AS a family, we absolutely love a theme park holiday – it’s a chance to escape everyday life – and, if we’re honest, the adults probably need that just as much as the kids do.
Whether it’s white-knuckle rollercoasters, splash zones, storybook castles, safari adventures or pint-sized rides for mini adrenaline junkies; Europe has a theme park for it all.
But when you consider ticket prices, crowds, endless queues and the familiar challenge of keeping every age group entertained, choosing the
right destination can feel less like a holiday and more like a logistical marathon.
I’m a travel expert and mum-of-two and I love sharing tips on my page Instagram @thetravelmum on how to travel the world without spending a fortune.
Here are my pick of Europe’s best family theme parks that strike a balance between adventure and convenience, and how to enjoy them without the stress.
Plus, the best cheap accommodation to stay in while you’re there.
Europa Park, Germany
At Germany’s largest theme park, and Europe’s second largest (behind Disneyland Paris) – you’re absolutely spoilt for choice.
There’s 21 lands all themed on a different country, with world-class rollercoasters, over 100 attractions and 20 different shows.
It’s also home to waterpark, Rulantica, where you could easily spend a day in itself. Here there’s more rides and slides, as well as a toddler splash pool and a spa area for those over twelve years old.
The scale of this park, which costs Adults (12+) €67.00 (£57) – €76.00 (£65) and Child/Senior: €56.50 (£47) – €65.00 (£55) for a one-day ticket, means you’re best to explore it over a few days – stay at one of the park’s six hotels – and it’s better suited to families with older children and teens.
Getting there: 6.5 hour drive from Calais.
The nearest airports are Strasbourg, Baden Baden and Basel.
Flights: Ryanair: London Stansted to Baden Baden – return flights August 6 to August 8 August 2026 (summer holidays) from £107 per person.
Easyjet: London Gatwick to Basel – is another route often offering cheap fares.
Accommodation: Stay on-site at the new Riverside Western Lodge – a comfort plus room coming in at £1,035.50 for a family of four, on a bed and breakfast basis for three nights in October half term (October 26-29).
Kids will love the Wild West themed rooms, the free shuttle ‘Rust’ bus makes getting around easy and, as a hotel guest, you get VIP early access to the waterpark – Rulantica.
On a budget? The on-site ‘Tipi Town’ offers a variety of glamping and lodge options – some are shared ‘dorm’ style, and some are private, but with shared bathroom facilities. From €172 (£147) for a 4-bed tipi this August, or alternatively, bring your own tent and pitch up in the Europa park campsite from €59 (£50) a night.
The savings can be substantial compared to the on-site hotels, but it’s worth noting that some options require you to bring your own bedding.
Staying on-site guarantees you access to best price park tickets, and free parking across all the accommodation types.
Our top tips:
- Book accommodation early
- Utilise budget airlines and for best prices be flexible on which airport you fly into as they’re all an easy 1-1.5 hr drive from Europa Park
- Buy tickets in advance online to save money
- Use the park app to plan your day
- Take advantage of the excellent baby facilities onsite
- Bring refillable water bottles
- Plan for two full days in the park (three if doing Rulantica).
Efteling, Netherlands
One of our personal favourites to visit with our two young children, this fairy-tale inspired park with tickets ranging from €40-€56 (£34-£48), does a great job of catering to a wide range of people.
It blends rides, gentle attractions and some great rollercoasters, with beautifully detailed storytelling.
Families love the enchanting Fairytale Forest, while older children will enjoy thrill rides like Baron 1898 and Python.
The on-site accommodation is fab and, if you do want to spend more than one day in the park, it’s worth pricing up an overnight stay as it can work
out better value as you typically get park tickets for both your arrival and departure days included.
Getting there: Three-hour drive from Calais.
The nearest airports are Eindhoven and Amsterdam Schiphol, with fights from £27 return.
Getting to the Netherlands from the UK is easy – whether you prefer to drive, fly or take a ferry – you’ve got plenty of options.
Accommodation: Staying off site – we love Guesthouse Hotel Kaatshuevel – it’s not onsite but it’s within walking distance to Efteling and is perfectly designed for families.
Think spacious rooms with bunk beds for the kids, pancakes for breakfast and a rooftop garden terrace with mini golf and games.
It’s affordable too – in October half term you can get rooms from £135 per night.
In the summer, I’d recommend Bosrijk Village, woodland cottages dotted around in a pretty forest setting – with playgrounds and little streams, perfect for cooling off.
There’s an indoor pool complex too. I also loved the Efteling Grand Hotel which opened in August 2025 and has a cosy fairytale vibe – which really adds to the magic when visiting Efteling in the colder months.
Our top tips:
- You’ll want at least two full days in the park – three would be ideal
- If staying onsite – use your early entry to do the big attractions before the queues build
- Download the app for site map, queue times and route planning
- Pack for all weathers – the Netherlands (just like the UK!) can be unpredictable
- Plan your lunchtime to avoid busy times – eat at 11.30am or 14.00pm – the popular restaurants get busy
- Don’t skip the shows – great for giving little legs a break.
PortAventura World, Spain
Located on Spain’s Costa Dorada, PortAventura World combines a major theme park, waterpark and Ferrari Land resort in one destination, along with six on-site hotels.
The theme park area is divided into six lands, each with its own atmosphere and character.
One thing we did notice is that the height requirements were higher than we have seen anywhere else, so make sure you take this into account.
There is still plenty to do for younger visitors, including the Sesame Street themed land.
We stayed in the Wild West themed Colorado Creek hotel when we visited, having booked our stay as a package from the UK – with flights, transfers, accommodation and park tickets included, it felt so easy.
On The Beach currently has a package holiday including flights, hotel and park tickets for four nights from £303pp for a family of four in August.
If you’re able to travel off-peak, it was noticeably quieter on weekdays than weekends, and another tip we learnt was that, as far as theme park fast passes go, they were relatively good value here.
For instance, On the Beach has the same 4-night offer in early September from £218pp, for a family of four.
Tickets to just the park cost £45 euros per adult and £36 for kids for two days, and also allow access to Ferrari Land.
Getting there: The nearest airport is Reus, followed by Barcelona El Prat.
Flights: Ryanair, EasyJet and Jet2 both fly from London Stansted or Manchester to Reus.
For example, you can fly with Ryanair from Manchester to Reus from 27th July to 30th July for just £65.98 return, excluding luggage.
Accommodation: The onsite hotels start from €130 (£112) per night, and come with their own swimming pools and park tickets included.
They can also be booked as a package with Jet2Holidays too.
For example, a family of four can stay onsite at the 4* Hotel Gold River in October half term on a half board basis for £3,411 – which is a great price considering it includes your flights, transfers and theme park tickets for everyday you’re there.
Our top tips:
- Travel off-peak – it was noticeably quieter on weekdays compared to weekends
- Avoid July / August (if you can) – it’s busy and it gets hot!
- Express passes offer good value here, compared to other theme parks
- If staying onsite – retreat back to your hotel and make the most of the pools or air con during the hottest part of the day.
Puy Du Fou, France
Puy du Fou is different from the other theme parks on our list, as there’s no rides.
Instead, all the action centres around 20 spectacular historical shows, featuring Viking battles, Roman gladiators, birds of prey, sword fights, thundering horses, fire and unbelievable stunts.
While the shows are all spoken in French, most people say it doesn’t matter as they’re so visual, but you can listen to a translation via a headset.
If you’re thinking this doesn’t sound like your thing, Puy du Fou (tickets from £38.25 (€46) for adults and kids ages 3–11 from £27.67 (€33)) was voted best theme park in the world twice.
It’s best suited to families with children aged six and over.
There’s a range of themed accommodation on site, or plenty of places to stay nearby, as you need at least two full days there to ensure you can see everything, especially as some of the shows happen after dark.
The park is huge, so prepare for long days and a lot of walking.
Use the app to map out your day in advance as you want to arrive at the shows around 30 minutes before they start to ensure entry.
It might not be your traditional theme park, but if you enjoy theatre, history and live action, immersive experiences – it’s definitely one for the list.
Getting there: It’s a six hour drive from Calais. Or the nearest airport is Nantes.
Ryanair and easyJet both serve Nantes airport from London airports, with flight prices as low as £37 return in October.
Unless you only plan on visiting Puy du Fou, you’d be best hiring a car if travelling to France by plane.
Accommodation: If you’d like to stay onsite then I strongly advise you book accommodation as far in advance – especially during the summer holidays – with prices starting at around €60 (£51.62) per person per night.
Nearby towns like Les Epesses and Les Herbiers have plenty of accommodation available on booking sites and are just a few kilometres away from Puy du Fou.
Eurocamp has two sites within an hour’s drive of Puy de Fou Castel Camping La Garangeoire or Château La Forêt, which would make for an easy way to combine a visit here with a longer family break in the area.
You can stay for a week at the latter for a family of four in the summer holidays for just under £600.
Our top tips:
- Download the official app and map out your day in advance – the site is huge
- Comfortable shoes are a must
- Arrive at shows 30 minutes before the start time to secure your space
- Allow for two full days in the park
- Book restaurants in advance – they get busy
LEGOLAND Billund, Denmark
Built beside the original LEGO factory in Denmark, Legoland Billund is widely considered one of the best LEGOLAND parks in the world.
We actually prefer the park in Billund to the one in the UK.
Packed with interactive attractions, mini cities and creative play zones, it perfectly suits younger families and tickets cost from 349 DKK (£40).
The atmosphere is relaxed, clean and easy to navigate, with plenty of rides children can enjoy together with parents.
Staying in one of the themed hotels adds extra magic for younger children.
Ideal for ages two to 12, particularly primary school-aged LEGO fans.
Whilst Billund is a fairly small place, you can also tie in a trip to Lalandia Waterpark, Lego House and Wow Park.
Getting there: The nearest airport is Billund.
Billund Airport couldn’t be any closer to Legoland – it’s just a five minute drive or bus away.
However, since Ryanair stopped flying there, flight options are more limited – you can fly directly with British Airways or Norwegian from Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh.
We found return flights with British Airways from Heathrow to Billund 2nd to September 7 for less than £104 return.
The next best option is to fly to Copenhagen and take a three-hour drive or train from there.
This could be a great excuse to explore Copenhagen too, we think it’s one of the best city breaks you can do with kids.
Accommodation: For the full Lego experience, you need to go all in and stay onsite at Legoland.
There’s a choice of accommodation, similar to the Windsor park – Legoland Hotel, Castle Hotel plus cabins and glamping barrels.
A night in September including park tickets at the Legoland hotel for a family of four is around £415 in total.
We’d recommend using the Legoland short breaks website – as it brings up the availability and prices of not only all of the onsite accommodation but also off site options too – some of which can include your park tickets.
Just remember to consider how far away you want to be from the park – and factor in the cost of car hire or public transport.
Our top tips:
- Don’t just focus on the rides, there’s so much more to do here – two full days would be ideal
- Packed lunches are allowed to be brought into the park and a great way to save money
- Denmark’s weather can be unpredictable – you’ll want to pack layers, waterproofs and suncream at most times of the year
- Always book your tickets in advance – it’s never the best price at the gate on the day
Energylandia, Poland
Poland’s largest theme park has fast secured a spot as one of Europe’s biggest thrill-ride destinations, known for rides like Hyperion – one of Europe’s tallest, and Zadra with its huge vertical drop.
It boasts the joint largest number of roller coasters (20) at any theme park around the world.
However, there’s still plenty to do for those looking for a more gentle experience, with dedicated areas for younger children, as well as an open-air water park included within the entry price 169PLN (£34) for kids up to 140cm and from 209PLN (£46) for anyone over 140cm.
Compared with other parks, Energylandia often comes up as one of the more budget-friendly options.
The park is do-able in a day, especially if you’re able to visit off-peak, but
two days would give you a more relaxed experience – especially if you’re catering to multiple ages.
Getting there: The nearest airport is Krakow.
With many regional airports flying to Krakow, you can really shop around for a great deal on flights – great if you’re keen to keep costs down.
For example, we found Wizz Air flights from Gatwick to Krakow from September 8-11 for under £80 return.
Accommodation: Stay at Western Camp, just 1km away from the park – about as close as you could get. You can walk in less than 20 minutes or there’s a free shuttle.
There are often offers when booking accommodation here which include entry tickets and even a fast pass.
From Wild West themed wagons, log cabins – perfect for larger families, to tipis and even house boats – wooden lodges on stilts over the lake, it’s the perfect place for a unique and memorable family stay.
Prices start from £60 per night, and include a buffet breakfast.
Our top tips:
- The waterpark is included in the theme park entry fee – so remember to pack swimwear
- The food onsite here is very reasonably priced – but queues for food can be long at peak times, so plan for an earlier or later lunch
- It’s a huge site with lots of walking between areas, so wear comfy shoes!
- Download the app to see live queue times
- Buy your tickets online – not only is it cheaper, but you’ll get in quicker too
Tivoli Gardens, Denmark
One of the world’s oldest amusement parks, Tivoli Gardens combines vintage charm with modern attractions right in the heart of Copenhagen, and is said to have provided Walt Disney with some of his inspiration for Disneyland.
Unlike some of the other theme parks included in this guide, UK visitors tend to include Tivoli Gardens as part of a city break rather than as a dedicated theme park holiday.
It’s a unique place to visit, with shows, classic rides, and a few larger coasters all within beautifully landscaped gardens.
It’s not on the same overwhelming scale as some of the parks, and its range of attractions within a relatively compact area makes it a great option for all ages.
Entry tickets to the park and rides cost tickets cost 249DKK (£28) for kids aged 1-7 years and 499DKK (£57) for anyone 8 and upwards.
But you can also buy park access tickets for to 190DKK – 95DKK (£21 – £10) (but kids under three go free and children aged 3-7 are half price).
But that only gets you access to the gardens, events and concerts – you also need to pay for a ride pass 349 DKK (approx. £39) for visitors 8 and older, and 174 DKK (approx. £19) for children aged 1–7.
separately – which is great if not all of your family want to go on the rides.
Tivoli Gardens really comes to life after dark, the twinkling lights
adding to the cosy, magical vibes – for extra atmosphere, we’d recommend visiting during their popular Halloween and Christmas event weeks too.
Getting there: The nearest airport is Copenhagen.
Just a short 1.5 hour flight will land you in Copenhagen, we found bargain £55 return flights from Manchester with Ryanair from November 17-20 – which would make for a great trip to kick off the festive season.
Accommodation: A great family-friendly hotel just 10 minutes out of the city by bus, or an easy 20- minute walk is Tivoli Hot. This place has a huge indoor play area – complete with bouncy castle and games room for older childr -n, along with a swimming pool.
Based on a family of three sharing a room, a three-night stay between November 17-20 would be around £660 in total – which includes a fab buffet breakfast.
Our top tips:
- Combine Tivoli Gardens with a city break to Copenhagen – but remember it isn’t open all year round
- Visit at night for extra magic – although expect it to be busier!
- You can leave and re-enter the park during the day (handy if you want to hunt out cheaper food options)
- Bring refillable water bottles – tap water is free and safe
Parque Warner Madrid, Spain
The perfect destination for superhero fans, Parque Warner Madrid is themed around DC Comics and Warner Bros across its five areas.
With six rollercoasters, Looney Tunes attractions for younger visitors, and live stunt shows, there’s plenty to do for all ages.
Being a slightly under the radar option, you can find lower queue times than at some of the larger European parks we’ve featured, particularly if you’re visiting midweek and outside of Spanish holiday periods.
It’s worth noting though that the park, with tickets costing from €32.90 (£28) doesn’t open until midday – but stays open late.
With Madrid temperatures soaring over the summer, you might want to factor in some time out of the heat.
If you fancied more than a day trip here, there’s a separate waterpark attraction that’s open over the peak summer months.
Whilst there’s no hotels on site, there’s a range of accommodation
nearby, from apartment rentals to hotels.
Getting there: The nearest airport is Madrid.
As you’d expect, reaching the capital of Spain is straightforward from the UK, with flights from most major cities.
We found return flights with Ryanair from Birmingham for just £72.98 in October half term – leaving on October 24 and returning on October 29.
Accommodation: Whilst there’s no hotels on site, there’s a range of accommodation nearby, from apartment rentals to hotels.
The best location will depend on whether you are intending to combine the park with other activities in the local area.
I’d recommend either staying centrally to Madrid and using the official shuttle bus (easier than public transport which requires a train and a bus), or in Pinto – the closest town to the park.
In Pinto, the 4* Princesa de Eboli has family rooms for around £150 per night, and is 13kms away from Parque Warner.
Our top tips:
- Plan your route to the park in advance – especially if relying on public transport
- Arrive at opening time when it’s quieter, and head for the big attractions first
- Don’t skip the shows, note down the timings and plan your day accordingly
- The water park is seasonal and separate to the park – it does sell out on hot days – make sure to buy tickets in advance
- The shops stay open after the rides close – so save souvenir shopping to the end of the day to maximise ride time
Gardaland, Italy
Set beside Italy’s Lake Garda, Gardaland combines family rides, themed areas and impressive scenery in one of Europe’s most picturesque locations, with tickets costing from €44 (£37).
The park caters well to younger children, but also offers major attractions including Oblivion and Blue Tornado for thrill-seekers.
Many UK families combine a visit with a relaxing Italian lakes holiday, making it ideal for mixed itineraries.
Nearby hotels and campsites provide plenty of family accommodation options. Best suited to children aged four to 15.
Getting there: The nearest airport is Verona, with flights from low-cost airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet and Jet2.
Milan Bergamo and Venice airports are also within travelling distance, so you can definitely shop around for the best flight times and prices.
You can fly from London Stansted to Verona with Ryanair on October 1-6 for just under £83 return.
Accommodation: The original Gardaland resort, Gardaland Adventure and Gardaland Magic all have access to an outdoor swimming area.
Two nights in a Princess themed room within the Gardaland resort at the end of August is around £800 for a family of four, but does include two days entry to Gardaland, plus entry to the Legoland Water Park and to the Sealife Centre.
The highly rated Bella Italia Eurocamp is just a 10-minute drive away – where a week’s stay in a safari lodge tent would cost £1326 for a family of four, arriving on August 24.
Our top tips:
- Arrive early to make the most of the quietest (and coolest) part of the day
- Visit midweek and avoid Italian public holidays for fewer crowds and shorter queues
- Ditch the flip flops – many rides require closed footwear!
- You will get wet on the water rides – bring a spare change of clothes and a towel!
- If you’re arriving by public transport, the nearest train station is Peschiera del Garda – there’s a free shuttle service to the park from there
Ultimately, there’s no single “best” theme park in Europe for families – it all comes down to what kind of trip you’re looking for.
Whether you want all-out thrills, immersive storytelling, toddler-friendly rides, spectacular live shows or a more relaxed atmosphere, there’s a park to suit every style of family holiday.
Above all, remember that the moments your children will remember most probably won’t be the perfectly planned itinerary – but the excitement of choosing the next ride together, the shared laughs, and the feeling of escaping normal life.
That’s the real magic of a theme park holiday.