The 8 Best Amusement Parks in Europe for a Thrilling Adventure

Are you looking for a fun and exciting way to spend your next holiday? Do you love roller coasters, water slides, and fairy tales? If so, you might want to check out some of the best amusement parks in Europe, where you can find all kinds of attractions for all ages and tastes. Whether you want to meet your favorite Disney characters, explore different cultures, or experience some of the most extreme rides in the world, there is a park for you. Here are our picks for the 8 best amusement parks in Europe, in no particular order.

Disneyland Paris, France

The most popular theme park in Europe, Disneyland Paris attracts nearly 10 million visitors per year. It’s easy to see why, with the fairytale worlds of Disney brought to life with extraordinary flair, lots of storytelling to fire young imaginations and plenty of rides to suit all age groups and thrill levels. Regularly changing shows, parades and seasonal events featuring favorite Disney characters from Mickey Mouse to Simba make return visits just as magical and varied as the first.

Note that two parks make up Disneyland Paris — Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park — and you can buy passes to access both if you’re here for more than a day. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also try the Ratatouille: The Adventure ride, where you shrink to the size of a rat and join Remy in a chase through the kitchen of a Parisian restaurant.

Europa-Park, Germany

Right on the French border just south of Strasbourg, the Europa-Park resort is a vast playground with every type of entertainment possible — thrill rides, family rides, an aqua park, cinema, virtual-reality experiences, shows, regular special events, themed hotels and even a Bavarian-style beer hall. The park has 15 themed areas, each representing a different European country or region, with authentic architecture, cuisine, and music.

You can travel from Greece to Iceland, from Portugal to Russia, and enjoy the cultural diversity of Europe in one place. Of course, the main attraction is the rides, and Europa-Park has some of the best in Europe, such as the Blue Fire Megacoaster, which launches you from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, or the Wodan Timbur Coaster, a wooden roller coaster that reaches speeds of up to 100 km/h and heights of up to 40 meters.

PortAventura World, Spain

Part of PortAventura World along with Caribe Aquatic Park and Ferrari Land, PortAventura Park is just an hour south of Barcelona. The park has six worlds to explore, from a Polynesian jungle to an area dedicated to Sesame Street and each has its own unique atmosphere and set of rides. Thrill-seekers should head straight to Mexico and the Hurakan Condor — a drop tower that plunges participants 100m at over 70mph — before diverting to China for the Shambhala rollercoaster, one of Europe’s highest and fastest.

SésamoAventura is designed exclusively for smaller children, with the chance to meet Bert and Ernie et al on mini-versions of classic rides. If you want to experience the world of Ferrari, you can also visit Ferrari Land, where you can ride the Red Force, the fastest and highest vertical accelerator in Europe, or try the F1 simulators and pit-stop challenges.

Tivoli Gardens, Denmark

One of the oldest and most famous amusement parks in the world, Tivoli Gardens is located in the heart of Copenhagen and has been enchanting visitors since 1843. The park is a mix of old and new, with classic rides like the wooden roller coaster from 1914 and the carousel from 1906, as well as modern attractions like the Vertigo, a spinning plane that reaches 100 km/h and 5G force. The park is also known for its beautiful gardens, which change with the seasons and host concerts, festivals, and fireworks. Tivoli Gardens is more than just a theme park, it’s a cultural institution and a national treasure.

Efteling, Netherlands

Efteling is the largest and most visited theme park in the Netherlands, and one of the oldest in the world. The park is based on fairy tales, legends, and folklore, and has a whimsical and magical atmosphere. You can enter the enchanted forest, where you can meet characters from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Charles Perrault, or visit the Fairytale Tree, a 13-meter tall talking tree that tells stories to children. You can also enjoy some thrilling rides, such as the Baron 1898, a dive coaster that drops you 37.5 meters into a mineshaft, or the Symbolica, a dark ride that takes you on a journey through the hidden rooms of a palace.

Puy du Fou, France

Puy du Fou is not your typical theme park, it’s a historical theme park that transports you to different eras of French history, from the Roman Empire to the French Revolution. The park is famous for its spectacular shows, which feature hundreds of actors, animals, and special effects. You can watch gladiator fights, Viking raids, musketeer duels, and medieval battles, or enjoy the night-time show, the Cinéscénie, which tells the story of a local family over 700 years.

The park also has four themed villages, where you can experience the life and culture of the past, as well as some attractions, such as the Grand Carrousel, a merry-go-round with historical figures, or the Voyage dans le Temps, a 4D cinema that takes you on a time-travel adventure.

Gardaland, Italy

Gardaland is the largest and most popular theme park in Italy, located on the shores of Lake Garda. The park has over 40 attractions, divided into four themed areas: Fantasy, Adventure, Adrenaline, and Gardaland Sea Life. You can find rides for all ages and preferences, from gentle carousels and trains to thrilling roller coasters and water slides.

Some of the highlights include the Raptor, a wing coaster that twists and turns at 90 km/h, the Oblivion: The Black Hole, a dive coaster that plunges you into a dark abyss, and the Shaman, a virtual-reality coaster that immerses you in a Native American world. You can also visit the Gardaland Sea Life, an aquarium with over 5,000 marine creatures, or stay at one of the themed hotels, such as the Gardaland Hotel, the Gardaland Adventure Hotel, or the Gardaland Magic Hotel.

Liseberg, Sweden

Liseberg is the largest amusement park in Scandinavia, located in Gothenburg, Sweden. The park has over 40 rides, ranging from family-friendly to extreme, as well as games, shows, concerts, and restaurants. The park is especially famous for its wooden roller coasters, such as the Balder, which has been voted the best wooden coaster in the world several times, and the Helix, which has seven inversions and two launches. The park also has a haunted house, a fairy-tale castle, a 3D cinema, and a children’s area. Liseberg is also a popular destination during the winter, when it transforms into a Christmas market with lights, decorations, ice skating, and Santa Claus.