Some families plan a holiday around a city. Others plan it around a roller coaster. If yours is the second kind, northern Europe is made for a road trip. Some of the continent’s best-known theme parks sit within a long day’s drive of each other: Legoland’s original park in Denmark, Heide Park on the north German heath, Efteling in the Netherlands, Phantasialand near Cologne, Europa-Park in the south-west corner of Germany, and Disneyland Paris to finish. This guide strings them together into a two-week route, with alternatives for younger children, and the rules on tickets, heights and opening days that decide whether a park day works.
Every park here has its own page on JuniorTravelClub with ticket rules, facilities and family details, taken from the parks’ own websites. Distances between parks are given as straight-line figures worked out from each park’s coordinates. The road distance is always longer, so check your route before you set off.
The route at a glance
- Start: Billund, Denmark
- Finish: Paris, France
- Parks: Legoland Billund, Heide Park, Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa-Park and Disneyland Paris
- Countries: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and France
- Length: about two weeks, with a travel day between most parks
- Best for: children from around five or six up, who are tall enough for family coasters and old enough to enjoy a long drive. The section on younger children below suggests swaps.
Before you book anything: three rules of thumb
1. Opening calendars decide the route
Not every park is open every day, and the seasons differ. Legoland Billund opens on some days and not others, with hours that change from date to date. Efteling says it is open 365 days a year. Europa-Park has a long season that runs into the following January, with a short break around Christmas. Legoland Deutschland lists specific closing days even in its main season. Build the route around the calendars first, then fill in the driving days. Doing it the other way round leaves you outside a closed gate.
2. Many tickets are tied to a date
The parks handle tickets very differently, and it matters when you are on the road:
- Phantasialand sells tickets online only. They are e-tickets for a fixed date that cannot be rebooked or cancelled, and only a limited number are sold for each day.
- Heide Park tickets cannot be moved to another day and are not refunded for rain. An undated ticket costs more but leaves the day open.
- Efteling needs both an admission ticket and a date reservation. The ticket itself stays valid for a year from purchase, so you can buy early and fix the date later.
- Europa-Park recommends booking online in advance because capacity is limited.
- Disneyland Paris asks holders of a non-dated ticket or annual pass to register their visit date before coming.
On a road trip, a dated ticket is a commitment. Our advice is to buy undated or flexible tickets where you can, and keep a spare day in the plan so one rainy day doesn’t force you to give up a ticket.
3. Height, not age, decides what your children can ride
Height limits are set ride by ride. Disneyland Paris says some attractions are only open above a certain height, and Legoland Deutschland sets age and height restrictions that differ from ride to ride. Measure your children at home in shoes, then check each park’s ride list before you go. It saves a lot of tears at the queue entrance. Several of the parks also run a parent swap system: Baby-Switch at Phantasialand and Heide Park, Rider Switch at Disneyland Paris. One adult rides while the other waits with a child who is too small, and then the two swap without queuing again.
The route, park by park
Days 1–2: Legoland Billund, Denmark
Start where Legoland began. Legoland Billund opened to the public in 1968. Its opening calendar is the first thing to check, because the park is not open every day. Rides close an hour before the park does. Fastrack can be added to a ticket, and so can extras such as meeting sharks or a driving licence at the Traffic School. Day tickets are cheaper online.
Several attractions work for a child in a wheelchair without leaving it, among them Miniland, DUPLO FUN, the LEGO DUPLO Peppa Pig Playground and Atlantis by SEA LIFE. Guests with a physical disability can enter rides through the exit or Fastrack entrance with up to five companions. A toilet with a changing bench is opened with a key fob from Information.
Parking at Legoland’s P1, P2, P3, P5 and P6 is charged, and number plates are read on the way in and out. You can pay in advance, at a kiosk in the car park, or afterwards within a set time if you forget.
Second day: stay in Billund and spend the second day at the Lalandia Aquadome, also in Billund. The youngest have their own 1,000 m² Kids Area with a baby pool and a warm-water pool. Older children race on the four parallel tubes of Power Racers. Book ahead: on some days, weekends among them, the Aquadome may be closed to guests who are not staying there. Children under 12 must be supervised by an adult over 18, and under-3s must wear a swim nappy.
Our guide Legoland Billund vs Windsor vs Deutschland compares the European Legolands in detail.
Day 3: Drive south into Germany
Heide Park lies around 300 km from Billund in a straight line. Plan a full travel day with a long lunch stop. If your children are keen on rides, Hansa-Park near Neustadt in Holstein makes a possible detour. One admission covers every ride, show and hands-on attraction that is running.
Day 4: Heide Park, Soltau
Heide Park keeps things simple: a day ticket lets you ride every attraction and see every show as often as you like. Two details matter for families with small children. Children under 90 cm get in free, but only if you add their zero-euro ticket in the online shop. Parents of children up to age three can collect a free Baby-Switch-Pass at the Service Center, though it is only issued on days when the Express Ticket can be booked. Pick up a free wristband at the Service Center in the morning, too. You write your name and phone number on it in case you and your child get separated. Rides close an hour before the park.
Day 5: Drive west to the Netherlands
Efteling is about 360 km from Heide Park in a straight line, which makes this the longest leg so far. Start early. With older children who love rides, Movie Park Germany in the Ruhr is a possible extra day on the way. Its young end is unusually strong: the Santa Monica playground and the Roxy 4D cinema have no minimum height, and Zuma’s Zoomers takes children under 90 cm with an adult.
Days 6–7: Efteling
Efteling, founded in 1952, is big enough that families treat it as a day out in its own right, and with small children the walking matters more than the ride list. Give it two days if you can. Getting in takes two steps: an admission ticket and a date reservation. Parking is charged separately. An overview of which attractions are running goes up each morning, an hour before opening, because weather can delay or close rides. Waiting times appear in the Efteling app. Food comes in many forms, and the pancake house Polles Keuken is a stop in its own right.
Use the second day for whatever the children loved most, or swap it for Toverland near Venlo. Children under 90 cm get in free there if their visit is reserved, food from home is allowed, and bottle feeds can be warmed in free microwaves.
Day 8: Phantasialand, near Cologne
From Efteling, Phantasialand is only about 160 km in a straight line, so you can drive the evening before and stay near Cologne. Phantasialand is the park where the ticket rules matter most. Tickets are sold online only, are tied to a date and cannot be cancelled. On the day itself you can still buy in the online shop until 2pm if the day hasn’t sold out. Children aged 0 to 3 get in free without a pre-booked ticket if you bring proof of age, and a copy of an official ID or birth certificate is enough. Children aged 4 to 11 also need proof of age on the day. Children also get free entry on their birthday up to and including their 11th, if the visit is reserved online and they bring ID.
The park opens at 9am and the attractions at 10am. There is a quiet nursing room next to Guest Relations, and staff will help warm baby food. Pushchairs are allowed when a child is using them, but handcarts and bicycle trailers are not.
Day 9: Rest day
Two weeks of theme parks is a marathon, and children, like parents, run out of steam. Take a day off from rides in Cologne: a walk by the Rhine, a playground, an early night. You will get more out of the second half.
Day 10: Drive south to the Black Forest
Europa-Park is about 290 km from Phantasialand in a straight line. The park is in Rust, in south-west Germany.
Days 11–12: Europa-Park and Rulantica
Europa-Park has been open since 1975. It is laid out as a circuit of quarters themed on European countries, and the food follows the same plan. There are Greek dishes in one area, pizza in another and a vegan deli somewhere else, so lunch can be wherever you are when a child runs out of patience. Book online ahead: the park says capacity is limited. The parking ticket is also dated and valid only on your chosen day. If you are dropping someone off, you can park free for up to three hours on the Neuer Festplatz in Rust, near the main entrance.
Make the second day a water day at Rulantica, the resort’s indoor water world. Book online: the desk on site only sells what is left, at a surcharge. Food may not be brought in and has to go in a locker, so have the picnic on the theme park day.
Alternative for younger children: Legoland Deutschland in Günzburg is around 190 km east of Europa-Park in a straight line, and it is built with pushchairs in mind. It has stroller parking inside the park, every toilet has a changing station, and there is a Baby Service with a breastfeeding area. Children aged 2 and over need their own ticket.
Day 13: Drive west to Paris
Disneyland Paris is about 370 km from Europa-Park in a straight line. Cross into France and stay near the resort, east of the city.
Day 14: Disneyland Paris
Finish with the biggest of them all. Disneyland Paris opened in 1992 and has two parks, Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure World. The resort is open every day of the year, but opening times change with the season. It plans for small children in detail. There is a Baby Care Centre in each park, most restrooms have changing tables, and pushchairs can be rented inside each entrance. Tables and high chairs can be booked in the app up to two months ahead, and some character encounters use a virtual queue. Rider Switch lets parents share the big rides without queuing twice. On a wet day, covered passages and indoor attractions keep things going. Noise-cancelling headphones are available for children who find the noise too much.
If you have more time, our three days in Paris with kids continues the trip into the city. Parc Astérix, north of Paris, is the other big park in the area. Children under 3 get in free there.
If your children are under six
The route works with small children if you change the balance:
- Keep: Legoland Billund, Lalandia, Efteling and Disneyland Paris all have plenty for the youngest.
- Swap: Phantasialand and Europa-Park for Legoland Deutschland, or for Toverland and Movie Park, whose low-height rides are clustered together.
- Use the free-entry rules: under-90 cm children are free at Heide Park and Toverland with a reserved ticket, under-3s at Phantasialand and Parc Astérix, while at Legoland Deutschland only children aged 2 and over need a ticket.
- Shorten the days: arrive at opening, leave after lunch, and nap in the car on the travel days.
Our tips for theme parks with a toddler cover the rest.
Good to know with kids
Driving between countries
The route crosses four countries, and driving rules such as tolls and low-emission zones vary between them. Check each one before you go, and make sure your hire car comes with the right seats for your children’s height and weight. If you are hiring, check the rental terms for driving into other countries before you book.
Rain
Northern European summers are changeable. Heide Park does not refund tickets for rain. Efteling and Legoland Billund may close attractions in bad weather, and Phantasialand closes some water rides during its winter season. Disneyland Paris and Legoland Deutschland both have indoor attractions, and Legoland Deutschland says waiting times are often shorter on poor-weather days. Keep a water park, Lalandia or Rulantica, as a rain plan.
Last rides and long days
At Legoland Billund, Heide Park and Legoland Deutschland, rides close an hour before the park. Don’t save the favourite for last.
Lost children
Write your phone number on a wristband or on your child’s arm on every park day. Heide Park gives out free wristbands for exactly this.
Packing
Our theme park day bag packing list covers what to carry. Pack swimwear and swim nappies for the water parks, and keep a copy of each child’s ID or birth certificate for the parks that ask for proof of age.
Plan and book
Compare car hire for the trip: car hire in Denmark or car hire in Germany on AutoEurope. Search for park tickets on Tiqets: Efteling, Phantasialand and Disneyland Paris. Always compare with the park’s own shop, which sometimes has date-specific prices. For mobile data on the way: Germany eSIM on Airalo.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, JuniorTravelClub may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Which European theme parks can you combine on one road trip?
Legoland Billund, Heide Park, Efteling, Phantasialand, Europa-Park and Disneyland Paris line up from north to south-west across Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Each leg is a few hundred kilometres, so a travel day between most parks keeps the trip comfortable.
How many theme parks are too many for one holiday?
For most families, six park days in two weeks is the upper limit. Build in a rest day and a water park day, and drop a park rather than squeeze it in.
Do I need to book theme park tickets in advance?
For several of these parks, yes. Phantasialand only sells online for a fixed date and limits daily numbers. Efteling needs a date reservation. Europa-Park recommends booking because capacity is limited. Disneyland Paris asks holders of undated tickets to register their date.
Are there free tickets for small children?
Several parks let the youngest in free. Children under 90 cm are free at Heide Park and Toverland with a reserved zero-euro ticket. At Phantasialand and Parc Astérix, children under 3 are free. At Legoland Deutschland, only children aged 2 and over need a ticket. Bring proof of age where the park asks for it.
Which park is best for toddlers?
Legoland Deutschland is built around pushchairs, with stroller parking, changing stations in every toilet and a Baby Service. Disneyland Paris has a Baby Care Centre in each park. Lalandia’s Aquadome has a 1,000 m² Kids Area with a baby pool and warm-water pool.
What happens if it rains on our ticket day?
A dated ticket is tied to its day. Heide Park says tickets are not refunded for rain, and Phantasialand tickets cannot be rebooked or cancelled. Choose flexible tickets where you can, keep a spare day in the plan, and use indoor attractions and water parks as your rain plan.
Can parents take turns on rides that the children are too small for?
Yes, at several parks. Phantasialand and Heide Park run Baby-Switch, and Disneyland Paris has Rider Switch. One adult rides while the other waits with the child, then they swap without queuing again. At Heide Park, the pass is only issued on days when the Express Ticket is on sale.
Tickets & tours for these places
Bookable tours via GetYourGuide. Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
