Fancy a cheaper alternative to Disneyland Paris? Germany’s Europa Park has the thrill factor
For the first time in my life, I regretted not taking the middle seat. But it was too late to change my mind. My daughter and I were slowly being hauled toward the crest of the Silver Star hypercoaster. We were about to drop 70 metres at 130 km/h and I was on the edge.
Strapped in tightly, there was nothing to do but scream and let centrifugal forces of 4G energy drag us along the track at a dizzying speed. So that’s what we did.
Our sixth roller coaster of the day is one of the biggest in the world, but clearly not big enough for my daughter, who shouted “Again! Again!” after we come to an abrupt standstill. “No chance,” I replied, gathering myself.
Barbara and her daughter Romi at Europa Park
I’m not a theme-park person.
At least, I wasn’t until I came to Europa Park in southern Germany. Located in the small town of Rust at the border triangle of Germany, France and Switzerland, this park is one of the biggest in Europe. It covers almost one million square metres, boasts 13 roller coasters and 100 attractions, all divided across 18 areas, each dedicated to a different European country. The ‘countries’ are distilled down to a few landmarks, with customary cuisine and themed rides, experiences and entertainment.
The French section has a Moulin Rouge, for example. The Irish section has its Limerick Castle and O’Mackey’s pub, while the German section has wood-panelled houses and beer gardens. Croatia will join in 2024. The ‘countries’ feel so authentic, I thought I was in a genuine Swiss village in the Alps at one point.
Like many things in Germany, Europa Park is family-owned. The Mack family have been in the fairground business making rides for more than 200 years. After visiting the US in 1972, founder Franz Mack decided to open a theme park in Germany to showcase his rides. The park opened in 1975 and 250,000 people came to visit that year. Now almost six million people come annually.
Despite spending my childhood summers in Germany with my granny, who lived around two hours from the park, we never went to Europa Park. My family have no interest in theme parks; therefore I didn’t either.
Plus, I was terrified of heights.
My eight-year-old daughter Romi, on the other hand, loves scary rides. So I decided it was time to visit. Besides being half-German and loving Germany, we chose Europa Park because it’s less expensive than other parks.
The French section of the park
I paid €199 for tickets online (€109 for me and €90 for Romi for two days). Visiting Disneyland Paris’ two parks for two days in peak season would have cost €412 by contrast (€214 for me and €198 for Romi) if booked online.
We flew to beautiful Basel with Ryanair for less than €80 each and stayed a night, before getting the train and bus to Rust the next day, which took less than two hours. I already have a Deutschland ticket, which allows unlimited travel across German regional trains for €49 for one month. But usually fairs cost upwards of €24 each way, depending on the time of year and day. My daughter paid just €6 with her annual German BahnCard.
At Europa Park, we stayed just outside the resort in a hotel that cost €370 for three nights with breakfast. There are themed hotels and camping within the resort too — though you are likely to pay a bit more for these.
Once you get inside the park, all rides are included. There are no fast passes, but you can get the Europa Park app and register for the virtual line. We didn’t bother, as school holidays for the park’s main visitors — French, German and Swiss — hadn’t started yet, so we didn’t queue longer than 45 minutes at any time.
Luckily, it was overcast on both days we visited. Europa Park lies in the hottest part of Germany, with temperatures topping 40C last summer, so the mid-20s in early July and no glaring sunshine were a gift.
On the first day, we took a quaint train across the park, bypassing Grimms Fairytale Forest, lakes and plush gardens, flowerbeds and canals. We stopped at the Netherlands, Ireland, walked through Scandinavia’s fishing villages and went straight to the Wodan Timbur in Iceland — an all-wood roller coaster, reminiscent of old-school theme parks.
Romi can go on all rides, as they are determined by height, not age (it’s worth checking height restrictions before booking to avoid disappointment). After our 45-minute wait, we sat at the front of Wodan Timbur, hurtling around at 100km/h. It was insane. I wanted to rest afterwards and get my bearings, but my daughter moved quickly. Soon, we sat on a rocking ship, a roller coaster in the Greek area called the Atlantica SuperSplash, and did some white-water rafting.
Luckily there aren’t too many expensive distractions along the way. The Europamaus mascot, which wanders around the park, can be purchased in designated shops along with other trinkets, but you’re not overwhelmed with merchandise. The words ‘Mama, please can I have.…’ were mostly spared, though I did waste money on silly games, which cost €3 to €5, where you never win anything. I also bought a few photos of us looking ridiculous on roller coasters costing between €4.50 and €6 each.
Food is more expensive than in most places in Germany, but portions are large. Each country has numerous local options. We did German on the first day, for example, spending around €25 on lunch, including a beer, but we ate kids’ portions.
We rounded off day one with a trip to the Russian section for a crazy roller coaster, some small rides in the Irish section (they include a ‘Dancing Dingie’ swing boat, ‘Ba-a-a Express’ mini coaster themed like a cartoon train, and an adventure playground called ‘Paul’s Playboat’ for under-12s). We watched the parade too, before going back to the hotel and straight to bed, exhausted.
The Silver Star roller coaster
A day at Europa Park is enough to get a feel of the place, but it was nice to return for a second. I would have been happy walking around, taking it easy, but alas, we were on a Swiss bob before I knew it, followed by numerous other rides. After a pit stop for pasta and ice cream in the Italian section, and a few small purchases made from lemonade-stand money, we ended up on the Silver Star roller coaster in the French section — Europa’s pièce de résistance.
We wound down with yet more roller coasters. I think we did 11 in total. As a single parent travelling alone with my daughter, I couldn’t sit anything out, but that’s fine. I really enjoy taking on my fear and showing it who’s in charge.
Besides the rides, there are lots of attractions at Europa Park — fluffy animals and entertainers wandering around, for example. Shows take place across the park throughout the day, catering for all ages. We visited smaller attractions and watched trapeze artists, too.
View of the French section at Europapark in Rust, Germany.
Another highlight for me was a beer in the German beer garden with some familiar music, which brought me back to my youth. I was also thrilled when Romi made a German friend, which allowed me to chat to her dad — an adult! Turns out, they live beside the park and get free annual entry. The next question?
“When can we move here?”
I was exhausted from walking slowly and having my organs thrown around, but I’ll happily return to Europa Park. It is for everyone, whether you don’t go on any rides, or take them all. It’s not cheap, but it’s certainly not overpriced like Disneyland, and it’s in Germany.
It’s said that Germans do it better. When it comes to theme parks, I agree.
Europa Park is located in Rust, southern Germany. For tickets and hotels, see europapark.de.
It is located close to the Swiss and French borders. The nearest airport is Basel, Mulhouse (64km away). Ryanair flies there from Dublin. ryanair.com
The park is open year-round, with tickets priced from €57.50 for adults and €49 for children per day. Group prices and multi-day options come at reduced rates.
For train tickets in Germany, visit bahn.de.
Travel-sized: Three other theme parks to try
Efteling
Efteling The best European theme park you’ve never heard of? Efteling, about 110km east of Amsterdam, is themed on classic fairytales. Entry from €38pp. efteling.com
Portaventura
Portaventura Rollicking roller coasters, a huge waterpark and Ferrari Land are all part of this campus a short distance outside Salou in Spain. From €48pp; portaventuraworld.com
Emerald Park
Emerald Park Don’t want to travel abroad for a theme park? The former Tayto Park will unveil two new roller coasters in spring 2024 in new land Tír na nÓg. From €39pp. emeraldpark.ie
