Can you get me excited for Europa Park?

[j-cat5]

Hi all,

Fist-time poster here!! I'm off to Europa Park next week for the first time for two days. Must say I'm very much looking forward to it anyway, but just wanted to ask anyway: I know a lot of people are pretty of the view "Well it's a beautiful park, but the coasters aren't great".
However, I know from lurking/yt vids that there are a few of you enthusiasts out there who very much do like the coasters such as Silver Star, Wodan and Blue Fire and rank them amongst some of your favourites-and I'd love to hear from you guys. For reference, not every coaster has to be a 300ft, 150km+ scream machine for me, but if there's one of these you love for whatever reason I'd love to hear from you.

I've picked two fairly quiet days so should be fine in terms of queues etc but if you could tell me about any tips etc I'd love to hear them. For example, I'm thinking of eating at the food loop restaurant, however looking at the reviews some say there are better restaurants in the park and it's a little overpriced/food not great etc. I think there's a Thai restaurant called 'Bamboe Baai' that's supposed to be good-however one of the reviews said that it's now permanently closed?

Any must-do attractions that don't get the press they deserve? All tips appreciated many thanks.

 

[Slamming Coastercore]

There are so many reasons to be excited about Europa Park!

1. Wodan is incredible. They did some significant retracking during Covid and it now runs like an absolute beast. I think a lot of people rode it beforehand (including myself) and didn't think much of it. It's now one of the best woodies in Europe, if not the world.
2. Silver Star has really solid extended floater once it's warmed up. A very strong hyper! Just hope that you get it when it's running well.
3. Dark Rides everywhere! From grand-scale rides like Piraten en Batavia and Volutarium to charming and unique rides like Madame Freudenreich Curiosités and Piccalo Mundo. There is a dark ride for everyone and i'd highly recommend giving them a go!
4. It's massive. There is so much to explore that it's impossible to get bored and two days never really feel like enough. Some areas are wonderful to just be in, like sitting in the french area watching the fountains after getting some tasty treats from the bakery there. Just do yourself a favor and dedicate some time to wandering/soaking it in.
5. Haven't done food loop or bamboe baai; but I have done the restaurant in the Italian area and that is fantastic. My favorite thing to eat at Europa is the flame cooked Salmon rolls near Wodan. They're so good that they're now one of the main dishes I (attempt to) replicate at home!

I'm sure there are some other things to mention and @Serena can add to this; but I cannot wait to visit Europa again. I've no doubt that @Matt N will have extra bits to rave about too!

 

[j-cat5]

There are so many reasons to be excited about Europa Park!

1. Wodan is incredible. They did some significant retracking during Covid and it now runs like an absolute beast. I think a lot of people road it beforehand (including myself) and didn't think much of it. It's now one of the best woodies in Europe, if not the world.
2. Silver Star has really solid extended floater once it's warmed up. A very strong hyper! Just hope that you get it when it's running well.
3. Dark Rides everywhere! From grand-scale rides like Piraten en Batavia and Volutarium to charming and unique rides like Madame Freudenreich Curiosités and Piccalo Mundo. There is a dark ride for everyone and i'd highly recommend giving them a go!
4. It's massive. There is so much to explore that it's impossible to get bored and two days never really feel like enough. Some areas are wonderful to just be in, like sitting in the french area watching the fountains after getting some tasty treats from the bakery there. Just do yourself a favor and dedicate some time to wandering/soaking it in.
5. Haven't done food loop or bamboe baai; but I have done the restaurant in the Italian area and that is fantastic. My favorite thing to eat at Europa is the flame cooked Salmon rolls near Wodan. They're so good that they're now one of the main dishes I (attempt to) replicate at home!

I'm sure there are some other things to mention and @Serena can add to this; but I cannot wait to visit Europa again. I've no doubt that @Matt N will have extra bits to rave about too!

Awesome, many thanks for these tips. That is absolutely great news about Wodan totally unexpected, I had no idea thanks so much!! I was already looking forward to riding this and silver star the most and even more so now!! Yeah I'm definitely planning on spending some time just soaking in the atmosphere tbh. There's only about 6 must-do rides for me (top 3+can-can, Voletarium and Piratten-do let me know of any other absolute essentials!!), then some may do (I hadn't heard of Piccalo Mundo so will be sure to check that out too if chance). I'm considering skipping Euro Mir if I have to sacrifice anything as I only really heard bad things.....(again, please let me know if otherwise L) ). so plenty of time to just chill too hopefully with what I think will be two quiet days.

I'd heard about that Italian Restaurant too so may give a go. I'll definitely take you up on those Salmon rolls too . Thanks again for the tips.

 

[zazobo]

Ahh you're so lucky...! The first trip to Europa is flipping magical. The place is STUNNING. It may not rival some of the other major European parks in terms of hardware, but it makes up for that in charm. If you're a beer drinker, make sure to take a little time out, find a lovely spot for a beer and just soak up the atmosphere. One of my fave spots for this (if weather allows) is the Beer garden in the German area, or there's a nice little spot near Bluefire. Don't miss the Diamond Mine walkthrough (connected to the log flume and mine train).

In terms of coasters, most benefit from 'warming up'. Bluefire, Wodan and Silver Star can all be pretty slugish first thing, but later in the afternoon they're cracking. Can can coaster is super charming too, such a great retheme.

I also totally echo what Slamming said, make sure to take some time just to mooch and wander around, soak it all in. It really is a banging park. Enjoy!!

 

[Sandman]

My favorite thing to eat at Europa is the flame cooked Salmon rolls near Wodan. They're so good that they're now one of the main dishes I (attempt to) replicate at home!

This. They're super delicious!

 

[Coastercal]

I went for the first time opening weekend last year so it sounds like I was in the exact same situation your in now.

I’ve done around 140 coasters which isn’t as many as a lot of people I know, but, europa park has 3 slots in my top 10.

Silver Star I prefer to Shambhala the airtime seems better and the first drop to to me. I controversially prefer Blue Fire to Icon down to the final inversion which is probably my favourite inversion on any coaster and the hang time on the front on the first inversion is great. Furthermore, woodan is my favourite Woodie.

Arthur is amazing Id say it doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. The station is breath taking. Euro Mir is great fun with the sound track and interactions. Euro Sat is a great coaster too it’s maybe my favourite indoor coaster.

You’ve got loads of filler attractions and water rides. Great flume and rapids rides and even the kids rides as good fun and everyone is welcome on them. Don’t miss any ride as whether it’s a kids tractor ride or major coaster everything is amazingly themed.

Pirates of Batavia is surely in everyone’s top 3 European dark rides? It’s deffo in mine. They also have a handful of other amazing dark rides my next personal favourite is Ghost Castle which still is a world class ride.

I ate at the rollercoaster restaurant thing and it’s a gimic. You’ll get the same food in the park for 1/3 less…

Opening weekend last year everything was walk on almost. I spent 3 days there and managed 15 rides plus on all the big coasters and plenty of re rides on the darks , flats and smaller coasters. They do a virtual queue on the app you can consider but it won’t save you much time if it’s quiet as the operations are amazing. They constantly send the next train for Silver Star before the previous has even reached the top of the lift.

I’d say take your time to go through the app after your first night and see what you haven’t stumbled accross as there are plenty of dark rides etc hidden away you don’t want to miss something as you can easily walk passed a ride and not realise. I did this on the dinosaur dark ride and dark ride that promotes the water park.

I’ve only done around 15 different big parks in Europe but Europa Park is definitely my favourite. Have a great time and I’d love to know what you think in the trip reports section?

 

[Hyde]

At the end, there will be Cake.

 

[j-cat5]

Ahh you're so lucky...! The first trip to Europa is flipping magical. The place is STUNNING. It may not rival some of the other major European parks in terms of hardware, but it makes up for that in charm. If you're a beer drinker, make sure to take a little time out, find a lovely spot for a beer and just soak up the atmosphere. One of my fave spots for this (if weather allows) is the Beer garden in the German area, or there's a nice little spot near Bluefire. Don't miss the Diamond Mine walkthrough (connected to the log flume and mine train).

In terms of coasters, most benefit from 'warming up'. Bluefire, Wodan and Silver Star can all be pretty slugish first thing, but later in the afternoon they're cracking. Can can coaster is super charming too, such a great retheme.

I also totally echo what Slamming said, make sure to take some time just to mooch and wander around, soak it all in. It really is a banging park. Enjoy!!

Awesome great to hear, as I said I'll definitely spend some time just chilling for sure. I'm a beer drinker too and I love German beer so that should be great. Thanks also for the tip on the Diamond Mind walkthrough, that's exactly the sort of gem I was looking for (pun very much intended ?). Many thanks for your post I'm totally psyched now!!

 

[j-cat5]

I went for the first time opening weekend last year so it sounds like I was in the exact same situation your in now.

I’ve done around 140 coasters which isn’t as many as a lot of people I know, but, europa park has 3 slots in my top 10.

Silver Star I prefer to Shambhala the airtime seems better and the first drop to to me. I controversially prefer Blue Fire to Icon down to the final inversion which is probably my favourite inversion on any coaster and the hang time on the front on the first inversion is great. Furthermore, woodan is my favourite Woodie.

Arthur is amazing Id say it doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. The station is breath taking. Euro Mir is great fun with the sound track and interactions. Euro Sat is a great coaster too it’s maybe my favourite indoor coaster.

You’ve got loads of filler attractions and water rides. Great flume and rapids rides and even the kids rides as good fun and everyone is welcome on them. Don’t miss any ride as whether it’s a kids tractor ride or major coaster everything is amazingly themed.

Pirates of Batavia is surely in everyone’s top 3 European dark rides? It’s deffo in mine. They also have a handful of other amazing dark rides my next personal favourite is Ghost Castle which still is a world class ride.

I ate at the rollercoaster restaurant thing and it’s a gimic. You’ll get the same food in the park for 1/3 less…

Opening weekend last year everything was walk on almost. I spent 3 days there and managed 15 rides plus on all the big coasters and plenty of re rides on the darks , flats and smaller coasters. They do a virtual queue on the app you can consider but it won’t save you much time if it’s quiet as the operations are amazing. They constantly send the next train for Silver Star before the previous has even reached the top of the lift.

I’d say take your time to go through the app after your first night and see what you haven’t stumbled accross as there are plenty of dark rides etc hidden away you don’t want to miss something as you can easily walk passed a ride and not realise. I did this on the dinosaur dark ride and dark ride that promotes the water park.

I’ve only done around 15 different big parks in Europe but Europa Park is definitely my favourite. Have a great time and I’d love to know what you think in the trip reports section?

Wow, this is absolute gold where to even start with this post? Tell you what I'll start with thanking you for reminding me about Arthur, I meant to include this in my original post, so (at least) seven essentials for me now for the whole park.

Loving your tip on Silver Star, it's pretty much exactly what I was hoping for really. I'll probably start my day with it as it's probably the ride I've been looking forward to the most, in spite of the fair amount of negativity I feel it looks great. Great to hear another vote for Wodan being epic, and really pleased to hear your review of Blue Fire too. Interesting you've done quite a few parks in Europe and still feel this way too. I've done Port Aventura, Energylandia and Phantasialand for reference outside of UK where I'm from. Hyperion (though must be in the middle seats, and ideally back row) is my favourite of all of them. I'd be interested to hear how you'd compare it to those fairly diverse 3?

I'll take your advice on foodloop too. Won't eat there for main meal but would like to try it so maybe I'll try and just go there for a drink or something and have the main somewhere else. Amazing advice on checking the app too.

Few things to finish with:

1. I want to visit the park hotel bars/restaurants, but in the evening. Is this possible? I guess what I'm actually asking is, are they actually in the park, and what happens at 6pm? Is it just the rides that close or absolutely everything....? Or are they just not in the park anyway.....for reference I think I'm staying in a place that whilst not a specific resort hotel (I did really, really, really want to do this but it was just about 100 pound over my budget) I think may actually be nearer than some of the official resort hotels.

2. What are the prices for say:

Main meal e.g Burger and Fries
Drink: e.g coca-cola
Drink: E.g pint of beer
Snack/bakery treat: Eg tuna sandwich/cake
Souvenir of visit: Eg Mug/T-Shirt.

3: Absolutely amazing amount of rides you managed to get on the top coasters. Can imagine a lot of you guys have this as a homepage but for reference I used this website here:

Europa Park crowd calendar - March 2022

March 2022 crowd calendar for Europa Park. View opening times and predicted crowd levels. Find the least busy days to visit.

queue-times.com

Really helpful tells you all past data and future data too. It was 16 and 18% on the opening weekend. Predicted crowds 'Empty' for the days I'm visiting which is pleasing (although quite a few hotels were fully booked )

4. I'll definitely do a detailed review of my experience in this exact thread if not in the forum itself. I'm planning on visiting Rulantica too for a moonlight if my flight/train etc all work out on the first day. I love water parks even more than theme parks and have done a lot of those in Europe so I'll definitely add something to that too. Probably just the moonlight ticket, mainly owing to time constraints so may not be loads to report.

Thanks so much for this review I'm totally hyped now

 

[j-cat5]

Thanks again to all responders amazing responses and I'm completely and utterly psyched now!!

 

[Slamming Coastercore]

Few things to finish with:

1. I want to visit the park hotel bars/restaurants, but in the evening. Is this possible? I guess what I'm actually asking is, are they actually in the park, and what happens at 6pm? Is it just the rides that close or absolutely everything....? Or are they just not in the park anyway.....for reference I think I'm staying in a place that whilst not a specific resort hotel (I did really, really, really want to do this but it was just about 100 pound over my budget) I think may actually be nearer than some of the official resort hotels.

2. Really helpful tells you all past data and future data too. It was 16 and 18% on the opening weekend. Predicted crowds 'Empty' for the days I'm visiting which is pleasing (although quite a few hotels were fully booked )

3. I'll definitely do a detailed review of my experience in this exact thread if not in the forum itself. I'm planning on visiting Rulantica too for a moonlight if my flight/train etc all work out on the first day. I love water parks even more than theme parks and have done a lot of those in Europe so I'll definitely add something to that too. Probably just the moonlight ticket, mainly owing to time constraints so may not be loads to report.

1. You won't get kicked out the park but the rides will shut. Fortunately all the hotels and bars/restaurants will still be open Definitely recommend the bar at hotel Bell Rock! They do amazing cocktails!

2. I wouldn't worry about the hotels being sold out. They were all "sold out" on my last visit and the longest we queued for anything was 30 mins. I think they probably limit capacity on their quieter dates

3. If you have the chance 100% do Rulantica! Such an awesome water park with a great variety of slides! If you do go, make sure you do the lazy river! It's not to be missed

 

[Coastercal]

Wow, this is absolute gold where to even start with this post? Tell you what I'll start with thanking you for reminding me about Arthur, I meant to include this in my original post, so (at least) seven essentials for me now for the whole park.

Loving your tip on Silver Star, it's pretty much exactly what I was hoping for really. I'll probably start my day with it as it's probably the ride I've been looking forward to the most, in spite of the fair amount of negativity I feel it looks great. Great to hear another vote for Wodan being epic, and really pleased to hear your review of Blue Fire too. Interesting you've done quite a few parks in Europe and still feel this way too. I've done Port Aventura, Energylandia and Phantasialand for reference outside of UK where I'm from. Hyperion (though must be in the middle seats, and ideally back row) is my favourite of all of them. I'd be interested to hear how you'd compare it to those fairly diverse 3?

I'll take your advice on foodloop too. Won't eat there for main meal but would like to try it so maybe I'll try and just go there for a drink or something and have the main somewhere else. Amazing advice on checking the app too.

Few things to finish with:

1. I want to visit the park hotel bars/restaurants, but in the evening. Is this possible? I guess what I'm actually asking is, are they actually in the park, and what happens at 6pm? Is it just the rides that close or absolutely everything....? Or are they just not in the park anyway.....for reference I think I'm staying in a place that whilst not a specific resort hotel (I did really, really, really want to do this but it was just about 100 pound over my budget) I think may actually be nearer than some of the official resort hotels.

2. What are the prices for say:

Main meal e.g Burger and Fries
Drink: e.g coca-cola
Drink: E.g pint of beer
Snack/bakery treat: Eg tuna sandwich/cake
Souvenir of visit: Eg Mug/T-Shirt.

3: Absolutely amazing amount of rides you managed to get on the top coasters. Can imagine a lot of you guys have this as a homepage but for reference I used this website here:

Europa Park crowd calendar - March 2022

March 2022 crowd calendar for Europa Park. View opening times and predicted crowd levels. Find the least busy days to visit.

queue-times.com

Really helpful tells you all past data and future data too. It was 16 and 18% on the opening weekend. Predicted crowds 'Empty' for the days I'm visiting which is pleasing (although quite a few hotels were fully booked )

4. I'll definitely do a detailed review of my experience in this exact thread if not in the forum itself. I'm planning on visiting Rulantica too for a moonlight if my flight/train etc all work out on the first day. I love water parks even more than theme parks and have done a lot of those in Europe so I'll definitely add something to that too. Probably just the moonlight ticket, mainly owing to time constraints so may not be loads to report.

Thanks so much for this review I'm totally hyped now

Hey, yeah I’ve visited all the 3 parks you’ve listed there and would say I prefer it to all 3 . the theming is definitely the best of all 3 to me. Of course, phantasialand is amazing in regards to theming but I’d say the standard is of the same level but maintained accross a park 3 times the size maybe.

Hyperion is my no1 coaster. But Silver Star is no3 and is in the same league for sure.

You can head into the hotels after park close even not as a guest. I went to the one accross from Rulantica and had a cocktail. The bar was well themed and cool. Not cheap but well worth doing.

I can’t remember exact prices of food but it’s pretty standard I thought only thing that sticks out is if you’re asked for why sauces, bear in mind they are 50cents a sachet! Merch I took a cap and mug home for around 20 euro.

Hope I managed for help. I always travel solo and like to plan so I hope my experience can benefit yours.

 

[j-cat5]

1. You won't get kicked out the park but the rides will shut. Fortunately all the hotels and bars/restaurants will still be open Definitely recommend the bar at hotel Bell Rock! They do amazing cocktails!

2. I wouldn't worry about the hotels being sold out. They were all "sold out" on my last visit and the longest we queued for anything was 30 mins. I think they probably limit capacity on their quieter dates

3. If you have the chance 100% do Rulantica! Such an awesome water park with a great variety of slides! If you do go, make sure you do the lazy river! It's not to be missed

1. Great, I'll give it a go. When I was looking at the hotels Bell Rock/Colosseo were the ones that appealed the most I think.
2. Awesome, yeah that seems a likely explanation. There were insanely cheap too compared to a couple of weeks later at the Easter/School holiday break so this would make sense (gah, maybe next year -gives yet another reason to go back anyway)
3. Yeah as I say I love water parks so will try to squeeze this in, I only have two full days, plus a night before (I'm leaving after the second day) but will see...

Thanks again for the tips

 

[j-cat5]

Hey, yeah I’ve visited all the 3 parks you’ve listed there and would say I prefer it to all 3 . the theming is definitely the best of all 3 to me. Of course, phantasialand is amazing in regards to theming but I’d say the standard is of the same level but maintained accross a park 3 times the size maybe.

Hyperion is my no1 coaster. But Silver Star is no3 and is in the same league for sure.

You can head into the hotels after park close even not as a guest. I went to the one accross from Rulantica and had a cocktail. The bar was well themed and cool. Not cheap but well worth doing.

I can’t remember exact prices of food but it’s pretty standard I thought only thing that sticks out is if you’re asked for why sauces, bear in mind they are 50cents a sachet! Merch I took a cap and mug home for around 20 euro.

Hope I managed for help. I always travel solo and like to plan so I hope my experience can benefit yours.

Wow a clear winner above all those 3 that's great to hear. They're all so hard to compare (probably say Energylandia for operations and insane one-two punch, Phantasialand for theming and coaster collection, and Portaventura for location and scariest overall ride (Hurakan)).

Great to meet another Hyperion fan (it really is wonderful isn't it?), and now I'm even more stoked for Silver Star and loving that you're saying they're comparable.

Yeah this was the 3rd one I was considering staying in (Kronasar I think) due to it's location next to Rulantica, but as it turned out I found somewhere that's only 10 minutes down the road anyway and half the price, so why not?

Cheers for food tips, I'll make a note of the sauces hehe. I do like to take a souvenir away from me if possible so I'll bear your advice in mind. 20 euros sounds pretty good for a cap and a mug I reckon.

Yes, you've helped immensely thanks so much, and thanks again to all who helped. This has definitely achieved beyond what I wanted. I'll be sure to report my experiences here post-trip. Fun times.

 

[j-cat5]

Cheers for the tips guys, had an awesome first day. Crowds were at 7% which sounds super low but there were more than enough people there to give an atmosphere. A lot of stuff quite literally walk on only the big 3 plus Eurosat had any real queues of note. This felt more to do with insanely fast operations more than low crowds though to be honest. Will save any big details for if I do decide to write a trip report, but in summary:

-Voletarium makes an absolutely amazing first impression
-Blue fire was better than I thought it would be (forgot how much I love launch coasters)
-Silver star-i've never seen a coaster improve so much over the course of a day. It absolutely SUCKED first thing but by the end of the day I wondered if it might crack my top 5.
-No idea what was going on on Arthur but I really, really liked it

 

[j-cat5]

Cheers for the tips guys, had an awesome first day. Crowds were at 7% which sounds super low but there were more than enough people there to give an atmosphere. A lot of stuff quite literally walk on only the big 3 plus Eurosat had any real queues of note. This felt more to do with insanely fast operations more than low crowds though to be honest. Will save any big details for if I do decide to write a trip report, but in summary:

-Voletarium makes an absolutely amazing first impression
-Blue fire was better than I thought it would be (forgot how much I love launch coasters)
-Silver star-i've never seen a coaster improve so much over the course of a day. It absolutely SUCKED first thing but by the end of the day I wondered if it might crack my top 5.
-No idea what was going on on Arthur but I really, really liked it

Sorry phone cut off but to add:

-Wodan was exactly as I expected (in a good way)
-Managed most creds of any significance (just missing Poseidon I think?) and I don't think there's a bad ride here really. I was potentially expecting awful things based on what I'd read from EuroMir and Schweizzer Bobham (Spelling? The bobsleigh thing) but they both turned out fun
-Sadly the Salmon roll stand is closed until 14th April I don't know why.... ). Going to go for the Thai restaurant at Pitlratten tomorrow during a very relaxed day, as I got almost everything done today ride wise

 

[j-cat5]

Finished my visit now. LOVED the place overall and already planning to book in for same time next year . Never have I been so sad to leave a theme park

Trip report pending, probably late next week, as for now it's off to Prague for another quiet visit to Aquapalace Praha tomorrow ( if there are any fellow water park fans out there, I cannot recommend this place highly enough if you want a chilled day).

 

[zazobo]

So glad you loved your first EP trip! I've been a number of time and I'm still always sad to leave, it's just a wonderful wonderful place. Looking forward to the full trip report!