wild adventures

Europa Park: Roller Coasters, Puppies, & the Joy of the New

A few weeks ago, my friend Lucia admitted that she had never ridden a roller coaster and asked if I wanted to join her and another friend for a day at Europa Park.

Theme parks were a big part of my childhood and some of my happiest memories are on rollercoasters and spinning tea cups. But I haven’t been to a theme park in years, even though I love them.

So when Lucia asked if I wanted to join her on her first-ever roller coaster ride, I said heck yes. And off we went for a day of epic junk food eating, stomach-dropping coasters, and discovering, to my surprise and delight, that just like so many other things in Europe, this fabulous theme park is (wait for it!) dog friendly!

Of course, the best part was Lucia’s reactions to her first roller coaster ride. There’s just something special about watching someone do something new and scary and wonderful.

rollercoaster

lines

 

Faces

Falling

Roller coaster

Hug

Waffles

Fries and burgers

burger
Europa Park is open almost year-round (with a couple small breaks between seasons), allows dogs (!), and is clean and charming. Adult prices start at 41 euros per person for the day and in addition to about a bazillion roller coasters, they’ve got shows, kiddie rides, adorable little shops, and plenty of classic rides (like the tea cups and the battering ram). The park is also super beautiful, with lush, green lawns, a sweet little stream, and cobbled lanes.

A big thanks to Europa Park for two free tickets. As always, all opinions are my own.

All photos taken with my lovely little Lumix.

P.S. If you haven’t seen it already, I made a five-minute Q&A video about all things travel. And I’m planning another, so if you have a question you’d like me to tackle, please leave it in the comments (or shoot me an email).

Comments

  • July 24, 2014
    Ali

    I’m glad you had fun! So could you actually take Luna on the roller coaster? How did that work?

    • July 24, 2014
      Gigi

      I actually didn’t realize she was allowed until we were already there, so Luna stayed home that day.

      You can’t take dogs on roller coasters, just in the park. So it only works if people are willing to sit with the dog or maybe if you’re going to see shows or if one person doesn’t like roller coasters (this would have worked brilliantly when I was a kid as my mom doesn’t like them and always sat down at the bottom by herself while we rode).

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