Roller coasters, family attractions and exotic themed areas – amusement parks are the ideal leisure destination for families. But which of the established parks in Germany are at the top of the popularity scale – and are recommended for a visit?
1. Movie Park Germany
Germany not only has a rich culture and history, but also an exciting world of entertainment. Movie Park Germany, located in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, is a popular destination for film fans and adventure seekers alike. This theme park offers a unique combination of thrilling rides, interactive shows, and vibrant movie sets that will make the hearts of visitors of all ages beat faster.
Cinematic adventure
Movie Park Germany is the only amusement park in Germany dedicated to film. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the world of their favorite movies and series and even experience real Hollywood moments. The park is divided into different themed areas, including “Hollywood Street Set,” “Streets of New York,” “Santa Monica Pier,” and “Nickland,” each offering a unique experience.
Exciting attractions
Movie Park Germany offers a wide range of exciting attractions for visitors of all ages. If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, don’t miss the “Star Trek: Operation Enterprise,” a breathtaking roller coaster that catapults visitors to warp speed. For those who prefer a more leisurely pace, the “Ghost Chasers” offers an interactive ghost hunting experience where visitors go ghost hunting and try to solve the mysterious events in the Movie Park.
For the little ones
Movie Park Germany also has a lot to offer for the little visitors. The “Nickland” is an area dedicated to the popular Nickelodeon characters. Here, kids can interact with SpongeBob, the Ninja Turtles, and other Nick heroes, and have fun on kid-friendly attractions like Backyardigans: Mission to Mars.
Entertaining shows
In addition to the thrilling rides and attractions, Movie Park Germany also offers a variety of entertaining shows. From spectacular stunt shows to rousing parades, there’s always something to see. One of the most popular shows is “Crazy Cops New York,” where visitors can immerse themselves in the world of law enforcement and experience an action-packed chase.
Culinary delights
After all the exciting fun, it’s time to recharge your batteries. The park offers a wide range of restaurants and takeaways to suit all tastes. Whether you’re in the mood for pizza, burgers, pasta or more exotic cuisine, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for at Movie Park Germany.
Plan your visit
Movie Park Germany is usually open from mid-March to early November, although the exact opening hours may vary depending on the season. It is recommended to buy tickets for the Movie Park online to avoid waiting at the ticket offices.
2. Europa-Park
In Baden-Württemberg’s Rust lies the German amusement park Europa-Park, which first opened in 1975. Today, Europa-Park is considered the most visited park of its kind in Germany: in 2019, over five million people visited the park not far from the French border. Within Europe, only Disneyland in Paris can boast more visitors. The park was founded in 1975 by the Mack family, and just three years later the amusement park welcomed its first million visitors within a year. Today, Europa-Park in Rust has more than 100 attractions on about 95 hectares of parkland.
Europa-Park says it all: it has 18 themed areas, the majority of which are dedicated to European countries and their peculiarities. It all started in 1982 with a thematic area on Italy – followed by countries such as France, England, Spain and Portugal. One of the highlights among the rides is the Silver Star roller coaster, which opened in 2002 and is classified as a so-called hypercoaster. It is not only one of the tallest, but also one of the fastest roller coasters in Europe. Other attractions at Europa-Park in Rust include the Poseidon water ride and the Blue Fire Megacoaster high-speed roller coaster in the Iceland theme sector.
3. Phantasialand
To the north of Germany’s most visited amusement park is Phantasialand: near Brühl, not far from Cologne. Founded in 1967 – originally as a fairytale forest – Phantasialand is one of the oldest amusement parks in Germany. The approximately 400,000 visitors in the first year alone quickly indicated the success of the park, which today welcomes an average of about two million visitors a year. With its 28 hectares, less than a third of the size of Europa-Park, Phantasialand presents itself as compact and comparatively small. Nevertheless, the adventure park is one of the most popular leisure destinations of its kind within Germany: it is the second most visited amusement park in the country.
Six themed areas provide varied entertainment for visitors. In 1970, the first theme area called Berlin debuted, followed by Mexico, China Town, Mystery, Fantasy and Deep in Africa. The Black Mamba roller coaster in the Deep in Africa theme area is famous, which offers an intense roller coaster experience as an inverted coaster. In 2016, the roller coaster Taron was also opened in the Mystery area, which reaches a maximum speed of 117 km/h. The Chiapas white water ride in the Mexico theme area and the modern VR experience Crazy Bats in the fantasy theme area provide variety.
4. Heide Park Resort
If you take the pure park size as a basis, the Heide Park Resort near Soltau with its 85 hectares is the second largest amusement park in Germany after Europa-Park. About 1.5 million visitors come to the Heide Park Resort sometimes a year. The origin of the park, which is located in the north of Lower Saxony , can be traced back to 1978, three years after Europa-Park opened its doors in southern Germany. The park offers overnight accommodation for families in the park’s own Holiday Camp and in the Heide Park Adventure Hotel, among others. Today, the Heide Park Resort is also known as a venue for concerts and international events.
But the real highlight of the park are the ride attractions that are spread over the park area. The wooden roller coaster Colossos, which reopened in 2019, is particularly noteworthy. It is one of the five tallest wooden roller coasters in the world – and with a maximum height of 60 meters, it is considered the highest in Europe. With a maximum speed of 110 km/h, it presents itself as a particularly fast roller coaster. As a roller coaster alternative, the park also has the Launched Coaster Desert Race. The gyro drop tower Scream, which has been part of the park’s lineup since 2003, also offers an intense experience. As a family-friendly attraction, Peppa’s balloon ride can be discovered in the park, which can be discovered in the Peppa Pig Land themed area.
5. Hansa-Park
On the Baltic Sea coast in Schleswig-Holstein lies Hansa-Park, another favourite among fans of amusement parks. From 1973 to 1976, the first German Legoland was located on the current site. In 1977, Hansaland was finally built there, which was renamed today’s Hansa-Park in 1987 on its tenth anniversary. Today, Hansa-Park is one of the five major amusement parks in Germany, so the park reaches about 1.4 million visitors in good years. The more than 125 rides are spread over the 46 hectares of the park grounds. The park is particularly attractive to Baltic Sea holidaymakers with its attractions as an excursion destination.
Today, the park offers a total of 13 different themed sections – including Hanseatic League in Europe, Adventure Land, Bonanza City and Viking Land. The absolute highlight of the park is the roller coaster Der Schwur des Kärnan, which, together with the Silver Star at Europa-Park, is considered the highest roller coaster in Germany and the fourth highest in Europe. In addition, Hansa-Park offers roller coasters such as Nessie, Curse of Novgorod and The Serpent of Midgard. But fans of water rides also get their money’s worth in Hansa-Park – whether in the Super Splash, Störtebecker’s Pirate Ride or the Barracuda Slide. The Hansa-Park Resort offers a holiday opportunity on the Baltic Sea. As with the Heide Park Resort, a wide variety of events and events take place at Hansa-Park throughout the year.
6. Legoland Deutschland Resort
The Legoland Deutschland Resort is now located near Günzburg in Bavaria. But already in the 70s there was a Legoland on the site of today’s Hansa-Park. Since 2002, the park has been a destination in Bavaria – up to 1.3 million visitors come to the park in southern Germany every year. The amusement park is considered a tourist highlight for families who are on holiday in Bavaria. Many of the park’s visitor magnets were built from Lego bricks.
Similar to the competition, the park is made up of various themed worlds – highlights include the Lego Ninjago World, the Land of the Pharaohs and Miniland. In Miniland, a wide variety of miniature buildings can be discovered, which were formed from a total of over 25 million Lego building blocks. Frankfurt , Berlin, Venice or parts of the Netherlands can be admired here in miniature form. The replica of the Allianz Arena in Munich alone collects over a million bricks. But Legoland is not only a place to discover Lego replicas – the park also offers attractions for the whole family such as the Fire Dragon roller coaster, the Jungle Xpedition white water ride or the gyro-tower-style observation tower.
