EUROPA-PARK: TRIP PLANNING - NOT UPDATED SINCE EARLY 2020 DUE TO PANDEMIC
This will be updated for 2021 when it becomes clearer what the season and restrictions look like.
Prices based on exchange rate of £1.00 = €1.15. Please check latest rates as these fluctuate and will affect prices.
Introduction
This thread is designed to assist anybody looking at booking a short break to Europa-Park in Rust, Germany. The advice brings together a wealth of experience of our members in visiting Europa-Park frequently since 2004. If you need to ask a question or discuss any aspect of your trip planning, please feel free to post in this topic and somebody will get back to you!
EUROPA-PARK LOCATION: Click
here
Background
Europa-Park is one of the biggest theme parks in the world, with more rides than any other in Europe, and is currently its most visited seasonal theme park - that is, a park which is closed for part of the year. It attracts 5.7 million guests every year, beaten in Europe only by Disneyland Paris.
In 2020 - Europa-Park adds new experiences, accommodation, live shows, park infrastructure improvements and the complete rebuild of the massive dark ride: Piraten in Batavia!
It has, very recently, been voted the best theme park in the world by Amusement Today's
Golden Ticket Awards, an American based industry magazine awards showcase, which placed Europa-Park ahead of everyone else - including Disney resorts worldwide! It is also a TripAdvisor winner, as one of the highest rated theme parks in the world.
Yet, in spite of all of this acclaim, Europa-Park remains a little known resort to those of us in Britain. Advertising only within certain regions of Germany, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland, Europa-Park is a hidden gem in Europe for Brits travelling abroad. Unlike PortAventura, Disneyland Paris, Parc Astérix and, to a lesser extent, Efteling, Europa-Park is a relative unknown on our shores.
Calendar
In general, Europa-Park opens for the main season just before Easter and closes at the start of November, although these dates, much like parks in the UK, can vary depending on school holidays and dates of religious festivals. For the 2020 season, the park
opening is DELAYED due to the public health pandemic - the park closes on 8th November. It then re-opens for the winter season on
Saturday, 28th November, although some rides, including Fjord Rafting and Atlantica Super Splash are closed. Other rides, such as Silver Star, Blue Fire, Poseidon and Tirol Log Flume are subject to a minimum operating temperature. The end of winter season is
Sunday, 10th January 2021. The Europa-Park water park -
Rulantica - is open daily.
Please note that Europa-Park and Rulantica are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
How long do I need?
When visiting the resort as part of a short break or holiday, you should consider a minimum of 2 full days on the theme park and the majority of a day at Rulantica. However, 3 days in the theme park is recommended as this will allow you sufficient time to use hotel facilities such as the included hotel gyms, swimming pools and spas, together with all of the 60 rides and attractions (of which 13 are rollercoasters) and many, many shows. There is also a wide range of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets.
Daily hours for Europa-Park
The park opens early compared to most European theme parks. During the main season (April-November), 95% of rides operate from 9:00am, although access to the main "German Alley" entrance street is from 8:30am (sometimes earlier, if the park is expected to be busy). Depending on how busy the park is expected to be, guests are then held at the top until full opening at 9:00am or, on busier days, selected rides in Germany and Italy will open earlier (including Voletarium) although you will be unable to pass these areas into the rest of the park until 9:00am. Park ride close is announced in the early afternoon each day depending on how busy it is. This can vary any time from 6:00pm up to 9:30pm. The main "German Alley" does not close until 1 hour after the rides, and the EP Express Monorail runs until around midnight every day. You can keep an eye on the latest park hours
here on our forum.
Remember: There are a lot of rides at Europa-Park that never get queues over 15 minutes - due to physical queue line space or otherwise. These include the majority of indoor dark rides. So don't worry! Even if it's busy, there's still lots to do without waiting long! Also: queues tend to be much quieter on major rides for the first and last hours of the day.
Here is a rough guide for the longest queues you can expect on rollercoasters and larger water rides:
If Europa-Park closes at 6:00pm or 6:30pm, this is a
quiet day (expect queues of up to 30 minutes)
If Europa-Park closes at 7:00pm or 7:30pm, this is a
medium day (expect queues of up to 50 minutes)
If Europa-Park closes at 8:00pm or 8:30pm, this is a
busy day (expect queues of up to 70 minutes)
If Europa-Park closes at 9:00pm or 9:30pm, this is a
very busy day (expect queues of up to 100 minutes)
The longest queues are generally found on Matterhorn Blitz, Wodan, Arthur, Eurosat Can Can Coaster and Blue Fire. Although on hot, sunny days - add Poseidon, Fjord Rafting and Atlantica Super Splash to the list. Voletarium has a free return fastpass service is in use on this ride which you may wish to consider. It operates in a similar to way to the Disney system and is free of charge.These tickets do run out, so get there early to grab yours!
Information boards are updated around the park, staff on roller skates carry signs with the latest close time, and it can also be found at the top of the
Europa-Park Website homepage - this is updated after lunch every day. During the winter season, the park opens from 11:00am and closes from 7:00pm.
Daily hours for Rulantica
Rulantica operates a much simpler schedule than the park. The Europa-Park waterpark, which opened just last year, opens daily at 9.00am for anybody staying in one of the six Europa-Park resort hotels and at 10.00am for all other guests. It closes daily at 10.00pm with exception to New Year's Eve, when it closes at 7.00pm. Please be aware that Rulantica operates daily. There is no closed period with exception to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Rides and Attractions at Europa-Park
Europa-Park boasts over 60 rides - both big and small which includes
13 rollercoasters:
Eurosat Can Can Coaster - a large indoor rollercoaster from Mack Rides, re-opened 2018 after extensive remodelling - ideal for family/thrill seekers
Ba-a-a Express - a children's rollercoaster from Mack Rides, opened 2016 - ideal for young children
Arthur in the Minimoys Kingdom - an indoor powered coaster from Mack Rides, opened 2014 - ideal for the whole family
Wodan - a wooden coaster from Great Coasters International, opened 2012 - ideal for the family/thrill seekers
Blue Fire - a launched coaster from Mack Rides, opened 2009 - ideal for the family/thrill seekers
Pegasus - a family/kiddie coaster from Mack Rides, opened 2006 - ideal for the whole family
Atlantica Super Splash - a water coaster from Mack Rides, opened 2005 - ideal for the whole family
Silver Star - a mega coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard, opened 2002 - suitable for thrill seekers only due to height restriction
Poseidon - a water coaster from Mack Rides, opened 2000 - ideal for the whole family
Matterhorn Blitz - a wild mouse coaster from Mack Rides, opened 1999 - ideal for the whole family
Euro-Mir - a spinning coaster from Mack Rides, opened 1997 - ideal for the family/thrill seekers
Schweizer Bob Bahn - a bobsled coaster from Mack Rides, opened 1986 - ideal for the whole family
Alpenexpress - a powered coaster from Mack Rides, opened 1984 - ideal for the whole family
Eurosat and Alpenexpress also offer a Virtual Reality ride (Coastiality) experience for an additional charge.
There are also many water rides - including a log flume, rapids ride and splash battle. A range of dark rides, carousels and other rides complete the experience. Park transport is offered by the EP Express, Panorama Railway and Mini Monorail service.in
Rides & Attractions at Rulantica: The Europa-Park Waterpark
Rulantica opened in November 2019 and is the largest investment yet made at Europa-Park. It accompanies the new Hotel Kronasar, which has a Nordic theme and is based around a museum visit. Rulantica has a massive range of slides and attractions for the whole family. There are high intensity drop slides in Ragnakor, family raft rides in Vinterhal, a half pipe slide, , kids water pools and slides, wild water rivers, Germany's biggest wave pool, swim-up bars, a range of restaurants and much, much more. We highly recommend visiting this new experience. It is already being expanded, too - with the first new expansions due to open in 2021. Check out all rides and attractions
here.
Travel to Europa-Park from the UK
Driving:
Europa-Park is 430 miles from Calais, where you will arrive by ferry from Dover or by channel tunnel from Folkestone. It is around 7 hours driving time, which allows for 2 breaks of 30 minutes. Although a long way, it is easily achievable in one day, although with the journey down to Dover/Folkestone from your location in the UK, many stop off en route. The drive takes the form of two motorways, the A26 from Calais to Reims, and the A4 from Reims to Strasbourg. Beyond Strasbourg, you will enter Germany and it's only a short drive further, across the River Rhine to the resort. Based on past experience, you can leave the Midlands at 6:00am and be at Europa-Park by 8pm. Please note that French motorways are subject to road tolls, so you will need to pay these during your trip. It's worth having some change handy although bank cards are accepted. The total toll charge between Calais and Strasbourg via the A26/A4 currently stands at around €50 (£45) each way. You can drive via Belgium and save on the tolls, although it takes longer and the roads are busier, due to the fact you have to make your way around the ring roads of major cities including Brussels.
Flights:
Flying is a popular way to travel to/from Europa-Park. There are 2 well served airports within 60 miles of the resort (Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Basel-Mulhouse) and others further afield (Stuttgart). U
nfortunately, as of winter 2019, Ryanair have ceased flights to/from Strasbourg, which is a real shame as this was in fact the closest airport to Europa-Park. Please note that not all flights operate daily, so be sure to check the flight operator before you make any decisions about from where and to where you plan to fly.
You can fly to airports within the region of Europa-Park from Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, London Luton, London Stansted, London Heathrow and London Gatwick. Prices vary depending on airline, and transfers to the park also vary in terms of time/cost.
Airport distances to Europa-Park (approximate):
Karlsruhe Baden-Baden: Transfer via private shuttle or bus/train/bus
Basel: Transfer via private shuttle or bus/train/bus
Stuttgart: Transfer via private shuttle or train/bus (please note: this airport is considerably further afield and we have not included flights to this airport in the information below. We recommend comparison sites like
Skyscanner to check)
FLIGHTS TO/FROM KARLSRUHE/BADEN-BADEN:
London Stansted - Baden-Baden with
Ryanair.
FLIGHTS TO/FROM BASEL-MULHOUSE:
London Gatwick - Basel with
Easyjet.
London Luton - Basel with
Easyjet
London Stansted - Basel with
Ryanair.
London Heathrow - Basel with
British Airways.
Manchester - Basel with
Easyjet.
Bristol - Basel with
Easyjet
Edinburgh - Basel with
Easyjet.
Airport/Eurostar transfers to Europa-Park:
Costs for transfers to Europa-Park vary. You could hire a car from the airport if you wish.
We recommend you download the DB Navigator app. For a complete itinerary and departure times use this app or visit
www.bahn.co.uk with your departure as your arrival airport (e.g. Basel Airport or Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport) and destination as Europa-Park Hotel Resort, Rust. Prices are usually very good value although be prepared to change trains a couple of times as Europa-Park is in the countryside and not served by high speed rail directly! Group tickets are widely available and often offer the best value. As trains are regional, you are usually able to take any available train which is great news if you are running late. That said, some services from Basel SBB railway station which are designated IC or ICE *will* be tied to a specific train. RE trains (Regional Express) run by DB are usually flexible, local commuter services. Platforms are always available well in advance and German rail is very easy to use.
If you don't wish to use trains or shuttle buses, private shuttles start around €30pp (£27) each way, depending on how many people are sharing the shuttle. This can get expensive compared to using trains - especially for smaller groups and couples or individuals. However, they are very reliable and will time to suit your flight. If you are a group of 6+ then a private shuttle may well be highly appealing. They also take less time (Basel, for example takes 55 minutes by private shuttle or up to 2 hours by train/bus).
If you have any questions or concerns about making use of the German rail system, I recommend the London based call centre for Deutsche Bahn UK. These can be reached on 08718 808066, speak fluent English and will advise you accordingly with regards to the best value ticket for your journey and put your mind at ease.
International (Eurostar) Trains from the UK to Europa-Park
You can travel with
Eurostar and high speed TGV train from London to Strasbourg in around 6 1/2 hours. Costs vary, but you should use the Eurostar website and input your destination as
Strasbourg. From Strasbourg, you should purchase a “
Europass 24 hour” ticket from the blue ticket machines *or* via the DB Navigator app. Bus times from Ringsheim railway station to Europa-Park can be found
here.
Accommodation at Europa-Park:
There is an unprecedented range of accommodation for visiting Europa-Park. There are 5 on site hotels and each offers a unique theme style. Prices vary depending on your hotel choice - see 2017 prices below. There is also a Camp Resort, where you can stay in a more rustic environment, in a log cabin, tipi or chuck wagon with centrally located toilet and wash facilities. A Camp site is also available, for caravans, camper vans and tents. Off resort, there are dozens of B&B/guest houses/hotels in the village of Rust, a very short walk from the park entrance. For a guide to booking, see below.
Resort Hotel Resort Prices 2020 Prices shown for B&B.
Hotel Bell Rock & Hotel Krønasår
Based on 4 sharing In a 4-bed room: €89.50pppn = £78pppn
Based on 5 or 6 sharing in a 6-bed room: €80pppn = £70pppn
Hotel Santa Isabel & Hotel Colosseo
Based on 4 sharing in a 4-bed room: €85pppn = £74pppn
Based on 5 or 6 sharing in a 6-bed room: €76pppn = £66pppn
Hotel Castillo Alcazar & Hotel El Andaluz
Based on 4 sharing in a 4-bed room: €77pppn = £67pppn
Based on 5 sharing in a 5-bed room: €66pppn = £58pppn*
*this room type is available in Hotel El Andaluz.
Resort budget accommodation
Camp Resort (Tipi Village) (room only)
4-person Tipi: €100 = £88 = £22pppn
4-person Chuck Wagon: €120 = £109 = £26pppn
4-person Log Cabin: €120 = £109 = £26pppn
6-bed Tipi's and 6, 12 and 16-bed Log Cabin's are also available - price per person per night is the same as above
Please note that all accommodation in the Tipi Village requires your own sleeping bag. Pillows and a bottom sheet are provided for those in a tipi, chuck wagon or log cabin.
Camp, Caravan, Motorhome
Camping and caravanning is also available at the Camp Resort for very low prices. A tent without car costs €13 (£12) per night for any size tent whilst a motorhome or caravan or up to two tents with car parked on the site, costs €35 (£30) per 24 hour period! A great way to do the resort on a shoestring budget!
Breakfast in the Camp Resort is available priced at €10 (£8.50) per adult and €5 (£4.50) per child. Food and drinks are available through the day and evening from Cantina Amigo (low cost food in a Mexican environment) or Silver Lake Saloon.
To view all the official resort accommodation, or to book, visit
here. Please book well in advance, as often, accommodation is passed to third parties for sale - such as
Expedia. if you cannot find the accommodation availability you are looking for, please email direct with your query to
[email protected].
Off Resort
Booking.com is a great gateway to find local B&B accommodation near Europa-Park. Search Europa-Park. Ensure you select accommodation that is in the village of Rust. Most accommodation is within a 15 minute walk of the park entrance, and 20 minutes walk to the resort hotels - so you can still use the bars and restaurants as you so wish! There are also a small number of chain hotels in the village including
Moxy by Marriott and
Dormero. A
Holiday Inn Express can be found 5 minutes drive away in Ringsheim adjacent to the A5 motorway exit.
Park Tickets
View all prices, and book 1 or 2-day passes.
here. For 3-day passes, you can book these as part of a hotel package or on the day at the park. For additional days (I.e. 4-day passes), this can be bought at the resort hotels. You may wish to consider an Annual Pass if you are visiting for 4+ days. Annual Passes also give you exclusive discount vouchers and seasonal mailshots. Other benefits include one free entry to the theme parks: Blackpool Pleasure Beach (UK), PortAventura (Spain), Liseberg (Sweden), Phantasialand (Germany), Isla Magica (Spain) and Efteling (Holland).
2020 Adult 1-day ticket: €55 (£48)
2020 Adult 2-day ticket: €104 (£91)
2020 Annual Pass Price: €225 (£196)
If you wish to buy a 3-day ticket, then on your second day, please visit Guest Relations next to the park entrance where you can upgrade your ticket.
Early Ride Time[/I]
Hotel Guests (not camp resport guests) get Early Ride Time on selected rides from 8:30-9:00am. The rides offered depend on the time of year. In quieter periods, it may only be some smaller family rides - but almost always includes Feria Swing, Columbus Dinghy, Alpenexpress and Vienna Waveswinger. Other rides included can include Tirol Log Flume, Atlantica Super Splash and Blue Fire. During busy periods (weekends, holidays) you may be able to access the park earlier (8.15am) and rides can open before 8.30am. Just get there early if you want to be sure of fitting in those extra rides straight after breakfast!
Languages
Most staff speak German plus another language, usually French or English. Staff wear name badges which also have flags of the countries for the languages they speak. Do not be put off - if you do not speak German, you will have no difficulties. However, it may be useful to learn the basics such as "please" and "thank you".
Food and Drink
Europa-Park pride themselves on a high quality gastronomic experience. Eating on park can be a pleasure, whether you choose a themed experience in Switzerland at the Raclette Parlour, or the modern splendour of FoodLoop - which was the world's first restaurant where your food is delivered on looping rollercoaster track!
Typically, on park, a lunch at one of the mid-range self-service outlets (i.e. Fjord Restaurant in Scandinavia, See-Restaurant in Austria, FoodLoop in England, Pizzeria Venezia in Italy etc.) will set you back around €16 (£14) for a main course, dessert and drink. The burger/fast food outlets in Russia (Euro-Mir Burger), England (The Three Piglets) and Germany (Euro Burger), or the more 'light' options such as Bamboo Bay Wok Restaurant in Holland, Kaffi Hus and Moby Dick Hot Dogs in Iceland or the Colonial Restaurant in Adventureland will cost you around €9 (£8) with drinks. There are also sit down a-la-carte restaurants in the park, including SWR3 Rock Café in Germany (burgers, ribs, hot sandwiches), the historic Balthasar Castle in Germany (traditional German foods), and Restaurant Don Quijote in Spain (Spanish).
Soft drinks in the park cost around €3 (£2.60) depending on the size. You can also purchase bottled 500ml beverages from Coca-Cola, for around €3.40 (£3) - with €0.20 of the price as tax, which is returned if you return the empty bottle. A 1/2 litre beer (the equivalent of a pint in the UK) in the resort costs around €5.00 (£4.50). A glass of wine is around €5 (£4.50). Cocktails, which are available in some park outlets and across the hotel bars, generally cost between €9 and €15 (£8 and £13).
As for evening meals, costs vary a lot depending on where you go. The cheapest 'proper' restaurant run by Europa-Park is Silver Lake Saloon, which is at the Camp Resort - a 20 minute walk from the resort hotels via the perimeter access road. Food and service is excellent, and there is live music and/or entertainment pretty much every evening. It's a steak arena mainly, with burgers, steaks and salads. Prices for things like burger and chips are around €12 (£10) and the more premium steaks are more like €25 (£22). There is also Cantina Amigo at the Camp Resort, next door to Silver Lake. It's much cheaper - you can buy Bratwurst sausages, Chilli, basic burgers etc. with prices around €9 (£8) for most meals although it's far less formal.
The buffet restaurants at Hotel Colosseo, Hotel Castillo Alcazar and Hotel Bell Rock cost around €35 (£30) and the food is excellent and plentiful. Hotel Santa Isabel also has a buffet but this is more premium, costing around €45 (£39). The prices quoted are for unlimited food but do not include drinks. The a-la-carte restaurants in El Andaluz (Spanish influence) and Colosseo (Italian influence) will cost you around €40 (£35) for three courses. The a-la-carte restaurant 'Capains Finest' at Hotel Bell Rock will cost you around €60 (£52) for three courses and is more suited to things like steaks and fresh fish dishes. The premium restaurant is Ammolite at Bell Rock which has two Michelin stars. This will cost around €140 (£122) per person and is absolutely top class, first rate - one of the best restaurants in Germany!
Please be aware that at a-la-carte restaurants in Germany, starters are typically far more expensive than you would pay in the UK. Water is also expensive and the Germans seem reluctant to provide free tap water! Be warned!
Here's a quick guide on how to go about booking resort accommodation at EP:
The person booking the accommodation will find that no money is taken from your account at the time of booking. A credit/debit card number must be given, which is used in the case of a no show. You are free to cancel the reservation at any time up to 5 days before the stay. Unusually for a major resort, there is no charge for cancellation.
Unlike say, Alton Towers, prices for Europa-Park accommodation are set for the season and do not change (aside from New Years Eve).
You should book as quickly as possible, once you have decided to stay on resort. Europa's hotels run at a very high occupancy through the season and they are likely to be fully booked by the time you visit!
GET THE APP!
There is an app for iPhone and Android, available to download. It is updated throughout every day, with show times, ride close time, weather and the latest park news!
If you have any questions about any aspect of your trip to Europa-Park/Rulantica, please ask in this thread!
All prices shown in Pounds are subject to change depending on the exchange rate. Myself nor TowersStreet take any responsibility for inaccurate information![/I]
