Over 100 attractions, 54 restaurant outlets, plenty of shows and only 6 hours of time. Taking kids to Europa Park was a challenge but one we gladly took up. As it turns out we all had fun in the park’s 13 European themed areas. The only downside was not being able to try it all. But we’ll just come again.
Germany’s largest theme park covers the area of 94 hectares and is located in the town of Rust, only a few kilometers away from the highway A5, almost on the border with France. Due to its sheer size and being one of the most sought after holiday destinations in Germany you can imagine our stress at only having 6 hours left to explore. We arrived at noon and still had no trouble finding a parking space, since the parking lot is huge and well marked, so getting to the entrance is easy. It just takes awhile, especially when you have two overly excited kids who believe they are about to expire if we don’t get inside in a second.
This year the park celebrates its 40th anniversary so it’s probably even merrier than usual. Though I believe it is overwhelming everyday – the place is huge and the concept so neatly done, you really don’t want to rush it. There is a monorail, high up, connecting some stations in the park or you can take a train stopping at all the major sights. It beats walking too much, since you are already on your feet a lot.
The world’s best theme park
Being the world’s best theme park (the award received in 2014) and with more than 5 million visitors only last year, you can guess that there was a crowd. While that was not a problem in the park itself, since the park is well spread out, it did mean huge queues in front of the best sights. That was also why we only tried out a handful of rides. And while my oldest (6 years) and hubby waited in line for the best ones, I took my youngest (3) to less frequented rides that were also more to her liking. We hardly had to wait at all.
Our favorite area was Greece and the ride Poseidon but that was probably due to visiting on a really hot Summer day and this ride provides quite a splash. My youngest got a kick out of Iceland and the whale hunting expedition, where you board a boat and have a chance to sprinkle other visitors standing too close to the rails. Bear in mind that they have a chance to return the favor.
Eat your way through Europe
While you can eat at any one of the 13 European areas, we picked Germany, as it made most sense. We chose a beautiful restaurant set on the artificial lake and tried to make a plan for the rest of our visit.
Hubby finally found a true champion, because Stela wasn’t afraid of anything and was willing and with over 1,20 meters able to try almost all of it. So, they hit the Wodan – wooden roller-coaster going 100 km/h. In the meantime Tesa and I stumbled upon the perfect playground – with water sprinkling out of everywhere. Though throughout the park there are a lot of places to play with water. It took us half an hour to convince both of them, since Stela readily joined her sister, to start leaving.
By the time we truly had to leave, I was sorry we arrived late, but I had to admit, that even if we had more time, I don’t think we had the strength. It is an amazing park, full of great sights, rides and places. Though even without the queues, I still don’t think we could’ve seen it all. So, the decision was made: we are coming back again for more.
