THEME PARKS IN EUROPE
THEME PARKS
IN EUROPE
We travel to Europe and visit magical theme parks for young and old alike!
In rhythms ... of a fairy tale!
Coop Travel offers piercings from the most beautiful theme parks in Europe to demand the appearance of a fairy tale.
1. EFTELING - KAATSHEUVEL, HOLLAND.
Four million visitors passed through the “Wonderland” last year, as the magnificent Efteling, the Dutch theme park that entertains young and old for almost 60 years – will celebrate its birthday in May 2012. Inside, the brand new attraction in Raveleijn, a mysterious city with living horses and knights, while five child protagonists are looking for ways to unleash the magical powers of the “evil” tyrant. The anthropomorphic Tree of Fairy Tales, 13 meters high, tells stories with elves. And in the three-dimensional miniature city with a total length of 60 meters (!), Diorama, the inhabitants come to life through sounds and lighting, while you feel the giants in front of you. Unique is the river boat trip to the “Forbidden City” from “A Thousand and One Nights” but also the exquisite flight in the world of elves, the Droomvlucht, is one of the most popular attractions of the park.
HOURS: Daily 10.00-18.00.
TICKET COST: 32 euros (29 / 8-31 / 12), 34 euros (11 / 7-28 / 8).
ACCESS: From Amsterdam by train to Tilburg, there is also a direct bus connection to Kaatsheuvel (total journey time approximately 2 hours).
ACCOMMODATION: There is the Efteling Hotel, but also the Efteling Village Bosrijk Holiday Park, which includes farmhouses and two main buildings with apartments.
INFORMATION: www.efteling.com
2. EUROPAPARK - RUST (BETWEEN FREIBURG AND STRASBOURG).
It is the largest theme park in Germany, with more than a hundred games. Somewhere between the English and the Austrian “neighborhood”, you will discover the entrance of the “Enchanted Forest”, where the fairy tales are heard in German, French and English. The “Witch’s Biscuit House” from the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel”, the “Castle of the Sleeping Beauty” and the “City of Dwarfs” drive away today, while in the “Little World” children enjoy a wonderful boating on a gondola. The brand new “Volo da Vinci”, the flying machine of the genius Leonardo, will offer you an unforgettable flight – as long as you pedal, since there were no machines then! At Historama you will make an interesting journey into history, passing through many different tracks with the latest laser technology and sound effects. And if you’re hungry, at Foodloop, pots and pans will slip on the metal rails that spin inside the a la roller coaster restaurants, just like on roller coaster trains.
HOURS: 09.00-18.00 (until 6/11).
TICKET COST: 36 euros for adults, 32 euros for children 4 to 11 years old and free for children under 4, but also for children who have a birthday on the day of their visit (up to 12 years old). Reduced prices for the elderly and the disabled. Also, special prices for two-day tickets.
ACCESS: By train from Offenburg Station and directly by bus or bus from Baden Airpark (45΄).
ACCOMMODATION: There are four theme hotels in the park, while the fifth is almost ready. In addition, for the more adventurous types, there is the Camp Resort, with authentic Indian tents, wooden shelters and covered carriages.
INFORMATION: www.europapark.de
3. LISEBERG AMUSEMENT PARK - GOTHENBORK, SWEDEN.
Thirty-six unique amusement parks in the best park in Sweden, for visitors of all ages. Of Liseberg’s four roller coasters, the most popular is Balder, which has twice been voted the best in the world by fans of the genre. As for the more adventurous, Europe’s tallest free-fall facility, symbolically named “AtmosFear”, will soon be ready! In “Flumeride”, the crazy race through the tree trunks that float in the water, developing speeds of up to 60 km per hour, ends in a spectacular dive. But you will also get wet in the “Kallerado”, sailing on a river with … wild boats.
In addition to the games, the park attracts a lot of people for the concerts that are organized every summer, while its ecological side is of particular interest: in the new “Lisebergs Lustgard”, hundreds of trees, flowers and all kinds of plants combined with waterfalls compose a unique landscape. beauty.
SCHEDULE: Because the schedules are different, prior information from the Internet is necessary.
TICKET COST: 90 SEK (11 / 6-14 / 8) and 80 SEK for the rest of the period. Children under 110 cm: free!
ACCESS: By tram, line 5 to Torp, to the Welandergatan stop.
ACCOMMODATION: 4 hotels, a ship-hotel, landscaped village with accommodation and organized campsites.
INFORMATION: www.liseberg.com
4. PARC DU FUTUROSCOPE - JAUNAY CLAN, FRANCE.
When director Lick Besson puts his signature on a theme park, using the latest technology, a truly unique experience is guaranteed for visitors: you will shrink to become a Minimoi and, without waiting for 10 moons to pass (such as in the movie), you will climb the ladybug, to accompany the hero Arthur on an adventure against time in the imaginary microcosm of the Minimoi; all in the wonderful illusion of “Arthur, the 4D Adventure”. From the time dinosaurs still ruled the Earth, you will watch the sea monsters through the 3D production of National Geographic “Sea Monsters” and in “Fly me to the moon” you will become passengers of Apollo 11 for a half hour flight in space. In “Cosmic Collisions”, the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with NASA provided just for you the most spectacular planetary collisions that led to the creation of the universe.
HOURS: Daily 10.00-23.15.
TICKET COST (including night show starting at 22.45): 36 euros for adults, 27 euros for children 5 to 16 years old, free for children under 5 and 33 euros for seniors over 60.
ACCESS: Direct routes from many cities in France by high speed TGV train to the local station. 1 hour and 20 minutes by TGV from Paris.
ACCOMMODATION: There are twelve hotels in the area, all less than a 10-minute walk from the park.
INFORMATION: www.futuroscope.com
5. CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURES RESORT - CHESSINGTON (SURREY AREA), LONDON, ENGLAND.
Chessington was named the best theme park of 2010. His identity? Something between a zoo and an amusement park. This means in practice: an adventure in the world of wildlife with nine different themes from an equal number of geographical areas (from Asia to Transylvania), a zoo, a marine life center and a small African taste at the park hotel. Will you manage to fool Ramses who is trying to keep his lost kingdom? Use your laser weapons and fight with him inside the mummy tomb to succeed. Explore the ancient ruins of Wild Asia and enter the jungle. Hear your heart pounding as you swirl in Dragon’s Fly, the exciting roller coaster. And get ready for a scare flight in the Vampire. See also all the animals (about 1,000 in total) of the huge zoo from above, making the aerial route with the Safari Skyway. The Center for Marine Life promises another kind of adventure, culminating in the brand new Azteca, where you will discover an entire underwater empire.
HOURS: 10.00-15.00 for the zoo and the Marine Life Center, 10.00-18.00 for the theme park.
TICKET COST: 37 37.20 for adults, 27 27 for children under 12, free for children under one meter tall, special rates for families, seniors and the disabled. Also, by booking at least 14 days before the visit, you have a 40% discount on the price.
ACCESS: By car: 30΄ from Heathrow and Gatwick airports. By bus: Line 465 from Kingston to Chessington or Line 467 from Epsom. By train: From Waterloo, Clapham Junction and Wimbledon stations the South West Train to Chessington South Station.
ACCOMMODATION: At Chessington Resort Hotel, with safari-style rooms and many surprises.
INFORMATION: www.chessington.com
6. PORTAVENTURA PARK - TARAGON, SPAIN.
With a beach club, three golf courses and four hotels, PortAventura goes beyond the definition of a simple theme park, getting closer to that of a complete tourist destination.
Adventures in five different themes (Imperial China, Wild West, Polynesia, Aztec Mexico and the Mediterranean), exciting games, live shows and local cuisine specialties. The eyes fill with color in the stunning Makamanu show with parrots and exotic birds, hands clasped tightly to hold on to the deck of the “Con-Tiki Wave”, the catamaran fighting the waves, and the rage of Dragon Khan, the prince that the ancient Chinese gods transformed into a dragon, breaks out to those who dare to board one of its 8 wild tentacles, trying to withstand the 110 km / h developed by the … monster of the park. With a clear summer orientation, the swimsuit is considered necessary, as the fun continues in PortAventura Aquatic Park, with the wet element predominating. As for El Tifon, the sky darkens and the palm trees begin to sway in the wind, as the terrible hurricane drags the daring into a dark tunnel with … an unknown ending. A special – and this year – station SesamoAventura, with the famous heroes from the series “Sesame Street” starring in every game for the family.
HOURS: In the summer months and in September it is always open from 10.00. However, prior updating from the Internet is necessary, as PortAventura does not have fixed hours all year round.
TICKET COST: 44 euros for adults and children from 11 years old, 36 euros for children 4 – 10 years old and the elderly, 22 euros for the disabled.
ACCESS: By bus: about one hour from Barcelona airport and 10 minutes from Reus airport. By train: one hour from Barcelona.
DIAMONH: By staying in one of the four hotels of the park -all based on a theme- you ensure free entry to the games.
INFORMATION: www.portaventura.com
As for the younger visitors, the Kingdom of Fantasy promises a magical world inhabited by huge puppets, talking trees, singing animals and a bunch of toys, sweet and colorful houses.
7. GARDALAND - VERONA, ITALY
First to the taste of the Italians and one of the best theme parks in Europe, Gardaland is located southeast of Lake Garda, between Milan and Venice. This is where history, geography, space and, of course, imagination meet. A new challenge for 2011 is the Raptor, a … “crazy flight” for strong nerves, but also the only rollercoaster with wings, which causes the endurance of its passengers with sudden upside down turns and twists. The tones are a little softer in the exploration of the lost Atlantis, in the company of the pirates and the awakening of Pharaoh. Pure enjoyment is the original parade with the lights, as well as the show with the formations in the sand, where amazing shapes and silhouettes come to life on a huge screen accompanied by music. At the Gardaland Theater, you will enjoy the new performance “Museum: The Secret”, with statues and sculptures coming to life when the museum closes!
Gardaland is also home to Italy’s first themed aquarium, the Gardaland Sea Life Aquarium, which is home to 5,000 creatures from all over the world – including some of the strangest jellyfish.
HOURS: 10.00-23.00 (summer – until 11/9) and 10.00-18.00 (winter).
TICKET COST: 36 euros for adults for the park only, 29 euros for children under 10 and people over 60. Especially for this summer, reduced price on evening tickets (after 18.00): 15 euros. Also: 39.50 euros for adults for the park and the aquarium and 32.50 euros for the reduced one.
ACCESS: Just 2 km from Peschiera del Garda Train Station (Milan-Venice). From this point there is a direct bus connection every 30΄.
ACCOMMODATION: At the Gardaland Hotel, with 235 rooms and 12 themed suites, just 800 meters from the park.
INFORMATION: www.gardaland.com
8. TIVOLI A/S VESTERBROGADE - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
If other theme parks boast of their latest technology games, Tivoli turns out to be the most … romantic!
It is, after all, one of the oldest public amusement parks that first appeared in the 18th century and offered extremely useful advice and inspiration to Walt Disney for the creation of Disneyland in California. But also the famous Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen was inspired by Tivoli’s gardens to write “The Nutcracker”. Especially for this summer and until the end of September, the public will enjoy, among other things, concerts, pantomime, ballet, along of course with the amusement park.
SCHEDULE: Although it opens at 11.00, the focus is on the planned events and spectacles, which visitors will look for in the evening. Prior information from the Internet is required.
TICKET COST: Two-day pass for people over 8 years: 95 DKK. For Fridays after 20.00: 125 DKK. Children under 7: free. Prices are until 25/9.
ACCESS: It is located in the heart of Copenhagen and you will go with the new electric bus “CityCirkel”, which stops outside the park.
ACCOMMODATION: There are two hotels within the Tivoli area (Hotel Nimb, Tivoli Hotel) and eleven other partners.
INFORMATION: www.tivoligardens.dk