The best amusement parks in Europe
Thorpe Park has the UK's fastest roller coaster, the Stealth. The park is well-known, even amongst the British royal family. (For example, you could see Princess Diana with her young sons William and Harry here - a long time ago!) The park has six water attractions, a dozen thrill rides, and fifteen more attractions for the whole family.
Based on numbers before the coronavirus pandemic, Disneyland Paris was the most visited European theme park per year. A local branch of the Disney chain, it opened in 1992 and attracted 320 million visitors in 2017. Notable attractions include the Phantom Manor and the Space Mountain - all based, loosely or not, on stories from Disney films and series.
Europa Park has over a hundred attractions and dozens of shows to discover. It's the perfect place for action fans with fast roller coasters like the Blue Fire mega rollercoaster (powered by Nord Stream 2) and the wooden Wodan Timburcoaster. During hot summer days, you can enjoy refreshing water attractions such as the Atlantica SuperSplash and rafting on the fjord.
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The Efteling is well-known in The Netherlands and Belgium, but it is also increasingly visited by distant travelers. This makes it the third most-visited amusement park in Europe. The Efteling combines fairy tales with action in a complete, magical universe. You can see the stories and fantastic characters of the Efteling in the Dream Flight, the Villa Volta, and the Raveleijn show.
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Walt Disney Studios is a theme park ten minutes away from Disneyland Paris. It welcomed more than five million visitors in 2019 and is therefore ranked fourth in Europe. The most famous attraction is the Tower of Terror. Thanks to the signposted Hollywood Boulevard that runs around the park, you can imagine yourself in the sunny movie capital of California.
Also known as Tivoli Gardens, this park is located in the heart of Copenhagen. The green amusement park has one of the oldest rollercoasters in Europe with a course that winds around a large artificial rock: the Rutschebanen. In addition, Tivoli has added many XXL roller coasters in recent years, such as the Valises Volantes, the Vertigo, and the Milky Way Express.
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Liseberg Amusement Park is Sweden's most visited amusement park. It is also the largest in all of Europe. In terms of visitor numbers, Liseberg comes in seventh place.
Its geographical location, between land and sea, is one of Liseberg's strengths. The most famous attraction is the Wooden Coaster Balder, a rollercoaster that has been voted the best European wooden attraction several times.
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In 2018, Gardaland Park received almost three million visitors. It is the eighth-most visited park in Europe. For adventurers, Gardaland has the Raptor, Blue Tornado, Magic Mountain, and the Mammut, among others. But also lovers of quieter attractions will get their money's worth with, for example, the Tunga, a canoe course in a simulated African jungle.
Anyone who likes Lego bricks should visit this park once. There are also exciting attractions for those who want more than Lego, such as The Haunted House Monster Party.
Le Puy du Fou is the second most visited park in France after Disneyland. It welcomes more than 2.2 million visitors annually. The most visited attraction is the Cinéscénie, a nighttime spectacle that leads the viewer through the history and spectacular setting of the surrounding region (the Vendée).
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This historic Legoland was established in 1968. It has 50 attractions and refined artwork, all in Lego style.
After England and Denmark, the German Legoland also makes it into the top 20 most visited European amusement parks. It is a complete experience with fifty attractions. Its decorations consist of more than 55 million Lego bricks.
All of the attractions in Warner Park are inspired by scenes from Warner Bros. movies. The Old West Territory immerses you in a western universe, while the Cartoon Village is all about the Looney Tunes. Movie and rollercoaster enthusiasts will have a great day at this and other Warner parks (such as Movie Park in Germany).
All the attractions and sets of Parc Astérix are dedicated to the famous French comic book series 'Asterix,' which was first drawn in 1959. The atmosphere of the park is original and the attractions, such as Tonnerre de Zeus, Goudurix, and OzIris, are known to be sensational.
Alton Towers has ten spectacular roller coasters on a site that receives more than two million visitors a year. Visitors' favorite rides include The Smiler, the world's first 14-loop rollercoaster, and CBeebies Land, a mini-theme park with rides and entertainment for children.
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Phantasialand is both a theme park and an adventure amusement park. Most of the rollercoasters are for young adults, such as the Black Mamba and Crazy Bats, but there are also rides for children, such as the famous 'Maus au Chocolat.'
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The attractions of the Futuroscope Park are based on new technologies, robotics, multimedia, and audiovisual techniques. It is a must for fans of science fiction and new technological discoveries. The 'L'Extraordinaire Voyage' (Extraordinary Voyage) is Futuroscope's most famous attraction. Inspired by Jules Verne's journey around the world in 80 days, the ride offers a journey around the planet in four minutes.
Gröna Lund Park was founded in 1883. Although it is one of the oldest in Europe, the park has always followed the latest trends. The Jetline rollercoaster, for example, is one of the fastest in Europe at 90 km/h (56 m/h). In addition, however, Gröna Lund also offers its old attractions such as a fairground.
This park near London offers a wild adventure with an Asian-inspired atmosphere. It is an atypical amusement park with forty attractions and a huge zoo.