Phantasialand, Brühl, Germany
Germany seems to lead Europe in the sheer number of theme parks and water parks, and they’re all open in 2020. Phantasialand is opened this year with new distancing-and-hygiene rules. And this being Germany, you can download a .pdf file here with all the details.
Phantasialand is by 21st-century standards an old park, dating back to 1967. But it’s been revamped over the years including the demolition of an old section to create Taron, “the fastest and longest multi-launched roller coaster in the world” which opened in 2016. In fact, it’s kind of crazy how many Youtube videos are dedicated to this park, which is a favorite with rollercoaster and theme park aficionados
Which makes sense – this park is sort of Germany’s version of Disney, with six themed areas including Teutonic, African, Asian and Mexican (go figure) with thrill rides and water rides packed into a smallish 60-acre park.
Tickets: You can only get in Phantasialand with advanced tickets … no day-of sales. Okay, you really have to work to figure out ticket prices, which are based on the days you choose. This year, the number of entries is limited, but as of 14 July, we didn’t see any sold-out days.
Prices range between 28 euros in the late season and 52.50 euros during the high season. You can get them here.
TripAdvisor rating: Four and a half stars out of five (almost 3,000 reviews). Reviewers use the phrase “blown away” a lot. We’re assuming that’s a good thing.
Dispatches tip: Brühl is in the Köln-Bonn-Düsseldorf megaplex of cities, as well as close to Aachen and the Belgium and Dutch borders. In short, a very accessible to millions of expats. It offers access to some of Germany’s best cities as well as the Rhineland Nature Park.
Gardaland Resort, Verona, Italy
Gardaland, a combination theme park and waterpark, is not only open, the owners have already updated the Youtube vids (above) showing guests and employees wearing face masks. Which are required if you want to have fun in the sun at this amusement park in Northern Italy.
For 2020, also required is social distancing, temperature checks, booking tickets in advance to limit crowd sizes and scheduling your turn at the various attractions. There are multiple downloads on the website with all the COVID-19 precautions.
Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s worth putting up with a few changes at this 100-acre park, which has lots of attractions including multiple roller coasters such as the Shaman double-loop ride and the towering Oblivion. The Black Hole actually shoots thrill seekers through a real black hole into a parallel universe. (Kidding. But that would be way cool.)
There are also Pirates of the Caribbean-style adventure rides, water rides, shows and gentler rides for little kids.
Tickets are about 35 euros per person as far as we could tell, but the advance booking requirement makes it hard to get an exact price because a lot of dates are fully booked. You can try to book yours here.
Reviews: This park gets a surprising number of 5-star ratings, with the Oblivion, Shaman, Raptor, Fuga da Atlantide, Space Vertigo and the Blue Tornado winning high praise. Food prices are also rated as affordable.
Where to stay: There are summer specials available at the park hotel.
Europa-Park/Rulantica, Germany
This theme park/water park complex in Rust is Germany’s largest, and the second-most popular family fun destination Europe behind Paris Disney. This year, to comply with German coronavirus rules, they’re only offering day-dated tickets for the Europa-Park summer season 2020.
There are other pandemic measures including distancing radar. So this won’t be the same experience, but at least they’re making it a safe experience.
As the name suggests, Europa-Park is divided into several themed areas based on regions and countries in Europa. Take a tour around Europe and enjoy the many roller coasters of Germany’s largest theme park.
Tickets: High-season prices start at 47 euros and you can get them here. Ticket prices go down in the winter, of course.
Where to stay: In the Disney tradition, Europa-Park has six hotels and a campground on the property with different themes including the Hotel Bell Rock, billed as a “Superior New England Hotel.”
In the European tradition, rooms are priced by the number of adults and children. So two kids and two adults will run you about 150 euros per night.
Dispatches tip: Remember, you can’t just show up in 2020. The only way to get in to Euro-Park is to buy your ticket ahead of time online and reserve a day. This is going to be true just about everywhere.
Efteling, ‘s-Hertogenbosch the Netherlands
Because the Netherlands never really closed, Efteling is farther along for 2020 than a lot of other parks and with restrictions. The Dutch are still trying to encourage social-distancing – sort of – but Efteling will likely be one of the more normal theme park experiences in Europe – though crowds likely will be down a bit.
That said, you have to book your time of arrival this year and have reservations to enter.
With more than 5.2 million visitors in 2019, the Efteling is the Netherlands’ largest and most popular theme park … and one of the most popular in Europe. The fairytale-themed, family friendly park dates back to the 1930’s but always keeps innovating and adds new rides and shows to the park every few years.
Even in this pandemic, Eftling just debuted a new double rollercoaster, Max & Moritz, for families with smaller kids.
Tickets: Compared to Disney, Efteling is a way more affordable day out starting at 40 euros per day and “Moon Tickets” at 25 euros for evening entry. AND there are all sorts of discounts and promotions, especially if you live in the Netherlands. You can get tickets here.
Dispatches Tip: The Efteling is the only theme park in the Netherlands open year-round. Crowds are smaller in the fall and spring, and in winter, there are ice rinks and cross-country skiing circuits. Not all rides and roller coasters operate during the winter season.
Galaxy Erding, Munich area
After closing for three months, Galaxy Erding reopened 25 June, and Hotel Victory on the grounds opens 1 July. So they should be ready when you are.
Galaxy Erding is part of Therme Erding, a giant thermal spa. It has a lot more conventional features, including 26 water slides, several really big ones, and eight new summer slides in a newly designed outdoor area.
Entry prices: At Galaxy Erding, you pay according to time and feature. So, say you want to go to the slides and tropical spa area; you pay 19 euros and up. BUT, there are a million different deals and discounts according to when you want to go. And there are all-in tickets starting at 42 euros, up from 35 euros last year.
See the ticket and pricing pages of the website here.
Open: The spas and part of the water park are open all year.
TripAdvisor ratings: Galaxy Erding/Therme Erding gets great reviews on TripAdvisor, garnering a 4 out of 5 stars on 2,900 reviews, with lots of rave reviews. The only negatives included signage only in German.
Legoland Deutschland
When they were tots, Legoland outside Ulm, Germany, was our daughters’ favorite theme park because it was a fun and gentle place. It was our favorite because it was affordable. But before you go, know that there are no Pirates of the Caribbean rides, Ferrari themes, VR goggles or plunging thill coasters. This theme park is about as sedate as it gets and is geared toward younger children.
Unlike Disney, where food is crazy expensive and not great, you can feed your family here for about what you can in normal restaurants. Which is nice if your name’s not Zuckerberg or Bezos.
Legoland in Germany has been back open since the end of May so there should be no re-opening glitches. And after all, this is Germany. Which means there are coronavirus rules for 2020. You can see them here.
Tickets: Tickets are 39.50 euros per person and an overnight in the on-location hotel village is 283 euros per family. (This deal also applies at affiliate hotels in the area.)
Dispatches tip: Legoland Deutschland is one of about 14 licensed Legoland parks around the world branded by the Danish building-blocks company but not run by the Danish company. They’re run by Merlin Entertainments in London. So the experiences can vary, with the original Legoland Billund Resort in central Denmark near the birthplace of Legos still the standard.
You can get tickets here for Denmark.
Closed for 2020 until further notice:
• Carib Bay (formerly Acualandia) in Venice will reopen in 2021.
You can see our past lists of theme parks and water parks here.
Co-CEO of Dispatches Europe. A former military reporter, I'm a serial expat who has lived in France, Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands.
