TRAVEL NEWS (press release) – July 5, 2023: Europe has a total of more than 1.000 theme parks – one big, with thrilling rollercoasters, the other small and familiar. The history of amusement parks in Europe dates back to the 16th century, when Dyrehavsbakken in Copenhagen first opened its doors.
But which amusement park is the best in Europe this year? Which park has the best value for money and where can the whole family enjoy a wonderful day out? The travel experts of Travelcircus have this year the 74 most popular amusement parks in Europe taken a closer look, compared prices and 2.545 attractions and compiled the ultimate Amusement Park Check Europe for 2023.
Also read: These are the best amusement parks in Europe | Amusement Park Check 2022
The main points
- A day at the theme park cost a family of four between €36 and €543
- In the past year alone, admission prices have increased by almost 14%
- Spontaneous to an amusement park? Then you as a family pay almost € 125 extra
- The average number of attractions per theme park is 28,6
- Most roller coasters can be found in a Polish amusement park
- On Instagram, a world-famous castle is still unbeatable, but when it comes to the post/follower ratio, other parks come out on top
The 25 Best European Amusement Parks 2023
Winners announced: These are the 25 best theme parks in Europe
Travelcircus has examined 74 European amusement parks and has drawn up the ultimate amusement park ranking 2023. In addition to admission prices, opening hours, reviews, search volume and Instagram posts, the individual attractions were also viewed and categorized. For the final assessment, we used the following factors:
Value for money: This factor relates to the number of attractions and the entrance fees. For example, it was calculated how much a family of four would pay per attraction. In addition, the average admission price per roller coaster was calculated. The less one pays on average per attraction and roller coaster, the higher the score.
Rating Factor: How was the theme park rated on Google and TripAdvisor? The score corresponds to the average of both platforms (taking into account the number of reviews).
Brand awareness: How well known is the theme park? The higher the average and maximum search volume on Google, the more points (in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland, from April 2022 to March 2023).
Fun for all ages: “You are still too small for that” – that phrase no child wants to hear! This factor shows which parks offer the highest average fun for all age groups. Travelcircus has looked at all the attractions in the parks and determined a fun factor for 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 year olds, based on the (percentage) number of attractions that can be ridden at this age. The higher the average fun factor for all age groups, the better.
Instagram Factor: How many Instagram posts are there with the park's own hashtag? To give smaller parks a fair chance, the average number of posts per follower was also taken into account. The more the better.
The 25 best European theme parks at a glance
Five points can be achieved per factor. A theme park can therefore earn a maximum of 25 points if it gets the full score in all categories.
The Travelcircus Top Amusement Park Awards 2023
Each amusement park is unique. Some score points with a large number of exciting roller coasters, others stand out for their special child-friendliness. That is why Travelcircus, in addition to the ranking of the top 25, has created seven more awards, with which the 74 theme parks studied distinguish themselves on their own special characteristics.
Top Price-Quality Ratio 2023
In which amusement park do you get the most bang for your buck? Travelcircus has investigated this question to the bottom and the cost for a family of four compared to the attractions offered. The result: The top 10 European amusement parks 2023 with the best value for money!
Top Reviews 2023
Which theme park scores best with guests? To answer this question, Travelcircus compared all Google and TripAdvisor reviews of the 74 amusement parks. The park with the best ratings receives the Top Rating Award!
Top Family Park 2023
What amusement park in Europe actually offers most family attractions? Travelcircus has categorized all the rides in the 74 theme parks surveyed to find out where the most attractions for the whole family are. In the ten parks that were awarded, only attractions that are open to all family members can be found.
Top Amusement park for kids 2023
“Unfortunately, you are still too small for that” – no child wants to hear that line! That is why Travelcircus has examined all attractions of the theme parks under scrutiny for the minimum age. The result: the best amusement parks anywhere all attractions are also suitable for 4-year-olds.
Most searched theme parks in 2023
Choose or share? With more than 1.000 amusement parks in Europe, it is not easy to find the right amusement park for you. But which theme parks actually have it highest average search volume in Europe? Travelcircus checked it out and studied the number of searches on Google from April 2022 to March 2023.
The Top Roller Coaster Award 2023
Higher, further, faster! What would an amusement park be without roller coasters? Whether it's a record-breaking mega roller coaster, a whirling water roller coaster or a family-friendly caterpillar track - the theme parks in Europe offer a huge repertoire of different rollercoasters. But which amusement park actually has the most?
Top Instagram Awards 2023
“But first, let me take a selfie” – which park is most popular with Instagrammers? To find out, Travelcircus looked at how many posts the parks had with them own hashtag had on Instagram.
Amusement parks and costs
A family sometimes has to dig deep into their pockets for an amusement park visit. Disneyland Paris is by far the most expensive theme park in Europe. Here, a family of four pays € 543 for a spontaneous day at the amusement park including parking. without food, drinks and souvenirs. Also at Tivoli Copenhagen, PortAventura World and Europa Park, a family must budget more than € 250 for a day.
Disneyland almost four times more expensive than Energylandia
In Energylandia, families clearly had to pay less, here a day of family fun cost only € 147,49. With nearly 60 rides and an unparalleled 17 roller coasters, this Polish theme park offers the best value for money.
13,48% more expensive – the price development of the past year
Amusement parks are getting more expensive every year. Travelcircus has compared the current admission prices of the twenty most popular European theme parks with the prices in 2022. The result: In the past year alone, the average entrance fee for a ticket on the spot increased by 13,48%! Front runners are Phantasialand and Legoland Deutschland with a price increase of more than 25%.
Up to €30 for parking
As if the tickets themselves weren't expensive enough, many theme parks also have to pay extra for parking. In Disneyland Paris, a passenger car costs € 30 per day. For visitors to the Tivoli in Copenhagen it is even more expensive. There you have to use public parking facilities, which can amount to € 54 per day. On the other hand, parking is free at 34 of the 74 theme parks studied.
A family outing for less than €100? It is (still) possible in these amusement parks!
In Europe, among the 74 amusement parks evaluated here, there are still a number of parks that can accommodate a family of four less than €100 can enjoy a day. Especially for families with small children, these theme parks are ideal as a first experience.
Sandra Rönsch, amusement park expert at Travelcircus: “It is often cheaper to buy tickets online in advance rather than at the box office. In addition to money, you also save time, because you don't have to wait in line. Also pay attention in the supermarket: many products have 1 + 1 free promotions for amusement parks.”
Top 10 amusement parks with the most attractions
As different as the parks are, so is the range of attractions they offer. Although the 74 theme parks an average of 28,6 attractions have, Europa Park has the most of them. The German amusement park offers 13 roller coasters, 12 water attractions and an impressive 57 family attractions.
17 roller coasters in one park
Real adrenaline junkies can indulge themselves in Energylandia. You will not find so many roller coasters in any European amusement park. Poland's largest amusement park has a total of 17 roller coasters to offer. From catapults to loops, this is sure to get your blood flowing! Other European amusement parks for roller coaster fans are Europa Park (13), Blackpool Pleasure Beach (13), PortAventura World (10) and Flamingo Land (10).
Disneyland Paris is the star on Instagram
No attraction is as famous as it fairytale castle of Sleeping Beauty in Disneyland Paris. No wonder then that most Instagram posts in this ranking belong to Disneyland Paris: 6,5 million times the hashtag #disneylandparis was used – more than nine times as often as Europa Park, which is in second place!
Our own finished in 3rd place Efteling with more than 650.000 posts. The fairytale forest in particular is a big hit on Instagram.
Who has the most posts per follower?
When we look at the number of Instagram posts per follower on Facebook and Instagram, the top 10 looks slightly different. Standing here Holiday Park and Linnanmäki above the enchanting fairytale castle with 0,84 – 0,86 posts per follower.
Liseberg, Kolmården, Efteling, Jardin d'Acclimatation, Gröna Lund, PortAventura and Flamingo Land now also make the top 10 and are therefore also among the top theme parks on Instagram.
The full evaluation
The Amusement Park Check Europe 2023
This year too, Travelcircus approached 217 amusement parks without obligation to collect the necessary data for the evaluation. In addition to the amusement parks that responded within the set period, we also gathered data from the amusement parks with the highest search volume where possible. All in all, 74 amusement parks could therefore be evaluated. Travelcircus has researched and compared 2.545 attractions and more than 2.900 other data to find out which European amusement park is the best this year.
The following data formed the basis for the evaluation:
- Review on Google and TripAdvisor
- The average and maximum search volume on Google between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 for all countries represented in the evaluation (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Austria , Poland, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland).
- Entrance fees
- Number of attractions (by minimum age)
- Instagram posts and followers on Instagram and Facebook (as of May 2, 2023)
The result: the top amusement parks in Europe
Based on the data examined, numerous factors were calculated and the best amusement parks in different categories were selected. The individual awards:
- Top 25: The best amusement parks in Europe
- Top Value for money
- Top Reviews
- Top Family Park
- Top Amusement Park for kids (4 year olds)
- most wanted
- Top Roller Coasters
- Great Instagram
About Travelcircus
Travelcircus is a booking platform for unique holidays. We combine quality-tested top hotels with fine extras and exciting events to create an unforgettable trip – and at attractive prices.
From wellness holidays and city trips to trips to the best amusement parks, we first and foremost look at the passions and hobbies of our customers. Very special: all hotels have a recommendation rate of at least 80 percent or more and usually belong to the 4* and 5* category. Because we believe that special people deserve a special holiday!
