(Editor’s note: This list of amusement parks open in winter will be updated as we get closer to 2025.)
Last year, we put together a list of the five best amusement parks in Europe, open during the winter. Which was – as you can imagine – a hit with our expat audience.
Let’s just say it … a little rain/snow/cold doesn’t force Europeans indoors. That said, some amusement parks close their doors when the days get shorter and the weather colder, but some of the best parks remain open for the winter season – and are open right now.
To make your thrill-filled day even more fun, these theme parks put on special shows, events and rides for the winter/Christmas season.
So, here is our updated list of theme parks in Europe open in winter:
Efteling
Kaatsheuvell, Netherlands
The Efteling amusement park has been the most popular theme park in the Netherlands for years and is also one of the few parks that remains open in winter. Though Toverland is joining the trend.
Starting each November, the amusement park transforms into the Winter Efteling, which runs all the way through the first week of March.
During these winter months, the theme park features special shows and decorations and even an ice skating ring. All of the regular rides are also open, unless the weather doesn’t allow it or they’re getting overhauls. This winter season, the park is under construction, with the addition of the Efteling Grand Hotel, scheduled to open in 2025. A lot of the rides are also being maintained/upgraded. So check the website blog for both construction updates and new offerings and special events for the fall.
The details:
Efteling is open 365 days per year, and daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 p.m. on some weekends)
Ticket prices: 38 euros to 44 euros
Toverland
Sevenum, Netherlands
Toverland is sort of “the other” amusement park in the Netherlands. It’s in Sevenum near Venlo down south on the German/Netherlands border. In its 24 years, Toverland has grown from an indoor entertainment center to one of the better parks in Europe, with (at last count) 36 rides.
“Tover” in Dutch means magic, and winter is actually a big deal at Toverland. Winter Feelings will run from November to January and include Christmas decorations, ice skating and special events to be announced.
All the attractions are themed. The Magical Valley is a fantasy land populated by “dwervels,” dwarves in English. Major rollercoasters include Fenix, Dwervelwind, Pixarus and Booster Bike and lots of others. You can see all the attractions here. There are also shows, restaurants and all the stuff that keeps you coming back.
The details:
Winter open hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Ticket prices are about 40 euros per person. When you purchase your tickets at least seven days before your visit, you get a 7 euro discount per person. Which puts it close to the same price as Efteling. You can get tickets here.
PortAventura World
Tarragona, Spain, near Barcelona
Planning to visit Barcelona this winter? Add a day trip to PortAventura World to your itinerary. This amusement park is located just an hour southwest of the city and is open some weekends during the winter. The park has regular hours until 7 January 2025, when it closes for most of January, then goes back to being open on weekends. Be sure to check the calendar on the website.
PortAventura consists of three different parks: the main park, the new Ferrari Land and Caribe Aquatic Park. The water park is closed in winter and spring, but the other parks offer more than 50 exciting rides.
Red Force is the most spectacular of all. This rollercoaster takes you 112 meters up into the air, making it the highest rollercoaster in Europe.
The details:
Opening hours PortAventura in winter: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Open times: from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Ticket prices: starting at 40 euros
Phantasialand
Brühl, Germany, outside Cologne
Can’t get enough of Christmas? Keep the holiday spirit alive with a day trip to Phantasialand in Germany. This theme park’s seasonal event is called Wintertraum, which runs from November until the end of January. Spend one of those dark winter days exploring the theme areas, rides and shows in this German amusement park.
The food stalls at the Christmas market in the park offer many seasonal specialties from around the world. Of course, there is plenty of glühwein to keep you warm on a cold winter day.
The details:
Opening hours for Wintertraum: Open daily from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Ticket prices: 57 euros (adults), 47 euros (children 4-11). You can get yours here.
Disneyland Paris
Coupvray, France, outside Paris
You can’t talk about amusement parks in Europe without mentioning Disneyland Paris. The world-famous park celebrated its 30th birthday in 2022 and, after a rocky start as Euro Disney, remains a crowd favorite. And it never closes.
The big news for 2025 is new state-of-the-art nighttime spectacular debuting 10 January 2025, according to the website.
From the website:
With its unique blend of projections, fountains, breathtaking lighting effects and an original soundtrack, this show promises to push the technical boundaries set for previous night shows, such as Disney Dreams! and Disney Illuminations, and immerse guests into their favorite stories like never before. Additionally, for the first time in the history of nighttime spectaculars at Disneyland Paris, Main Street, U.S.A. will also serve as a backdrop for a show!
One way Disneyland Paris stands out from other parks are its opening hours. The Disney parks in Paris are open year-around. While Christmas time in Disneyland Paris is magical, it can be just as much fun to spend a weekend at Eurodisney in January or February.
That said, a lot of construction/renovation work is on-going, with new hotels, restaurants and Frozen, Lion King and Marvel Super Hero sections all scheduled to open in 2026, so be aware.
The details:
Opening hours Disneyland Paris in winter: open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ticket prices: Disneyland Paris more tickets and packages than we can keep track of. A day ticket for one park starts at 56 euros (adults)
Siam Park
Tenerife, Spain
Okay, this destination is closer to where you would imagine a year-round water park would be. The Spanish island of Tenerife – a four-hour flight from most of Western Europe – is already an exciting destination with its volcanic landscape, tropical vegetation and choice of black and white sand beaches.
Add to this one of Europe’s largest aqua parks, Siam, inspired by Thailand and you will never be short of things to do.
Every attraction is modeled on the Thai theme, including temples and floating markets. Get a thrill on one of the water rides including the Tower of Power, the Dragon or splash around in the wave pool, which claims the biggest man-made wave in the world.
By the way, this island off the coast of Morocco is a no-coat zone, with mid-winter temps on the island hovering at 18 or 20 degrees Centigrade, or about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
The park has at least 15 major attractions ranging from an “adrenalin” rating to family friendly. Here’s the link to all the rides and other info.
The Siam landing page points out that Tripadvisor users have voted this the No.1 waterpark in the world eight consecutive times, so expect crowds even in winter.
The details:
The park is closed in December, but reopens on 1 January for 2025.
Tickets start at 42 euros for adults and 30 euros for kids. You can get yours here
Futuroscope
Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, France outside Poitiers
Futuroscope isn’t as famous as Disneyland Paris, but it is a fun theme park to check out this winter. This amusement park in France has about 40 attractions and all are fun for all ages. It’s one of the few theme parks in Europe that’s open all year around. But it’s basically a virtual reality theme park, with tornado chasing and other simulations.
Futuroscope only closes briefly for the winter on 6 January 2025, but reopens for the new season in February. There is also a space-themed hotel within walking distance of the park if you’d like to stay the night.
The details:
Opening hours Futuroscope: Open daily from 8 February 2025. Open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Ticket prices: starting at 38 euros and you can get yours here.
Europa-Park
Rust, Germany on the Germany/France border just south of Strasbourg
For those of us living in the European Expat Cluster running from Amsterdam down to Geneva, this park stands out simply on its location within a few hours drive of, well, every major city including Paris. Europa-Park gets more than a million visitors from Switzerland alone.
That’s because it has more than 100 attractions on a square kilomter including the huge Silver Star and Voltran rollercoasters along with 12 other rollercoasters and an entire water park, Rulantica, which is open during the winter. As we always say, if you’re bored at Europa-Park, it ain’t the park.
Now the catch … the park is open at Christmas and even has a Christmas market. But it closes on 12 January, reopening on 22 March. So, this might be a trip you plan for next winter. Which will give you time to save up because this is a pretty expensive park.
The details:
Europa-Park is open daily until 12 December from 9 a.m. until at least 6 p.m.
Adult tickets are 65 euros (discounted online to 52 euros,) but go up to 69.50 later this year. Kids tickets are 44 euros. You can get tickets here online.
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See all of Dispatches’ posts covering Europe’s amusement parks here in our archives.
