7 of Europe's best theme parks beyond Disneyland

Kerry Walker

Kerry Walker

With the summer holidays in full swing, you might be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained for a few more weeks.

Making a splash on Poseidon at Europa-Park, Germany
Making a splash on Poseidon at Europa-Park, Germany © Europa-Park GmbH & Co Mack KG

Disney has long topped wish lists but a holiday there often comes with a hefty price tag not to mention crowds. From Peppa Pig World in the New Forest to Moomin World in Finland and Parc Astérix in France, here are seven alternative theme parks in Europe that push all the right family buttons.

Paultons Park, UK

A theme park tots will love more than Disney? Pigs might fly... but the thing is, here they really do. Fringing the New Forest and but a wave away from Southampton, Paultons Park is home to the one-and-only Peppa Pig World, heaven on earth to kids under five. And this year it's party time as Peppa celebrates her 20th anniversary.

Miss Rabbit's helicopters, Peppa's hot air balloons, George's dinosaurs and Daddy Pig's cars will have little ones squealing with delight. But the best bit is the kids' ecstatic faces when they clap their eyes on the larger-than-life characters (be at Madame Gazelle's school house at 10.30 am sharp; even earlier to beat the crowds).

Big kids have a blast in Tornado Springs, on spinning rollercoaster Storm Chaser, gravity-defying Windmill Towers and, most hair-raising of the lot, the Cyclonator gyro swing.

Delve into Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park
Delve into Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park © Paultons Park Ltd

The Lost Kingdom wings you back to prehistory with dinosaurs and rides like suspended rollercoaster Flight of the Pterosaur and the super-speedy Velociraptor.

But it's not just about the rides. Paultons makes the most of its gloriously green location, with beautifully tended gardens, nature trails, splash parks, playgrounds and animal enclosures, where you can get up close to penguins, flamingos and meerkats. In many ways, it's like three parks rolled into one.

What else? Use the park as a springboard for exploring the New Forest. Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst are great bases for exploring the area on foot or by bike. Keep your eyes peeled for free-roaming ponies and deer.

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Book tickets: book your tickets in advance via Paultons Park* or, even better, a great value Paultons Family Theme Park Break* at Botley Park Hotel & Spa* from Macdonalds Hotels.

Siam Park, Tenerife

With waving palms, temples, tropical foliage and plenty of sun, this cracking water park delivers a shot of Thailand on Tenerife's southern Costa Adeje. When the Canaries heat up, this is the perfect place to cool off in the surf at Siam Beach, with three-metre-high waves crashing over your head.

Or dig your toes into dazzling white sands imported from Africa at Coco Beach and drift off on the lazy Mai Thai River.

For small kids, there's Sea Lion Island, the Jungle Book-esque Bodhi Trail, where you can swing through the treetops on bridges, towers and nets, and the splash-happy Lost City water playground.

Bobbing along the Lazy River, Siam Park
Bobbing along the Lazy River, Siam Park © Loro Parque S.A

More thrills? Check out high-speed flumes like Singha water coaster, vertical, zero-gravity The Dragon, the Mekong Rapids and the Tower of Power, a freefall picking up speeds of 80 km/h, which ends by plunging into an aquarium teeming with rays and a resident shark.

What else? Check out nearby family-friendly sandy beaches with shallow water, such as Playa Fañabé and Playa del Duque. For a morning adventure, hop on a catamaran in Puerto Colón to spot playful pods of dolphins and pilot whales.

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Book tickets: search, compare and secure your Siam Park tickets in advance via Tiqets*, AttractionTickets.com* or TUI Musement*.

BonBon-Land, Denmark

If you haven't heard of Denmark's BonBon-Land, you are not alone. In a pretty green setting in Holme-Olstrup, an hour from Copenhagen, this under-the-radar park is a pleasingly nostalgic pick, with a flurry of old-fashioned rides and Scandi-themed attractions. Kids will go crazy for its water fortresses, flying ships and rafting rides.

Look out for the likes of Viktor Vandorm, a water worm rollercoaster with an underwater tunnel, Søløven, a boat trip around the world in miniature, waterfall-splashed Bæver Rafting, and stork-themed Åge Mågeklat, offering a bird's eye view of the park.

Most rides are aimed squarely at families, but anyone seeking an adrenaline hit should head straight for Svend Svingarm, a terrifying-looking pendulum that swings you 45 metres high in the air at speeds of 117 km/hr.

What else? Take a deep dive into an untouristy corner of Denmark, with fjord-side beach days at nearby Karrebæksminde. The park is a half-hour drive to the fairytale town of Køge, a riot of cobbles and half-timbered houses, and moated Vallø Castle.

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Book tickets: find and compare affordable tickets to BonBon-Land for all the family with Tiqets* and Trip.com*.

Moomin World, Finland

The crazily cute, oddly loveable Moomins are as Finnish as saunas and salty licorice. In the country's watery, island-speckled south, near the city of Turku, you'll find an entire island given over to Moomin World (come on, it's the dream...).

This theme park provides total immersion in a fantasy land inspired by Tove Jansson's books, which bring to life the giant white hippo-like creatures and their capers.

Step into the land of the Moomins in Finland
Step into the land of the Moomins in Finland © ElenaNoeva - Shutterstock.com

Kids (especially young ones) will love meeting the costumed characters, visiting the sky-blue Moominhouse, getting inventive in Snork's Workshop, exploring the Groke's Cave and finding flying brooms, floating books and a bubbling cauldron in the Witch's House. You can also catch Moomins dancing at the theatre.

This being Finland, nature is very much in the spotlight, with fairytale trails, hanging bridges suspended over rapids and nature paths. And if you want to break the day up, there's even a beach where you can take a dip in the Baltic and unpack a picnic (sun permitting).

What else? Hook onto the Turku Archipelago Trail, skipping from island to wooded island by car or bike and boat, stopping at beaches and keeping an eye out for wildlife including white-tailed eagles, grey seals and rare Baltic ringed seals.

Climate in Turku

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Book tickets: browse a range of ticket options from Tiqets* and 1-2 day tickets from TUI Musement*.

Parc Astérix, France

When Disneyland Paris is fit to burst in peak summer, why not give its lesser-known and trés français rival Parc Astérix a whirl? A 40-minute drive north of Paris, this theme park, inspired by the Gaulish comic book, canters through European history, from prehistory to the 19th century.

The park is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2024, with new attractions including a musical, C'est du Délire, pirate-themed water ride La Revanche des Pirates and the high-flying, pulse-racing Tour de Numérobis.

Meet the whole gang at Parc Astérix, north of Paris
Meet the whole gang at Parc Astérix, north of Paris © Parc Astérix

In the park's six 'worlds', you'll find other rides to make you scream out loud including sky-high Toutatis, with stomach-flipping drops and speeds of 110 km/h, and wooden rollercoaster Tonnerre 2 Zeus.

Younger kids adore the spinning cauldron, Viking ships, mini carousel and flying swings. And be sure to catch the Gaulish parade starring bearded warriors Astérix, Obélix and the gang. Should you wish to stay the night, there are three themed hotels including forest cabins and a Roman-style village.

What else? Linger to explore the parks, gardens, nature trails, beech and oak forests and turreted castles of the Parc naturel régional Oise-Pays de France. And, of course, you're less than an hour away from all the fun of Paris, too.

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Book tickets: get your Parc Astérix entry tickets from TUI Musement* and early bird tickets with Tiqets*.

Gröna Lund Tivoli, Sweden

Just how many capital cities have a theme park bang in the centre? On lushly green Djurgården Island, with views out over the deep blue Baltic, Gröna Lund Tivoli is a magnet to Stockholm families craving a bit of light-hearted fun.

OK, so it isn't the biggest theme park in the world, but it doesn't need to be. You can easily while away a day on the rides (choose a Ticket to Ride day pass). Gröna Lund has been going strong since 1883 and there's a strong nostalgic theme to old-school rides like chair swings, bumper cars, flying carpets, carousels, and Ferris wheels.

Ride the Monster rollercoaster at Stockholm's Gröna Lund
Ride the Monster rollercoaster at Stockholm's Gröna Lund © Fredrik Söder - Parks & Resorts Scandinavia

For more madness, brave the Monster, a new-in-2024, stomach-lurching rollercoaster, which drops you down to the water at 90 km/h, legs dangling unnervingly in the air, as it turns upside down four times. The ground-hurtling Fritt Fall is nail-biting stuff, too.

What else? Shaped by the water, Stockholm is a terrifically laid-back city for families. While on Djurgården Island, also make for the conservation-focused Skansen Zoo, for a peek at wild Nordic animals from brown bears to moose and wolverines, the hands-on, myth-steeped Viking Museum, and children's book-inspired fun park, Junibacken.

Climate in Stockholm

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Book tickets: search tickets for Gröna Lund Tivoli with Tiqets* and GetYourGuide*.

Europa-Park, Germany

If you fancy a spin around Europe in a day, this huge theme park between the Black Forest and Vosges mountains in southwest Germany is a winner.

Right up there with Europe's best, this park whisks you from an Italian piazza to the frozen wilds of Iceland in the blink of an eye, with 17 countries, three fantasy lands and 100 rides (14 of which are rollercoasters) to discover.

There's loads to love for kids big and small: from a Piccolo Mondo gondola ride to a rollercoaster over the green, enchanted hills of Ireland, a glacier flight to Jungfrau, hot air balloons over Liechtenstein and a Tyrolean log flume.

Scarier, you say? Test your nerve on the Blue Fire Megacoaster, which pings you from 0 to 100 km in 2.5 seconds, or Poseidon, a water rollercoaster catapulting you through Greek mythology.

And if you haven't run out of steam, tie in a day at Rulantica, a Nordic-themed, year-round water park that's the size of five football pitches. Here, slides, flumes, tubes and hair-raising free-fall drops dip you into Norse legends.

Like Disney, there are themed hotels (six of them) and a camping resort where you can bed down in tepees, log cabins or covered wagons.

What else? With its ripple of fir-cloaked hills, half-timbered towns ripe for a Grimm fairytale, back-to-nature trails and famous cherry gateau, the Black Forest is the perfect family road trip material. To see Germany's highest falls and the world's biggest cuckoo clocks, factor in a stop in Triberg.

Climate in Freiburg

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Book tickets: grab your Europa-Park tickets for less with GetYourGuide*.

Still looking for savings? See even more great offers on theme parks worldwide in our complete collection of attraction ticket deals.

Get your skip-the-line tickets. No printing & no waiting with Tiqet

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Kerry Walker

Kerry Walker

Kerry Walker is a Wales-based travel writer and author. Kerry specialises in Wales, Central and Southern Europe. She regularly writes for The Telegraph and National Geographic Traveller among others. She's also authored/co-authored over 20 travel guides. Kerry's a qualified translator, avid photographer and lover of mountains and remote destinations.

Posted on Tuesday 6th August 2024 in: Europe Excursions Family

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