European Theme Parks Are Next Level! 

Hey friends. I’m Dom, the writer and producer of the video. I want to apologise for two glaring mistakes in this video. The first is that I refer to Europe as not being part of the western world. The second is mentioning that Phantasialand is in rural Germany. Both of these are frankly not true. I’m sorry for any confusion caused by them and thank all the people who have taken the time to correct me in the comments. My intention for this video was to showcase the amazing theme parks found across Europe. I hope that with these two comments omitted that I’ve still managed to pull that off!

Wait, did you contrast "the western world" and "europe" as if they were separate things? That's an interesting take.

„In the middle of nowhere“ isn’t exactly how I‘d describe „on the outskirts of Germany‘s 4th largest city and adjacent to a metropolitan area with more than 10 million inhabitants“

You missed one thing: we get thing called "Winter" here meaning most (if not all) our parks are seasonal, open only 6 months per year and that impacts attendance. I'm honestly impressed our parks are growing that fast with only half year of operation time.

Re: the argument that Europeans live closer to many theme parks and that most of them are just a cheap flight away… I think you’re applying an American/Australian perception of distance to the European environment. As a European, EuropaPark in Germany and Efteling in the Netherlands are sooo far away!! Even though the tickets might not be super expensive, the idea of going all the way there is already overwhelming enough

So refreshing to see the European parks getting the limelight they deserve! 🤍 The irony is that a lot of the original Disney IP was heavily based on European stories... just drastically toned down for American audiences. From Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty to Pinocchio.... many Disney stories derived from old European folk & fairy tales and stories from the likes of the Brothers Grimm, Jules Verne & Rudyard Kipling. So when you know the rich history of storytelling & folklore in Europe it's no surprise that their theme parks deliver such a colourful, unique experience!

From personal experience, theme parks are seen as a lesser form of holiday destination in Europe; going as far as "you're in this country/region, and you want to waste a day on a freaking theme park?" types of conversations (I've had that conversation many times, and have had to visit amazing parks by myself because my traveling companions weren't interested). With the exception of Disneyland and maybe Europa Park, you don't really go out of your way to visit a theme park which for the most part locks you to ones you can drive to, visit and drive back home from on the same day. Europe just doesn't have the same theme park/roller coaster culture that the US seems to have, so you have to attract guests with beautiful, relaxing scenery rather than loud in your face advertising or record breaking rides that very little people care about over here also you're right, you slaughtered quite some names in this video ;)

From what I've seen of them on RU-vid, I can definitely say theme parks in Europe add to the continent's aforementioned man-made beauty.

Fantastic video, you nailed a lot of things! One more aspect about european family owned parks: They really care about the experience itself, not about the commercial aspect of adding IPs like Disney. That is a very strong difference! Disney might try to convince guests that they care about the experience but let's be real here: Essentially all these IPs are methods to make a lot of money from merch, food and other additonal offerings. In parks like Phantasialand they care about the attractions itself, the quality of the product is the key selling point and not which IP makes the most money!

Europe: Crafts beautifully decorated roller coasters with fully realized storylines and theming contained to the ride itself. America: Six Flags pooped another clone into their parking lot this summer.

Great video, but I wouldn't say Phantasialand is in 'rural Germany' lol It's just outside of Cologne (population: 1.1M) and in a relatively central location in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area (population: 10M)

Very great topic. I’m from the USA but seeing European park vlogs on RU-vid I notice that their local parks care a lot more about theming then the USA local parks. They include bonus rides like dark rides or mad houses, indoor attractions with stories and that is cool!

US theme parks are holiday destinations especially in Florida. With the amount of paid time off Europeans get they mostly want to travel so theme parks in Europe are more of a day trip thing

I would argue, a strong factor are building requirements. No theme Park is allowed to build whatever they want, they have a list of restrictions. It could be noise or height restriction. The reason why Phantasiland and Alton Towers first dig a hole before building a Coaster is exactly that. Phantasialand is located next to neighborhoods and a wildlife protected area, so everything they do has to get a permission, and Noise is a HUGE Factor. All the theming around F.L.Y or Taron is a "hidden" noise barrier. I don't wanna get political, but restrictions lead to more innovation, you cant just build taller/faster, you have to work around and make the best you can, rather than just scale it up. Think about Formula Rossa, does anyone really cares about it?

Happy to be a Theme Park enthusiast living in Europe ❤️

The Efteling is a theme park I would go to yearly with my family. It still is my favorite theme park I’ve ever been to. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the Netherlands or Belgium!!

I’m Dutch and I visit Efteling at least once a year. I prefer theme parks over amusement parks. Great atmosphere with occasionally good coasters make for a better experience than great coasters with an occasional good atmosphere, in my opinion. A park like Efteling is a complete package. A few coasters, most of which can be enjoyed by the entire family, immersive darkrides, in which you will likely see something new everything you ride it, great music, both in the foreground and background, innovation and uniqueness (look at Villa Volta (first Vekoma madhouse and the fairytale forest, a unique core of the park), good storytelling and finally, there is a lot of greenery. Even the biggest thrill coaster is heavily themed, and more of an overall experience rather than unique thrills.

This video actually made me pretty emotional. I'm Dutch myself , and I'm so Incredibly proud and lucky to have grown up with so many of these parks.they all have a wonderful sense of charm to them, while also maintaining the thrill most of us love. They are catered to everyone, and tell wonderful, innovative stories through the form of rides and attractions. I love them so so much, and I'm really grateful so many non-europeans think the same thing about it. Thank you.

You nailed it. The funny/sad thing is, I live in an about 2-3 hours drive from Europapark. I visited this park last time in 2007. In the meantime, I have been 3 times in Orlando. Before Covid hit last year I planed to go back to Europapark and even get an Anual Pass… maybe next year. 😅

I believe it's important that parks like this get more exposure. A theme park is not just some cheaply incorporated IP being thrown into unfulfilling experiences. If people wanted that, they wouldn't have paid the money to visit an immersive, transformational place that acts almost as a work of art. As we see Disney moving away from what made them special, other parks and especially European ones, are starting to catch people's attention. How could corporate laziness compete with the charm of Efteling or the theming of Phantasialand?

Hate to nitpick mate but you keep referencing the western world, like the US is the western world. Last time I checked,the Majority of Europe, including Poland and Germany, are considered the western world ;)

“It’s my video and I can do what I want.” Mood

Phantasialand is in a region which has more than 15 Million inhabitants (The most densely populated part of Germany)… so it’s not in the middle of nowhere

This is legitimately one of the best videos in all of theme park YT. Seriously fantastic. Incredibly well done Dom.

This video was a bresh of fresh air. 😉

Thanks for this great video! As a German theme park enthusiast, I think it's funny that many people think that only in the US there are great parks and consider the local parks as childish... Over the last years, we got some awesome new rollercoasters and themed rides :)

This might be your best video to date. As a Brit, thanks for shedding some light on theme parks our side of the pond! I love Disney and Universal as much as the next guy, but it's nice to be reminded of the treasures on my doorstep :)

This video truly is US centrism embodied, lol. First the comments about Europe not belonging to the West, then claiming that Phantasialand is in rural Germany…

the Efteling is actually so old (1951) that even Walt Disney himself did pick some thing up from it before he started doing theme parks.

Yeah I love my home parks phantasialand and Sound Halloween movie park germany. But also toverland in the Netherlands. Within 4-6hours you can reach heide Park , europa park, holiday Park, almost any Park in germany and the Netherlands it's a dream for any theme Park Fan.

This video is a great insight into European theme parks and considering I live in uk it’s interesting to see America look on our theme parks. I have been to quite a few theme parks and it really made me realise how different the USA and the European parks differ.

This is one of your best videos yet Dom! I genuinely didn't know most of that about European theme parks

Awesome video. Dom, I could listen to you narrate for hours. Review Time has the most interesting theme park content.

“For most people, Europe is really really far away” 💀💀 what?

Americans referring to Europe like it's a collective is always funny to us Europeans

0:20 I definitely disagree with this statement. Phantasialand is located just 30 min. from Cologne, a city with over a Million inhabitants.

Your videos are as epic as the thrill rides you highlight, you don't just show Rollercoasters you make us feel like we are on one 😃

Am I the only one who was getting an eye twitch every time he mentionned the "western world" in opposition to "Europe"? ^^

Tomb Blaster is hilarious as an option but you've got everything else spot on. Theme Parks in Europe are brilliant and they put a lot of effort in. Some absolutely gorgeous parks out there not mentioned too like Nigloland and Parc Asterix in France, and Plopsaland in Belgium. Great video though, and you made me laugh for the reason for including the UK 😂

I've rarely felt so proud to be European❤️

Bro Efteling and Energylandia are pretty much opposites in every way.

Having been to five Euro parks I can say this about EU vs US- uniqueness/speciality vs structured. The great thing about euro parks is everything you highlighted. Family owned parks help create a lot of these unique experiences. Lots of innovation happens here first. Some parks have government funding. Parks have their own individual charm. However, US parkgoers may assume some things that aren't true that I'd like to highlight. First off, transportation kinda stinks when it comes to getting to these parks in the middle of nowhere. Trains and flights are great, but getting from stations to parks in small towns can be tricky and possibly impossible without a car. Also, while some parks tend to be better than others, staff and operations tend to lack compared to typical US chain parks. Some parks like the Merlin parks and Europa are better, but typically a lot of those smaller private parks need lots of operation improvements in order. Great video and I think it's awesome to see a big chanel spread word of parks like phantasialand, entering, and port Aventura. Europe has a lot of great an unique experiences to offer, it's just they need to work on the infrastructure a little bit

I'm from Germany and we have so many small and big parks like you said. All of them are designed with love and as you said to flee out of the "normal" life. But I also have to say, that many people don't go to amusement parks, even though I don't know why. Many people here have the dream to go to the USA just for Disney Parks or new York. Same as I have. It was a very informative video and seriously the best and most objective video I have seen on RU-vid. Go on like this 👍

Amazing video! I completely agree with the ease of travel. I live in a town in the north-east of Belgium, right next to the border with the Netherlands and Germany. I live within an hour of Toverland and Phantasialand (which is my second favourite park behind Disneyland Paris), and within 2.5 hours of Plopsaland de Panne (very underrated by people outside of Belgium, it has an incredible coaster and great theming), and Efteling. And I live 4 hours away from Disneyland Paris, which feels like a lot for a lot of people here, but it's still nowhere near as long of a drive as some americans have to do to go to a good park. The only point in the video I kinda disagree with is the competition. There is some of course, but a lot of parks (like Efteling, Toverland or Phantasialand) mostly do their own thing without trying to be better than the competition. It only really applies to parks that want to beat Disneyland Paris (like PortAventura and Europa Park), and parks that focus mostly on coasters (like the Walibi parks) As for theming, you are spot on. What a lot of people here consider to be "ugly parks" are usually still really nice and clean.

I hope Disney and Universal step up their game and use these parks as inspiration... less dominated by the monetary benefits of IP to funnel money from their guest's pockets, but more interested in creating amazing experiences. Seeing new leadership from these companies would be a welcome change to really make these parks into what they could be

This is next-level: creative story idea, compelling argument and analysis.

It's been over 20 years since I last went to Phantasialand and Europa Park (on school trips) and I barely recognise them anymore! They have come on soooooo far and I can't wait to get back to them.

I live in northern germany. Both Hansapark and Heidepark are basically a daytrip. Went to hansapar a few times with friends, but we never stayed a night, always went home in the evening.

Absolutely AWESOME!!!!!!! Video! On par with major network documentaries!

Like, they don't cost $150 per ticket with really quality and improvement over time.

seeing my home park in this video was awesome! Proud to be european, italian and a theme park enthusiast!

There’s a stawberry themed theme park in Germany called Karl’s. It’s really good

My man really just said that Phantasialand is in “rural Germany” despite it being in the 10M metropolitan area of Köln, Dusseldorf and Dortmund. Even the Disney parks in Florida are more rural than that

A thing to remember aswell is that while yes, everything is quite close together there is quite a big factor which american parks dont really have to think about. That being the language barriers between countries that make it necessary atleast someone in your group knows fluent english or the countries majority language. Also people very much tend to go to their countries theme parks instead of ones outside.

Thank you - its nice to know that we have such many beautiful parks here in Europe :)

Great video man! Now you really really wanna go back to Europe! That Steam Punk park looks amazing. I live in Los Angeles where we’re pretty spoiled for choice of theme parks (Disneyland pass holder here) but the theming is really important to me more then the rides.

Thanks for opening the window of new experiences with your videos.

I like how everytime he talks about Europes theme parks, he shows video footage from American parks/Japan Park/Disneyland in Europe, all foreign parks.

This is a gorgeous video! Well-made and beautifully constructed. Also surprised me how many parks i could name from a second footage so i must be well travelled on this continent! What I would say is UK theme parks are very different from European ones. Merlin have stripped the charm out of most of them (notably Chessington and Thorpe who in the early 00s were beautifully themed parks). Only Alton Towers can compete with European parks on the folklore and theming elements European parks thrive at

Wow, wasn't expecting a reference to my little local park dreamworld haha. Brilliant video man

Didn't realise Europe wasnt in the western world 😅 Also, the UK is part of the continent of Europe just not a member of the EU anymore

Before visiting the US in September, I told my gf who was a bit nervous about the different cultures and rules and all that "America is like Phantasialand. It's awesome, you get to do all those things and see all that wild, crazy stuff and... it's okay because you don't have to live there. It's going to get a bit weird, it can be imposing and even scary at times...but you get to go home after 2 weeks so enjoy the ride and take a lot of it with you." Worked like a charm, plans are to go back a lot of times ;) Edit: I know you Yankees, what could that be??? So, List of items people are rightfully scared about in America: Guns, no general healthcare so overall health, esp. mentally, can't drink tap water, cars are unregulated nightmares, roads are terrible, powerlines look like Armenia in 1986, road rage is common and often violent, blackouts, cleanliness, horrible health and safety standards in general... Yes, China has Tofu Dreg and Britain had "that'll do" but America has "makes no money, gets no attention"!

Everyone loves Energylandia here in Poland but i haven't been there yet, definitely a must see on my next holidays

Man! This is an awesome video! You've hit on my big issues with the American theme park industry, I love Disney but it's just too much of a dang money sink these days, losing even the pretense of being about anything other than draining you of every dollar possible. Hoping that I can explore Europe and feel some of that old theme park magic again.

Thanks for shining a light on these parks. I feel like the theme of these parks is Europe and it’s authentic

i live in germany, at phantasialand and i have to say i feel very flattered. :)

I loved that you use footage of walibi holland. Its the the themepark of my home town Biddinghuizen.

Great Video :) But how did you miss on Piraten in Batavia when talking about Darkrides :D ??

American citizen here. Alton Towers, Phantasialand, and Tivoli Gardens are among the theme parks I hope to one day visit! Yes, I would like to visit Disneyland Paris too; but that seems like a one-and-done park for me. I could see myself going back multiple times to the three parks I listed earlier.

You said it amazing i always tought disney was not a huge succes in europe bc disney has a monopoly on kids theme parks in the us but in europe they have serieus competitors whitout the need of ip and when a park like phantasialand is building a new ride people are going to visit that and not visit disney that did not have a new high qwality ride in forever

You really need to check the "Puy du Fou" Park in France. A one of a kind theme park (and the second largest of the country)

Hint: the entery to phantasialand in germany is free if its your birthday. You just have to show theme your passport and you'll get a free ticket.

You really found your voice in this video. Pure excellence!

i love your channel, i learn a lot

What an amazing insight! Thank you for this video. Living in Northern Ireland I do like the amazing theming and detail Disneyland Paris has but as you say the other theme parks scattered across Europe is just something else entirely. Can’t wait for the London Resort if and when it starts building

Thanks pal for the video i live Lancashire in the UK and we have some great parks in the uk and the rest of Europe i have just subscribed to you looking forward to looking at more of your content.

Beautiful video! Top notch production, too. As an American, I would call most ride parks “Amusement” Parks vs “Theme” Parks, that is to say it’s all about the rides with very little theming and/or uneven theming. If you like the tallest, scariest and fastest, you’ll love American “Amusement Parks”. I personally would give up thrills for an immersive experience. I love what European Theme Parks have done and would love to visit some day.

I´m living in Düsseldorf, Germany and with my public transport ticket, I can travel to Phantasialand, Movie Park and some more parks. It is very easy for us to travel to other parks. And we just have wonderful themed parks!

Great script, presentation and by far the best footage I’ve ever seen in a theme park video 😍 those drone shots are stunning. Greetings from the heart of Germany! P.S. I can’t wait for the next podcast episode. Still falling asleep listening to them every night, 20 minutes at a time :)

ngl i found it very funny how you pronounced 'Walibi'. its so far from how we europeans or even dutch speaking (its a dutch name) say it so that definitley suprised me

Efteling is just magical, been there so many times and it always is amazing again and again. The rides, the experience, everything is perfect to me.

funny to refer to the US as western world and excluding Europe from it. To us we are the western world and the US is frontier land ^^

Excellent video! I'd love to see a full length documentary on this topic - I think the point on IP is a really important one, In my view IP kills imagination and makes parks more like a generic shopping mall. Think of iconic rides like Expedition Everest or theme park locations like lost continent in IoA and theres no IP. Thats why I love parks like Portaventura so much, while its obviously now got Ferrari world, the original park is stunning and completely free from the pollution of franchises and IP - and instead concentrates on genuine stunning landscaping, theming and escapism rather than just sticking a marvel or star wars logo on a piece of junk and waiting for the millions to roll in 🙂

As a German i find it extremely amusing how you pronounce these Parks 😂😂😂

I love carnival and theme parks a lot. But my favourites was thos random ones that open seasonly. The best ride i had was a close roller coaster in early 2000 . Im not sure they allow this kinda ride this days 😁 , it was so fast i felt my stomach stay in the sky

Really great video thank you

Him: people don’t fly into France just for Disney land Paris then leave. My family who did exactly this when I was a kid: 😶

I’m proud to say I work at Alton Towers! It’s such a picturesque place as well as having some of the best rides in the world imo (I’m a smiler stan lmao). I’m glad I get to go there every day

I am so happy this vdieo exists and respect, i am so tired off most USA enthousiasts bashing on Europe and it even came so bad i started to hate them, it's refreshing to see someone that cares and respects us and our parks... also Europe is getting a lot off new coasters next years because i truly believe zadra/untamed/trth/kondaa started a Europian coaster war.

Yes, we have free movement within EU, but we don’t travel across borders nearly as much as they cross state lines in the US. Which is why all parks even Disney to an extent, is run as regional parks firstly.

The steampunk ride looks amazing! Europe has some amazing parks. I hope to visit some in my lifetime.

It’s crazy how many theme parks are located in my area: Disneyland Paris all the walibis and Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa park nearby

I noticed that there is no footage in this video of the theme park “Toverland” in the Netherlands, so I’m assuming you didn’t visit that one, I highly recommend it, it has some incredibly good theming and a very pleasant atmosphere.

And do not forget that Port Aventura was designed by Anheuser Busch, and Parque Warner Madrid by Six Flags Company

What an absolutely fantastic video! I'm from Europe and I think you nailed it. Great work Dom, probably the best video on your channel yet!

Liseburg is a good theme park in sweden, with Helix and Liseburgbanan, makes a good park layout.

Living in Europe, Belgium specifically we do have choises. I can drive in 1,5 to efteling and about 6 hours to europa park(haven’t done it yet tho). Also we have like 5 or 6 parks in belgium alone. I go to most off them. Because we can. I love being able to pick a different park everytime. Also phantasialand is probably one of my favourites😁

I would suggest America has their own parks that could be considered to be created and kept in the same mindset of those European parks you highlighted such as the Busch Gardens parks, and places like Dollywood and Silver Dollar City.

What is that wood steel hybrid coaster in the opening bit being chased by a drone???

in contrast to the us, the historic culture of Europe is so dense, that there isn't a need for theme parks. generally i think those kind of experiences are about thrill and fun. They're for the natives and not the tourists. The rest of europe is already waiting for a photograph