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Europa-Park

Rust, Germany

“One of the world’s leading theme parks”

I’ve been visiting Germany’s largest theme park multiple times per year since 2000 and the park has never failed to amaze me. Every time I step through those gates, I’m surrounded by theme park awesomeness and a pure vacation feeling. Theming at Europa-Park isn’t on Disney level and you’ll definitely find more breathtaking roller coasters at other European parks. Still, no other theme park in Europe manages to offer such an extensive ride collection in a visually-pleasing environment. Besides, Europa-Park is well known for its incredibly high ride capacity, a large variety of food offerings and several beautiful on-site hotels.

ROLLER COASTERS

Europa-Park is divided in 21 different areas, most of them representing a European country. These themed lands offer rides, shows, national cuisine and even some local crafts. One of the most popular areas at Europa-Park is the Icelandic section. This land opened in 2009 and it’s home to the first inversion coaster ever built by Mack Rides: blue fire Megacoaster. It’s a visually-pleasing and incredibly smooth coaster with a vertical loop, two corkscrews and a heartline roll that always catches me by surprise. That final inversion literally tries to throw passengers out of their seats, so it’s the undisputed highlight of the ride. Don’t expect Blue Fire to be insanely intense, though. The launch isn’t very forceful and the ride lacks some airtime. Besides, I’m not a huge fan of the adjacent Blue Fire Dome. This ugly hall functions as the entrance to the coaster, but its industrial design looks quite out of place in that cute Icelandic village.

From the exit of Blue Fire, it’s just a 30-second walk to the next roller coaster. That’s Wodan – Timburcoaster, a colossal wooden coaster. Europa-Park spared no expense on the attraction’s theming. The entrance gate looks like something straight out of an epic viking film, the queue was elaborately themed, and apparently you don’t necessarily need to hire IMAscore to create an impressive soundtrack. Our first impressions are therefore sublime, and the good news doesn’t stop there. In fact… if you’re assigned a seat near the back of the train, you’re in for one of Europe’s very best coaster experiences. The massive first drop delivers some excellent airtime and the rest of the layout is characterised by consistent high speeds and forceful curves. GCI’s wooden roller coasters all evoke a certain out-of-control feeling and that’s not any different here at Europa-Park. Mystic Timbers at Kings Island is probably my favourite GCI ever, but Wodan doesn’t come far behind. Best ride at Europa-Park, if you ask me.

Blue Fire and Wodan may be described as thrill rides, but most attractions at Europa-Park are suitable for the whole family. One of the more unique family coasters is called Arthur. This is a powered inverted coaster and it’s themed to the Arthur and the Minimoys films. I haven’t seen any of the films, but I’ve loved the attraction since my very first ride. It combines coaster elements with dark ride parts and the theming is very elaborate. The entrance to this ride can be found in an indoor area, which also offers several smaller kiddie rides.

The Swiss area of Europa-Park may be small, but it features two of Europa-Park’s most beloved family coasters. Schweizer Bobbahn and Matterhorn Blitz are a bobsled coaster and a wild mouse, respectively. These coasters are mostly worth a visit because of their theming, as the actual rides aren’t that impressive. Schweizer Bobbahn is one of the shortest bobsled coasters in the world and Matterhorn Blitz is well… you know… a wild mouse. Crowds seem to adore these rides, but personally I wouldn’t get in line if the wait is longer than 20 minutes. The same conclusion applies to Alpenexpress Enzian (powered coaster), Pegasus (junior coaster) and a tiny kiddie coaster called Ba-a-a Express.

Ever wondered how a Russian dance club looks like? Europa-Park provides the answer in the queue and lift hill of Euro-Mir. Want to get a taste of Euro-Mir’s unique vibes? Open YouTube, search for the ride’s theme song and you’ll be partying before you know it. Anyway… Euro-Mir is one of the park’s landmarks, which is mainly due to its five cylindrical towers. Unfortunately, the actual ride doesn’t match Euro-Mir’s iconic status. This spinning coaster is shaky and it might even be (too) disorienting if you’re experiencing it backwards. Euro-Mir is a legendary ride and it has a unique charm, but I don’t regret the fact that it will soon be gone. Europa-Park has announced that 2026 will be the final season for the original Euro-Mir and that the ride will be replaced by a brand-new family coaster in 2028.

The French claims a prominent spot in the Europa-Park skyline thanks to Euro-Tower and Eurosat – CanCan Coaster. This attraction is clearly recognisable thanks to its enormous silver sphere (a touch of EPCOT in Europe). It used to be a rough, poorly-themed indoor coaster. However, Europa-Park performed a major refurbishment in 2018. The sphere remained in place, but most other elements were changed. The renovation included new tracks, new theming and comfortable new trains with onboard audio. As its name suggests, Eurosat is themed to Moulin Rouge nowadays. The result of the makeover is wonderful: the queue and station are beautiful and the ride is smoother than a brand-new Mercedes. The decoration inside the sphere is simple, yet effective.

Silver Star can be found just around the corner, in the Monaco section of Europa-Park. This B&M Mega Coaster will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, but it remains one of Europe’s tallest roller coasters. And thanks to its length of 5,300 feet (1,620 metres), it also counts as one of the longest coasters on the European mainland. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a ride with such impressive statistics delivers quite a thrill. I know that some fans consider Silver Star as a tame and boring ride, but I don’t agree. The ride’s first drop is brilliant, and every camelback provides a good dose of floater airtime. You can even expect some shots of ejector airtime in the second half of the layout.

Europa-Park’s 14th coaster opened in 2024 and it’s called Voltron Nevera. The ride is (obviously) manufactured by Mack Rides and it’s referred to as a Stryker Coaster. With this ride, Mack clearly wanted to show the coaster community that they’re playing with the big boys, as Voltron contains quite a lot of interesting elements. This includes a surprising start of the ride, a beyond-vertical launch, multiple inversions, a turntable and a swing launch. And as if that wasn’t impressive enough, the layout is 5,540 feet (1,400 metres) long and trains reach a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h). It’s safe to say that Voltron delivered the thrills that many coaster enthusiasts had been missing at Europa-Park for many years. The ride is incredibly intense and it offers some of the strongest airtime I’ve ever felt on a European coaster. However, not every ride on Voltron is equally enjoyable, as the experience heavily depends on the train and specific seat you’re assigned to. Our front seat ride counted as one of the best coaster experiences in Europe, but we noticed a very uncomfortable rattle in the back seats.

WATER RIDES

My personal tip: try to plan your first visit to Europa-Park in summer. Their winter event is magical, but Europa-Park actually feels best in sunny, warm conditions. This is mainly due to the enormous amount of water-based attractions. Most of them are high-quality rides. Tiroler Wildwasserbahn is a rebuilt version of the log flume that was severely damaged by a fire in 2023. Despite the fact that its surprising indoor section didn’t return, the ride still looks absolutely beautiful. The nearby Fjord Rafting doesn’t disappoint either, as this is one of Europe’s best rapid rivers. It’s characterised by its stunning Scandinavian scenery, an unpredictable level of wetness and an incredibly high capacity. Still, this ride manages to get long queues during the summer months.

Poseidon is the star in the Greek area. If you have a look on Instagram, you’ll quickly notice that it’s one of the most photographed attractions at Europa-Park. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as Poseidon is simply stunning. And it isn’t just photogenic; Poseidon delivers a fun ride as well. The first coaster section may be a little bumpy, but overall I enjoy Poseidon a lot. The same is true for Atlantica SuperSplash in Portugal. This ride is at least as attractive as its Greek sibling and the ride is pretty thrilling. My photo gallery proves that I adore the aesthetics of these both water coasters.

DARK RIDES

Europa-Park usually builds at least one new ride per year and that wasn’t any different in 2020. After opening the cute Scandinavian dark ride Snorri Touren during the 2019-2020 winter season, the big novelty of the summer season officially opened on 28 July 2020. I’m talking about Piraten in Batavia, which isn’t a novelty in the most literal sense of the word. The previous version of Piraten in Batavia was lost in a huge fire in 2018, but Europa-Park immediately decided to rebuild this huge dark ride. The outdoor facades were completely renewed and modern technologies were implemented to give the ride a fresh touch. May I praise the Mack family for this splendid new version of Piraten in Batavia? The scenes are incredibly detailed, the soundtrack is wonderful and the queue is stunning. We had to be patient for 45 years, but Europa-Park finally has a world-class dark ride in its portfolio. Amazing attraction!

Snorri Touren and Piraten in Batavia aren’t the only dark rides at Europa-Park. In fact, this park offers more dark rides than almost any other European park. Unfortunately, quantity and quality aren’t balanced correctly. Arthur and Piraten in Batavia are exceptions, but all other dark rides are kind of weak. They primarily consist of cheap-looking sets and the audio-animatronics aren’t on Disney level, to say the least. On a brighter note… most dark rides at Europa-Park never get significant queues, so these are ideal attractions to visit if you’re tired of waiting in line.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

Roller coasters and water rides are the main draws for most visitors. However, Europa-Park offers an enormous variety of carousels and (boat) tours as well. I won’t bother you with a description of every attraction, but one particular ride needs some extra attention. I’m talking about Voletarium, one of the most expensive rides in the history of Europa-Park. Voletarium was inaugurated in 2017 and it was the first Flying Theatre in Germany. Consider it as Europa-Park’s answer to Disney’s extremely popular Soarin’. I wasn’t expecting much when I rode Voletarium for the first time, but it turned out to be a jaw-dropping experience. The attraction’s exterior looks great, the queue is very pretty and the music is powerful. I have to admit that I still prefer the Disney version and its mesmerizing soundtrack, but Europa-Park did a better job when it comes to theming and atmosphere.

RESORT HOTELS

Europa-Park counts as one of the continent’s largest leisure destinations and many people opt for a multi-day trip. The village of Rust offers many family-owned B&Bs for a reasonable price, while the park’s official hotels cater to a luxury-loving crowd. Europa-Park currently owns six on-site hotels. All these accommodations boast a brilliant level of theming and they even have a certain Las Vegas flair. My favourites are the picturesque Hotel Colosseo (including a copy of the Colosseum and an Italian piazza) and the New England-themed Hotel Bell Rock. Good to know: these hotels offer cocktail bars and they also welcome external visitors. So even if you’re staying off-site, you can spend your evening at the Europa-Park Resort. This certainly is the cheapest option to enjoy the resort’s offerings, as staying at a Europa-Park hotel is quite pricey.

BEAT THE CROWDS

Europa-Park receives approximately 6 million visitors per year, so it can get quite crowded here. The park is located in the heart of Europe, which guarantees a steady flow of visitors year-round. German school holidays obviously have a big influence on crowds, but Germans actually make up only 50 percent of the total attendance. This is also a beloved destination for French and Swiss guests and it’s getting increasingly popular in Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. All these countries have different school and bank holidays, so it’s difficult to avoid them all. Luckily, Europa-Park is one of the world’s most efficiently operated theme parks. Lines for attractions move rapidly and the number of food outlets is enormous. Crowds don’t ruin your day at Europa-Park like they can at many other parks.

Europa-Park opens at 9 AM during the summer season and I recommend arriving before rope drop. The early morning will allow you to ride a few attractions without lengthy lines. If you’re here on a hot day, be sure to ride the water rides as early as possible. Especially Poseidon and Fjord Rafting are notorious for their long lines, so an early arrival may save more than an hour per ride. An early visit to Iceland is also a good idea. Wodan and Blue Fire are incredibly popular, so I recommend riding them before 10 AM or right before park closing time. By the way: quite a few big rides at Europa-Park feature single rider lines and/or VirtualLine. In contrast to most other parks, Europa-Park’s virtual queueing system is totally free of charge. Just download the official park app and check VirtualLine offerings regularly during your day at the park. The system isn’t perfect (available time slots seem to appear and disappear in a very randomized way), but VirtualLine may reduce your wait time dramatically. The most valuable VirtualLine reservations are those for Voltron and Wodan, so try to get these as quickly as possible.

Europa-Park is known as one of the most hospitable theme parks on Earth. This is reflected in the incredibly fast operations and in the park’s variable closing time. The Europa-Park website states a 6 PM closing time for most days of the year, but the park often extends its operations according to crowds. I’ve visited the park many times and I noticed that a 6 PM closure is actually pretty rare. Europa-Park might even stay open until 8 o’clock on particularly busy days. The definitive closing time will be displayed throughout the park in the early afternoon.

WORTH A VISIT?

If you ever get the chance to visit Europa-Park, definitely do so. This park will not disappoint and I’m pretty sure that the Mack family will continue to invest in a bright future. Europa-Park has been my favourite European theme park for the past 25 years and I’m quite sure that this won’t change any time soon. The park isn’t perfect; there are weaknesses. Many dark rides are so-so, some staff members may seem a bit rude and copying Disney isn’t the thing you’d expect from a park with 6 million visitors annually. Still… the strong points make up for those weaknesses by a large margin. There’s a large number of great attractions, ride capacity is at its maximum, the overall level of theming is good and most food offerings are delicious.

Do you think that Europa-Park is the best theme park in Europe? Or in the world? Is Wodan the best roller coaster ever built by GCI? And don’t you think that the Europa-Park Hotel Resort looks better than almost any other theme park hotel on Earth? Share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

This article reflects my personal experience at Europa-Park during a visit in June 2025.