Theme parks: fun, fascination and frights

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg

So small and yet so big: Hamburg’s Speicherstadt is home to the biggest model railway in the world, exhibited over a total of 2,300 square metres. Yet the Miniatur Wunderland offers more than tracks, trains and terminals. With astonishing depictions of cities like the glittering Las Vegas, and fantastical worlds like the underwater city of Atlantis, this microcosm offers an endless amount to discover. Cars, ships and airplanes move through the landscape seemingly of their own accord, while figures are arranged in scenes that tell countless little stories. Head here to feel like a giant watching the world from above.

Miniatur Wunderland in figures:
 

• More than 265,000 tiny people
• 1,040 trains
• 30,000 litres of real water
• Day turns to night every 15 minutes
• 21 million Euros in construction costs

Miniatur Wunderland

Europa Park in Rust

At the 2018 “Golden Ticket Awards” the Europa Park was named as the world’s best leisure park for the fifth time in a row. The park’s themed concept is based on the various cultures of European countries, with the highlights including spectacular rollercoasters like “Blue Fire”. One entirely new attraction you can experience at the Europa Park are VR rollercoasters: You ride the actual rollercoaster, but are given virtual reality goggles first that make it seems like you’re flying in an airplane or experiencing crazy adventures with animated movie characters.

Europa Park

Phantasialand in Brühl

For real rollercoaster fans, Phantasialand near Cologne is a must. Climb in and off you go: “Raik” is the fastest family boomerang in the world, while “Taron” is the fastest and longest multi-launch coaster.

Phantasialand

Ozeaneum in Stralsund

Head to Stralsund for a museum you can really dive into: At the Ozeaneum, everything revolves around the fascinating and complex habitats of the sea. Across 8,700 square meters, you can discover five exciting themed areas:

• Ocean – diversity of life
• Researching and using our seas
• Baltic Sea – the sea in our midst
• The sea for children
• 1:1 giants of the sea

The Ozeaneum Stralsund was named as “European Museum of the Year” in 2010. Its biggest aquarium, the “Open Atlantic” tank with its schools of fish, holds 2.6 million litres of water mixed with 85 tons of sea salt.

Ozeanum Stralsund

German Fairy Tale Road – from Hanau to Bremen

Fall under the spell of the magical German fairy tales: Take to your car or a bike and explore the route between Hanau and Bremen to discover the places where the stories of the Brothers Grimm come to life. See the “Rapunzel town” of Trendelburg, the famous musicians of Bremen, Little Red Riding Hood country, and much more. You can find more information and a map providing an overview on the official page:

Deutsche Märchenstraße

Ravensburger Spieleland in Meckenbeuren

Here you can play classic German games such as “The aMAZEing Labyrinth” in life-size versions. And fear not, there are always ways to get out of the labyrinth – after all, this theme park offers child-friendly fun for all the family. The stars of TV show “Sendung mit der Maus” and a house made of chocolate also await you here.

Ravensburger Spieleland

Wildpark in Bad Mergentheim

Anyone who prefers to see animals in their natural habitats should visit the Wildpark Bad Mergentheim. Here, you can meet 70 species of animals spread over a total of 35 hectares. An authentic experience of nature and species-appropriate enclosures are the main focus at the Wildpark.

Wildpark Bad Mergentheim

Legoland Germany in Günzburg

For enthusiastic amateur builders, Legoland in Günzburg is the perfect place to visit. The Lego bricks popular with children and adults alike are the common element here, but never fear – the rollercoasters were not built using just Lego. As at the Miniatur Wunderland, here too there is a “Miniland”, where cities and landscapes of Europe are built on a scale of 1:20 using Lego bricks – 55 million of them in total.

Legoland

Germany’s greatest sights

Want to discover more sights, attractions and theme parks? These are the top 100 as ranked by the German Tourism Center (DZT):

Top 100 sights in Germany

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