The Most Visited Theme Parks In Europe

The streets of Copenhagen constructed in Lego at Legoland in Billund, Denmark. Editorial credit: Jurga Jot / Shutterstock.com.
The streets of Copenhagen constructed in Lego at Legoland in Billund, Denmark. Editorial credit: Jurga Jot / Shutterstock.com.

Europe is home to some amazing theme parks. The parks are often a beehive of activity during the summer season, with many families and visitors frequenting the parks. The theme parks have something to offer to everyone, whether they are hardcore roller coaster lovers or are a fun of gentler, story-based attractions. Below, we present to you a list of the ten most visited theme parks across Europe.

10. Legoland Billund - 2 million visitors

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Legoland Billund is one of the most visited parks in Denmark. The park offers a mix of fun, as well as scary rides in its Haunted House. The Haunted House is crawling with ghosts and vampires, with the visitors having an opportunity to chase ghost and meet “crazy” scientists and their mad experiments. The Polar X-plorer rollercoaster has a unique drop that offers a lot of fun despite sending some chills as it whiz through the Polar Land. Visitors can also explore the fascinating Miniland and experience an amazing land made of LEGO bricks. The park attracts about 2 million visitors every year.

9. Puy du Fou - 2 million visitors

Puy du Fou, in Les Epesses, France, is a popular theme park. It attracts over 2 million visitors annually, making it one of the two most visited theme parks in France. Puy du Fou features 26 shows with each show taking about 30 minutes. The main show takes place behind the ruined castle, telling the story of the 700 years history of the area. The show boasts of the largest stage in the world, able to accommodate over 1,000 actors, several horses, and hundreds of fireworks per performance

8. Legoland Windsor - 2.1 million visitors

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Legoland Windsor is a major brand name and a popular park located in the United Kingdom. The park features in some of the popular video games and tablet computers. Legoland is known for some of the tall buildings made of lego and a variety of fun activities and shows on offer. The park also boasts of some of the fascinating rides that are major crowd pullers. Legoland Windsor has plenty of space for expansion but lack of funding has derailed some of the development. The park attracts approximately 2.1 million visitors every year.

7. Gardaland - 2.9 million visitors

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Gardaland Park is located in North-Eastern Italy. The park is adjacent to Lake Garda with the entire complex covering an area of about 4.7 million square feet. It has hotels and a few new SeaLife aquariums. Gardaland is a family oriented park with some large installations including the Raptor roller coaster, which has become a visitors’ favorite. The park also features mechanical attraction and themed water well. Gardaland receives about 2.9 million visitors every year. It was ranked among the top ten amusement parks in the world by the Forbes Magazine.

6. Liseberg - 3 million visitors

Liseberg is located in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is situated on a hill in the center of the city and offers true Scandinavian fun. The oldest roller coaster, known as Lisbergbanan, is a mine train which navigates the hills and winds under other rides. The most popular ride in the park is probably Balder, a wooden roller coaster regarded as the best in the world. The park’s traditional theme is carefully complemented by the modern developments. Liseberg Park attracts about 3 million visitors every year.

5. PortAventura - 3.6 million visitors

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PortAventura is both a theme park and a resort situated in South Barcelona. Despite its location in the in a fairly industrial part of Spain, the park attracted over 3.6 million visitors in 2016, making it the most visited park in Spain in that year. PortAventura is fairly large with the focus on scenery and landscape rather than rides. In fact, the park has only four large rides and a few more family rides, each ride having a “re-rideability factor.” The park features five themed areas based on the history of civilization and one themed area based on Sesame Street.

4. Tivoli Gardens - 4.6 million visitors

Tivoli Garden is an amusement park located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in 1843, Tivoli is one of the oldest parks in the world, with its history being one of the factors attracting guests to the park. With 4.6 million visitors in 2016, it was the second most popular seasonal theme park in the world and the fourth most visited park in Europe. It has one of the oldest roller coasters in the world. The Rutsjebanen roller coaster has a brake operator on board. Tivoli Garden is also home to several concert halls with a feel of stately homes. The Garden has been an inspiration for some of the Disney parks such as Walt Disney.

3. De Efteling - 4.6 million visitors

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Efteling Park is popular for the high level of theming and professional operators. The Dutch based park has a Disney-like theme, using its own creativity to design and invent rides. The park some of the attractions that are beyond off-the-shelf rides. Efteling has a fairytale atmosphere and offers a wide range of attractions, making it ideal for all age groups. Visitors can glide through the enchanting world of fairies or huddle together during the park show Raveleijn before closing their day with the biggest water show in Europe. Although Efteling has fewer rides, it attracted over 4.6 million people in 2016.

2. Europa Park - 5.6 million visitors

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Europa Park is one of the most popular theme parks without the name “Disney” in it. It is Germany’s largest theme park and the second most popular park in Europe, attracting over 5.6 million visitors in 2016. The park can accommodate up to 50,000 visitors in a day. Europa Park is owned and managed by Mack. It has twelve roller coasters with the powered coaster speeding through a diamond mine. The park guarantees satisfaction and entertainment to the visitors with their staff, themes, and the overall experience.

1. Disneyland Paris - 13.3 million visitors

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Since its opening in 1992, Disneyland Paris has become one of the most famous theme parks in Europe. According to the Themed Entertainment Association, the park received about 13.3 million visitors in 2016. The Parisian Park is filled with classic attractions, shows, and street parades which offer unlimited entertainment to park goers. Visitors are also awe struck by the unforgettable fireworks display over Sleeping Beauty Castle. The park rides are noticeably larger compared to other Disney installations across the globe.

The Most Visited Theme Parks In Europe

RankTheme ParkNumber of visitors, 2016
1Disneyland Paris13,370,000
2Europa Park5,600,000
3De Efteling4,764,000
4Tivoli Gardens4,640,000
5PortAventura3,650,000
6Liseberg3,070,000
7Gardaland2,880,000
8Puy du Fou2,220,000
9Legoland Windsor2,183,000
10Legoland Billund2,091,000
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