Traveling to Europe has long become habitual for our compatriots. Many are planning a trip to one of the European countries for the May holidays, although it is best to take a vacation for this purpose in June or August. Interestingly, independent travel across Europe is in high demand today. They are planned for quite a long time and carefully, so they are most often successful. Italy has been considered the most popular country to visit for several years in a row. This is due to its interesting history, a large number of attractions and the Gardaland amusement park. He is known not only in the vastness of Italy, but throughout the world. Moreover, it is one of the ten most famous and visited parks in Europe. If you also want to go to Milan, Verona or Venice in the near future, be sure to include a visit to this park in your list of must-dos. And it doesn’t matter if you have children, because Gardaland will be interesting for visitors of any age.
Amusement Park Brief
Not visiting the Gardaland entertainment center in Italy is an unforgivable omission that youYou will regret it, perhaps for the rest of your life. So be sure to take the time to be in this world of reckless fun. About three million tourists from all over the world come here every year. And the Italians themselves try to come to the amusement park in August. Therefore, if you find yourself in Gardaland (Italy) during this period, then get ready to stand in long queues for each attraction, as there will be a lot of people in the park.
The popularity of this place is also indicated by its ratings. Every year he occupies certain lines in the world tables. For example, twelve years ago, Forbes ranked this park as the fifth most profitable park in the world.
History of "Gardaland"
The park owes its birth to the Italian entrepreneur Livio Furini. Since childhood, he dreamed of magical castles and incredible adventures. His favorite pastime was cutting and gluing cardboard houses. In the end, little Livio got real cities, which he populated with fictional characters.
Furini was greatly impressed by visiting Disneyland. For a long time he could not move away from the memories of the magnificent park and decided to give his compatriots something similar. A few years later, a successful entrepreneur created an amusement park project and found two hundred million lira for its construction.
Gardaland Park was built in record time and opened its doors to the first visitors six months later. The creator of the park himself cut the red ribbon in July 1975. At that time, he only hadfifteen attractions, but it was they who provided the park with the incredible love of Italians, and then tourists from all over the world.
Location of the amusement park
For the construction of Gardaland Park, a very beautiful place was chosen near Verona in the town of Castelnuovo del Garda. The settlement is located almost on the shores of the most beautiful lake in Europe - Garda.
It is worth noting that the location of the park was chosen very well. Many tourists, traveling through Northern Europe, tend to visit this lake. And when they see it, they can no longer deny themselves the pleasure of spending time in an amusement park.
Today it covers an area of sixty hectares, divided into several thematic zones.
How to get to Gardaland?
Let's just clarify that there are a lot of opportunities to be in the famous amusement park. If you do not plan to travel all over Italy, you can purchase a tour to Gardaland from a travel agency. Its price usually includes a round-trip flight, a transfer to the park, entrance tickets (for one or two days) and an overnight stay in a hotel (if necessary). Such a trip is good as a gift for a child on his birthday or the end of the school year. Many refer to it as a “weekend trip.”
Those tourists whose plans include not only a visit to Gardaland, but also sightseeing of other sights of the country should build their trip in such a way that the first point of culturalThe program was precisely the amusement park. The fact is that in this case you can buy air tickets to the airport in Verona or Montichiari. Upon arrival, tourists will be separated from Gardaland by only a few kilometers. In addition, your vacation will start with a lot of positive emotions, which will set a special mood for the whole trip.
If you are already in Italy, then use the rail transport. You need a train from Venice to Milan. Your station will be Peschiera del Garda. From it to the amusement park can be reached on foot or by bus, whose interval is half an hour. Keep in mind that an electric train also runs to the station indicated by us, the ticket price for which does not exceed three and a half euros. And there is a free bus to the park itself.
Many tourists travel around Italy in a rental car, so it is not surprising that this way to get to the amusement park is also very popular. You will need to enter the Brescia - Padua road and turn off after the sign. About two kilometers will remain from this point to Gardaland.
Admission fee
Tickets to Gardaland are sold in different places, their cost will depend on this. However, the average entry price for an adult varies around forty euros, for children under ten years old, parents pay about thirty-four euros. Toddlers under one meter tall can enter the park with a free ticket.
It is possible to purchase tickets for two days at once. This purchase is very beneficial for visitors. Judge for yourself: in this case, adults will pay fifty-two euros, and children will be charged forty-six euros.
It is also possible to purchase a half-day ticket. Let's make a reservation right away that this time is sorely lacking for Gardaland. But if you have no other opportunity to visit the park, then a ticket on weekdays will cost twenty-one euros. On a weekend, the price rises to twenty-four euros.
Where is the best place to buy amusement park tickets?
Each experienced traveler will tell you that it is better to buy tickets to amusement parks in Europe not at the box office at the entrance. Oddly enough, but this is the most expensive option of all.
If you want to save some money, then order tickets on the park's official website. In this case, the purchase will cost you approximately ten percent less than the price at the checkout.
Also, tickets to Gardaland are also sold at railway ticket offices. Here they will be slightly more expensive than the price indicated on the site, but definitely cheaper than the one for which you purchase them at the entrance to the park.
Working hours
Gardaland's opening hours are hard to put into two figures. The fact is that the park has a very complex work schedule, which directly depends on the season, month and holidays. For example, in the New Year's week, Gardaland is open from half past ten in the morning until half past six in the evening. After January 8th, it closes until early April.
From April 8th to June 22nd, the park opens at ten in the morning and closes at sixevenings. Then, until the tenth of September, he works until eleven o'clock at night. During this period, there are special days when the park is open until three in the morning.
Until the end of September, Gardaland is open until 11 pm, in October it opens only on weekends. November becomes a break in work, and only with the onset of December does it open for several days in accordance with the January schedule.
Keep in mind that the box office closes two hours before the park closes.
Park zoning
If you look at the map of the Italian "Disneyland" - "Gardaland", - which is given at the entrance, you will definitely notice that the entire vast territory of the park is divided into three zones:
- amusement area;
- oceanarium;
- two hotels.
Interestingly, the guests of these hotels are provided with all kinds of discounts for visiting the park. Sometimes they even reach seventy percent. In addition, check-in at the Gardalanda hotel complex is very convenient for those people who plan to spend at least two days in the park.
It is noteworthy that on the map the entire territory is divided into color sectors. From them you can determine what kind of entertainment awaits you. For example, the most nerve-wracking attractions are highlighted in red, and the adventure and historical sectors are highlighted in green. Areas with fantastic attractions for the youngest visitors are painted in blue.
Brief description of the parkentertainment: themed sectors
Today, "Gardaland" in Italy is not only forty attractions collected in one place, but also hotels, shops, cafes, restaurants and magnificent green alleys. The entire territory of the park is a real botanical garden, which is carefully looked after. Even in the hottest weather, there is where to hide from the scorching rays of the sun.
The park is divided into sixteen thematic zones:
- Atlantis.
- Middle Ages.
- Fantastic.
- Hawaii and so on.
Each area features themed rides divided into three categories: toddlers, older kids and adults.
The sector for kids is located at the very entrance to the park. Here, little visitors are greeted by a dinosaur that has become a very popular comic book hero. In this area, you can ride trains and explore the park with the help of other attractions. Kids really like funny singing animals that draw them into their performance. Some enjoy traveling through the maze and visiting the Peter Pan attraction.
Older children will find a lot of entertainment for themselves in Gardaland (Italy). The most popular attraction is "Tunga". It is an incredible journey along the river, on the banks of which some kind of action takes place every minute. Visitors will see Tarzan, Mowgli and will be saved from the Indians. At the end of the journey, a picture of the captivity of King Kong by the natives awaits them. Such an adventure your children will not forget yet.soon. Also in this sector there are attractions with revived mummies, bloodthirsty pirates and other heroes of children's stories.
Adults in Gardaland are attracted by the opportunity to sip adrenaline. To this end, several variants of roller coasters and other exciting rides have been invented that will long be remembered with a shudder in the heart.
The most risky rides
For those who cannot imagine their life without an adrenaline rush, this section of the article can be very useful. After all, here we will name the scariest rides that you should definitely visit.
The most exciting ride in the park is often referred to as the "Blue Tornado" by park visitors. It is a steep roller coaster with five flips, dead loops and hovering in the air.
Many people are delighted with the Raptor. Visitors are taken on a roller coaster located in the Lost World, with an abundance of dinosaurs and other scary creatures that come across on the way of brave travelers.
Also, a new four-dimensional attraction is becoming more and more popular lately. Visitors find themselves in a helicopter shot down by a dinosaur. They experience all the delights of falling, during which they are attacked by terrible insects and other monstrous creatures.
Gardaland: reviews of tourists
What do park visitors write about their time spent in it? Definitely they are all delighted with Gardaland. Moreover, delight is expressed by both children and adults who suddenly find themselves in a fairy tale. Many people write aboutthat even two days in the park is not enough to ride all the rides and see every corner of it. Therefore, be sure to visit Gardaland when you are in Italy. Believe me, this park will give you many unforgettable emotions.