10 Best Theme Parks in Europe

No theme park trip to Europe is complete without a visit to Europa-Park, located 45 minutes south of Strasbourg, France. The park is a marvel of first-rate thrills and old-world charms that have been a staple of the park since it opened in 1975. Franz Mack, head of Mack Rides, created the park after being inspired by a trip to Disneyland. Europa-Park has since doubled as Mack Rides’ showroom. Roller coaster prototypes at the park include the LSM launch coaster Blue Fire Megacoaster and last season’s high-thrill launch coaster, Voltron. Stateside, you can find Mack’s emergence into the U.S. market with rides like Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO, and Copperhead Strike at Carowinds, North Carolina. The park encompasses a staggering 13 lands based on European countries (not unlike EPCOT; there’s even a Spaceship Earth replica!), filled with more than 100 attractions.

Don’t miss the park’s meticulously themed ARTHUR family coaster and the Eurosat Coaster, now with a cheeky Phantom of the Opera musical theme. Plan to spend at least two days here as the 14 coasters are just the beginning of the must-do attractions like the Pirates in Batavia and Snorri Touren dark rides, both heavily influenced by Disney. The park offers a VirtualLine free virtual queue system to reserve your spot at certain rides, though it’s not mandatory. Europa-Park is an all-encompassing theme park destination with a remarkable line-up of attractions for all ages, well deserving of its hype as one of the best theme parks in Europe.

PortAventura World was built with big sights in mind, debuting in 1995 as Europe’s first theme park to challenge Disneyland Paris (formerly Euro Disney). Located an hour and fifteen minutes’ drive from Barcelona, PortAventura World continues to impress with its balance of Mediterranean flair and world-class thrills. Opt for the multi-park ticket as you will want to explore the nearby, related Ferrari Land and PortAventura Park, the central theme park. The must-do rides here include the steel hypercoaster Shambhala (one of the most acclaimed hypercoasters in the world), the steel coaster Dragon Khan (known as one of the most intense coasters in the world with eight head-spinning inversions), and Red Force in Ferrari Land, one of the fastest coasters in the world, reaching speeds of 112 mph. Lines can get long for these top three attractions, so consider getting there at rope drop, opting for the single rider line, or paying the additional fee for the Express Passes to skip the line. The park features other high-quality attractions to fill your day, including their live shows (Un Viaje Fascinante is stunning) and unique experiences like the new Hysteria in Boothill, which blends real-world environments with virtual elements to create a fully immersive paranormal adventure.

A fairytale fantasy brought to life, Efteling is most successful in creating enchanting themed experiences. Every attraction in this park is a win, from the picturesque Baron 1898, a dive coaster that plunges riders into a mineshaft, to Symbolica: Palace of Fantasy, a dark ride of epic proportions that glides you through an enchanted palace. Enchantment is a recurring theme throughout the park, with spells of wonder achieved with just about every detail. Save your paper waste for the gobbling Holle Bolle Gijs, larger-than-life cartoon characters with vacuum-suction mouths that gleefully ”eat” paper and other food products. Gather the family for the sweet Droomvlucht dark ride, a charming ride through an enchanted forest with a surprising finish. Aquanura is the park’s nighttime fountain show, and it’s so good it will bring a glimmering tear to your eye, lovingly bringing you back down from a day spent on cloud nine.

Set in central Gothenburg, Liseberg is a classic theme park with first-rate thrill rides and lush gardens, and it has been operating since 1923. Like Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and Prater in Vienna, Liseberg is easily accessible and a top city attraction woven into the local culture. The main draw here is the award-winning coasters. Helix is the park’s steel roller coaster with two powerful launches and seven inversions. The non-stop ride is the longest and fastest roller coaster in Scandinavia. Balder is the park’s acclaimed wooden coaster, which packs an intense yet smooth ride with plenty of thrilling airtime moments. Valkyria, Europe’s longest dive coaster, sends riders down a 164-foot vertical drop into an underground tunnel before soaring through three inversions. Liseberg offers a free virtual queue system allowing guests to book time to ride popular attractions in the park’s handy app, offering you more time to explore the park while waiting for your ride. Beyond the thrills, the park is the ideal city oasis with lush gardens, fountains, and art installations perfect for a saunter.

Alton Towers is England’s destination theme park, attracting coaster lovers with its six world-first roller coasters. The grounds have a remarkable history that dates back to the 8th century when Alton Towers was built as a fortress for Ceolred, King of Mercia. In centuries to come, the grounds were gatherings for local amusements, often low-fi acrobatic shows and firework displays. It wasn’t until 1980 that the park became what it is now, growing into the UK’s largest theme park. Alton Towers now spans 550 acres with more than 40 rides and attractions (including 10 roller coasters) filling 11 themed park areas.

The most adventurous coaster fans meet their match with The Smiler. This steel roller coaster broke world records in 2013, debuting with the most inversions on any coaster, and it still is unbeaten with a wild 14 upside-down elements. Th13teen (from 2010) was the world’s first free-fall drop coaster, soon replicated in coasters like Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Verbolten at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Nemesis Reborn is another park highlight, a 2024 update to the inverted roller coaster Nemesis. The park underwent a meticulous and extensive refurbishment, including a completely new steel track for a smoother and more reliable ride experience. The new ride is a rousing success, carrying on the legacy of one of the park’s most treasured coasters.

Distinctly and uniquely French, Parc Astérix delights with thrills and family fun, all inspired by the French comic book series Asterix. Located 40 minutes north of Paris, Parc Astérix attracts families with its top-ranking coasters and clever theming that harkens to The Simpsons’ satire and Monty Python’s historical flair. Toutatis is the park’s new main attraction, debuting in 2023 as France’s tallest (167 feet) and fastest coaster (68 mph) with four launches and 23 airtime moments, a record for the most in Europe.

OzIris is the other main draw at this lively park. The inverted roller coaster is smooth, intense, and well-themed with a playful comic book twist that adds a welcome dose of humor to the ride. Plan to arrive at the park as crowds quickly gather at Toutatis and OzIris. If you’re nervous about crowds (and it can get busy here, especially during weekends), Filotomatix, the park’s skip-the-line paid options, are worth the price. Especially with the sliding scale of line skip opportunities from a per-ride fee to unlimited access to all the attractions without the wait.

A bit off the coaster lovers’ European path, Erlebnispark Tripsdrill earns its spot on the list for its unique setting amidst the vineyards of Cleebronn. This remote park is located 40 minutes north of Stuttgart in a region in southern Germany renowned for its wine production. The thoughtfully designed park features over 100 attractions, a wildlife park, and themed accommodations while celebrating the area’s rich viticultural heritage. The attention to detail on every ride is stunning, especially on unique rides like Badewannen-Fahrt zum Jungbrunnen (Bathtub-Ride to the Fountain of Youth, where boats that resemble bathtubs bring riders on a whimsical flume ride. Karacho is a main coaster draw, with its exhilarating launch that propels riders from 0 to 62 mph in 1.6 seconds. Hals-über-Kopf is another top draw. This suspended thrill coaster has many unique airtime moments, multiple inversions, and a smooth ride experience. The line can get long for Karacho, so consider heading there first at rope drop or opting for the single rider line. Don’t pass up the chance to ride some of the park’s more unique rides like G’sengte Sau, one of the world’s greatest wild mouse coasters that barrels through an old Swabian castle and village, and Wiegen-Hochbahn, a pedal-powered monorail with cars fashioned to be giant baby cradles.

The newest of the lot, Energylandia, arrived in 2014 with a fierce determination to build a roller coaster empire. Located in Zator, Poland, about an hour from Kraków, Energylandia is now home to 20 roller coasters, the most of any European park. The park is now on the map for thrill-seekers, though Zadra, the park’s world-class RMC coaster, gets most of the attention. Zadra is a steel roller coaster on wooden supports, with a harrowing first drop at 90 degrees, followed by three inversions with speeds that hover around 75 mph. The other two top coasters at the park are: Hyperion, a wildly fast and intense steel coaster that reaches 88 mph, and Abyssus, a smooth and fast steel-launched roller coaster with speeds of 62 mph. Hyperion, Zadra, and Abyssus are the three headlining coasters and are best to be done first in the day to avoid the late-morning rush. The park’s app can also come in handy with specialized notifications that alert you when wait times drop on certain rides, helping you make the most of your time there.

Phantasialand understands how to fully immerse you in worlds. Located in Brühl, Germany, 30 minutes south of Cologne, the park’s attention to detail is stunning. One glimpse at the park’s two centerpiece coasters, Taron and F.L.Y., and you quickly realize this park is operating in its league. Taron is a world-class, multi-launch coaster built in an immersive rockwork and waterfalls world. The intricate design sends riders zig-zagging and crisscrossing paths for a wild ride that reaches speeds of 73 mph. F.L.Y. is the world’s first flying launch coaster, built within the steampunk world of Rookburgh and the park’s on-site hotel. Select rooms in the hotel feature prime viewing spots to capture the coaster’s two inversions and many banked turns. Mystery Castle is another attraction that should not be missed, as it is an intense drop tower that’ll shock even the most seasoned parkgoer. Plan and buy tickets for the days you plan to be there ahead of time, as the park caps admission on busier days.

Managing to be both Disney and distinctly European, Disneyland Paris attracts a global crowd of predominantly families to revel in the classic Disney storytelling magic. It’s conveniently located 40 minutes from Paris by car or train, making the park an excellent day trip option if you need to swap out a croissant for Mickey Ear Ice cream. The resort encompasses two parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. Opt to pay a little extra for entry into both parks per day. Similar to Disneyland California, the main landmark castle is Sleeping Beauty’s, though this one, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, is much larger in scale and more whimsical.

Don’t miss the chance to visit the fantastical dragon in the dungeon, a walk-through attraction underneath the castle. You’ll find many signature attractions from Disneyland here, though they all have unique touches with different ride experiences that are fun to compare. For instance, Phantom Manor is a darker, Western-themed version of Haunted Mansion, while Big Thunder Mountain here is set on an island and is one of the most thrilling versions of the ride in the world. The Pirates of the Caribbean is shorter here than in California and feels darker and moodier. The park’s Space Mountain is now known as Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, the most intense version of the ride in the world. The catapult launch coaster blasts you into a wild track that includes three inversions (a sidewinder loop and a corkscrew) with intensely tight turns in a pitch-black setting. This is the only Space Mountain in the world with inversions, so ensure all members of your group know that before boarding. Think of Disneyland Paris as the more relaxed, artistic, and quirky Disney theme park; worth a visit to experience its signature Disney magic.