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Skyscraper's first ever non-UK park trip report- Europa Park 5th-9th May 2025!

Skyscraper

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Nemesis
Part 1- Days 1 & 2

I still cannot believe that I am writing this... after having EP at the top of my bucket list for years and desperately wanting to visit a park outside of the UK, I finally got my chance this year! I turned 30 back in March, and it was the perfect opportunity. There were five of us going; myself, my sister and three family friends. We stayed on resort at Hotel Colosseo and did three days in the park with a day either side for travel, arriving on Monday and departing on Friday. It was to be an exciting (and eventful!) 5 days, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! This was only my second time going abroad and on a plane, although that was so long ago this might as well have been my first time. I have included selected photos, both my own and those taken by my fellow group members, shared with their permission.

Day 1- Travel day

We had a 12:15pm flight from Manchester airport to Basel, and after getting ready and completing online check-in, my dad and I left the house just after 8 am to collect everyone apart from my sister, who was flying separately from Heathrow. He dropped us off at Sheffield Station in plenty of time for our 8:45am train to Manchester Piccadilly, where we would change onto the airport service.

We arrived at Manchester Airport at around 10am and made our way to Terminal 1 via the skybridge. Now, there are two different departure areas in Terminal 1, A and B, and Easyjet depart from B. It took us a while to find it, as we had to go all the way along to the end of the main hall to find a narrow staircase down to Departures B. We didn't have to wait too long to enter security, although my rucksack got pulled for a random check so we had to wait for that. It was interesting seeing my liquids being tested in a machine, though. Once through security, we entered the departure hall and started to think about food. We decided on Burger King as it was the easiest option.

All fed, we headed to the gate as boarding had started. Although, when approaching the gate I suddenly realised that I didn't have my (bright yellow!) case! I rushed back to Burger King with another member of my group, and thankfully it was still there. Crisis averted, we went to the gate and got ready to board the plane. Once onboard, we were informed that we were being held for takeoff by Air Traffic Control, so would be taking off around 30 minutes late. However the flight would only take around 90 minutes as apposed to the advertised one hour and fifty-five, so we'd still likely land on time.

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On the tarmac, waiting to depart Manchester Airport

We landed at a very rainy Basel Airport just after 3pm Europe time, and it didn't take us too long to clear Passport Control. We then entered the arrivals hall to meet up with my sister, who had arrived a few hours before us due to the timings, then went to collect our hire car. When we found the hire car, we had a funny moment when the group member who was driving and the nominated front seat passenger both went around to their usual sides, before remembering that it was left-hand drive and switching sides. 😂
It was a fairly small car and a bit of a squeeze, but we managed as the journey was only an hour.

After getting our first views of the park from the approach road, we arrived at Hotel Colosseo and parked up. The lobby is really nice, not least the beautiful mural on the ceiling.
I visited reception to collect physical room keys, and my mobile room key in the app wouldn't be enough. I'm glad I did though, as the mobile room key didn't work great at all. I only got it to work once, and it took a while to unlock the door.

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The beautiful mural on the ceiling of Hotel Colosseo

We stayed in a Deluxe Room with a view of the courtyard and Colisseum arch, although that did make getting to sleep difficult. The last fountain show starts at 10 p.m., and the area music isn't switched off until midnight. Plus, people are talking outside as well. The view is really nice, though! The amphitheatre is great for views as well and a nice place to sit.

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The view from our room

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And from the top of the amphitheatre

We took a walk to the nearby supermarkets, which are only a few minutes walk from the Colosseo plaza (a great place to get snacks for the day), then it was time for dinner at Pizzeria La Romantica. I'd been warned that there could be a wait as it's walk-up only (you can't prebook), but there was no queue when we arrived at the door. I had the Lasagne Bolognese, and it was really nice! After dinner, we relaxed a bit more then had a look at Bar Colosseo, but it's currently only open Fridays and Saturdays, so we went to Commedia downstairs instead.

Before long, it was time to get some sleep before our first venture into the park the next day!

Day 2- First park day

The day had arrived! We got up around 8:30-ish and got ready for breakfast, and as it was fairly late there was no queue to get in. There is so much choice for breakfast, although I usually don't eat much. I had cereal, some yoghurt and a plate of sausages and hash browns today. All fed, we headed back to the room to sort ourselves out, then it was time to head to the Europa Park hotel guest entrance! This is only a short walk from the front of Colosseo, via a tunnel under the road.

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The route to the hotel guest entrance is clearly signposted

We entered the park into the Spanish area, and decided on our first ride. We headed just a short distance to Austria first, to start with Alpen Express.

Alpen Express

This Mack-powered coaster is my first roller coaster outside of the UK, and it was pretty fun! I did get stapled by the lap bar, though, which hindered my enjoyment slightly. The theming is really good, and it was actually a bit faster than I expected. It is a shame that I never got to ride the original, though.

After Alpen Express I would have suggested doing the log flume next door, but it was on an advertised late opening due to maintenance. Instead, we left Spain and ventured into the Minimoys Kingdom for one of my most anticipated rides...

Arthur

This was a ride type that I'd been wanting to ride for a while, and I was so looking forward to it. I know it's not the most thrilling coaster, but that doesn't matter! It's a fun ride in my opinion, and you do get some nice views of the entrance area from it. The outdoor coaster section is short, but still really good. It's just a super re-rideable family coaster and I really enjoyed it. The moving load station setup is cool too, something I'd not experienced on a coaster before. Also, a note on the toilets at Europa Park... I loved how the toilets were themed to the land they were in, and my favourite has to be the Arthur ones, with the flower-shaped sinks and A-shaped taps. A little thing of course, but it adds so much!

After leaving the Minimoys Kingdom, we decided to head towards the Swiss area. On the way, though, we went through the England area and stopped off at the laser maze as it only had a couple of people waiting.

Queen's Diamonds Laser Maze
The aim of this attraction is to reach the exit within the 90-second time limit whilst tripping as few lasers as possible. It's actually quite hard, I lost count of how many faults I got (there is a screen at the exit, but I forgot to look at it in time). 😂
Least I escaped within the time limit eh. It's a nice attraction to do that's not a "ride", although bear in mind that only one person can go through at a time.

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The entrance to the laser maze

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The replica Globe Theatre. Sadly we didn't see a show there.

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The famous black cab in the England area


Maze completed, we continued on to the Swiss area. Our first stop was the Mack Bobsleigh.

Swiss Bob Run

I wasn't entirely looking forward to this, having ridden Avalanche back home (the lap bar tries its hardest to squash you), but it thankfully wasn't too bad. Although that's probably due to the fact that Swiss Bob Run has a tamer layout than Avalanche. SBR was more enjoyable because of that but I still think that Avalanche has the better layout. Was glad to ride it on our first day as it is a one-and-done for me, and nothing special.

After the Bob, we rode the other coaster in Switzerland, which I was slightly more looking forward to;

Matterhorn Bobsled

Another coaster, another first for me! This time in the form of an elevator lift, which was an interesting start to the ride. It's just a standard wild mouse, but I always enjoy these. The theming is really good as well. One I'd ride again, unlike the previous coaster.

Next, we continued through Switzerland and into France. First up was a visit to see Madame Freudenreich and her dinosaurs.

Madame Freudenreich Curiousities

This is a cute little omnimover ride through Madam Freudenreich's shop, where she keeps (anamatronic!) dinosaurs. It's a nice little ride and usually has no wait! Definitely one of the smaller attractions that should not be missed.

Leaving the dinos behind, we thought about having some lunch but then saw that Can Can was only on a short wait, so decided to do it first.

Can Can Coaster

This was another ride that I was looking forward to the most. I've not done many indoor coasters, so could not wait to ride Can Can! The theming is really good (again!), and the atmosphere and audio is great too. The ride is super fun, so enjoyable! Definitely one of my favourites.

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A view of Madam Freudenreich Curiosities and Can Can Coaster from the Euro Tower.

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The lake and fountains in the French area are so beautiful, and there is a show every few minutes.


After Can Can, it was finally time for our first "thrill" coaster of the trip! And a very tall one, too...

Silver Star

Behold, my first B&M Hyper! I'd been wanting to ride one for so long, and finally got my chance at Europa. This was my tallest coaster yet, at almost 240ft (my previous tallest was Big one at 213ft). It's super smooth and so fast, and the airtime is great! We decided to queue for the front row as the queue to get to the station was short and there were only a couple of trains' worth of people in the front row queue, so we had an unobstructed view.

After Silver Star, it was time to leave France and head to Italy for an encounter with the Medici family...

Castello Dei Medici

This is another ride which never gets a wait, and we were straight into the preshow. It's another omnimover ride, but this time a very spooky one! Some scenes are actually quite gruesome, it's surprisingly dark for a theme park ride! The "stretching room" pre-show (sound familiar? I've not experienced the original, though) is an interesting start to the ride, and the ride itself is pretty good.

Escaping the castle, we headed out of Italy and into Germany for the parks' flying theatre attraction. My first one, too!

Voletarium

I was looking forward to this as I'd never ridden a "flying theatre" before, but was slightly nervous as I wasn't sure how I would find it. For starters, the queue line is simply stunning. I was genuinely blown away whilst walking through it! Now, this is the only attraction I rode where the queue was stood still for periods as opposed to constantly moving like everything else. I suspect that's due to the nature of the ride system though, so can't be helped. I can't think of a better queue to be stood in, though! There are three levels of seating, each with three rows side-by-side. We were batched to the middle level and the section closest to the exit doors. To my relief the motion was quite gentle, and I found it actually really fun! Ironically the most intense bit was at the end, when an advert for EDventure/Grand Prix of Europe was played on the screen.

After Voletarium, we were all starting to feel a bit tired, so we decided to begin heading back to the hotel's exit via a couple of rides that I wanted us to do. First, we went to the nearby Panoramabahn station.

Panoramabahn (Germany to Spain)

This miniature railway is just one of three transport rides in the park, and it's a great way to get around! It has stops in the Germany, England, Spain and Russia areas.

Arriving in Spain, we then had a short walk past the hotel exit towards Scandinavia, to visit a certain Octopus...

Snorri Touren
This is a cute little dark ride! It's fairly hidden, you could easily miss the entrance if you're not looking for it. It's themed around Snorri, the Rulantica water park's mascot, and is a nice little ride! It even has a small motion simulator-style section at the end, which was slightly tamer than I was expecting, but still fun.

Exiting Snorri's lair, we continued on to to the Dutch area, and the park's biggest dark ride...

Piraten In Batavia
I was so looking forward to this ride! I still miss Pirate Adventure at Drayton Manor back in the UK (RIP), so could not wait to ride Europa's version. From the queue to the ride itself, it is simply stunning. The sets and animatronics are amazing, it's just an incredible attraction. An absolute must-ride at Euoropa Park, and one of my favourites!

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The entrance to Piraten in Batavia

And with that, it was time for our last ride of the day. We decided on the park's GCI wooden coaster, so we headed over to Iceland.

Wodan
Being a huge fan of Wicker Man, I was very excited to ride a bigger GCI! The queue line is really interesting, taking you through different "realms", and you also go through the support structure which is cool. Also, the entrance arch is huge! The ride itself is super fast and action-packed, so much so that I found it a bit too much this first time. I would get more rides on it over the next couple of days, though, which were more enjoyable. It's a fantastic woodie!

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Wodan's awesome entrance arch!

So, that was it, our first day in Europa Park was over! We went back to our hotel to ponder about dinner, and eventually decided to go to Pizzeria La Romantica for a second time as it's the only resort restaurant within our price range and the other place we'd looked at wasn't open on Tuesdays. This time I had a margarita pizza, with added tuna (they don't do sweetcorn, sadly), and a couple of my group had the lasagna bolognese, which I'd recommended.

After dinner, we spent a bit of time in Bar Commedia, and I took a walk up to the amphitheatre. Before long, though, it was time to turn in for the night and get some rest before our second day in the park, especially because I'd decided to head in earlier for the hotel guest early ride time. We had an absolutely amazing first park day, and I couldn't wait for day 2! I hope you've enjoyed reading this first part of my report, and stay tuned for part 2 soon!
 
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Great report @Skyscraper; it sounds like you had a really nice first day! I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on Blue Fire and Voltron in the coming entries!

You would also have made us very jealous, as we really wanted to stay in Colosseo when I went 3 years ago (albeit Castillo Alcazar was still lovely)! I wholly agree that the Pizzeria de Romantica is lovely, and from vague memory, I think I might have eaten and enjoyed that very same lasagne that you talk about!
 
Great report @Skyscraper; it sounds like you had a really nice first day! I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on Blue Fire and Voltron in the coming entries!

You would also have made us very jealous, as we really wanted to stay in Colosseo when I went 3 years ago (albeit Castillo Alcazar was still lovely)! I wholly agree that the Pizzeria de Romantica is lovely, and from vague memory, I think I might have eaten and enjoyed that very same lasagne that you talk about!
Thanks Matt, much appreciated! I rode both Blue Fire and Voltron on day 2, so my thoughts on those will be in the next part 😊
 
It's always great to read a first-timer’s perspective on EP.

Coincidentally, this report dropped just after I'd booked to stay at Colosseo myself, just before Christmas. The countdown is on...
 
Part 2- Day 3 (second park day)

It was an early start for me and one other member of my group, as we got ready to enter the park during the hotel early entry window. The rest would be joining a little later. Heading downstairs to breakfast, the queue was quite long as expected. Everyone understandably had the same idea as us! Just like the ride queues, though, it moved fast and we didn't wait long.

Breakfast done, we went back to the room to sort ourselves out, then it was time to head to the hotel guest entrance. There was a fairly big queue when we exited the underpass from Colosseo, but again it moved fairly fast. Now, when we got to the turnstiles I scanned my ticket, and after hearing the beep I tried to push through. I say "tried", because it wouldn't turn all the way! The staff member tried to scan my ticket again but it still wouldn't budge, so eventually I had to squeeze past the turnstile with it mid-rotation, and my friend had to do the same. We joked that I "broke" the turnstile!

Finally in the park, I decided to head to a nearby ride that had been closed the previous morning...

Tiroler Wildwasserbahn

This is a two-drop custom log flume, and it had been a while since I'd last ridden one. I do enjoy these classic Flumes, and this one is no exception! It is a shame that I never got to experience the original Diamond Mine version, but this version still looks great, with all the rockwork and adventure train around and above it. We got a little wet, but not too bad. We did get the chance to go around again, but I had already climbed out by the time the host had repeated himself in English (I thought he was telling us to climb out, of course). I didn't mind as I knew other members of my group would want to ride it later, and I wanted to get a certain coaster done before the end of early entry time.

Blue Fire

We headed to Blue Fire next, which I was really looking forward to! The queue for this original Mack launch coaster was fairly short, as was the front row queue, so we decided to wait for the front. I really enjoyed this ride; the launch is punchy but not too intense, it's super smooth, and the inversions are great! The addition of airtime is surprising as well, especially the hop into the mid-course brake, and the final inversion is mental as I was out of my seat going through it. A fantastic coaster, and one I could ride again and again!

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Blue Fire's overbank poking out from the trees

After Blue Fire, the rest of our group were still at breakfast, so we decided to do Wodan as it was right next door. Slightly longer wait this time, but the front row queue was short so we waited for that. I enjoyed it much more than yesterday's ride, it was great!

A short while after exiting Wodan, our group had entered the park, so we reconverged and decided on where to head next together. As the weather was so surprisingly warm, the decision was made to get all the water rides done first. Or first stop was the park's rapids ride.

Fjord River Rafting

I went in to this ride bricking it as I'd heard how wet it can be, but needn't have worried as we only got minor splashes. Although, we were very lucky and avoided the infamous geyser that's just after one of the bridges, otherwise it would have been a different story (another one would get us later... keep reading to find out)! The theming around the ride is beautiful though, and the animatronics in the lift hill shed (yes, really) are a nice touch.

Next, we headed to Portugal, for a certain big water ride...

Atlantica Supersplash

A couple of my group had nicknamed this Mack Supersplash "the big splashy one", and I could see why! 😂
It really is huge, towering over the area. The backwards section is interesting, and a bit pointless in my opinion, but the drop and airtime hill are fun. We didn't get too wet, just a light sprinkle. I know it depends on which seats you're in, though.

After Supersplash we took a walk back to Austria for Tiroler Wildwasserbahn, as two of my group wanted to do it. I certainly didn't mind another go! We then walked to Spain and jumped on another transport ride, en route to Greece...

EP Express

This is another great way to get around the park, it has stops in Germany, the Resort Hotels, Spain and Greece. There are trains every few minutes and each station has screens telling you how far away the next one is. You get some nice views from the large windows (unlike a certain theme park monorail here in the UK...), and it's just a great way to get between the different areas.

Arriving in Greece, it was time for our final "wet" water ride, in the form of the park's Mack Water Coaster.

Poisedon

My first Mack Water Coaster! I was looking forward to this but also a bit nervous as I'd heard things about it being a rough ride. However, I was pleasantly surprised as it was really smooth! Now, I did not know this ride was evil, but it is. Literally seconds after departing the station on our way to the first lift, a geyser went off and completely soaked us! The splashdowns didn't get us wet much at all (well, apart from one of us who was sat in the front), but that did. 😂
Apart from that, it was a good ride and I enjoyed it!

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Poisedon's station

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And a view of the ride

After that unexpected soaking, we decided to do the family coaster next to Poisedon, as that was a ride that we would all do together.

Pegasus

This is a nice little family coaster, I rode in the back row so got a bit of whip going over the first drop. A fun coaster that should not be skipped!

Having tamed Pegasus, we headed out of Greece and into the park's (current) newest area. That's right... It was finally time for Voltron!

Voltron Nevera

⚠️ Caution- Spoilers below. Scroll down to Atlantis Adventure if you want to avoid them ⚠️

This was it! Three of us entered the queue and prepared ourselves for the craziness that was upon us. To start off, the ride is huge, with the mess of track like spaghetti everywhere you look. The area is really nice, and the station building looks beautiful. You get some great views from the viewing area, which is straight ahead as you enter from Greece.

The theming in the external queue line is incredible (especially a certain water effect that you walk through), with so much to see. Voltron is themed around Nikola Tesla and his Tesla towers, although the ride's story is fictional.

Entering the indoor hall, the atmosphere is electric (literally!) There is so much going on and it can be quite overwhelming, so bear that in mind if you're sensitive. And that brings me to the ride's coolest and most incredible effect...

There are Tesla coils mounted on the ceiling, and every 10 minutes they play either the Voltron theme or the Adventure Club of Europe theme (a fictional organisation that links certain Europa Park attractions together). It alternates between the two. They are incredibly loud, you may want to cover your ears like we did! It's such a clever effect and fits the ride so well.

Other effects and theming features in the indoor queue include a Nikola Tesla animatronic that speaks in German, French and English, and a plug device that moves forward when a train enters the pre-launch section. There are shutters covering the aforementioned pre-launch section on the left-hand side, they usually close when a train enters but not always. It's advisable to look away from them if you don't know what's going to happen. If you look at the other side of the room, you'll see a train with members of the Mack family onboard- Basically, the premise is that you're being teleported from one side to the other.

Voltron features a double-sided locker system (Arthur does too, which I forgot to mention in part 1), and absolutely everything must go in it. Due to the intensity and nature of the ride you can't have anything valuable in your pockets. Make sure that at least one of you has a zipped pocket, though, as you receive a plastic card which you use to lock and unlock your locker.

After securing your belongings, you join a separate queue line that leads up to the station. We found that on Voltron and Arthur you're basically queuing for the lockers, as once you're past that point the queue moves even faster. Also note that if you have to use the lockers, guests who don't will pass you. If you don't have to use them, then you can go straight up the stairs yourself.

Finally you reach the station, and (again) just like Arthur Voltron uses a moving load station. Note that for this reason it is impossible to choose your row, it's complete luck of the draw. I think we got row three, but I was on the inside seat. Thankfully for me it was very smooth, but my sister sat on the wing seat and came off with a headache.

And so the ride begins! First up is the pre-launch section, which is very creative. This is the point that the aforementioned plug in the queue hall moves forward; You're being charged with electricity. First the seats vibrate, then the track bounces up and down a few times. You even get a bit of airtime which is surprising.

After that, you get launched out of the building and up the beyond-vertical section! It's a punchy launch, definitely put your head back for it. The subsequent experience is frankly insane; you get loads of airtime, and the hangtime on the inversions is mental. It's certainly a lot, and the breather offered by the turntable section halfway is welcome. The backwards launch is good, although I do kind of wish the backwards section was longer than just a spike. The double-up into the mid-course section in the second half is crazy, you really do get yanked! It is a relentless coaster.

Voltron is such a high-tech coaster as well; for example, the booster launch in the first half is really clever. Its primary function is to give you a speed boost for the following inversion, but it also functions as a block section to stop the train if the next block is occupied. If that happens, then the system will perform a swing launch (backwards then forwards) to get the train back up to speed to clear the next inversion.

It is a fantastic coaster, and my new favourite (Nemmy is still top in the UK for me, and always will be!)! It is simply a masterpiece. There is nothing like it!

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An overview of the Croatia plaza, with Can Can and Euro Tower in the background. Spot Ed and Edda, the mascots, too!

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A look at Voltron's first launch

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And the second inversion

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One of three corkscrews, with Euro Mir in the background

With Voltron finally done, we had some food before deciding that we needed something a bit more gentle. We headed back into Greece for a trip to Atlantis.

Atlantis adventure

First up was this interactive omnimover shooting ride. The targets are fairly easy to hit, and there are different colours for different amounts of points. Each car also has a joystick which you can use to turn the car towards the targets you want to aim for, although partway through there's a section where the cars automatically spin. So much so that it actually made me a little dizzy! 😂
Just bear that in mind if you don't handle spinning well. It's a fun little ride, though, and the soundtrack is great too.

Resurfacing from Atlantis, our next stop was the park's Vekoma Mack mad house.

Kassandra's Curse

It was certainly strange riding a mad house-type ride that wasn't made by Vekoma, but here we go! It was ok, but one of the weaker ones in my opinion. There is an effect in the seats though that (infamously) sets it apart from the others, I didn't feel it but at least one of my group did.

Having survived the curse, we walked the short distance to France for a ride in a glass lift.

Euro Tower

I'd never ridden one of these observation towers before, and was looking forward to the views we'd get from the top! If you've read part one, you will have seen some of the pics we took. It's a chance to have a sit down and admire the sheer size of the park. Certainly not a ride to miss!

After Euro Tower, we decided to do one more ride before leaving the park for a bit. We'd be back later for the final Spanish Arena show of the day.

Josefina's Magical Journey

That last ride was to be this lovely little tow boat ride on one of the park's lakes. I do love how the ride is visible from other areas of the park, and it's a nice relaxing few minutes. The back of each boat even features a picnic table, so you can use the time to have something to eat and drink if you wish. Definitely a ride I recommend doing if you need to relax or have a break from the coasters.

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Some of the theming on the lake, with a ride boat in the background and the Monorail above.

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More theming, with the station in the background.

And with that it was time to head out of the park for an hour, so we walked to the hotel guest gate in Spain. Interestingly you have to have your photo taken when you exit if you want to re-enter, and they scan your ticket to link it. We then went back to Colosseo to relax for a bit, before suddenly realising the time and making a dash back to the park. In hindsight we should have left a bit more time.

The Legend of Zorro

Luckily, the Spanish Arena is, well, in the Spanish area, so it wasn't far to walk from the hotel guest entrance. We entered the arena, and as we had cut it fine, the auditorium was pretty full. There were plenty of seats at the back, though, so that's where we went. Now, the aisles between each row are very narrow, and I stumbled at one point and fell, but thankfully I was ok.

The show itself was very good, and we all enjoyed it. I was surprised at how close the horses and actors got to the audience, especially with swords. You certainly wouldn't get that here in the UK, that's for sure! This was the only show we saw during our three days in the park (apart from the end of the parade the next day), and I would have liked to see more had time allowed. Definitely make time for the shows if you visit, they're high quality and well put together.

Leaving the arena, we exited the park for the last time that day and headed back to our hotel to think about dinner. We decided on the Food Garden in Rust, a short walk from the park, which was where we would have gone the evening before had it been open. I had a smash burger, and it was really good.

All fed, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest before our final park day. Thanks for reading to the end of part 2, and stay tuned for part 3 soon!
 
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It sounds like you had a great time @Skyscraper; I’ve really enjoyed reading these two reports!

Out of curiosity, did you do Euro Mir while you were there? That’s the one coaster I don’t seem to remember being mentioned in either of the reports so far.
 
It sounds like you had a great time @Skyscraper; I’ve really enjoyed reading these two reports!

Out of curiosity, did you do Euro Mir while you were there? That’s the one coaster I don’t seem to remember being mentioned in either of the reports so far.
We did Euro Mir on our third day! It'll be in the next part 😊
 
Part 3- Day 4 (final park day) and the morning of Day 5.

So this was it, our final day in the park (sob)! We were all up fairly early this time, and there was another long queue when we went down for breakfast. As usual, though, it moved quickly.

All sorted, we walked to the hotel guest entrance for one last time. Now, remember in part 2 that I "broke" one of the turnstiles the previous day? Well, lo and behold, it was closed off! We all joked that I'd cursed it. 😂🤦‍♂️

Finally in the park, I reserved a Virtual Line slot for Wodan. Then we headed to an area that we had yet to do... Russia! We started with the infamous "bench" ride.

Sleigh Ride Snowflake (Bench!)

This certainly has charm, and I can see why it's been nicknamed "bench"! It's quite an old ride so understandably the animatronics are a bit dated, but it's still a nice indoor ride to do. A good choice if you need a break between Voltron and Euro Mir, as it's close to both.

Talking of Euro Mir, that was to be our next stop.

Euro Mir (The disco coaster!)

This was our last major coaster to ride, and I was a little worried going in given its reputation as a rough ride. First, though, I must mention the soundtrack! It really is great, and gets you pumped for the ride. It will get stuck in your head, though (you have been warned).

This is also the most intense coaster at the park that you have to take bags on with you. I wasn't used to doing this so it was a bit strange, but the footwells are nice and roomy, so there's plenty of space. Just be mindful if you've got anything valuable. This ride has back-to-back seating, and I was facing forwards boarding.

So, on to the ride. It starts off with (another!) spiral lift hill and the aforementioned banging soundtrack, before then heading outside and slowly zigzagging around the iconic glass towers. You get some awesome views of Voltron from there! You keep spinning a bit whilst doing this before locking in place just before the first drop. If you're facing forwards for the first drop you'll be facing backwards for the rest of the layout (and vice versa), as the cars rotate 180 degrees after the first drop. Luckily I was facing forwards for the main layout, as it was easier to brace.

Now, unfortunately Euro Mir is extremely rough and janky, and the transition into the final brakes is brutal. For that reason I did not enjoy it much at all (sorry @Poisson). I was glad to have ridden it, though, as it is an iconic coaster and its future is now uncertain. The spiral lift, banging soundtrack and views from the top are fantastic and the best parts of the ride. Not one I'd rush back to, sadly.

After recovering from that bashing, we headed back to Iceland and Blue Fire, as a couple of my group hadn't ridden it yet. It was just as awesome as the previous day, and they enjoyed it as much as I did!

It was then time for our Virtual Line slot on Wodan. To use Virtual Line, you select the ride you want in the Europa Park App, then it will tell you your estimated call time. Once booked, it will count you down, then around 10 minutes before your slot starts, a QR code will appear, and you can head to the dedicated Virtual Line entrance. On Wodan you scan the QR code yourself on a reader, and it will unlock the turnstile for the number of tickets you have linked (you can link up to 10 in the app). On other rides, a staff member will scan it for you.

Wodan was great again, a fantastic woodie! We all rode this time, too, which was nice.

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Wodan's Virtual Line entrance

After Wodan, we decided to head to Luxembourg, via the park's smaller monorail.

Monorail

This was the last transport ride that we hadn't done. The walking distance between the Iceland and Luxembourg areas isn't that much, so we hadn't had the opportunity to utilise this yet. The carriages are very exposed, so you get some great views of the park.

Arriving in Luxembourg, it was time for the park's newest ride, which had only opened a few weeks before our visit.

Ed and Edda's Grand Prix EDventure

This is the prototype "Gameplay Theatre" from Mack, a new type of shooting dark ride. It involves a large turntable with sets of cars mounted to it, and each set of cars is separated by a partition. In addition, the cars are double-sided, with back-to-back seating, and they have a partition between each row as well. Three half-cars are loaded at a time (four riders per side, so 12 board at a time), and there's a separate unload station. The turntable rotates the cars into the different scenes, and the cars themselves rotate on their axis. Some scenes are inside the wheel, and some are outside, and you switch sides each rotation.

It's a clever ride system, but unfortunately the execution in this case is really poor. To start off, the theme and theming are just bad. It just looks really out of place amongst the rest of the park. The blasters are very bulky and for some reason utilise a pull-cord which is really hard to, well, pull. The partitions don't always work, and you can see and hear other scenes when you start to rotate. Edventure is completely screen-based, apart from the very last scene. The screen quality is poor, and the first scene especially keeps looping until you move. The blasters are hard to aim, and it's not always clear where you're aiming, plus they're not very responsive. You also have to pull them towards you once you're seated, it's not obvious and they're quite stiff and hard to move. Another issue is EDventure is so bright, which makes it easy to see the other scenes when you're waiting to board or rotating.

It's a shame as the queue is well themed, although the TV van front entrance just looks tacky. I only really rode as I would be riding the second Gameplay Theatre just over a week later, Ghostly Manor at Paulton's, so I could compare them. GM just blows Eventure out of the water. For a start, GM is much darker, which makes it harder to see the other scenes in the station or when you're rotating.

As others have said in the EDventure topic, it's just a huge miss from a park that usually gets everything right when it comes to immersion and theming, which is a real shame. If the queue is short it's worth doing once to see how bad it is, but if the queue is longer than 10 mins then don't bother.

After the disappointment of EDventure, my sister and I wanted to ride Silver Star again, so we did just that. We got to the station after waiting a fair bit longer than last time, and were told to go to row three by the onload host (was a shame as I'd hoped to get the middle or back). This brings me to one of the only issues I encountered during my time in the park.

Some of the coasters, including Silver Star and Swiss Bob Run, did not have a batcher. This resulted in a free-for-all with pushing, shoving, and confusion, especially on Silver Star with its high capacity. Silver Star was great again, though! Super smooth and so enjoyable.

Exiting Silver Star, we then did Can Can Coaster. Again, such a super fun indoor coaster! Next, we headed to Italy for a charming dark ride we had yet to do...

Piccolo Mondo

This is another nice little dark ride, with gondola-shaped cars that take you through famous Italian cities and their culture. Another attraction that anyone can enjoy!

After our gondola adventure, we went for a flight on DaVinci's flying machines.

Volo Da Vinci

This is a suspended monorail-type ride, with open vehicles which give great views of the Italian and German areas. The cars move electrically around the circuit, but there are pedals for each row which rotate the sails that are mounted above.

Next, we headed to the park's main gift shop on the main entrance street in Germany for some merch! I bought an EP mug and a Voltron snow globe.

I also have some EP plastic cups that we forgot to get reimbursed. When you purchase your first poured drink at an outlet, you pay a €2 surcharge for the reusable cup, then every time you buy another drink they refill your reusable cup instead of giving you a disposable cup every time. Then later on you can decide to either return it to a kiosk and get your deposit back, or keep the cup as a souvenir.

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The Voltron snow globe

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And the EP mug

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And the reusable plastic cups. No one else in my group wanted to keep theirs, so I happily kept them all! If I ever get back to EP I'll take them with me to use again.

After purchasing our items, I suggested doing the two little boat rides in Germany.

Puppet Boat ride

First up was this one. You sit in small circular boats seating four passengers, and slowly float past scenes depicting different fairytales. It's a relaxing trip, and the landscaping is nice too.

Elf Ride

This is another relaxing boat ride, this time through the realm of the elves. It even features a nice indoor section. Now, the boats seat six passengers, and we had two in the back, two in the middle and one in the front. We must have been off balance, as when we went around the first corner the boat tipped precariously to one side, making us all jump! 😂
Certainly a memory I won't forget, that's for sure!

Next, we decided to head to Arthur, as I'd expressed desire to ride it again after enjoying it so much on our first day. On the way, though, we walked through Ireland, and I decided to give the park's rocking tug ride a go.

Dancing Dinghie

I quite enjoy these types of rides, and this one was good. The theming is nice, and it has a fairly long cycle as well.

Whilst in Ireland, I did think about doing Baa Express (the park's kiddie coaster) as it was walk-on, but couldn't bring myself to in the end.

Exiting Ireland, we continued on to the Minimoy's Kingdom and joined the queue for Arthur. It was substantially longer this time, but still moved fast as usual. Hugely enjoyable, just like our first ride!

After Arthur, we decided to do Voltron next. To get there, we also decided to take it easy and walk to England for the Panoramabahn to Russia. On the way, though, we caught the end of the parade! The floats are stunning, and there are so many of them as well. Reaching the station, we found that the Pamoramaban was paused due to the parade, so feeling peckish, I bought a tempting cookie from the bakery on the platform. It was white chocolate and raspberry, and delicious! :yum:

With the parade over, the train arrived, and we hopped on. Arriving in Russia, three of my group wanted to ride Euro Mir again, so they did that first. I decided not to join them as I didn't enjoy our earlier ride on it.

After they rode Euro Mir, it was time for me and one other to ride Voltron again! I was on the inside seat just like last time, and we were definitely row three this time. It was just as awesome as our first day! This turned out to be our longest queue of the trip, at just under 40 minutes (and more extensions were open), but again, the queue moved super fast.

Leaving Voltron, it was time to start heading to the hotels exit for the last time, via one last ride on the way. We chose Pirates in Batavia as a few of us had been wanting to do it again. It was walk-on as well, as we were approaching ride close. It was brilliant, just like our first day, and we all agreed that it was a fantastic ride to end on!

Just a note on the close times; EP advertise a minimum close time every day, which was 6 pm for all three days, then in the early afternoon, they look at the crowd level and will extend it if they feel they need to. The app will be updated (plus a push notification sent out) and there will be an announcement around the park, and all rides will display the final closing time on a sign in their stations. I thought the latter was really good, as not everyone will know to check the app or hear the announcement.

So, it was finally time to head to the exit. However, I noticed that we were heading the wrong way, and towards Greece, so I suggested that we got the EP express out of the park. This was something I'd been wanting to do, so I was glad we were able to. We headed into Greece and (eventually) found the station entrance, then the train arrived. We boarded, and left the park for the last time.

I did feel emotional when we pulled into the hotels station, I'd be lying if I said I didn't! The last three days had been incredible, and it was sad that it had to come to an end. It wasn't quite the end, though, as tomorrow we would be going into Basel for a few hours, before flying home in the late evening.

Back at Colosseo, it was time to think about dinner. My sister and I took a walk to the nearby Lidl and Edeka supermarkets to look for something for me. I settled on a margarita pizza from the bakery, plus a strawberies and cream flavour chocolate bar. For drinks, I bought a bottle of Lift (fizzy apple drink), which I'd tried in the park and really liked, plus a bottle of Mezzo Mix (German speciality that's basically a cross between Coke and Fanta) that I'd been wanting to try but hadn't had the chance yet. They would both be handy for the next day, as well. All were really nice!

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This had a strong flavour, and so was delicious

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This was really nice too, basically fizzy apple juice

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This was super, super sweet, but really nice

We had decided to have a later start for our checkout day, so I decided to stay up later than the last few nights. I joined a few of my group at Bar Commedia, then we went to the Amphitheatre to watch the fountain show in the dark.

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The plaza looks beautiful at night

After the last show, it was time to get ready for our final night in the hotel.

Morning of Day 5

So, our departure day had arrived! We had breakfast, then packed our stuff. I tried to check out on the EP hotels app, but it wouldn't let me as it said I had a bill to settle and to go to reception. I'd had an email the day before saying this, but when I went to check the balance online, it said there was nothing to pay. I went to reception, and it turned out that I'd somehow paid too much and they refunded just over 12 Euros! No idea how that happened, but oh well.

We then packed the hire car and got ready to leave the resort and head back to the airport to drop the car off. Stay tuned for part 4, which will detail our time in Basel and travel home. First, though, my final thoughts on Europa Park;

EP final thoughts

Where do I start?! The park is beautiful, and so well-kept, with fantastic theming and water features throughout. You really don't have to be into coasters or rides in general to enjoy this park! The operations are stellar, I simply could not believe how fast the queues move! The ride lineup is simply excellent, sublime coasters mixed with incredible dark rides, and some of the latter always being walk-on. You can always be sure that there is something that does not have a wait. It's such a well-connected park, with three excellent transport rides which I highly recommend using throughout your stay. EP was on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and I was certainly not disappointed. I'm so glad that I chose it, and me and my group now have amazing memories! The only negative at all was the lack of batchers on some coasters, as I mentioned earlier.

Hotel Colosseo is also beautiful, and I'm so glad we stayed there. The only downside, of course, being the noise of the plaza from the Deluxe rooms. Just something to bear in mind if you're looking at choosing it.

Favourite coaster: Voltron
Favourite dark ride: Piraten in Batavia

My top 10 EP coasters:

1. Voltron
2. Arthur
3. Can Can Coaster
4. Silver Star
5. Blue Fire
6. Wodan
7. Poisedon
8. Pegasus
9. Matterhorn Blitz
10. Alpen Express

Thanks for reading part 3, and stay tuned for part 4 soon!
 
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Some of the coasters, including Silver Star and Swiss Bob Run, did not have a batcher. This resulted in a free-for-all with pushing, shoving, and confusion, especially on Silver Star with its high capacity.
They had a batcher on Silver Star during COVID but due to the insanely high capacity they never really get a chance to rest. This was with restrictions in place too (I don’t recall whether groups had to distance or not on rides) but going back to how it is now I’m not sure a batcher would cope! I agree the station is a shambles though but not sure what the solution would be.

Schweizer Bobbahn I agree with too. The station experience is always unpredictable due to not knowing how many people are riding together in a car. A batcher would help this massively but then it’s also not a hugely popular ride (personally my least ridden coaster after Baa-a-a Express) so you just have to let it do its thing I suppose!
I went to reception, and it turned out that I'd somehow paid too much and they refunded just over 12 Euros!
Strangely enough I had this, to about the same amount, when I stayed at Bell Rock a couple of years ago. No idea why as we’d paid in advance and had nothing charged to the room but they called me up when on our way home to say they owe me money. Roland provides!
 
Love the review. Can part 4 have some statistics pretty please? Ride/attraction count per day? How many different attractions were done excluding rerides// reride count too? Love these insights from people's visits.

How do you keep track of your visit? I use keep note and also Google maps on desktop has handy location telemetry so I know exact places if I've missed something.
 
Love the review. Can part 4 have some statistics pretty please? Ride/attraction count per day? How many different attractions were done excluding rerides// reride count too? Love these insights from people's visits.

How do you keep track of your visit? I use keep note and also Google maps on desktop has handy location telemetry so I know exact places if I've missed something.
Of course! I'll have a look and tot it all up later, and post it separately to part 4 as that part won't concern Europa. I did start doing it at the end part 3 but ran out of patience.

I used a notes app on my phone to keep track of the rides we did, although I did have to study the map back in the hotel in the evenings as I didn't always get around to marking them down. 🤦‍♂️
 
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So, by request of @Manchester1894, here are some statistics from my three days in the park...

Ride count per day
Day 1

- Alpen Express
- Arthur
- Queens Diamond's laser maze
- Swiss Bob Run
- Matterhorn Blitz
- Madame Fruderich's Curiosities
- Can Can Coaster
- Silver Star
- Castello Dei Medici
- Voletarium
- Panoramabahn (Germany to Spain)
- Snorri Touren
- Pirates in Batavia
- Wodan

Day 1 total: 14 (no re-rides)

Day 2
- Tiroler WildWasserbahn
- Blue Fire
- Wodan (RR)
- Fjord Rafting
- Atlantica Supersplash
- Tiroler WildWasserbahn (RR)
- EP Express (Spain to Greece)
- Poisedon Water Coaster
- Pegasus
- Voltron
- Atlantis Adventure
- Cassandra's Curse
- Euro Tower
- Josefina's Magical Journey
- Spanish Arena show (Zorro)

Day 2 Total: 15 (inc 2 re-rides)

Day 3

- Sleigh Ride Snowflake
- Euro Mir
- Blue Fire (RR)
- Wodan (RR)
- Monorail (Iceland to Luxembourg)
- EDventure
- Silver Star (RR)
- Can Can Coaster (RR)
- Piccolo Mondo
- Volo Da Vinci
- Puppet Boat Ride
- Elf Ride
- Dancing Dinghie
- Arthur (RR)
- Panoramabahn (England to Russia) (RR)
- Voltron (RR)
- Pirates in Batavia (RR)
- EP express (Greece to Hotels) (RR)

Day 3 ride count: 18 (inc 9 re-rides)

Total ride count

Excluding re-rides: 36
Including re-rides: 47


Not bad for three days, eh! If there's anything that anyone wants to know, feel free to ask!

Forgot to mention in part 3 that the close time was extended on all three of our days:

Day 1: 30 minutes (18:30)
Day 2: 30 minutes (18:30)
Day 3: 60 minutes (19:00)

We spent the most time in the park on day 3.
 
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So, by request of @Manchester1894, here are some statistics from my three days in the park...

Ride count per day
Day 1

- Alpen Express
- Arthur
- Queens Diamond's laser maze
- Swiss Bob Run
- Matterhorn Blitz
- Madame Fruderich's Curiosities
- Can Can Coaster
- Silver Star
- Castello Dei Medici
- Voletarium
- Panoramabahn (Germany to Spain)
- Snorri Touren
- Pirates in Batavia
- Wodan

Day 1 total: 14 (no re-rides)

Day 2
- Tiroler WildWasserbahn
- Blue Fire
- Wodan (RR)
- Fjord Rafting
- Atlantica Supersplash
- Tiroler WildWasserbahn (RR)
- EP Express (Spain to Greece)
- Poisedon Water Coaster
- Pegasus
- Voltron
- Atlantis Adventure
- Cassandra's Curse
- Euro Tower
- Josefina's Magical Journey
- Spanish Arena show (Zorro)

Day 2 Total: 15 (inc 2 re-rides)

Day 3

- Sleigh Ride Snowflake
- Euro Mir
- Blue Fire (RR)
- Wodan (RR)
- Monorail (Iceland to Luxembourg)
- EDventure
- Silver Star (RR)
- Can Can Coaster (RR)
- Piccolo Mondo
- Volo Da Vinci
- Puppet Boat Ride
- Elf Ride
- Dancing Dinghie
- Arthur (RR)
- Panoramabahn (England to Russia) (RR)
- Voltron (RR)
- Pirates in Batavia (RR)
- EP express (Greece to Hotels) (RR)

Day 3 ride count: 18 (inc 9 re-rides)

Total ride count

Excluding re-rides: 36
Including re-rides: 47


Not bad for three days, eh! If there's anything that anyone wants to know, feel free to ask!

Forgot to mention in part 3 that the close time was extended on all three of our days:

Day 1: 30 minutes (18:30)
Day 2: 30 minutes (18:30)
Day 3: 60 minutes (19:00)

We spent the most time in the park on day 3.
Thank you. 36 new rides and attractions on one place is a great haul. Feel better for booking an extra day now (on the advice of this forum). Don't think I'll get on as many per day in summer time but gives me a great idea of what a typical day could look like
 
Including re-rides: 47
I think I did about this on my first day at EP alone… these days I average 20-25 rides a day but fully appreciate that hammering rides all day isn’t for everyone! I did think when reading your report that you’re taking the park quite gently - with EP that’s often the best way.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip report, it’s always good to hear back from people going on their first pilgrimage there. :)
 
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