Scariest theme parks in Europe

Germany has more theme parks than any other country in Europe with 20 hair-raising ways to spend a day, according to Theme Park Vision. France comes second with 11 parks followed by the UK, which reportedly has ten.

Here are three of the scariest amusement parks in Europe :

1. Alton Towers in the UK

This theme park has by far the best rides for adrenaline junkies in the UK. Oblivion celebrated its 10th birthday in 2008, which is a ride that sends passengers plummeting, face-first. It was one of the newer additions to roller coaster Nemesis that leaves riders’ feet dangling in the air and a swooping air ride, which is a bit namby pamby.

One of the best times to book into this theme park in Staffordshire is in the run up to Halloween when the park puts on a whole host of events to get the hearts racing. Marked in scores from one for the kids to five for the fearless, there are mazes filled with zombies, a gloomy wood of demons to walk through and a scary performance by an evil janitor locked inside a boiler house.

There is a discount for people who book tickets online and cheaper tickets for groups. Anyone who visits Alton Towers website could even win tickets free by entering competitions that are regularly posted on the company’s website.

2. Tivoli in Copenhagen

Located in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tivoli is scary because it is an ancient amusement park. Opened for the public by the royal family in the late 1800s these rides are rickety and rustic. One push too far and something might snap off. Luckily, a large part of the park has been updated and the older rides are tested frequently to live up to stringent Danish safety standards.

A good time to visit is also in October when the theme park puts on scary events, albeit milder than Alton Towers’. The Demon is the most fearsome ride in the park dropping riders more than 20 metres in the air, there is a sky swing that spins visitors several feet up and a fling in the arms of the octopus for a mild bit of titillation.

Getting in costs 85 Denmark Kroner (£10.27, $15.27 or €11.41) for over 12s and 45DKK for visitors aged between three and 11 years. Children under three get in free. Tickets for attractions are charged in addition to admission with multi-ride passes 200DKK for over 12s and 160DKK for three to 11-year-olds.

3. Europa Park in Germany

Fly in to Germany’s Europa Park with EasyJet offering flights from London and Liverpool in the UK and Swiss providing planes from London and Manchester. The 239 ft tall roller coaster the Silver Star dwarfs the Pepsi Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the UK, which held the title of the world’s tallest roller coaster in 1994 at 235 ft. That’s enough to send a shiver up any adrenaline junky’s spine.

Although the park is based around ideas of the stereotypes of the different nationalities in Europe, there are some adrenaline rides. There’s the Alpine Coaster, which sends riders on loop-the-loops at top speed, Atlantica SuperSplash, Europa’s version of a log flume and a water roller coaster. So you don’t get frustrated with attractions like ‘Crazy Taxi’ next to the ‘London Bus’ in the English quarter, ‘Fijord-rafting’ in the Dutch or gondoliering in the Italian area.

There are different prices in the winter and the summer at Europa, with admission at €34 in the summer for over 12s and €30 for four to 11-year-olds with under fours getting in free. This makes winter a better time to visit for travelers on a budget. From November 29th to January 11th, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day prices for over 12s adult admission is €26 with entry for four to 11-year-olds, €23. To make a visit cheaper still, evening tickets are available for entry after 16:00 (the park closes at 19:00 in the winter). The cost for children is €12 and for adults the price is €15.

Photo of roller coaster at Europa park, Germany, by beketchai

Topic:  Travel with kids | 2 Comments
Tags:  Copenhagen, family, Germany, UK

About the author

Sarah is a freelance writer who has contributed articles to the Bangkok Post and Untamed Travel. She is now writing for Cosmotourist online.