We had exactly one hour. When we checked into our hotel, we unexpectedly found out that we could already enter Europa-Park that evening, on top of our tickets for the next two days. YAY. There was just one question: what do you do when you only have one hour? For us, the answer was simple.
Wodan and Arthur.
Wodan is a seriously wild wooden roller coaster. Much more intense than Joris en de Draak at Efteling, although I still think Troy at Toverland is a little crazier. Arthur is something completely different: part dark ride, part roller coaster. One moment you're gently floating through the world of Arthur and the Minimoys, the next you're accelerating, flying outside and diving back indoors again. Two must-do attractions in one hour. Not bad for a warm-up.
Afterwards, dinner was waiting for us at Harborside, the buffet restaurant at Hotel Bell Rock. Asian dishes, wok, African specialties and, most importantly, plenty of choice. And we scored a small victory: Amke was still charged the children's price. Sometimes it's the little things that make you happy.
Blue Fire: Our Favourite Roller Coaster at Europa-Park
The next morning, we were up early. Hotel guests get early access to part of the park. For us, that meant only one thing: Blue Fire. From 0 to 100 km/h, four inversions and enough speed for Amke and Janne to reach the same conclusion the moment we got off: New favourite roller coaster. And honestly? When it comes to roller coasters, Europa-Park beats Efteling pretty convincingly. Blue Fire. Silver Star. Wodan. Eurosat CanCan Coaster. Efteling simply doesn't have much to compete with those. But Europa-Park has improved in other areas too.
Pirates in Batavia is now an impressive dark ride, and Arthur is beautifully done as well. Efteling used to win the dark ride battle easily for us, but that gap has become much smaller. That morning we squeezed in plenty of other attractions, managed to grab a Virtual Line slot for Voletarium, and lost half an hour queuing for Matterhorn Blitz, which suffered a technical breakdown just as we were waiting for it. Theme park karma. Fortunately, after five visits, we also know where to find the quieter corners of the park. So we took our croissants to Schloss Balthasar. Sat down. And enjoyed the peace for a moment. That would become more important later.
Eurosat CanCan Coaster: "The Ball"
After lunch, there was of course one more family favourite to visit: "The Ball." Officially, it's the Eurosat CanCan Coaster. But in our family, it has simply been "The Ball" for years. It's an indoor roller coaster that reminds us a little of Vogel Rok at Efteling, only longer and more intense. The Ball wins. After that: Arthur again. Blue Fire again. Iceland. Scandinavia. The Netherlands.
And eventually we returned to our hotel for a Spanish-Portuguese buffet. Delicious. Until we saw the price of the water. €7.60 for one bottle. I know. Restaurant prices have gone up. But still. €7.60. For water. My inner Belgian needed a moment to recover.
"Tomorrow we'll take it easy" We started day two with an excellent plan. Blue Fire during early access, followed by Wodan. Except Blue Fire was closed because of a promotional event. So much for the plan. Amke and I did Wodan instead, followed by Arthur and a few other attractions. Meanwhile, I was obsessively watching one thing: the Europa-Park app. Until suddenly... Blue Fire: open. Virtual Line. Four tickets. YES.
At 1:40 p.m., we could walk almost straight onto the ride. And because apparently we still hadn't had enough of Blue Fire, we immediately decided to ride it again, this time through the regular queue. One final ride on Arthur followed.
And then Amke wanted to do one last attraction. Not Blue Fire. Not Wodan. Kolumbusjolle. A simple boat carousel that has been a favourite for years. And honestly, it was the perfect way to end our visit.
Europa-Park vs Efteling: Which One Is Better?
This was our fifth visit to Europa-Park. And every single time, we inevitably make the same comparison. Because Efteling remains our benchmark. So: Is Europa-Park better?
Not for us. But its roller coasters definitely are. Blue Fire and Silver Star don't really have an equivalent at Efteling. We prefer Wodan to Joris en de Draak. And for us, Eurosat CanCan Coaster beats Vogel Rok.
Europa-Park has also made huge progress with its dark rides. Arthur and Pirates in Batavia can now compete with some of the better dark rides we've experienced elsewhere.
The food is excellent. Hotel guests get some great perks. And the park is absolutely packed with attractions.
But strangely enough, that's also where the problem lies for us. Europa-Park is packed. Roller coasters weave around and over each other. There's music almost everywhere. Every available bit of space seems to be used. Europa-Park constantly gives you something to look at or something to do. Efteling dares to do something different. An empty path. Trees. Greenery. Silence. Space between two attractions. After two intense days, we realised once again just how much we appreciate that.
Europa-Park is a park where we want to do as much as possible. Efteling is a park where we also enjoy simply being.
And that's why, after five visits, our conclusion remains the same. We'll absolutely return to Europa-Park. For Blue Fire. For Wodan. For Arthur. Maybe even for The Ball. But if we really have to choose? Europa-Park gives us more adrenaline. Efteling gives us more wonder. And apparently, when it really comes down to it, we still choose wonder.
Our journey doesn’t end here. ❤️
From African wildlife to Asian adventures and the incredible landscapes of Canada, we’ve collected quite a few stories along the way.
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