The Big European Ticket Price Guide 2014

[AstroDan]

I have done this before, and I thought I would do it again! Based on the most recent attendance report available, here is how much it'll cost you to get in to Europe's most popular theme parks! Price shown is the standard gate price - but a lot of parks offer discounts online of up to 25% if you pay more than a week in advance.

For parks which operate an entry/wristband system, price shown is total for entry and rides. This applies to parks like Grona Lund and Liseberg.

Exchange rates based on the latest BBC rates.

Heide-Park, Germany
1.3 million guests per year
Adult £31.00

Duinrell, Holland
1.36 million guests per year
Adult £17.50

Mirabilandia, Italy
1.4 million guests per year
Adult £28.30

Gronalund, Sweden
1.4 million guests per year
Adult £39.70

Puy de Fou, France
1.6 million guests per year
Adult £27.50

LEGOLAND Billund, Denmark
1.65 million guests per year
Adult £34.60

Futuroscope, France
1.7 million guests per year
Adult £32.50

Parc Astérix, France
1.7 million guests per year
Adult £38.30

Phantasialand, Germany
1.75 million guests per year
Adult £37.50

THORPE PARK, UK
1.8 million guests per year
Adult £48.00

LEGOLAND Windsor, UK
2 million guests per year
Adult £46.80

Alton Towers, UK
2.4 million guests per year
Adult £48.00

Gardaland, Italy
2.7 million guests per year
Adult £31.25

Liseberg, Sweden
2.8 million guests per year
Adult £40.20

PortAventura, Spain
3.5 million guests per year
Adult £37.50

Tivoli Gardens, Denmark
4 million guests per year
Adult £33.40

Efteling, Holland
4.2 million guests per year
Adult £29.20

Europa-Park, Germany
4.6 million guests per year
Adult £34.20

Disneyland Paris (Park Hopper)
11.2 million guests per year (Disneyland Parc)
Adult £61.70

This all makes me wonder. We all know Disney charge and arm and a leg because, well... it's Disney. People pay it regardless.

But, why oh why, does the UK seem to exist in some "bubble". Many parks in Europe offer discounts online, but these are usually in the order of 10-20%. Here however, Merlin have created a culture of 'getting it cheap'. It makes you wonder what would happen if they had genuine competition in Britain, like they do in Italy and Germany - because you don't see Heide-Park, LEGOLAND Billund and Gardaland charging £48 to get in and running BOGOF campaigns all the time!

 

[Sam]

Put that data into a chart, hope it's helpful.

 

[Scott]

It's striking when you see the three British parks together, a step above everyone else and behind only Disney.

Taking Disney out of the equation (as everyone knows they're expensive) it makes our parks more expensive than everyone else - and that's including the poor euro exchange rate!

 

[Harv]

It's striking when you see the three British parks together, a step above everyone else and behind only Disney.

Taking Disney out of the equation (as everyone knows they're expensive) it makes our parks more expensive than everyone else - and that's including the poor euro exchange rate!

Tbf, Merlin do shove out about as many 241 deals as possible. If anyone visiting in a pair or in a four pays full price, then they're being silly. Although I agree that it is odd in comparison to the other European parks.

 

[Benzin]

Even the Swedes are cheaper!

And you'd certainly argue a case for value for money comparatively...

 

[AstroDan]

I just don't know why Merlin UK have taken themselves down this route of extortionate gate price and flooding the market with BOGOF...

 

[IanB]

The biggest problem with the BOGOF vouchers is that they can not be booked online, and therefore Merlin can not plan for guest numbers.

They need to be phased out gradually. Maybe start with 40% off at the gate, 50% off when booked 7 days in advance online. And then the year after reduce the ticket price to £30 with 20% off if booked online within 7 days of a visit to allow guests to pay the same as what they did the previous year.

Sadly, I don't think we will ever see a stop to BOGOF vouchers, and it would not surprise me if the ticket price passes £50 this year.

Ian

 

[jon81uk]

I just don't know why Merlin UK have taken themselves down this route of extortionate gate price and flooding the market with BOGOF...

They have already conditioned everyone to want the vouchers so much they can't stop. Someone was telling me one season when Thorpe tried lower pricing with less vouchers their admissions dropped by a third. Also it's free advertising really, if you go to supermarket and cereals and pizzas are all covered with logos for your theme parks. I think the main smaller UK parks (Pleasure Beach, Drayton Manor) are around £24, or the same as a Merlin park with a 2for1 so the vouchers do seem to keep everyone else's prices down.

But I agree it would be much better if they stopped and simply charged a reasonable price. They seem to be trying different tactics again this season. With Thorpe offering a free upgrade to a season pass with every full price ticket. and Chessington adopting a new family ticket pricing structure this year where all tickets are same price if you have 2 or more people (but 2for1 still works out cheaper). I think Thorpe have the better idea as £48 for a one park season pass is quite a good price.

I find DisneyWorld pricing interesting too, after the 6th it's only $10 per additional day. This is to put people off visiting Universal/SeaWorld as why spend $100 plus on the other parks when you have extra time at Disney for a lot less. But then it's attracting people into hotels that is the big thing in Florida, trap people at your resort and you have all their money.

 

[Rob]

The main reason for the high gate prices at Merlin parks in the UK is BOGOFs. Merlin have developed somewhat of a BOGOF culture in the UK that is going to be very hard to get out of. They make people feel like they are getting a good deal when they go to the parks, I'd imagine a significant number of people who do use them wouldn't visit if they had to pay either online or on the day, even if these prices were cheaper. It's a shame but it's just how it is now. It probably also forces smaller UK parks to do similar promotions to just try and compete, resulting in a loss of income for these smaller parks.

And of course, as has been mentioned, BOGOFs on different products are also great markering opportunites. They aren't going away sadly.

 

[smudge]

I don't know how it works exactly, but it really does make sense from my perspective to carry on with the Bogof deals instead of the lower admission price. I wouldn't be surprised if merlin are approached by companies WANTING the opportunity to offer these vouchers. Both parties benefit; merlin get free advertising (basically) and people will buy the promoted products (when they may not have originally) to pick up the vouchers.
Even the end consumer (us/the GP) is happy because they feel they have a great deal. (Which they do have - £23 for a day at AT IS good value!)

 

[thefatone]

The biggest problem with the BOGOF vouchers is that they can not be booked online, and therefore Merlin can not plan for guest numbers.

They need to be phased out gradually. Maybe start with 40% off at the gate, 50% off when booked 7 days in advance online. And then the year after reduce the ticket price to £30 with 20% off if booked online within 7 days of a visit to allow guests to pay the same as what they did the previous year.

Sadly, I don't think we will ever see a stop to BOGOF vouchers, and it would not surprise me if the ticket price passes £50 this year.

Ian

It's an interesting one - Thorpe are targetting with cheap online and really cheap annual passes this year, and chessie are doing 'cheap' group tickets. Both seemingly aimed at reducing BOGOFs and increasing online (using BOGOFs only to increase awareness of the brands).

Be interesting what'd happen.

 

[Scott]

Of course, when you take the BOGOF price it makes Alton fairly good value compared across Europe. Even so without BOGOF but with the online price.

The issue is that you just aren't going to step away from them easily. Everyone has been conditioned into a culture of looking for a cheap day out at a Merlin park. How many people don't research the actual price but just look for a voucher? If they can't find a voucher will they just not go? Or if they turned up and found the price a flat £24 would they think it was expensive because they hadn't used a voucher?

 

[Rob]

The issue is that you just aren't going to step away from them easily. Everyone has been conditioned into a culture of looking for a cheap day out at a Merlin park. How many people don't research the actual price but just look for a voucher? If they can't find a voucher will they just not go? Or if they turned up and found the price a flat £24 would they think it was expensive because they hadn't used a voucher?

That is the main issue with the BOGOF culter, it will be extremely hard to get away from it. If they ever do, they'll need to do it in a year when a big new attraction is opening to still pull in the guests, and probably need to be prepared for a few years of lower guest numbers whilst the park re-establishes its pricing.

Another issue with BOGOFs is that they do not cater for groups with odd numbers of people. So say a group of five people went; four of them could effectively get half price tickets whilst the fifth person has to pay the full £48.

 

[IanB]

It does not make a big difference, the UK Parks are still in the top 4, but when you take out VAT, it levels up a lot of the European Parks. It makes the Swedish parks look a lot better, dropping them in cost below Europa Park.

The biggest shock for me, is in Denmark, there is 25% VAT on park tickets, compared to 20% in the UK, and Legoland is still cheaper to get in to a Denmark, than the UK. I think I have the VAT right, but if anyone knows better, let me know, and I will update.

Chart below shows the Park, Ticket Price, VAT Rate, Park Location, Price without VAT, and amount of VAT collected by government.

Park Cost VAT Location Price - Vat VAT
Duinrell £ 17.50 6 Holland £ 16.45 £1.05
Puy de Fou £ 27.50 10 France £ 24.75 £2.75
Tivoli Gardems £ 33.40 25 Denmark £ 25.05 £8.35
Mirabilandia £ 28.30 10 Italy £ 25.47 £2.83
Legoland £ 34.60 25 Denmark £ 25.95 £8.65
Efling £ 29.20 6 Holland £ 27.45 £1.752
Gardaland £ 31.25 10 Italy £ 28.13 £3.125
Heide Park £ 31.00 7 Germany £ 28.83 £2.17
Futuroscope £ 32.50 10 France £ 29.25 £3.25
Gronalund £ 39.70 25 Sweden £ 29.78 £9.925
Liseberg £ 40.20 25 Sweden £ 30.15 £10.05
Europa Park £ 34.20 7 Germany £ 31.81 £2.394
Port Aventura £ 37.50 10 Spain £ 33.75 £3.75
Parc Asterix £ 38.30 10 France £ 34.47 £3.83
Phantasialand £ 37.50 7 Germany £ 34.88 £2.625
Legoland £ 46.80 20 UK £ 37.44 £9.36
Thorpe Park £ 48.00 20 UK £ 38.40 £9.6
Alton Towers £ 48.00 20 UK £ 38.40 £9.6
Disneyland £ 61.70 10 France £ 55.53 £6.17

Ian

 

[Benzin]

Bear in mind as well the general cost of living in Denmark (and how a bottle of coke costs like, £5), it's amazing how cheap their parks actual are in a comparative sense... Even with the VAT...

Scandinavia <3