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Is there anything I should know before going to Europa Park for the first time?

I'm an avid planner and when I go to a Merlin park I plan my route meticulously. I think excessive queues are for suckers.

But Europa throws out trains, crafts, boats and other vehicles at such a rate it doesn't really matter. On a very busy day, I didn't wait more than 55 mins for anything. Other than leg it to Iceland and do Wodan first and do Voletarium in the afternoon when everyone's practically deserted Germany, there's not really any planning needed. Even if your favourite ride is queued up, it'll be fast moving and relatively consistent throughout the day and they'll be loads of decent rides next door to it that'll be practically walk on anyway. It's not like walking all the way to FV to find Nemesis closed and Air on 2 hours so you have to go on Blade as a consolation. There's something decent in Europa around in every nook and cranny.

You can go to Europa and enjoy it without going on any coasters (if you see it as a coaster park, you'll be disappointed). It's not like the unbearability of Magic Kingdom. It's not like a coaster tick list like Towers. It's just plain good wholesome fun. Enjoy the food, atmosphere, theming, dark rides and little touches. It's what a theme park day out should be like without being ruined by Disney of Merlin.
 
I visited for the first time last year having skim read this thread. If you wander in and just go at a gentle pace you'll still get all the Coasters done in a day. Just pick a directuon and walk and enjoy. Our second day we did not rush, we were late into the park after breakfast, we stopped several times for drinks, we still did roughly 30 rides.

If you must know one thing it's to make use of virtual queue through the app after your first day. Allow yourself to figure your way around first. Don't plan anything. It makes it so much better.
 
One more question I do have (sorry…); if I stay in a particular hotel, am I restricted to eating in that hotel’s restaurant, or can I eat at a different hotel? For instance, if I’m staying at El Andaluz, can I eat at Colosseo’s restaurant for an evening meal? (just as an example)

And would I be OK to eat on park on a particular night? For instance, I know my parents were keen to try FoodLoop on one night of our trip when I told them about it.
 
You're not restricted in terms of where you eat by where you stay. You can go anywhere on resort to eat, AFAIK, though I'd of course recommend making reservations where possible. I'm not sure FoodLoop's usually open in the evenings (someone can correct me if I'm wrong), but I always find it to be a good option for lunch on one day.
 
The Rock Cafe at the main entrance often opens until a little after park close. It’s not a bad shout for an evening meal if you’re wanting a cheaper option than the hotels.

In a similar vein I’d also recommend Silver Lake Saloon at the Camp Resort - you can use the monorail to travel to/from the main entrance from the hotels - it’s usually scheduled to run until 11pm for hotel guests.
 
Matt N said:
One more question I do have (sorry…); if I stay in a particular hotel, am I restricted to eating in that hotel’s restaurant, or can I eat at a different hotel
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I know this question is mostly about evening meals, but just wanted to say that I don't think you can eat breakfast at another of the hotels restaurants. So you could be eating in your hotels restaurant every day.

If you are staying on resort I'd recommend the Europa Park Hotels app, I managed all of my restraunt bookings through there (you had to book breakfast too when I stayed, so it was a lot).

Also if you are staying onsite don't forget to become a hotel friend, it's free! Although most of the benefits are for people who stay multiple times, I'd still say it's worth having.
 
Well, we’ve booked our hotel room and park tickets! We’re staying in Hotel Castillo Alcazar on 26th-30th April 2022 (this was the one out of that and El Andaluz that my parents liked most), we went for a Standard Room Plus with a view of the park (looked to be a view of Atlantica SuperSplash from the website photos), and we booked 3 days of Europa Park entry tickets, with our days in the park being 27th April, 28th April and 29th April.

We’ve also booked our flights; we’re going direct with Ryanair from London Stansted to Baden-Baden on 26th & 30th April, and we’re securing car hire closer to the time as far as I can tell!

I know this sounds fairly mundane, but I must admit it’s incredibly exciting to have a foreign park trip booked for the first time since 2019, not least one to Europa Park, one of my all-time bucket list parks!

Thanks all for the advice; it’s much appreciated, and I hope that it makes my first time at Europa Park really great!
EDIT: Just realised I accidentally said I was flying back home on my last park day... we're flying back the day after our final day and flying there the day before our first day, so we're getting 3 full days on park!
 
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Matt N said:
Well, we’ve booked our hotel room and park tickets! We’re staying in Hotel Castillo Alcazar on 26th-30th April 2022 (this was the one out of that and El Andaluz that my parents liked most), we went for a Standard Room Plus with a view of the park (looked to be a view of Atlantica SuperSplash from the website photos), and we booked 3 days of Europa Park entry tickets, with our days in the park being 27th April, 28th April and 29th April.

We’ve also booked our flights; we’re going direct with Ryanair from London Stansted to Baden-Baden on 26th & 29th April, and we’re securing car hire closer to the time as far as I can tell!

I know this sounds fairly mundane, but I must admit it’s incredibly exciting to have a foreign park trip booked for the first time since 2019, not least one to Europa Park, one of my all-time bucket list parks!

Thanks all for the advice; it’s much appreciated, and I hope that it makes my first time at Europa Park really great!
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You not doing Rulantica as well?
 
Matt N said:
My mum & dad didn't fancy it on this trip, which I think is fair.

Something new to check out next time, I guess!
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A shame, you are missing out on a really premium experience that I now never miss on a trip to EP! Still, it's best suited to those who aren't so keen to rush around and leaving early, so perhaps one for you in a couple of years time. :)
 
I like water parks, don't get me wrong, and Rulantica does look like a pretty great one, but to be honest, I am at heart a theme park enthusiast, and for that reason, I think I'd like to make the most out of savouring Europa Park itself on my first visit, personally; I get the impression that there's no shortage of things to do in Europa Park for 3 days, whether it be reriding some of my favourite coasters and other attractions, riding new attractions, or something else entirely! Or all of the above! (On my later days, this is; everything will of course be new to me on my first day!)
 
Have fun and enjoy Matt.

Europa Park is a magical place, and you will make lots of fantastic memories.

Below are things that I think are worth doing (or not doing)
  • Explore the hotels, they are stunning
  • Go for a meal in Rust, there are some nice restaurants
  • Walk through the diamond mine
  • Don't do one of the smaller rides (It gives you a great excuse to go back, I still need to go back and do the log flume (Along with all the other new stuff they added since my previous visit), fingers crossed we will make it back this year)
 
Matt N said:
I like water parks, don't get me wrong, and Rulantica does look like a pretty great one, but to be honest, I am at heart a theme park enthusiast, and for that reason, I think I'd like to make the most out of savouring Europa Park itself on my first visit, personally; I get the impression that there's no shortage of things to do in Europa Park for 3 days, whether it be reriding some of my favourite coasters and other attractions, riding new attractions, or something else entirely! Or all of the above! (On my later days, this is; everything will of course be new to me on my first day!)
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Indeed, 3 full days is optimum for Europa. Problem is, with Rulantica, it becomes a longer, more expensive trip, with 5 nights/4 days recommended!
 
Especially as you are staying at Castillo Alcazar make sure one night to go to the bar at the top of the Hotel, even if just for a look around.
It's quite well hidden, you'll see it labeled on the lift but the door into it is usually kept closed and doesn't look like somewhere you can go. I think they do it because it's one of the smallest bars.
But it's such an interesting space, not only because of the views across the resort but all the small and really detailed side rooms.
 
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