Fun awaits at theme parks

***image1***At theme parks in Germany and France, you can have the time of your life. Pick the best roller coaster in the world, a flying carousel with spectacular views or experience breathtaking stunt shows. Or enjoy a walk through a park, experiencing Europe’s beautiful landscapes, culture and history.   

When planning a family outing to a park with about five people, count on spending at least €150 on travel, admission, food and drinks. Admission rates vary, but they usually cover all rides. Small children get in for less. Always ask about family packages. Bring your own picnic (sandwiches and beverages, especially water) if possible.

Smaller parks are less hectic, but the rides for older children may be limited. Weekends are usually more crowded than weekdays. Vacation time in Germany starts in mid-June with the Rheinland-Pfalz school break kicking off.

Parks will become crowded during the summer. Expect waiting lines and never try to visit a park for less than four hours. 

Here are six of the most popular theme parks in Germany and France:

Disneyland Paris

This park brings the magic of Disneyland resorts to Europe. Fun for the whole family can be found in the five lands of Disneyland Park − Mainstreet U.S.A., Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland and Discoveryland. Rides in Disneyland Park include Space Mountain: Mission 2, Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Next to Disneyland Park is Walt Disney Studios Park − where visitors can exlore the magic behind movie-making. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith includes 120 onboard speakers and goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds.

Disney characters can be seen around both parks for photos and autographs. Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade also features all the favorites. Shows are shown at various times and locations every day, including “The Legend of the Lion King” and “The Tarzan Encounter.”

Both parks open at 10 a.m. daily; closing times vary. Admission tickets to Disneyland Paris allow visitors to go between the two parks throughout the day.
To plan your trip, visit the Disneyland Paris Web site at www.disneylandparis.com.

Europa Park

Europa Park is Germany’s biggest theme park. Located in Rust, Europa Park is a drive down the A5. Follow the A5 in the direction of Frankfurt to Basel and exit 57B to Rust. Europa Park sits on the border triangle of France, Switzerland and Germany and attracts coaster aficionados from all over Europe with its Silver Star roller coaster.

Built by Mercedes, the Silver Star coaster gets the blood pumping with a centrifugal force of four Gs and a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour at 73 meters.The park isn’t all rides, although they do lay claim to many. You can also visit many lands filled with assorted attractions for all ages.

Summer birthdays have never been this fun! Up to the age of 12, birthday girls or boys gain free entrance to the park (proof required), with a reduced rate for parents and friends (€27 instead of the usual €31.50 for adults and €28 for children). If you make reservations in advance, your birthday child receives a gift and their own birthday table for lunch at Petite France. You get a children’s menu and Entertainment for the fee of €5. For birthday reservations, e-mail kindergeburtstag@europapark.de.

Enjoy a sampling of cultures across Europe at Europa Park. Stroll in and out of Italy, France, Switzerland, Greece, Russia, the Netherlands (where you can find Chocolate Land), Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Austria, England (where Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre entertains), Children’s World and Germany, including Castle Park, with beautifully landscaped gardens that beckon visitors to picnic between rides or shows.
Log on to www.europapark.de for details or a complete event calendar.

Holiday Park

This park offers exciting rides and shows as well as beautifully-landscaped lawns and gardens for relaxing.  Take a nap to recharge midday after a picnic lunch or refuel with some local barbecued bratwurst. International shows abound, such as a waterski stunt show that’s thrilling and funny. 

Talented water skiing is featured in this year’s show, “Sinbad’s Adventures.” Other shows to choose from are “Animali in Teatro” – an animal show for the family and  “Aquascope” − Europe’s largest indoor special effects show.Rides for adults include the Tower of Olymp Free Fall Tower, Devil’s Barrels, Super Whirl, Lighthouse Tower and Expedition G Force – voted “best coaster in the world” by Internet Coaster Poll.

Kids can run wild at Holly’s Kinderland at the center of Holiday Park. Kids can enjoy rides, playgrounds, games and food in child-sizes. Holiday Park dedicated €750,000 to Holly’s Kinderland and employed an internationally-renowned children’s
designer to handle the job. The result is a well-rounded adventure park for the little people.

Every Friday and Saturday from July 11 through Aug. 30, the park stays open until midnight with live music and shows. Holiday Park’s normal hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in July and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in August. Times may vary.  
For more information on special events or directions, log on to www.holidaypark.de.

***image2***LEGOLAND

Located in Gunzburg − between Stuttgart and Munich − LEGOLAND is an ideal park for stimulating your child’s imagination and sense of construction. LEGOLAND features five inventive areas: Adventure Land, LEGO X-treme, Pirate Land, LEGO City, Knight’s Kingdom and Imagination.

Every Saturday in July, LEGOLAND hosts a fireworks show, live bands perform and the park extends its hours to 10 p.m. Shows and entertainment also add to the daily fun at LEGOLAND. From July 19 to Sept. 7, LEGOLAND hosts live entertainers and artists in the park, including magicians. With rides, great food choices, shows and
music, LEGOLAND will not disappoint. 

The park opens at 10 a.m. and closing times may vary.  Log on to www.legoland.de for information.

Phantasialand

Phantasialand is just a drive away in Brühl, near Cologne. Whether you try the bungee drop at the Mystery Castle or hop on the mine train in “Colorado Adventure,” your whole family will savor this excursion into adventure and magic.
Younger kids can play in the huge playground, “Wirtl’s Erlebnishöhle” while older kids test their courage on the park‘s two indoor coasters: Winga’s Fear and Winga’s Force in an underground coliseum.

Little ones have plenty of rides to choose from, including Octowuzy and Tittle Tattle Tree. Water rides for the whole family include a multi-story raft ride on River Quest and Wildwash Creek, a log-flume ride.

Shows are in plentiful supply in Phantasialand. Whet your thrill-seeking appetite with a Pirates 4-D adventure, then watch “Arachnomé,”  an amazing show set in a huge spider’s web with acrobatic feats set to magical sounds. The outstanding special effects will delight your senses. Enjoy the stunts and maneuvers of “streetXtreme” in the Silverado Theatre and an ice dancing show set to tunes from Broadway
musicals.

Every day, acrobats, fairies, cowboys, magicians and more walk through the main street with a spectacular parade the kids won’t want to miss. And until the end of August, Asia Nights are held in Phantasialand’s China Town, featuring Asian cuisine, wok stands and Asian atmosphere in the “Asia Nights Lounge.”

Phantasialand is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all summer until Nov. 2; rides open at 10 a.m.

To plan a trip, log on to the Phantasialand Web site at www.phantasialand.de.

Walibi Aquitaine Park

This amusement park is located in Lot et Garonne, France. The park sits in an ideal area, not far from the Spanish border and the Atlantic coast.  For the adventure seeker, rides such as Pirate Boat, Kosmic, Boomerang and Zip Zag will keep your knuckles white. For the kids, Baby Kangaroo, Beetle Coaster, Carousel, Tam Tam Tour, Tea Cup and Walibiland guarantee that the little ones aren’t left out of the fun.

Water thrills occur on rides like Drakkar, on Radja River and on water slides like the Aqua Chutes. For great shows, head to the amphitheatre and watch the sea lions clown around.

To plan a trip, visit the Walibi Aquataine Web site at www.walibi-aquitaine.fr/homepageEN.

(Courtesy of AdvantiPro. Iris Reiff also contributed to this article.)