Earlier this month, Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, was honoured for the eleventh time with the industry's highest accolade, the Golden Ticket Award, as the 'Best Theme Park in the World', coming out tops against renowned theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.
We visited during May half term, but when I spoke to other parents about my trip to Europa-Park with my two young sons, Odhran, 10, and Reuben, 8, the response surprised me. No-one had heard about this major attraction, despite it being the second most visited theme parks in Europe and its many accolades. Many people I spoke to confused it with Eurocamp or another holiday park operator, EuroParcs. Rollercoaster enthusiasts from the UK are fully aware of this highly-rated attraction, which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is home to record-breaking rides, and with six to seven million visitors every year, it's seems a well kept secret among its mostly German, French and Swiss visitors. But while around two million Brits flock to Disneyland Paris every year, it appears we might be so dazzled by Mickey Mouse and his pals that we've overlooked Germany's hidden gem.
The theming
Europa-Park covers an area of about 235 acres, making it Germany's largest theme park. We walked about 20,000 steps a day here, so comfy footwear is a must. The attractions are spread across 20 beautifully designed themed areas - 18 of which are based on European countries and the other two include Adventure Land and Grimm's Fairytale Forest. Stroll alongside the canals of Italy, cross over a bridge into France, or explore the cobbled streets and wooden chalets of Switzerland - the park takes you on a charming journey through Europe.
The attention to detail is meticulous. We found ourselves knocking on walls to see they were plywood or plastic that had been well painted to mimic stone, but at Europa-Park nothing is a cheap facade - the buildings have been constructed with heavyweight materials and great care has been given to bring an authentic feel to each themed area. For example, the light-coloured limestone used to build the piazza in the Croatian-themed area was shipped in from that part of the Mediterranean. Snap a picture next to the whitewashed buildings in the Greek area and it would be easy to convince friends and family you'd been to Mykonos.
Europa-Park also takes visitors on a culinary journey through the different countries - sample tarte flambée in France, pizza in Italy, gyros in Greece or tapas Spain. What we loved about the theming was that every time you turned a corner you stumbled upon something new. We thought we'd explored all the areas fully on our first day in the park, but then we'd approach from a different direction and discover something we hadn't noticed the first time round.
The rides
There are more than 100 attractions and rides for visitors of all ages, including 14 roller coasters. We spent two days exploring the theme park. On the first day, we arrived at around midday and stayed in the park until closing time (online it said 6pm but on the day the park stayed open til 7pm). On the second day we had early access, as we were staying at one of the Europa-Park hotels. So, we were able to enter at 8.15am (45 minutes before the official opening time) and enjoyed a full day in the park.
We entered the park in the Spanish themed area and Odhran and Reuben were keen to hop straight on the first ride they saw, which was Feria Swing - a carousel with swinging carriages that swoops up and down. Then we happened to catch a flamenco dancing show on the area's main stage. As we made our way deeper into the park, I feared huge queues for the most popular rides, as it was a bank holiday so the theme park would be busier than usual.
But as Odhran ran up to Euro-Mir, a giant space-themed rollercoaster with cars that spin round the track, we looked in amazement at the wait time on the digital display next to the entrance - only 6 minutes! Europa-Park doesn't do expensive fast track nonsense. Instead, they hire plenty of staff and operate rides in a highly-efficient manner. Aside from the big thrill rides, you can take your bag on a lot of the attractions, which helps to keep the queue moving along.
The park also operates a single rider line on the big attractions to fill up empty seats and reduce overall wait times. Through the Europa-Park app there's a free virtual queue service, where you can digitally reserve a ride time-slot for major attractions. But the day's limited slots were snatched up quickly and we didn't managed to make use of the virtual queue. This didn't bother us in the slightest, as despite visiting the park during a busy holiday time, we never waited longer than 25 minutes to go on any ride, and we experienced all of the 'big five' - Voltron Nevera, Silver Star, WODAN Timburcoaster, Blue Fire Megacoaster and Eurosat CanCan Coaster.
The water attractions
Europa-Park has fantastic water-based attractions. Poseidon was the first water coaster we’ve ever been on, and it did not disappoint. The combination of a high-speed rollercoaster with a log flume was really exciting. I was relieved to find that despite the big drop, we didn’t get soaked, though I think in the heat, Odhran and Reuben were hoping it would cool them down.
They did however manage to get drenched from head to toe by standing on the sidelines of Atlantica SuperSplash. They seemed to find waiting for the ride to race at a speed of around 50mph into the waters below and create a refreshing tidal wave that washed over the sideline spectators as exciting as they did when experiencing the ride itself.
We also enjoyed Fjord Rafting and Whale Adventures – Northern Lights, a boat ride where you travel through Icelandic waters and use water cannons to target various features – or in our case my husband, who was stood by the fence trying to take photos.
Our favourite rides
Voltron has a wonderful sense of theatre as you enter the stall and the suspense mounts. The steep launch is thrilling and it hits speeds of 62mph, with several launches and inversions along the way. But I found my head got rattled around a lot, which is why I choose WODAN Timburcoaster as my favourite ride at Europa-Park. In fact, we all agreed this was our favourite ride (though at 1.26m Reuben wasn't able to go on all the big rollercoasters). We loved the force of this ride. You could hear it whooshing past.
Aside from WODAN, I loved the huge loop of Blue Fire Megacoaster, where you seem to just hang in the middle of it for a split second. Odhran loved Euro-Mir, but his favourite ride was Silver Star - a steel rollercoaster that reaches a speed of 79mph and has an incredible sense of weightlessness. This was in the Monaco area and Odhran was really taken by the flavour of Formula 1 and projections of the Côte d'Azur in the holding area. We all really enjoyed Alpine Express, but Reuben rode it with a VR set in his first VR rollercoaster experience (at an extra cost of four euro) and sited it as his favourite ride at Europa-Park after WODAN. We also enjoyed the novelty of the CanCan Coaster and spiralling down at speed in the dark to the sound of Galop Infernal. My husband couldn't resist a few goes on Atlantic SuperSplash.
What is there for younger kids?
Europa-Park is suitable for all ages and has loads to offer younger kids and toddlers. There are plenty of gentle rides, themed zones, interactive play areas and splash zones. The best areas for little ones are probably the Ireland and Grimm's Fairytale Forest sections. The park also offers plenty of family-friendly facilities such as baby switch, allowing parents with toddlers to take turns on the big rollercoasters without having to wait in line twice. There are baby rooms with changing and quiet nursing areas, and the park is pushchair friendly and you can hire buggies at the main entrance.
The shows
Alongside all the rides, there are several shows to enjoy and you'll need to check the app for times to make sure you don't miss out. The boys were enjoying the rides so much that I found it difficult to pull them away to go and see one of the shows. We'd heard great things about the figure skating show but as Reuben had already expressed an interest in the horses in the Spanish area of the park, I decided The Legend of Zorro show might be most engaging for the boys, and I was correct. They were completely engrossed in the storyline (even though it was in German) and enthralled by the sword fighting and horse-riding tricks. If you're visiting Europa-Park, I'd highly recommend taking a break from the rides to enjoy one of the excellent shows on offer.
There's also the daily parade which takes place around 4.30pm. You'll want to be the Luxembourg themed area to make sure you catch this. Europa-Park's main mascots are the animated mice Ed Euromaus and Edda Euromausi. Ed leads the parade, joined by his friends, and it's seasonal, so you'll enjoy a different spectacle in summer, autumn and winter.
The accommodation
There are six themed hotels at Europa-Park and we stayed at the 4 star Hotel Colosseo. Our holiday got off to a great start from the moment we pulled up at this grand hotel and stepped into the beautiful foyer with archways and a painted fresco on a vaulted ceiling. 'Are we in Germany?' Reuben asked, feeling confused by our movements from Strasbourg to Germany and now stepping into Italian-inspired surroundings.
Hotel Colosseo features a stunning replica of the Colosseum and the foyer opens on to a piazza with water fountains in the centre, where kids can splash around and cool down, while adults sit and enjoy a coffee or a cocktail. They host regular fountain shows, set to lights and music. Odhran and Reuben were obsessed with the fountains and loved running through them and playing with other kids.
We stayed in a standard room, which was beautifully themed in a Roman/Italian style. There were Leonardo da Vinci inspired paintings and the bunk beds were in keeping with a wooden wheel design. There was a dressing table and hairdryer provided, and a small table with two chairs and an armchair next to the double bed. So, it felt pretty spacious.
There was a safe and a minibar (this was empty but water was provided). There was a walk-in shower and the water pressure and temperature met my fussy standards. I like to be able to relax rather than hurriedly getting washed. The bottled water and white fluffy towels were well replenished during our stay. Rooms at the hotel range from standard family units to the premium Caesare & Cleopatra suite, which features an in-room private sauna and whirlpool.
Hotel Colosseo also offers a stunning Roman-style spa with an outdoor pool that Odhran and Reuben loved. It stayed open until 10pm so they were able to enjoy a swim after a busy day at theme park, while I stretched out on one of the loungers by the pool and read my book.
Food and drink
The buffet breakfast was included in our stay and it had a huge choice on offer from fresh fruit and cereals, cured meats and cheese, to a variety of breads and pastries, pancakes and Nutella, alongside all the cooked breakfast offerings you might expect. I was happy to find English Breakfast Tea among the plentiful choice of tea options. Odhran and Reuben love a buffet breakfast and this had lots to fill their tummies before a busy day in the park. Reuben hopped up to have his photo taken next Europa-Park's mascot, Ed Euromaus, who was in the dining area to welcome kids in the morning.
There are plenty of dining options within the theme park itself, but as you can get your ticket scanned at the exit so you can re-enter the park, we preferred to head back to the hotel during the day to take a little break from all the action and enjoy a bite to eat. Hotel Colosseo is right on doorstep of the theme park, and about a two minute walk from the dedicated hotel guest entrance. So it was easy to nip back to the hotel for an hour. We really enjoyed Pizzeria La Romantica, with inside and outside seating, overlooking the hotel's piazza and water fountains. This was casual and reasonably priced dining. The stone-baked pizzas were delicious (priced between €13 - €19 or £11 - £16) and the boys loved the spaghetti bolognese (€8.50 or around £7 for a child's portion). Adults could also order half-size portions of the pasta dishes, which was perfect when you wanted something a bit lighter for lunch.
Other dining options at Hotel Colosseo included Antica Roma, a buffet-style restaurant designed to look like an elegant ancient Roman vault, and featuring a large Mediterranean hot and cold buffet, priced at €47.50 per adult (around £40) and €15.50 per child (around £13). Child aged five and under eat free.
Restaurant Medici is a more intimate, a-la-carte venue, offering fresh pasta, seafood, cured meats and fine wines.
Bar Colosseo on the fifth floor of the hotel was closed during our visit, but the downstairs Bar Commedia dell' Arte had a lovely atmosphere and was beautifully decorated with masks on the walls. It's a café and a bar and was the social hub of the hotel, as it opens out on to the lively piazza. It served the most delicious Italian ice-cream and tasty looking cakes and desserts. The ice-creams were really reasonably priced and came in tall glasses or bowls and were served with whipped cream and all kinds of toppings. A pint of beer (we opted for Erdinger and Bitburger) cost under €7 (around £5-£6).
As a guest at any of the Europa-Park hotels, you are welcome to visit the restaurants, bars, and pools at any of the other resort hotels. From Hotel Colosseo you can cross over a charming little bridge to dine on one of the waterfront terraces. Krønasår - The Museum-Hotel has a Nordic-style. Bell Rock is Europa-Park's maritime-themed hotel, Castillo Alcazar is styled on a medieval Spanish knight's castle, Hotel El Andaluz has the vibe of a sun-drenched Spanish country estate, and Hotel Santa Isabel is in the style of Portuguese convent. Alongside the hotels, Silver Lake City offers alternative accommodation with rustic tipis, covered wagons and log cabins, and the feeling of being transported into the Wild West. Europa-Park also provides comfortable tent and caravan pitches.
The location
Europa-Park is located in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It's right at the edge of the Black Forest and near the borders of France's beautiful Alsace region and Switzerland. We flew return from Gatwick to Strasbourg with EasyJet. It was a short flight of just over an hour. We hired a car and the drive from Strasbourg airport to Europa-Park took about 40-45 minutes. We extended our holiday to spend a few days exploring some of the beautiful locations within this corner of Europe. Find out more about Europa-Park here.
Take a Break's verdict
We can see why Europa-Park has been honoured with the title of 'Best Theme Park in the World' so many times, and we would return in a heartbeat. There was so much to love about this world-class attraction - from the theming to the number, variety and calibre of the rides. Highly efficient ride operations meant wait times weren't an issue. We were able to hop on many rides straightaway and never queued for longer than 25 minutes, even on the most popular attractions. If we had to nitpick, I found it a pain that there weren't any free drinking water fountains in the park and we had to spend about £4 on a small bottle of water - it was hot so we went through many. But this is a small gripe when we take into account everything it did have to offer. We loved chilling out at Hotel Colosseo. It was beautifully designed and the perfect place to relax and unwind. The outdoor pool and fountains in the piazza really added to the experience. The food and drink tasted great and felt reasonably priced. Europa-Park is a must visit for theme park fans of all ages, and if you couple it with a visit to its nearby sister waterpark Rulantica (which you absolutely must!) then you really are in for them most memorable time. Europa-Park proves that Germany is about a lot more than just city breaks to places such as Berlin and Munich. If you're planning your next family getaway or if you're a thrill-seeking couple, this is a destination that needs to jump straight to the top of your bucket list.