Brühl, Germany and Phantasia Land

We booked two nights at Campingplatz Heider Bergsee, located a tram ride away from Cologne and a ten minute drive from Phantasia Land, known to be one of the best theme parks in Europe.

I often feel anxious touring Germany due to speaking and understanding no German! Additionally, when we do attempt to use the language, it is often challenging for the locals to understand what we are saying, which can make communication feel even more frustrating. However, every experience we’ve had in Germany has been positive and the locals are always happy to communicate in a mixture or in English. Sam and Esme have been great at trying new phrases!

We arrived at the campsite early and had to wait for check-in at 3pm. This worked out well as Esme was napping. Steve and Sam went to explore the area and found a well maintained play park and a beautiful lake with sandy beaches surrounded by woodland.

Our pitch was small and squeezed tightly between two large RVs, which made us feel a bit cramped. This was a bit off-putting; however, we ultimately spent very little time at the van itself. The facilities nearby were clean and well-maintained, although they did require euros for hot water in the showers. After settling in, we walked along to the lake with the paddleboards. The lake was shallow and clear, allowing the kids to paddle quite far out without any worries. After a quick change back at the van, we headed to the nearby restaurant, Zum Seehaus. We were greeted by a friendly man who recommended we have his fabourite beer and instructed us to get a stein out of the freezer! The restaurant quickly went to the top of Steve’s favourites. I ordered the pork schnitzel which came with a mushroom sauce, sauerkraut and fries. It was delicious and Steve looked on in jealousy.

We had prebooked our tickets for Phantasia Land online. The park opened at 9am, so we made sure to get up early and head out to maximize our time there. Since we planned on staying for the full day, we packed the buggy with plenty of drinks and snacks to keep the kids settled. However, we discovered that there were numerous food stalls located in all parts of the park, offering themed options at surprisingly canny prices. The park is divided into six distinct themed areas: Berlin, China Town, Deep in Africa, Fantasy, Mexico, and Mystery. Each area features its own attractions and dining options. A map is absolutely essential, as we found ourselves taking a wrong turn or crossing the wrong bridge several times; we ended up discovering the Mystery area well after lunchtime. Sam tried many of the rides his favourite being the Colorado Adventure (yet the video Steve filmed suggests otherwise) which is similar to Big Thunder Mountain at Disney. My favourite was Maus au Chocolat, a mixture of the Ratatouille and Toy Story Midway Mania Rides. Esme found shooting the mice hilarious and her final score was pretty impressive!

The kids absolutely loved the Deep in Africa Adventure Trail, but the very best area for little ones was undoubtedly the Fantasy area. This area had at least 12 attractions that Esme could access, with her favourite being the Die fröhliche Bienchenjagd (jumping frogs). We spent quite a bit of time here after frightening her on the Geister Rikscha - Europe’s longest underground ghost train!

A whole day is definitely needed to explore the whole of Phantasia Land, even longer if you want to ride every attraction. We are hoping to return again maybe near Christmas!