Visiting Europa-Park in Germany: Two Days in Europa-Park
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One of the best theme parks in Europe, Germany’s Europa-Park is worthy of a two-day visit.
For the third and final theme park on our Germany trip, we chose to spend two days at Europa-Park. The park is by far the most popular in Germany and is probably second only to Disneyland Paris in all of Europe.
About Europa-Park
Germany’s Europa-Park in Rust delivers massive theme park energy with 18 detailed lands, standout Europa-Park rides, and a deep roster of Europa-Park roller coasters that rival the biggest parks in the world. It’s a two-day destination with smart theming, strong shows, and easy add-ons like Rulantica, the adjacent water park.
The park is owned by the Mack Family. They have been in the roller coaster-building industry for nearly a century. If you’ve been to a theme park, there’s a good chance you’ve been on a Mack-built ride. Their coasters are on every continent and are in use at Disney, Universal, Six Flags, and hundreds of other lesser-known parks.
Where is Europa-Park Located?
Europa-Park sits in Rust, Germany at the edge of the Black Forest near the Rhine and the French border, with Strasbourg less than an hour away. The closest rail stop is Ringsheim/Europa-Park station, and frequent public buses connect the station to the park—look for Europa-Park train and Europa-Park bus options when planning.
The park is located near the Black Forest in the southwestern portion of Germany near the Rhine on the border with France. The town of Rust is the nearest city with the closest major train stop nearby in Ringsheim. The park is reachable by public bus from the Ringsheim train station.
Europa-Park From Heidelberg
The easiest value play from Heidelberg is FlixBus to Europa-Park—it’s direct, affordable, and drops you steps from the entrance. If you prefer rail, take the train to Ringsheim/Europa-Park and transfer to the short shuttle bus; both routes beat the hassle of renting a car.
We came into town late in the evening after a day exploring Heidelberg. Instead of the train, we took the affordable and massively convenient FlixBus. The bus picked us up at the Heidelberg station and dropped us off at the front gate of Europa-Park. The journey on the air-conditioned and Wi-Fi enabled bus took just under two hours. The tickets were USD$10.15 each. Easy-peasy.
Europa-Park Tickets
Europa-Park tickets use date-based pricing, so book online early to lock in lower rates and avoid paying more at the gate; look for Europa-Park tickets rabatt, discount tickets, or occasional 2-for-1 vouchers to save. Families should note free entry for ages 0–3 and birthday perks for kids up to 12, plus convenient on-site parking.
Two Day Ticket: GetYourGuide
Ticket prices vary depending on your length of stay, visit date, and discount options. Check the official Europa-Park website for the most up to date info. Europa-Park uses date-specific pricing: 1-day tickets start from €52 for adults (12+), and from €44 for children 4–11, seniors 60+, and the special rate. 2-day tickets start from €98 for adults and from €81 for children, seniors, and the special rate; the second visit must fall within six days of the first. A 1-day voucher (flex date) is €73 for adults and €62.50 for children, seniors, and the special rate; parking is €10. Toddlers 0–3 enter free, kids up to 12 get free admission on their birthday with ID. Note that buying at the gate costs €10 more than online. Partner sites like GetYourGuide may offer savings and discounts.
Europa-Park Hotel
On-site Europa-Park hotels like Hotel El Andaluz, Hotel Bell Rock, Hotel Colosseo, and Krønasår give you walk-to-park convenience, early entry perks on select dates, and fun, family-friendly themes. If you’re watching costs, compare “Europa-Park hotels” with nearby Rust guesthouses—prices can swing widely by season and special events.
We booked two nights at the Hotel El Andaluz, a hotel on the property themed as a Spanish villa. The hotel was a bit on the expensive side for what we normally look for, but you essentially walk out the back door and enter the park, so we splurged a little for the convenience.
Europa-Park Roller Coasters, Rides, and Attractions
Headliners include Silver Star (airtime machine), Blue Fire (launch + inversions), Wodan (thundering woodie), and ARTHUR (family coaster/dark ride hybrid), alongside fan-favorite dark rides like Pirates of Batavia. Add water rides like Poseidon and Atlantica SuperSplash, then fill your day with country-themed shows, flat rides, and hidden gags across the 18 lands—search Europa-Park roller coasters and Europa-Park rides to plan a hit list.
Europa-Park is separated into eighteen themed areas. The buildings and attractions in each area are themed to a country in Europe. In England, you’ll find the Silverstone Race Track where you ride through English gardens, a theatre recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe, and lots of soccer (aka football). In Italy, you can ride Volo Da Vinci a suspended monorail themed after Leonardo da Vinci. In Russia, you can ride a spinning rollercoaster named Euro-Mir that is themed around Russian space travel.
A few other areas fall outside of a national theme including Adventureland, Grimm’s Forest a fairytale land for kids, and Minimoys Kingdom home to ARTHUR.
The rollercoasters in the park are top of the class. In France, you can ride Silver Star a hypercoaster with a 220-foot drop and a crazy horseshoe turnaround. Iceland is home to the giant car racing-themed Blue Fire. It shoots you out of a dark tunnel into the daylight on a crazy-fun ride. Wodan Timbur Coaster, also in Iceland, is a wooden Norse-themed coaster with indoor and outdoor portions, smoke, and projections. Finally, ARTHUR, a ride themed after the Arthur books and films, mixes thrills with show scenes on an inverted track.
In the dark ride category, the attractions have the perfect mix of cheesy and fun. Greece is home to the Atlantis Adventure a boat ride through the imaginary lost city. In Italy, you can ride the Ghost Castle the park’s haunted house. In Germany, there is an elf ride that will bring joy to anyone who rides. In the Netherlands, Pirates of Batavia, the park’s Pirates of the Caribbean inspired attraction is set to re-open after being destroyed in a 2018 fire.
In the water ride category, Poseidon combines a dry track with a wet boat ride over two great drops. Themed around Portuguese Conquistadors, Atlantica SuperSplash is sure to get you soaked.
Additionally, there are loads of smaller spinning carnival-style rides, boat rides, car rides, and children’s rides.
Europa-Park Summary
Two full days lets you do the big coasters, circle back for repeat rides, and still enjoy slower, uniquely European attractions and theming details you’d miss in a sprint. If you have extra time, tack on an evening at Rulantica or a side trip to Strasbourg, then call this one of your strongest theme park stops in Europe.
I was glad we set aside two days for this park. We would have never been able to ride and see everything we wanted in one day. The park is just too big. Spacing it out over two days allowed us to ride all the coasters but also experience all the smaller rides that are completely unique to the park. It also gave us extra time to poke around the themed areas. There are lots of extra surprises in the theming if you take the time to look around.
Europa-Park is by far one of my favorite theme parks in the World. I look forward to someday returning to experience the new Pirates ride and to check out Rulantica, the adjacent water park.
Earlier in the trip we visited Phantasialand, another great European Theme Park.
This is part of our Two Week Germany Itinerary.
