk of the city.

A century later, after a restoration led by Italian architect Matteo Thun, the building reopened in 2008 as a hotel. In 2017, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners – the firm behind the contemporisation of the Louvre – added the Tivoli Corner extension, with its undulating glass and a rooftop pool. Nimb is still owned by Tivoli Gardens.

The vibe

Grown-up, warm and quietly exclusive. The welcome sets the tone: quick, smiley and effortless, with my bags in the room within a minute of arriving. The crowd is discreet and well-travelled, and the hotel has the feel of a private house that happens to sit inside a fairground. Its three Clefs d’Or concierges – the only hotel in Denmark with that many – mean almost anything can be arranged.

Location & setting

Few hotels anywhere have a backyard like this one. Tivoli’s gardens, lakes, wooden rollercoaster and the illuminated Japanese Pagoda sit directly below – and with free daily entry and a ride wristband included for every guest, the whole park is yours to wander for the length of the stay. On the street side, Central Station is across the road – a smooth, short transfer from the airport. Strøget, the Glyptotek and the city’s design shops are all within a 10-minute walk.

Design

Inside, Nimb is a study in Danish design with a collector’s eye. High ceilings and wide-planked Dinesen floors frame a mix of classic Danish pieces – PH and Bestlite lamps, hand-upholstered chairs – with Chinese antiques from 1700 to 1900 and Danish Empire furniture. Wall colours are custom-blended for the hotel, and there are candles, lanterns and potted plants everywhere. It is homely, cosy and full of period character, never museum-like.

Rooms & suites

All 38 rooms are spacious and individually designed, with Geismars linen on canopy beds and – in all but one – views over Tivoli, which turns magical each night as the lights come up across the park. Mine mixed those period touches with properly modern comfort: a deep soaking tub, Amouage toiletries, face sprays and serums to use during the stay, a writing desk, a coffee machine and teas, and a complimentary minibar of soft drinks and local Danish and Swedish snacks. Rooms in the original building often have open fireplaces; those in the newer wing tend to have balconies.

Dining

The hotel’s two big rooms are where everyone gathers. Nimb Bar, set in the historic ballroom, is all chandeliers, mirrors and mood lighting, with murals by Danish artist Cathrine Raben Davidsen; afternoon tea is served by day, cocktails by night. Nimb Brasserie, bright and overlooking the gardens, serves brasserie classics with a modern twist – and breakfast.

Breakfast is superb. A small but laden buffet carries fresh pastries – cardamom buns, Danish pastries, croissants – alongside cold cuts, fruit, yoghurt and fresh juices, with a menu of eggs, unusual and inventive dishes and ginger shots on top. The kitchen will make you anything. Feeling under the weather one morning, I was brought a steaming pot of hot water, lemon and ginger by the loveliest waitress – and when I forgot to ask for it, a splash of honey too. It is that kind of hotel.

In the gardens, the Japanese Pagoda hosts a rotating programme of pop-ups from some of the world’s most celebrated restaurants: this year alone brings 15 Michelin stars across seven kitchens.

Facilities

The spa is special. Nimb Wellness is dark, cosy and intimate, with a Moroccan hammam, steam room, treatment rooms and a relaxation area – exactly what you want after a cold day walking the city. Treatments range from relaxing massages to cutting-edge light and infrared therapies, and there is a well-equipped gym and CrossFit room.

On drier days, head up to Nimb Roof, where a heated, emerald-green plunge pool with its own built-in tide looks out over Tivoli and the city’s spires. Come summer, the rooftop bar is in full swing.

Nimb in winter

If autumn is lovely, winter is when Nimb becomes the stuff of storybooks. Tivoli’s Christmas season runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, when the gardens fill with lights, decorated trees and market stalls, and the palace’s façade bulbs glow all white. There are few more enchanting places to spend a winter weekend in Europe.

The verdict

Nimb is a total one-off. Small, warm and quietly exclusive, it pairs a fairytale setting with genuinely thoughtful Danish design, superb service and a spa made for Scandinavian winters. From the street, few would guess what lies inside. That, ultimately, is its magic: a hidden palace with an amusement park for a garden, and one of the most charming hotels in Europe.

Nimb Hotel, Bernstorffsgade 5, 1577 Copenhagen, Denmark. nimb.dk | @nimbcopenhagen. Rates from approx. €460 per night.

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