Best European Park for a Weekender?

[D4n]

Hey,

Was looking to sort out a weekend trip to a European theme park with a few mates as we've only done DLP and Europa Park up until this point, but have pretty much exhausted the UK. But we're starting uni this year and will therefore on a fairly tight budget. I was therefore wondering whether there was a European park that:

a) Has an airport nearby (minimal time & travel costs), which can easily be flown to from a midlands airport. Or if it's on the eurostar route I guess that could work also.
b) Has cheap accommodation nearby or on-site (Crash Pad prices or lower)
c) Is actually worth the price of visiting / has at least a few decent rides (obviously doesn't have to be Europa standard but we've pretty much ruled out the likes of Tayto and Walygator)
d) Can be "done" in the time we'll actually have on-park (so maybe a day and a half, something like that)

Just thought here would be the best place to ask because you're all fairly experienced with European park trips. Any advice welcomed! Trip probably won't be until around Easter next year so there's no rush but I like to be prepared.

Cheers

 

[DiogoJ42]

Phantasialand. No contest.

 

[Dar]

Phantasialand or Liseberg?

I've not been to Liseberg but I think you can do it in a day. Literally fly in in the morning, ride the rides during 1500-2300 and then fly home the next morning!

Phantasialand is easy too. Fly into Cologne, get the train/tram to Bruhl and then the park shuttle to the gates! There's plenty of accommodation in Cologne and even some in Bruhl, depending on your budget!

 

[AndrewH]

Port Aventura is relatively easy to get to. You can fly into Reus and I'm sure you can find a cheep place to stay in salou. Then you can get the train bus thing right to the front gate.

 

[GeorgeT]

Phantasialand. No contest.

Fanboy !

 

[AstroDan]

The easiest to do from the UK in a weekend would probably be Phantasialand.

Saying that, Liseberg is also quite easy - and so is Mirabilandia - just a stones throw from Rimini airport.

 

[D4n]

Thanks folks!

Which of PortAventura, Phantasia and Liseberg is likely to be cheapest? Or would they all work out fairly similar?

 

[Enter Valhalla]

PortAventura is probably the cheapest of those two.

However I'd say that the easiest park to do from the UK is probably Parc Asterix as you can fly to Paris CDG airport, stay at an airport hotel and get the bus which takes you directly from the airport to the park.

Liseberg as mentioned is in the centre of Gothenburg and is accessed by an airport bus which is every half hour or so.

Parque de Atracciones Madrid is easy to get to as there's a metro station next to the park and can be accessed from the airport but it's not the best park I've ever been to if I'm honest.

Parque Warner Madrid is much better but takes a bit longer to get to from the centre of Madrid. However if you stay in Pinto (you can get a train here from Madrid airport) you'll find accommodation VERY cheap and there's a bus from Pinto train station which takes you directly to the park. Hope this all helps.

 

[D4n]

We've now decided on Phantasialand as it was the destination we were all most keen on and we're willing to spend *slightly* more on a trip there compared with a lesser park.

Can anybody shed more light on the journey from Cologne Airport to the park in terms of duration, cost and frequency of service? We'll also probably be staying on Cologne as it seems to have the cheapest (relatively nearby) accommodation to the park so public transport links are obviously going to be crucial to the success of the trip.

 

[Dar]

There are trams from Cologne to Bruhl Mitte, that take around an hour depending on where you're travelling from in Cologne, then the park has a shuttle bus that goes from the tram station and takes around 20 minutes. Prices for the trams vary on where you're travelling and returns and such, but the shuttle bus is a flat €3 each

The tram journey can be planned from this page: http://auskunft.kvb-koeln.de/kvb/cgi/page/eingabeRoute?lang=UK It's kind of in English, but it's not too hard to work out what's what

The shuttle bus time table can be found here: http://www.phantasialand.de/files/phantasialand/documents/verkehr/Shuttle bus times_en_082015.pdf Which is in English!

 

[DiogoJ42]

You chose... wisely.

 

[D4n]

Hey guys.

We've now fully booked Phantasialand for 8th-11th July. A couple of follow-up questions would be greatly appreciated if someone can help me out.

- Do Phantasialand offer 2 or 3 day tickets and is there any benefit / is it possible to book tickets in advance?
- What's the best / cheapest method of transportation from Cologne airport to Phantasialand? Happy to use the train if this is a cheaper option.
- Have any of you ever stayed at Hotel Koln-Bonn and if so is public transport available between the park and this location?
- Is Cologne itself worth visiting? Again what's the accessibility like from the park & how much is this likely to cost?
- Is there anything on resort (bars, attractions, restaurants etc) that are worth visiting for those not staying in one of the hotels? Europa Park's hotels / bars were effectively attractions in themselves, is Phantasialand similar in this respect?

Obviously a couple of those questions could be answered through research, so no worries if you don't know; just thought it'd be worth consulting some on here with expert knowledge of the park / resort in order to save time.

 

[Dar]

- Do Phantasialand offer 2 or 3 day tickets and is there any benefit / is it possible to book tickets in advance?

They do 2-day tickets for €75, with individual days costing €45, so a bit of a saving. You can book them on their website. Not sure what the process is like, I've always bought on the day, but the option is there. There doesn't look like there's any discount for buying in advance though.

- What's the best / cheapest method of transportation from Cologne airport to Phantasialand? Happy to use the train if this is a cheaper option.

There's a tram to Bruhl and then a regular shuttle to the park

- Have any of you ever stayed at Hotel Koln-Bonn and if so is public transport available between the park and this location?

Not sure on this one, never stayed there.

- Is Cologne itself worth visiting? Again what's the accessibility like from the park & how much is this likely to cost?

If you can spare the time then yes, the cathedral is nice and the city centre is an enjoyable walk and nice opportunity to soak up some of the atmosphere.

- Is there anything on resort (bars, attractions, restaurants etc) that are worth visiting for those not staying in one of the hotels? Europa Park's hotels / bars were effectively attractions in themselves, is Phantasialand similar in this respect?

Both hotels are nice to look round, the garden in Ling Bao is a really relaxing way to end the day, plus the terrace bar gives some great views over the park (if it's open).

Good luck on Taron being open!