Planning a trip to Europa-Park from Basel or Switzerland? After countless visits with our own children, groups of friends and Catterfly travellers, here is my personal guide to where to stay, what to eat, how to avoid the queues, how many days you really need and what else to see around Europa-Park.
Living in Basel has one rather fun advantage: Europa-Park is practically in our backyard.
Rust, the small German town where Europa-Park is located, is less than 100 km from Basel. Over the years, we have made this journey more times than I can remember.
We've gone with our own children. We've gone with groups of friends and several families together. And through Catterfly, we've planned Europa-Park holidays for travellers coming to Switzerland and wanting to add Germany and France to their trip.
After so many visits, I have also learned that how you plan Europa-Park matters almost as much as what you do once you're inside.
Where should you stay? Is one day enough? Should you combine Europa-Park and Rulantica? Is it easy to travel from Basel to Europa-Park? Where do you eat? And what else can you see nearby?
These are the questions we get regularly.
So rather than another list of "top 10 rides", here is how I would actually plan a Europa-Park family holiday from Basel.
Where Is Europa-Park?
Where Is Europa-Park?
Europa-Park is located in Rust, Germany, close to the borders of France and Switzerland.
This location is one of the things that makes the park particularly interesting for international travellers. You can combine one holiday with:
Switzerland + Germany + France without spending half your holiday travelling between places.
Basel is around 90 km south of Europa-Park, while Colmar, Strasbourg, the Alsace Wine Route and Germany's Black Forest are all within easy reach.
That makes Europa-Park much more than a standalone theme-park destination. It can become part of a fantastic Switzerland, Germany and France family itinerary.
How to Get from Basel to Europa-Park
One of the most common questions we receive is: What is the easiest way to travel from Basel to Europa-Park?
By road, the journey from Basel to Rust is relatively straightforward and normally takes around an hour, depending on traffic and your starting point. Public transport is possible, but there isn't a direct train from Basel Airport to Europa-Park.
If you're arriving at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, you'll first need to connect towards the railway network and then travel north towards Germany, followed by further connections towards Rust.
For a couple travelling light, that's perfectly manageable. With young children, strollers, several suitcases and perhaps grandparents travelling too, it becomes a rather different journey.
We've done enough family travel ourselves to know that sometimes the "cheapest" connection on paper isn't necessarily the best start to a holiday.
What We Usually Recommend from Basel
For families and groups, we often arrange a private Basel to Europa-Park transfer.
For families and groups, we often arrange a private Basel to Europa-Park transfer.
You are picked up either from Basel Airport, your Basel hotel or another agreed location and dropped directly at your hotel or apartment in Rust. No dragging suitcases between platforms. No worrying about connections. And no beginning your Europa-Park holiday with tired children before you've even reached the first rollercoaster.
At Catterfly, we arrange different vehicle sizes depending on the group, so this can work particularly well when several families are travelling together.
Need a Basel Airport or Basel to Europa-Park transfer?
Email: info@catterfly.travel
WhatsApp: +41 78 823 06 18
Email: info@catterfly.travel
WhatsApp: +41 78 823 06 18
How Many Days Do You Need at Europa-Park?
If you're travelling all the way to Rust, I wouldn't rush Europa-Park. For most families, I recommend two days at Europa-Park, especially during busy holiday periods. If you also want to visit Rulantica, make it three days.
My ideal Europa-Park itinerary:
Day 1: Europa-Park - major rides and rollercoasters
Day 2: Europa-Park - family attractions, shows and areas you missed
Day 3: Rulantica Water World
Day 2: Europa-Park - family attractions, shows and areas you missed
Day 3: Rulantica Water World
Trying to squeeze Europa-Park and Rulantica into one day is something I would avoid. Both deserve their own time.
Where to Stay Near Europa-Park
There are two very different ways to approach accommodation at Europa-Park. You can stay at an official Europa-Park hotel and make the accommodation part of the experience.
Or you can stay in an apartment in Rust, which often works better for larger families and groups. We've done both.
Europa-Park Hotels: Best for the Full Experience
Hotel Colosseo
This has always been one of our children's favourites. The hotel is designed around a Roman theme, complete with a large piazza. After a long day inside the park, it's actually quite nice to sit outside with a drink while the children still somehow find the energy to keep going. If you want the Europa-Park experience to continue after the park closes, Hotel Colosseo is a very good choice.
Hotel Krønasår
If Rulantica is an important part of your trip, Hotel Krønasår is particularly convenient because of its location beside the water world. For families planning both Europa-Park and Rulantica, it is definitely worth considering. Official park hotels can also come with benefits such as earlier access to selected attractions, depending on the current season and park arrangements.
Apartments in Rust: Often Better for Families and Groups
When we travel with several families or a larger group of friends, I often prefer apartments.
Why? Because after spending an entire day together in a theme park, everyone appreciates having a little space!
A good holiday apartment gives you:
- Separate bedrooms
- A living room
- Your own kitchen
- More space for children
- Easier breakfasts
- Often a lower cost per person for larger groups
Rust has a surprisingly good selection of family apartments within walking distance of Europa-Park. Options we look at include Villa Scandic Apartments, Apartments Marianna and Sohana Lifestyle Apartments, depending on availability, family size and budget.
For Catterfly travellers, we normally look at the group first and then recommend accommodation rather than automatically putting everyone into the same hotel.
Best Rides at Europa-Park
Now to the reason most people are actually coming. The rides.
If you have teenagers or thrill-seekers in the family, the major Europa-Park rollercoasters will probably dominate your first morning. Among the big names are:
**Voltron Nevera, Silver Star, Blue Fire Megacoaster, Wodan – Timburcoaster**
My advice is simple: Do not wander around aimlessly when the park opens.
Know your priority rides before you arrive and use the first part of the morning wisely. The park becomes significantly busier later.
Europa-Park with Younger Children
One reason we've returned so often as a family is that Europa-Park isn't only designed for teenagers chasing rollercoasters. There is a huge amount for younger children.
Spend time exploring areas such as Ireland - Children's World, Grimm's Enchanted Forest and Arthur and the Minimoys.
This is also why I prefer two days in the park. When you only have one day, you inevitably start running from attraction to attraction. On the second day, you actually begin noticing how much detail has gone into the different European-themed areas. And that is a big part of Europa-Park's charm.
Our Favourite Places to Eat Inside Europa-Park
Theme-park food is theme-park food. But there are a few places we genuinely enjoy.
FoodLoop
If you have children, go once. Your meal travels to the table along a miniature rollercoaster system with loops and tracks. The food almost becomes secondary because the delivery is the entertainment.
Our tip: Eat early. We usually try to get there around 11:30 rather than waiting for the conventional lunch rush.
Bamboe Baai
Another place we like is Bamboe Baai, particularly when everyone needs a break. It has Asian-inspired food, it's indoors, and on a hot summer afternoon the air conditioning alone can make it feel like the best restaurant in Germany.
Where to Eat in Rust After Europa-Park
After an entire day inside the park, I usually enjoy leaving the theme-park environment and having a proper dinner. A few options worth considering:
- Hardy's Bar & Restaurant : Casual and lively, and particularly good for groups and families.
- Restaurant Fenix : A more contemporary option and particularly pleasant when the terrace is open.
- Silver Lake Saloon : Located around Europa-Park's Camp Resort, this is great fun with children. Think Wild West atmosphere, BBQ, burgers and a very relaxed evening.
- Hotel Colosseo : You don't necessarily have to be staying at the hotel to enjoy the restaurants and atmosphere around the piazza. Antica Roma and Pizzeria La Romantica are useful options when you want to remain within the resort environment.
- Ammolite - The Lighthouse Restaurant : Europa-Park can apparently do rollercoasters and serious fine dining. If you're travelling as a couple or with friends and want a completely different evening, Ammolite at Hotel Bell Rock is the place to look at.
Rulantica: Is It Worth Visiting?
Absolutely - particularly if you're travelling with children.
But give it a full day. Rulantica is Europa-Park's enormous Nordic-themed water world and has everything from high-speed slides to wave pools, outdoor areas and lazy rivers.
One of my personal favourites is Vildstrøm, the outdoor wild river.
And after two days walking around Europa-Park, Snorri's Saga lazy river suddenly becomes extremely appealing! For us, Rulantica isn't something to squeeze into the end of an Europa-Park day.
It is Day 3.
How to Avoid Long Queues at Europa-Park
This is where repeat visits help. We've made enough mistakes over the years to learn a few things.
1. Download the Europa-Park App Before You Arrive
Don't wait until you're standing at the entrance. Download the official app beforehand, add your tickets and familiarise yourself with the park map and current queue-management options, including VirtualLine where available. If you're travelling during school holidays, this can save a surprising amount of time.
2. Use Single Rider Queues
If you're travelling with teenagers, friends or adults who don't mind sitting separately, look for Single Rider options on participating attractions. We use these a lot. Sometimes sitting beside your family for two minutes simply isn't worth waiting another 45 minutes!
3. Eat Early and Ride During Lunch
One of our simplest Europa-Park tricks. Eat around 11:30. When much of the park starts thinking about lunch between roughly 12:30 and 2:00, head back towards the popular attractions. Queues fluctuate, of course, but changing your eating schedule can work surprisingly well.
What to Do Near Europa-Park
This is the part I think international visitors often underestimate.
Europa-Park sits in an extraordinary location for exploring Germany, France and Switzerland on the same holiday.
Don't necessarily fly in, spend three days in Rust and leave. Make something bigger out of it.
Europa-Park and Colmar: A Brilliant Combination
Don't necessarily fly in, spend three days in Rust and leave. Make something bigger out of it.
Europa-Park and Colmar: A Brilliant Combination
From Rust, you can easily head across the border into Alsace in France. Colmar is an obvious stop. Walk through the old town and Little Venice, but don't necessarily stop there.
The villages of the Alsace Wine Route are some of the prettiest in France. Places such as Eguisheim, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr can turn a theme-park holiday into something completely different. We've always loved this contrast.
One day the children are discussing which rollercoaster was fastest. The next you're having lunch in an Alsatian village surrounded by vineyards.
Check the Itinerary : Best of Alsace: Strasbourg, Colmar & Wine Route Itinerary.
Check the Itinerary : Best of Alsace: Strasbourg, Colmar & Wine Route Itinerary.
Head in another direction and you're in Germany's Black Forest.
Lake Titisee, Feldberg and the surrounding Black Forest villages work beautifully as a day trip or an overnight addition. It gives everyone a break from organised attractions and brings some lakes, mountains and nature into the itinerary.
Check the Itinerary : Colmar, Feldberg & Alsace Short Break Package.
Check the Itinerary : Colmar, Feldberg & Alsace Short Break Package.
And then, of course, there is Basel. Many travellers simply land at Basel Airport and immediately continue elsewhere.
I think that's a missed opportunity.
Basel has one of Switzerland's loveliest Old Towns, excellent museums, the Rhine running straight through the city and the rather unusual experience of having France and Germany practically around the corner.
Read our Ultimate Basel Old Town Walking Guide when planning your day in the city. And if you have more time, even Lucerne and Central Switzerland can be incorporated into a longer itinerary.
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The Europa-Park Trip I Would Personally Plan
If you would call me today and said: "We have about a week. The children want Europa-Park, but we don't want the entire holiday to be about theme parks."
I would probably suggest:
Basel → Europa-Park → Rulantica → Colmar → Alsace Wine Route → Black Forest
If you have more time, I would extend the Swiss portion towards Lucerne and Central Switzerland. That's a wonderful family holiday.
Three countries, but without constantly packing bags for long journeys.
Rollercoasters one day. French villages the next. Black Forest lakes after that. And Switzerland before or afterwards. This is also why, after living here and travelling around this region for years, I still find the tri-border area fascinating.
You can drive for an hour and suddenly the language, architecture, landscape and what's on the lunch menu have all changed.
You can drive for an hour and suddenly the language, architecture, landscape and what's on the lunch menu have all changed.
Planning a Europa-Park Trip from Switzerland?
At Catterfly Travel, we are based here in Switzerland and plan personalised European holidays rather than fixed packages.
For Europa-Park trips, we can help with the pieces that tend to become complicated when you're organising everything yourself:
- Basel Airport to Europa-Park private transfers
- Family hotels and apartments in Rust
- Europa-Park and Rulantica stays
- Basel sightseeing and guided experiences
- Colmar and Alsace day trips
- Black Forest excursions
- Complete Switzerland–Germany–France family itineraries
If you're considering Europa-Park, send us your travel dates, number of adults, children's ages and how many days you have. We'll tell you how we would plan it.
