(Editor’s note: This list of amusement parks open in winter will be updated as we get closer to 2026.)
Let’s face it … not everyone can ski. Or cares to ski. A lot of people just like to have family fun. So, you’d think more amusement parks in Europe would stay open in the chilly winter months because a little rain/snow/cold doesn’t force Europeans indoors. That said, a surprising number of amusement parks in Europe close their doors when the days get shorter and the weather colder. Fortunately, some of the best parks remain open for the winter season – and are open right now.
In 2024, we put together our debut 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.
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 latest 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 all 12 months. We finally made it this year, and it’s amazing, from its forest setting, architecture and huge lake to its rotating Thai temple ride that goes up 150 feet high! Also among our crowd’s faves was Danse Macabre.
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. 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)
There are plans for some big changes in 2026, which you can see here and here. The new Efteling Grand Hotel just opened last August, with an additional 140 rooms and suites.
Ticket prices: 38 euros to 44 euros, and you can get a 1-year pass for 115 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 Germany/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 22 November to 18 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 roller coasters include Fenix, Dwervelwind, Pixarus, 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., and Toverland closes in February.
Toverland breaks attendance records every year, and it’s consistently recognized as customer friendly.
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 6 January 2025 when it closes for most of January, then goes back to being open on weekends starting 1 March 2026.
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 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. PortAventura just updated its El Diablo coaster with VR.
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 15 November 2025 until 25 January 2026. 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: 51 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.
Disney Enchanted Christmas is the big event with its Christmas lights and parades. (See the video above.) It runs from 8 November 2025 to 6 January 2026.
The big news for 2025 was new state-of-the-art nighttime spectacular, according to the website. Now, on 24 November, Disney Adventure World will debut. Not sure what that means as Disney has kept the details of this rebranding a closely guarded secret.
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 has more tickets and packages than we can keep track of. A day ticket for one park starts at 56 euros (adults) and you can get yours here.
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.
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 2026.
Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during the winter.
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’s 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 limited number of theme parks in Europe open all year around. But it’s basically a virtual reality theme park, with tornado chasing and other simulations.
Christmas at Futuroscope runs from 20 December 2025 thru 4 January 2026.
The latest ride is a reason in and of itself to go. Mission Bermudes opened last June, a special “mission” with realistic drops, dangerous rocks and strong currents in a ride. With new “rocking boat” technology, Mission Bermudes cost 25 million euros to build, according to media reports.
Futuroscope only closes briefly for the winter on 4 January 2026 but reopens for the new season on 7 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 7 February 2026. 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 kilometer, including the huge Silver Star and Voltran roller coasters along with 12 other roller coasters 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.
Europa-Park Christmas runs from 29 November 2025 to 18 January 2026.
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.
Tivoli Gardens
Last, but far, far from least, Tivoli Gardens is the OG theme park, dating back to 1843 … and is still going strong as the oldest in Europe.
Tivoli Gardens is yet another year-round destination, and Christmas in Tivoli is a huge deal, running from 14 November 2025 to 4 January 2026. Overall, this is a completely different experience than, say, the huge water parks or even Disneyland Paris, which is its major competitor.
This post from Monocle captures its high-end allure:
The park blends beer garden aesthetic with highbrow culture, live music, theatre, modern thrill rides and old-fashioned fairground stalls, all of which combine with its world-famous lighting to create a fairytale setting.
Bucket list ….
The details:
Opening hours during the winter are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., including the Christmas/New Year’s season.
Entrance and ride passes start at 359 Danish Krone, or about 48 euros and you can get yours here.
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See all of Dispatches’ posts covering Europe’s amusement parks here in our 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.
