We visited Gardaland when we stayed at Camping Bella Italia in 2019. (Read all about that trip here)
There are a number of theme parks nearby, we chose to visit Gardaland.
There’s tons to do for all ages in the park, just pick the right bits for your adrenalin appetite!
Our favourites were the water rides (Jungle Rapids and Colorado Boat) and the Kung Fu Panda ones.
They’re strict on heights, our youngest was 115cm and wasn’t allowed on the rapids one and 140cm is required for some of the very fast rollercoasters. There are a number of theme parks nearby so check them out to see which you and your kids are more interested in.
We went to Gardaland on an evening ticket which meant fewer crowds, cooler temperatures (we were there in July) and much cheaper tickets. We bought evening tickets online for €22 each and paid €6 for parking. Evening tickets allow for entry from 6pm to 11pm which was perfect for us as it was so much cooler then too.
Some tips for Gardaland:
-Avoid the Forest Incantata, it’s a story based walk through experience, all in Italian so a waste of time for us.
– the Carousel ride is very short, if you’ve young kids go to Superbaby down beside Kung Fu panda it’s much longer ride
– There were still queues in the evening slot, we queued 20 mins for the Colorado boat (log flume, well worth it) and 30 minutes for the noodle rollercoaster thing (the boys loved it). Other rides like the noodle bowls had no queue.
– Fastpasses cost €6/7 per ride (We didn’t bother)
– If you’re theme park people then consecutive day tickets are available
– The maps and signposts work off different systems which is a pain
– The Magic House may or may not flip you upside-down so be warned
-We had dinner before we went and got ice/cream (€2.50 for 2 small scoops) and slushies (€5 for bigger size than on the campsite). Meals were mostly fast food and €12-€14. There are dozens of places to eat.
– Wear comfortable shoes, we walked so much our legs ached!
