Phantasialand
Not far from Cologne, Phantasialand is one of Europe's top theme parks. It is a true theme park, as all the areas are themed in excellent detail based mostly on different parts of the world. The park has a collection of excellent rides, and also lots of enjoyable attractions (like the Fun House) which make this park a great day out.
Last visited September 2021
INVESTMENT
8
THRILL FACTOR
7
FUN &
LAUGHTER
9
STAFF &
FACILITIES
8
UNIQUNESS
8
VALUE
9
THEMEING &
IMMERSION
7
THOMPSONS'
RATING
8
Hayley with F.L.Y
BEST BITS
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The park is very well themed.
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Within the park there is a very wide range of restaurants, giving a lot of choice over what you eat (not just the standard burger vs pizza decision).
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Being close to Cologne means that there is a wide range of places to stay in the local area.
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The public transport links are good, with a shuttle bus running regularly between the park and the nearby train station of Bruhl.
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The park opens about 30 minutes before the rides start, which gives you time to get to your first ride.
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Tickets are very good value; especially considering just how good the rides are!
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The car park is right by the entrance, so you don't have to walk far to get into the park. Some car parks have their own entrances which bring you into the park at a different place from those who arrive by bus.
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Our favourite ride is F.L.Y. There are other very good coasters and two very good water rides.
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As well as a really good selection of rides, the park also has a fun house attraction which is really enjoyable.
DOWN-SIDES
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There are few boards to display the queue times around the park making it difficult to know how to make the best use of your time. It is definitely worth using the app to track waiting times.
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The level of theming sometimes makes it quite difficult to navigate around the park, and there are not many signs to assist. Also, some of the paths are hard to follow because, although you might think you're in the right place from looking at the map, the path you need is actually above/below you.
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Although there is a good range of rides, the park does not have any tall coasters.
TOP TIPS
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There is no back of the park to go to first; the choice is either left or right. We found it less busy starting at the left and working across.
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Some of the rides require you to take your bags on with you.
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The two water rides are very wet. This is a park where it might be a good idea to take a change of clothes with you.
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There are no fast track options. Personally, we think that's great.
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The park is a lot busier at weekends than during the week.
F.L.Y
Thompsons' overall rating 9
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
9
9
9
9
Taron
Thompsons' overall rating 8
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
7
8
7
8
River Quest
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
6
7
6
4
N/A
Chiapas
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
7
5
5
N/A
Mouse au Chocolat
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
1
8
8
7
N/A
Winja's Fear & Force
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
5
8
5
7
8
Black Mamba
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
6
6
5
7
Raik
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
5
6
8
6
8
F.L.Y
F.L.Y
The World's first flying launch coaster. F.L.Y is a long coaster which features two launches, as well as multiple turns and roles, which all give the sensation that the rider is flying. It has a steampunk theme, and is based around the early aviators.
Unlike other flying coasters, the ride starts and finishes in a seated position with the track on its side, and riders are only moved into the flying position just before the first launch. This means that riders are not left hanging and either the start or end of the ride. Whilst in the seated position riders are taken through a dark spiral lift with visual effects and music.
Our view: We were lucky enough to be at Phantasialand on the day that F.L.Y opened. Having heard very little about the detail of this ride beforehand, we were totally blown away by how good it is. The ride is incredibly smooth, and the launches are both excellent. It really does feel like you are flying through the air.
The ride, and surrounding area, are exceptionally well themed.
Tips:
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Before getting on the ride you have to put all your personal possessions in lockers. You also have to go through a metal detector.
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Although it is tempting to go around the whole ride with your arms outstretched like Superman, this can mean the harness presses uncomfortably on your shoulders and collar bone. This does not happen if you hold on to the hand grips on the harness.
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The launches are better towards the front of the car, but there is more airtime towards the back.
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Riders seated on the right get a bit splashed by a water fountain towards the end of the ride.
Taron
Taron is the World's fastest multi-launch coaster. It features two electro-magnetic launches; the second of which is over 70mph. The ride also has a number of banked turns, as the track twists through a well-themed mountain area.
Unlike many other launched coasters, it has a lap-bar rather than an over-the-shoulder harness.
Our view: This is a very good launch coaster, made better by the lap-bar harness. Although the track twists and turns a lot, the ride is smooth. It is better sat towards the front. If you can get it, the very front row is excellent.
Tips:
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There is a space at the station to leave bags.
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This is one of very few rides where we think it is worth the extra queue to be on the front row.
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It is a good ride to do at the end of the day, as the queues tend to be longer earlier in the day.
River Quest
A water rapids ride, which features an elevator lift and multiple drops.
Our view: These are the best rapids we have been in. Unlike most rapids rides, this includes some fairly steep drops as well as the more traditional fast flowing water sections.
The only downside of this ride is that it loads slowly, which means the queue moves slowly.
Tips:
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You will get very wet on this ride; more so than most other rapids.
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Water rises up through the middle of the boat, so don't put your bags there.
Joe with Chiapas
Black Mamba
A hanging coaster, themed on the well-known African snake. The ride has multiple loops as well as banked turns through the well-themed African area of the park.
Our view: This is a good hanging coaster, which is smoother than many others. The start of the ride is very enjoyable. Although the second half is less intense, it has some interesting features.
Tips:
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This ride is much better sat towards the back.
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There is a place to leave your bag in the ride station.
Taron
Chiapas
A log flume style ride which features several drops; including a backwards drop and the world's steepest water ride drop. The ride goes through multiple different themed sections, one of which can only be described as Aztec disco.
Our view: This is one of the best log flume style rides we have been on. It is long and has a lot of different elements to it. We particularly liked the backwards section, although the final drop is also good.
The only downside is that the boats are very difficult to get in and out of, and there is not much leg room for taller people.
Tips:
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Your feet in particular will get very wet. We strongly suggest not putting your bag on the floor of the boat.
Mouse Au Chocolat
A dark ride in which riders move slowly in front of multiple screens. The ride car has guns with which the riders shoot chocolate at mice on the screens, earning points for hitting them.
It is themed around mice being loose in a restaurant, although all the words are in German so we don't know the exact story.
Our view: This ride is fun, and a good non-thrilling addition to the park.
Winja's Fear and Force
Two spinning coasters, on which riders sit back-to-back in small cars. Although similar, the track layout varies between the two rides. As well as spinning, these rides feature other unexpected elements such as the track tipping sideways (on Force) and appearing to come to an end before tilting like a see-saw (on Fear). Much of the track is in the dark.
The rides also start with an elevator lift rather than a lift hill.
Our view: These are two of the best spinning coasters we have been on. We particularly like that much of the ride is in the dark so you cannot see what is coming. The extra elements make them more thrilling. Joe slightly preferred Fear to Force, Hayley thought they were about the same.
Tips:
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You have to take your bag on with you.
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These are good rides to head to at the beginning of the day when the queue tends to be smaller.
Raik
A family-friendly boomerang coaster. The ride starts with a backwards lift hill before the cars come back through the station and a track with some turns and drops. The cars then go backwards over the same track. Bits of the track are intertwined with Taron, through a well themed mountain area.
Our view: This is a fairly gentle coaster, which does not go upside down or particularly fast. But, nevertheless, it is quite enjoyable and smooth.
Joe with Winja's Fear and Force