A traffic playground is a child-sized town where children ride bicycles or balance bikes around small traffic lights, road signs, bike paths, and pedestrian crossings, learning about traffic without cars. The most well-known in Denmark is the Traffic Playground in Fælledparken in Østerbro, Copenhagen. It is free, and during staffed hours, children under 130 cm can borrow a bike. Here you get the practical information about opening hours, bike loans, booking and rules, another good bike playground in Copenhagen, and our suggestions on how to get the most out of the trip, whether you live in the city or are on vacation.
What is a traffic playground?
In traffic playground or driving school is a playground where children practice navigating traffic. The roads are smaller in size, there are traffic signs along them, and usually there are also traffic lights. The children ride around on bicycles, balance bikes, or pedal cars and must follow the same rules as in real traffic: keep to the right, stop at red lights, and yield to pedestrians.
Cycling Federation distinguishes between two types of facilities, and it is useful to know the difference when choosing where to go:
- The traffic playground is a paved traffic lane with mini signs, road markings, shark teeth, and traffic light-controlled intersections. It is about traffic rules and road safety.
- The bicycle playground It's about mastering the bicycle: balance, braking, turning, and looking over your shoulder.
The Cyclists' Federation's point is that a child must be safe on a bike before they can be safe in traffic. The youngest, who has just gotten a pedal bike, will therefore enjoy a bike playground, while the slightly older child, who will soon be cycling to school, will benefit most from an actual traffic lane. In many places, you can get both in the same place.
The traffic playground in Fælledparken: the most important in one place
The traffic playground in Fælledparken is located in the northern part of the park and is one of Copenhagen's staffed playgrounds. Children of all ages can practice cycling in a traffic town with small traffic lights, mini road signs, lanes, bike paths, road markings, pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, and a mini gas station. According to the municipality's development plan for Fælledparken from 2023 It is the entire Copenhagen bicycle playground, with real traffic signs, road markings, a roundabout, and a traffic light-controlled intersection.
| You should know that | The traffic playground in Fælledparken |
|---|---|
| Address | Gunnar Nu Hansen's Square 10, 2100 Copenhagen Ø |
| Telephone | 30 50 14 05 |
| Price | Free |
| Bicycle loan | Small bikes and balance bikes for children under 130 cm during opening hours |
| The smallest | Tricycles on a small, enclosed track |
| Staff | Educational staff during opening hours |
| Facilities | Toilet and changing area during staffed hours |
| Rules | No dogs, smoke-free playground |
| Groups | Institutions, schools (0th-1st grade), and private groups book in advance. |
The square has a long history. According to the Copenhagen Municipality's appendix on the renewal of Fælledparken It was established in 1972 and has since been both a playground and a training ground. The same document mentions that the police use the space to teach children and conduct bicycle tests. It is also mentioned as one of the oldest traffic playgrounds in the country in Idea catalog for bicycle traffic.
Opening hours and staffing
The area is fenced, and families are welcome every day of the week, including outside of staffed hours. Staff and bike loans are only available during staffed hours, which follow the seasons, so check the times before you set off. The pattern looks like this according to the municipality's page about the Traffic Playground:
| Period | Weekdays | Weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Summer (week 18-41) | Monday-Friday 9 AM - 5 PM | In weeks 24-34: Saturday-Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM on even weeks |
| Winter (week 42-17) | Monday-Thursday 9 AM - 4:30 PM, Friday 9 AM - 4 PM | Unmanned |
On certain holidays and around Christmas and New Year's, the site is not staffed. The municipality publishes a list of the days each year, so look them up if you are planning a visit during a holiday week or around a public holiday.
Also remember that The rental bikes must be returned 30 minutes before closing time.. Are you coming at o'clock? 16 on a summer day, you have half an hour of cycling time with a loan bike. Better come early in the day, especially if your child needs time to get comfortable with the track.
Bicycle loans, age, and height
During opening hours, children can under 130 cm borrow small bikes or balance bikes. That corresponds to most children of kindergarten age and the early school years, but it is the height that counts, not the age. The very youngest can borrow tricycles and ride on a small, enclosed traffic track by themselves, so they don't have to share the road with the older children.
If your child is taller than 130 cm, or prefers to ride their own bike, then bring it along. If the child has their own bicycle helmet, it is a good idea to bring it along so they get used to wearing it every time they cycle. It makes it easier later when the trip goes out into real traffic.
Free for all, booking for groups
All offers on Copenhagen's staffed playgrounds is free, and the target audience is officially 0-99 years old. The city has 26 playgrounds with educational staff, and the Traffic Playground is the one built around the bicycle.
If you are coming as a family, you just need to show up. Institutions, schools with 0.-1. Classes and private groups, on the other hand, must book time in advance. If it is, for example, a children's birthday party or a group of families who have agreed to meet, then call 30 50 14 05 or use the booking on the municipality's website so the staff can receive you.
The bicycle playground on Formosavej in Amager
If you mostly need a place where the little ones can practice their balance, the Bicycle Playground at the corner of Formosavej and Backersvej in Amager is a good addition. It is located on a former bus and tram turning area in a residential neighborhood. According to the landscape architect behind the square, it started as a temporary project that local residents and the Amager East Local Committee were allowed to carry out in 2016, and it was made permanent in 2018.
The area is a rolling asphalt surface with hills and bumps, surrounded by vegetation. There are marked areas for bike games and a section designed as a traffic playground for the youngest children. It is smaller than Fælledparken, and there is no staff or bike rental, so you bring your own bikes. On the other hand, it is a really good place for the child who has just transitioned from a balance bike to a pedal bike and needs many rides up and down bumps before being ready for traffic lights and roundabouts.
Traffic playgrounds in other parts of the country
There are small and large traffic playgrounds in several public parks and amusement parks around Denmark, and they look very different. Some are large, staffed tracks with rental bikes, others are a corner of a regular playground with stripes, a couple of signs, and a pedestrian crossing. In several amusement parks, the children drive small electric cars or pedal cars instead of bicycles.
The municipalities are also creating more bicycle playgrounds. The Cyclists' Federation has made recommendations on how they should be designed, and Idea catalog for bicycle traffic collecting examples of cycling training for children. If you live outside Copenhagen, look for the municipality's own overview of playgrounds, where bicycle and traffic playgrounds are usually listed separately.
If you want to find something for the children where you live or are on vacation, you can search on the map on Rejs i Danmark and filter by season, price, and age. Our guide on how you find family-friendly activities in Denmark, shows how to use the filters.
How to get the most out of the visit
A traffic playground is most fun when the child is allowed to play and also gets a little help understanding the rules. Here's how you approach it:
- Check the staffed hours the same day. The times alternate between summer and winter, and some weekends the site is not staffed. If you are going to borrow a bike, those are the times that apply.
- Come early. The rental bikes must be returned half an hour before closing time, and most children need a little time before they dare to ride into an intersection.
- Let the child play first. The first rounds are spent driving fast and ringing the bell. It is fine. The rules are better absorbed when the child feels comfortable with the bike.
- Talk about one sign at a time. Stop at a pedestrian crossing and ask who should yield. Next time it's a red light, then shark teeth, then the roundabout.
- Switch roles. Let the child be a pedestrian while you drive, or vice versa. Then it discovers what the traffic looks like from the other side.
- Practice it, you meet at home. If you have a traffic light on the way to school or kindergarten, then practice exactly that. The area in Fælledparken is built with typical situations from Copenhagen bicycle traffic in mind, according to the municipality's renewal proposal.
- Very practical. Packed lunch, water bottle, an extra layer of clothing, and own helmet. There is a toilet and changing area during staffed hours, and the dog must stay at home.
Which age is suitable for what?
- 1-3 years: Three-wheeled bike on the small, fenced track. It's about stepping on the pedals and steering.
- 3-5 years: Balance bike or small pedal bike. Balance and brake first, then the first signs.
- 5-7 years: The entire traffic lane. Now the child can learn to keep to the right, give signals, stop at red, and look out.
- Older children: Own bike and more complex situations such as roundabouts and left turns at intersections.
The ages are only a guideline. The most important thing is whether the child is safe on the bike, and you can quickly see that on the track.
Our view on traffic playgrounds
We believe that the traffic playground is one of the most underrated family experiences in Denmark. It costs nothing, the children love it, and they leave with something they can actually use in everyday life. When we gather experiences for Travel in Denmark, it is exactly the kind of places we are looking for: those where fun and learning happen at the same time.
We also find that many families only know Fælledparken. It is an excellent place to start, but a visit becomes even better when it is part of a whole day. Combine a morning at the traffic park with lunch in the park and a visit to a child-friendly attraction afterwards, and you have a day that both the little ones and the adults will remember.
Therefore, we build our maps and filters so you can quickly find those kinds of combinations, by season, price, and the children's age, in Copenhagen and the rest of the country.
Tommy
Find more free experiences for families with children
If you are interested in free excursions, such as the Traffic Playground, we have gathered many more on our page with free experiences in DenmarkHere you can filter by location and age and find playgrounds, natural areas, and cultural offerings that do not charge an entrance fee. If you want to have the whole holiday planned, start with our comprehensive overview of Experiences in Denmark.
Combine the traffic playground with other cycling experiences
Once the child has mastered signs and intersections, the next step is a real bike ride together with you. Our guide to bike ride with children step by step helps you with the route, the breaks, and the packing list, and if you dream of more, you can read about why bike holiday with the family is a good active holiday.
If you take the bikes on vacation outside Denmark, there is inspiration to be found in these. family-friendly cycling routes at Lake Como, which is chosen with children in mind. And if the little ones can't handle long trips yet, think like at the traffic playground: short rounds with a fixed base. The idea with short running routes of one kilometer works just as well on a family vacation in nature as in the park.
If you are in Copenhagen for several days, our Practical tips for experiences in Copenhagen more ideas for the days after, and our list of child-friendly attractions for families is good when you have to choose what to spend the afternoon on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost anything to visit the Traffic Playground in Fælledparken?
No. The traffic playground is one of Copenhagen's staffed playgrounds, and all their offerings are free. This also applies to borrowing bicycles and balance bikes during opening hours.
Can my child borrow a bicycle?
Yes, if the child is under 130 cm. During staffed hours, you can borrow a small bike or balance bike, and the very youngest can borrow tricycles on a small, enclosed track. The bicycles must be returned 30 minutes before closing time.
Should we book a time in advance?
As a family, you can just show up. Institutions, schools with 0.-1. Classes and private groups must book time in advance, for example via phone 30 50 14 05.
Can we come on the weekend?
You can use the space every day of the week, but staff and bike loans are only available during staffed hours. In the summer, there is staffing on weekends in the even weeks from week 24 to 34, at. 10-17. For the rest of the year, there is only staff on weekdays.
What is the difference between a traffic playground and a bike play track?
At a traffic playground, children practice traffic rules on a course with signs, road markings, and traffic lights. A bicycle play track is about mastering the bike, so the child learns balance, braking, and turning. Many children benefit from both, in that order.
Sources
The traffic playground in Fælledparken, Playgrounds in Copenhagen Manned playgrounds in Copenhagen Copenhagen Municipality: Renewal of Fælledparken (2008) Copenhagen Municipality: Fælledparken Development Plan 2023 Cyklistforbundet: Anbefalinger til cykellegebanen Idea catalog for bicycle traffic: Children on bicycles Wikipedia: Trafiklegeplads Thing Brandt Landscape: The Bicycle Playground Formosavej