Happy family having fun outdoors ()

Is there anything better than theme park food? Well, yes; but there is something fun about going into full vacation mode and spending way too much money on junk food at a theme park before hopping on a roller coaster. Thanks to Europa-Park’s many country-themed areas, there is something for every pallet here. From Greek gastronomical bites at the Taverna Mykonos, to Italian-style pizza at Pizzeria Venetia and vegan food at Jack’s Deli, no one will go hungry.

However, the most intriguing eating experience is located off-site, across from Europa-Park’s Rulantica waterpark, Eatrenalin. This is a trackless ride, so your ‘floating chair’ will  take you on an eight-course fine dining journey through differently themed rooms such as “Umami,” “Ocean” and “Universe.” Eatrenalin is a pricey add-on for what can already be an expensive family trip, but you can visit Eatrenalin year-round, even when Europa-Park has closed for the season, and you have an itch for a theme park experience. Guests should plan about three hours for the entire Eatrenalin adventure and can book tickets at europapark.de.

For the most immersive and easy experience, you can stay at one of the on-site accommodations at Europa-Park. Hotel guests get entrance to the park 30 minutes early during the summer season and have access to a special guest entrance gate at the south end near the Spanish-themed area. The park has several four-star themed hotels to choose from. If you want to try your hand at camping, there is a Wild West-themed camp resort where you can stay in a cabin, teepee or covered wagon. There is also a separate camping area where families can park their RVs.

Families can also find accommodations in the tiny town of Rust that surrounds Europa-Park. We recommend staying in town on Friday night which makes it easy to walk into the park on Saturday morning. Guests staying in town will only have access to enter the park via the main entrance, on the Rheinweg in the Germany-themed area, however, you can exit by the south ‘guest only’ gate.

I am not a lover of roller coasters. Actually, I love Disney’s Thunder Mountain; what I can’t handle is big drops and going upside down. So, I turned to fellow Stripes Europe writer Kat for her opinions on the best Europa-Park roller coasters. Her number one suggestion is WODAN, the wooden rollercoaster that gets as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. Even the line is fun as you go through all the worlds held together by the Norse tree of life. The runner-up coaster is the Blue Fire Megacoaster, which boasts that you will go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in just 2.5 seconds.

For those of us less that are less-than-adventurous, I recommend Pirates in Batavia, which is similar to the Pirates ride at Disney World. The audio on the ride is in German and English so I could laugh along with the swash-buckling adventurers. I also recommend the “Arena Football-Be Part of It” attraction where you attempt to score goals with a giant ball while driving a bumper car and avoiding the other drivers. If you are a competitive family, like my partner and I, then hop on the Atlantis Adventure ride and shoot lasers at the mysterious creatures that pop up from the deep.

Be sure to download the Europa-Park App for your phone. It can help you navigate the park, and it gives the most important information: ride wait times. In addition, a handful of large rides have virtual lines, so you can reserve an entry time via the app. You may only have one virtual line reservation at a time and it’s only active once you have entered the park. If you’ve booked a group of tickets together with one Mack account you can reserve spots for everyone.

Europa-Park is open for its summer 2024 season from March 23 until September 27. It will then be open on special dates for its Halloween and Winter seasons. If you go during the “off” season you can still enjoy Rulantica water park, the Yullbe virtual reality experience and Eatrenalin.