(Editor’s note: This post on new and expanded theme parks and amusement parks will be updated through 2026 as we get fresh information.)
Thinking about checking out all the new theme parks in Dubai and the rest of the Middle East? We don’t think so. War is definitely a buzz kill. But relax … there’s so much going on in Europe you’ll have your choice of new and improved parks to keep you, your friends and your family entertained all summer.
This is the golden age of amusement/theme parks in Europe, with parks throwing billions into expansions and upgrades, starting with the biggest of them all.
Disneyland Paris
Finally … the Frozen section of the park is open. We’ve written loads about this in the past year. Disneyland Paris has major, major additions in 2026 dedicated to two of Disney’s biggest movie hits. Big deal, right? Well, it represents part of a $2 billion upgrade at Disneyland Paris, confirmed by Disneyland Paris President Natacha Rafalski.
As part of the upgrade, the park has added a second entrance that leads to Disney Adventure World that includes Frozen and new rides, including Flight Force, inspired by the Marvel movie series. In 2027, Pride Lands – inspired by African Serengeti of Simba and “Lion King” – is projected to open as part of Adventure World.
Expect even bigger crowds.
You can see more details here: World of Frozen | Disneyland Paris.
There are so many different ticket deals that we gave up. You can take a shot at unravelling all the options here. And avoid third-party websites that want to sell you non-existent tickets at great prices.
PortAventura World
Tarragona, Spain
PortAventura World has announced two new attractions:
• Makamanu Jungle – The Adventure Trek in the Polynesia area is a new open-air adventure trail set in the jungles of some unidentified tropical island.
• Coral Bay – The Lost Legend in the water park has a water coaster (plan to get wet), an adventure pool with obstacle course, a water slide and more.
Both attractions aim to keep PortAventura World atop the “best of” lists as this business grows more competitive.
More detailed information is available here.
This is a mega-park with almost 50 rides and attractions and makes every “best theme park” list. It’s connected to Ferrari World, so this is designed to be long-stay destination.
Tickets are a reasonable (considering), 66 euros for two days – one at PortAventura, one at Ferrari World. You can get yours here.
Sparxx Antwerp
In spring 2026, Europe’s largest sportainment park will open in Antwerp. We had to look up “sportainment,” and – as you’d suspect – it’s based on sports, not rollercoasters, castles and themed rides. But the park claims more than 50 sports under roof, alongside fun and technology. Sports include every conventional game such as basketball and football (soccer) along with rock climbing, zip lines and other stuff.
This is the third Sparks sports park in Belgium after Hasselt and Ghent.
More information is available here: Sparkxx Antwerpen | Sportainment park
Tickets start at about 25 euros, and you can book your times here.
ToverLand
Sevenum, Netherlands, west of Eindhoven
The Netherlands’ No. 2 amusement park, family-owned ToverLand (Magic Land), is a Dutch favorite, though somewhat in the shadow of Efteling. But maybe not for long. ToverLand announced a 98 million euro investment strategy with the goal of transforming into a “multi-day destination resort.”
To give people a place to stay, ToverLand is building Ithaka Resort in its ancient Greece-themed area which has, of course, a Trojan horse. Scheduled to open next year, the resort will replace the park’s pop-up summer camp. To give them a reason to stay, it’s adding rides to its Port Laguna section.
Now the bad news … all this is a plan that will take several years to come to fruition. For the moment, the park is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In 2026. ToverFestival takes place on Saturday, 27 June, when the park will be open for 25 consecutive hours. There will be an XXL parade and a fireworks show.
Admission is kind of different, based on height, not necessarily age:
Adult/Child ≥140 cm: 39.50 euros ; Kids 90 to 140 cm: 32.50 euros; Kids under 90 cm get in free.
Efteling
Near Tilburg, Netherlands
This is going to come as a surprise, but until recently, Efteling didn’t have a major hotel on-site despite the fact that about 6 million people visit the fairytale-themed park each year. But last summer, the new Efteling Grand Hotel, a palace-style hotel opened just inside the park near the main entrance. The hotel has 140 rooms with a total capacity of 644 beds, along with two restaurants, a swimming pool and a spa area.
A family field-tested the hotel for the Times of London and raved about huge hotel rooms in a hotel that’s perfectly integrated into the theme park. Sounds like our kinda place.
Since Dispatches is based nearby in Eindhoven, Efteling is our go-to theme park where we take visitors. And as theme parks go, it’s extraordinary … in the middle of a massive, natural wooded property that feels more like a park than an amusement park.
It’s affordable, relaxed and fun, yet with lots of clever rides, rollercoasters and a water coaster.
Admission for adults starts at about 50 euros for adults and add 15 euros for parking. Go during your birthday month, you get a discount of 13.25 euros off your ticket and tickets for up to five guests.
Walibi Rhône-Alpes
Les Avenières Veyrins-Thuellin France, east of Lyon
Walibi Rhône-Alpes has unveiled the final phase of its decade-long transformation. For the 2026 season, the French park is investing 4.5 million euros to complete its Exotic Island-themed area. You can see more details here.
Since 2016, the park has undergone a 50 million euro overhaul, moving away from its traditional design toward three complete immersive areas: Explorer Adventure, Festival City, and Exotic Island. So, three thematic universes, with 34 rides and shows, including “Mahuka,” a Hot Racer roller-coaster from Intamin, which opened in 2024.
Tickets start about 30 euros and you can see the various deals here.
Family Park
St. Margarethen/Burgenland, about an hour south of Vienna
This is Austria’s largest theme park if you don’t count the giant Prater Park in Vienna. Family Park is investing about 4.5 million euros into two new attracts scheduled to open in May.
• Rotonda, a Disk’O Coaster combines a roller coaster with a spinning flat ride, according to the Family Park website. Named after the Italian words for “rotate” (rotare) and “wave” (onda), the ride features a large circular platform seating 40. The platform travels along a wave-shaped track reaching speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. “As the vehicle glides over ‘camel humps’, it rotates on its own axis, providing riders with a unique feeling of weightlessness,” according to the website.
• Wilder Winzer is a rustic, wood-style transport wagon for little kids that carries 24 passengers, moving both forward and backward and ascending to heights of eight meters while remaining level.
This attraction is a replacement for the former turtle carousel, providing a “worthy and even more exciting” experience for toddlers, according to the website. Children as small as 75 centimeters tall can ride with an adult and those over 105 centimeters can ride solo.
Tickets start at 37 euros and you can see the various deals here.
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Read more about amusement/theme parks here in Dispatches’ archives.
Co-CEO of Dispatches Europe. A former military reporter, I'm a serial expat who has lived in France, Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands.
