Halloween activities in the UK divide firmly along these lines: cutesy pumpkin-patch-filled autumn love-ins or scream-inducing horror fests. If you have kids of different ages, or indeed possess more than one personality trait, it can all seem a little one-dimensional.
That’s why my kids (aged 10 and 13) and I found ourselves heading to Germany for the year’s spookiest celebrations, not yet knowing that our two-night break would turn out to be among our favourite trips ever. We were bound for Europa Park, one of Europe’s best-loved theme parks which welcomes more than seven million visitors per year but, strangely, barely registers in the UK.
That’s a shame because it’s easy to get to (fly to Basel and then make the one-hour drive across the Swiss/German border to the tiny town of Rust) and packed with the kind of rollercoasters and parades that would make even Mickey take a second look.
Owned by the Mack family, which supplies rides to theme parks around the world, it’s designed around 21 areas made to look like different countries; from Scandinavia’s pretty harbour to the whitewashed terraces of Greece.
When in Rome…
Many guests come for the day, but you can stay in themed hotels too. Ours, the Hotel Colosseo, came with a gelato-vending terrace with knock-out views towards a looming recreation of Rome’s Colosseum.
A Swiss friend told me the park is a staple for school trips from the country. And, during its Halloween celebrations, it goes all out, decorating with 180,000 pumpkins and putting on themed parades and special shows, including our favourite – ice-skating with steam-punk-turned-skeleton-circus vibes.
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If you’re so inclined, you can even up the scare-factor with tickets to Traumatica, an after-hours party full of actors dressed as ghouls and scare attractions featuring catacombs and the gates of hell for those aged 16 and over. We weren’t so inclined – and, anyway, my kids were (thankfully) too young.
Even without the extra blood, Europa Park is beautifully eerie when autumn comes around. Set in a forest where the trees gleam red and gold, it gave us misty mornings perfect for wandering between the fairytale set-ups in Grimm’s Enchanted Forest, where Mother Hulda appeared from an upstairs window shaking feathers from a pillow that turned to snow around us. Just before closing time, when smaller children had gone for the day, the work’s winding paths felt magical – even if they were so quiet and comprehensively decorated that we felt that a crazed pumpkin man might jump out at any moment.
Scream team
There were screams aplenty too. Europa Park’s star coaster Voltron Nevera has the world’s steepest launch and seven inversions. Its CanCan Coaster spirals through a psychedelic representation of the Moulin Rouge complete with outsized kicking legs, spitting you out into the resort’s fake version of Paris for recovery crepes and vin chaud by dancing fountains. Unlike in the UK, the theming for rides is all-encompassing: the wait for the Vola da Vinci monorail involved queuing in an Italian palazzo decked out in models of some of Leonardo’s best inventions.
Still, none of our yelps were the kind that you might find at the UK’s theme parks, where rides can verge on the downright horrifying and Halloween attractions can seem more Saw than Hotel Transylvania. Instead, everything seemed to tread carefully between keeping little kids tear-free and older ones entertained. One case in point was Europa Park’s Halloween parade, where monsters pulled cobweb-shrouded carriages and pirates and pumpkin heads on stilts waved cheerily at the smallest visitors. My kids loved it.
Between roller coasters, we cruised leisurely on a lake by swan boat, filming dancing fountains to a lulling soundtrack of classical hits. In the Great Britain area, we navigated a laser maze fit for James Bond and we all climbed aboard a London bus for a gentle swoop upwards.
The following day, we made for the adjacent water park Rulantica, where giant spiders greeted visitors and pumpkins swung from the ceiling. It had been as brilliantly decorated as Europa Park, but it seemed so hectic, with queues for each slide longer than 45 minutes. It made us realise how lucky we’d been at its neighbour, where we never waited longer than 30 minutes for a ride and wandered between areas along quiet paths.
At the end of our trip, we packed up the detritus we’d gained along the way (Halloween themed cups and Lindor chocolates in exotic flavours from the onsite boutiques) and set off for home. Europa Park had been frightfully good – far more trick than treat.
Surprisingly, at the time of writing, the resort had rooms free during this half-term too. An overnight getaway for a family of four currently costs £958, B&B, including tickets for Europa Park and Rulantica – not quite as scary as you’d think.
How to book it
See europapark.de. Easyjet flies to Basel and you can pick up a hire car from the terminal.
All hotels and experiences have been independently reviewed by our expert writers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis, but this never affects our review process.