EuroTrip

[jjuttp]

Alright, so my friend has asked me to join in on a EuroTrip in a few years and while we're planning, we're matching places together that we both want to go to. As someone with little to no interest in europe, can you please list out places to go? I'm after mainly parks, and zoo's, but other little goodies would be nice too. There will be the staple parks visited like Alton and Asterix aswell.

Country list:

Iceland

UK

Ireland

Netherlands

Austria

Romania

Greece

Germany

Italy

Sweden

Denmark

Norway
And France

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

Ahhhh I've been to some parks over there. Really nice atmosphere compared to over here.

Tusenfryd is the main park in Norway. They got an intamin launch coaster called Speed Monster and it's great!

For Sweden you should visit either Liseberg or Grona Lund. I haven't been to either but have been told that both are fantastic!

Denmark has two Tivoli parks, Djurs Sommerland and Farrup Sommerland. I recommend you try Djurs Sommerland, it's really good and has a good coaster lineup.

Netherlands has Walibi Holland, Drivliet, Duinrell, Toverland and Efteling. Toverland is my favourite in the country but Efteling is really good too.

I haven't been to any of the parks in Italy but Mirabilandia looks great! Also they just opened a new theme park close to Rome with a ten inversion coaster!

If you are a fan of dark rides then I recommend you try Futuroscope in France.

Germany has tone of parks! Heide Park is a really good major park and you just gotta go to Holiday Park for Expedition Geforce.

One of the most underrated parks in UK has gotta be Lightwater Valley. It's quite good and the Ultimate is great! Chessington is Amazing and Thorpe Park is fantastic.

[Noxegon]

You may find my photo site useful as a guide:

http://www.themeparks.ie/

The single most important park in Europe and one you should not miss under any circumstances is Europa Park. I'd budget two days there if you can; it's by far the best park in this side of the world.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England is a must. Alton Towers is a rite of passage, but bear in mind that the queues will be horrible.

Tayto Park in Ireland is currently building a Gravity Group woodie. I'm not allowed to publish my photos from it yet, but it's an impressive looking machine and should be open by the middle of this year.

To be honest I'd narrow your focus down. The list of countries you've quoted is long. It took me almost ten years to hit all the major parks in Europe and I live here.

[downunder]

Gronalund and Liseberg are excellent, and the best part is they are right in the middle of the city so they are easily accessible. The area around Gronalund is also spectacular with the harbour and cool museums.

Alton Towers is good, I used a fast pass for Air, Oblivion and Nemesis - and gotthere early and did all the one and done stuff before thelines built up. Sonic's Spinball is also cool, went here before the Smiler so I can't cmment on that. Thorpe is a solid park with some fairly good coasters - easily to get to in London.

Parc Asterix is an OK park, but the lines get horrible quick, I'm talking 3 hours in high temps for Goudurix, which has been frequently voted the worst coaster on earth. Maybe going during the week in shoulder season would be better.

Denmark's parks are nice and quirky with some great rides, some of them like Tivoli are in the centre of town ad others are quite out of the way.

[Gazza]

With Alton you don't really need fast track if you use single rider.

[downunder]

^Good point, I totally forgot about that. I think single rider had a better merge point than fast track, although you had to wait or a seat to come up. If I recall correctly, fast track went in the exit early before the there was a staff member at the fast track entrance and the exit was where the single rider entry was.

Other cool European parks not quite in the must visit category that I've been to:

Mirabilandia, Italy - cool park and iSpeed and Katun are world class.

Gardaland, Italy - nothing special coaster-wise, but very cheesy like an Egyptian themed shooter with terminators, beautiful landscaping.

Heide Park, Germany - nice park, pretty good coasters.

Walibi Holland: Goliath is an intamin masterpiece.

Tusenfryd: some cool coasters, though avoid on weekends.

Bakken: oldest park in the world I believe, small wit some ok coasters and quirkiness.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

Also try visiting Bon Bon Land. It's got to be the weirdest park I've ever been too. It's one of the only times I ever did a kiddie coaster ( Dog Farting Coaster) and they have a pretty good Euro Fighter.

[downunder]

^I went to Bob Bon Land in June last year, just ok for coasters, but big marks for quirkiness. Only a half day park at best when there's no crowds. Went there 5 years previous, and some parts of th park had been removed since then. I was on at our so I didn't have to worry about how to get there, but it really seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

Kolmarden in Sweden wouldn't rate a mention normally, but now they are getting an insane RMC it becomes something worth visiting, it looks like driving is the only option to get there.

[XxMrYoshixX]

IMO Blackpool Pleasure beach is worth visiting.

Also I recommend Efteling, Gardaland and Tivoli.

I prefer Liseberg to Grona Lund any day of the week, even though both parks are excellent.

The must visit IMO is Europa Park. If you are absolutely busting to ride Expedition GeForce, go to Holiday World.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

^I went to Bob Bon Land in June last year, just ok for coasters, but big marks for quirkiness. Only a half day park at best when there's no crowds. Went there 5 years previous, and some parts of th park had been removed since then. I was on at our so I didn't have to worry about how to get there, but it really seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

Kolmarden in Sweden wouldn't rate a mention normally, but now they are getting an insane RMC it becomes something worth visiting, it looks like driving is the only option to get there.

Lol, Kolmarden is in Denmark. When I went to Bon Bon Land 6 years ago it was quite dated.

[Gazza]

It appears

Kolmarden in Sweden wouldn't rate a mention normally, but now they are getting an insane RMC it becomes something worth visiting, it looks like driving is the only option to get there.

Google Earth reveals a station in the town nearby, with a bus on a half hourly cycle to the Zoo.

Google transit says a 1:45 trip from Stockholm.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

^I went to Bob Bon Land in June last year, just ok for coasters, but big marks for quirkiness. Only a half day park at best when there's no crowds. Went there 5 years previous, and some parts of th park had been removed since then. I was on at our so I didn't have to worry about how to get there, but it really seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

Kolmarden in Sweden wouldn't rate a mention normally, but now they are getting an insane RMC it becomes something worth visiting, it looks like driving is the only option to get there.

Whoops it is in Sweeden. HAHAHAHA, I shouldn't make a stupid comment like that.

[downunder]

^Yeah, the guys who own Gronalund also own Kolmarden. I congratulated Mattias the owner personally when I was at Gronlaund (they were lovely to us) on purchasing the best coaster in the world, really loves the amusement park business.

^^LOL, I'll copy and paste that to my mates in England who were planning on going - they were thinking of hring a car.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

^Yeah, the guys who own Gronalund also own Kolmarden. I congratulated Mattias the owner personally when I was at Gronlaund (they were lovely to us) on purchasing the best coaster in the world, really loves the amusement park business.

^^LOL, I'll copy and paste that to my mates in England who were planning on going - they were thinking of hring a car.

HAHAHAHA, I'm going to Italy next year. I've never been so it's gonna be a new experience. I'll probably hit Gardaland and Mirabilandia and try to hit the ones in Rome ( Cinecitta World and Rainbow Magicland). Also is the Movie theme park good?

[downunder]

^Movie Park is just ok, no coasters of any significance, just some really bizarre and quirky attractions. Plus they have a water park that looks like it has some fairly lethal slides.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

^Movie Park is just ok, no coasters of any significance, just some really bizarre and quirky attractions. Plus they have a water park that looks like it has some fairly lethal slides.

The action Park of Europe? HAHAHAHA the one in Germany is really good actually. How could you say no to a stand up drop tower?

[Noxegon]

The action Park of Europe? HAHAHAHA the one in Germany is really good actually. How could you say no to a stand up drop tower?

Eh, by being male?

[downunder]

^^I was referring to the MoviePark in Italy, but I've also been to the Movei Park in Germany. I would say the German one is better, but I wouldn't go out of my for either, Van Helsing at MoviePark Germany was well done.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

^^I was referring to the MoviePark in Italy, but I've also been to the Movei Park in Germany. I would say the German one is better, but I wouldn't go out of my for either, Van Helsing at MoviePark Germany was well done.

Oh I was just saying that Movie Park in Germany is way better than the one in Italy. Bandit is a horrible woodie though.

[downunder]

^And I totally agree. Bandit was horrible, you'll be lucky if you're not finding parts of your spine in the toilet bowl when you take a dump after riding that.

I just went on Coaster Counter to check out if there's any parks I've been to that I forgot that are worth mentioning (wow, I've been to 130 parks that have coasters). A few other notables:

Efteling - quite a pretty park with OK coasters.

Hansa Park - quite a good park, also getting a monster Gerstlauer hyper this year.

Farup Sommarland - very nice park, some good coasters, and free shootin range where you shoot air rifles.

Tivoli Frihden - average park, but it has a SCAD tower, which is absolutely terrifying.

Legoland Billund - very good Lego Park and Polar X-plorer is a very surprising coaster. Fun haunted house too.

Phntasialand - can't remember if this was mentioned, amazing theming.

[Gazza]

Efteling you'd go to because it has really good dark rides, a night time water show, plus they're putting in Baron 1898, a B&M dive coaster (The racing GCI looks good too!)

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

^And I totally agree. Bandit was horrible, you'll be lucky if you're not finding parts of your spine in the toilet bowl when you take a dump after riding that.

I just went on Coaster Counter to check out if there's any parks I've been to that I forgot that are worth mentioning (wow, I've been to 130 parks that have coasters). A few other notables:

Efteling - quite a pretty park with OK coasters.

Hansa Park - quite a good park, also getting a monster Gerstlauer hyper this year.

Farup Sommarland - very nice park, some good coasters, and free shootin range where you shoot air rifles.

Tivoli Frihden - average park, but it has a SCAD tower, which is absolutely terrifying.

Legoland Billund - very good Lego Park and Polar X-plorer is a very surprising coaster. Fun haunted house too.

Phntasialand - can't remember if this was mentioned, amazing theming.

I've been to Tivoli Friheden and Hansa Park. Tivoli Friheden has the worst coaster lineup in all of scandinavia in my opinion. Hansa Park is really good. I think the hyper coaster got delayed for 2016.

[downunder]

^Agreed, the coasters are terrible, but the SCAD tower, absolutely terrifying. RCDB still has the hansa hyper for 2015, but it wouldn't surprise if it was delays. I was practically drooling over the survey markings last year, looks like a good one.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

^Agreed, the coasters are terrible, but the SCAD tower, absolutely terrifying. RCDB still has the hansa hyper for 2015, but it wouldn't surprise if it was delays. I was practically drooling over the survey markings last year, looks like a good one.

You been to any UK Parks?

[downunder]

^Only a couple, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers, I'm usually distracted by other things when I'm in London so it's difficult to visit any parks. I'd love to go to Blackpool, but I just haven't had time.