Gardaland – perfect family adventure

It was supposed to be a one-day trip, but as there is a four-hour drive from Rijeka to Gardaland, I thought, it would be wise to stay overnight. The plan was to visit Verona on our way back. Being already there, we could see some of the charming towns around Lago di Garda…. For this type of an adventure, we would need at least two nights…. – And that, my dear,  is how one-day family trip is turned into a three-day mini-break. After which you need a break. My favorite kind of break 😉

This is first of the three posts. Buckle up.  I am taking you to Gardalaaaaand 🙂

GARDALAND

I’m sitting in a boat that will take me through Fuga da Atlantide attraction. It’s in a Fantasy part of Gardaland park. I am saying to myself: “This is like a Colorado boat. You will survive. Come on, Colorado is awesome. You’ve been there a hundred times. You love that. Fear is stupid. It’ll be great for you. Remember, you love that.”
While I am having fun with my inner monologue, there are happy faces around me. And I don`t understand why am I doing this. I could be sitting in a baby train, looking cool and beautiful on the photos, not like this 😀

Soon, I realized that I need to let myself go. I raised my hands in the air and screamed. That made me younger for at least ten years. I swear. Now, I am ready for everything. Or at least I think I`m ready. Oh, no. Here’s that internal monologue again. 😀

Last time I was in Gardaland a long time ago. I was still in high school, the Blue Tornado was a new attraction, and Top Spin was preparing me for all adrenaline attacks. After the “swing”, I was ready to try everything. Who remembers the Top Spin, huh? 😀 Today it is gone. There are some new crazy attractions now. But we came with a six-year-old kid. She is still far from that kind of rides, so we walked through Adrenaline part, just to show it to her.

Lots of people see Gardaland just through adrenaline. But when you go with your little ones, you realize it’s a lot more than that. It is divided into three parts.  Adrenaline, Fantasy and Adventure – there is something for every age, and from all we`ve seen and experienced, I can say that children really enjoyed it: D

TIPS AND TRICKS
– To visit Gardaland, get dressed appropriately. Lightweight T-shirts and shorts are the best choices. And hats… don`t forget about hats.

– Take a swimsuit for the kid. There are two water areas, real mini water parks.

– You can take your water and your food. There are picnic places and that’s great. On the other hand, you can buy everything there too. Keep in mind that a small bottle of water costs about 1.5-2 euros, and you will need a hectoliter of water.

– Each ride has a prescribed minimum height of the child. Do not think you’ll bypass the rules. If the kid is only 5 millimeters short, there is no way that they will let you go. The ponytail at the top of the head does not count as an extra centimeter. Trust me. : D

– There are baby changing rooms, first aid medical service…
– Weekday visits are always a better option if you want to avoid waiting in the lines.
– Parking is charged 5 euros

To go with kids or not?

If you are not sure is it worth to go with smaller children, I will only say that our kid’s team was made up of girls aged 3-6, and they all enjoyed it. It was a perfect family day trip. Don`t wait till the kids are older. They will love Gardaland so much, no matter how old they are.

P.S. During our visit, Gardaland was open until 6 PM.  But from June 23rd to the September 10th, the attractions will be accessible during the night, so you can enjoy the rides up to 11 PM. Good to know: from 6 PM onwards, the price of the tickets will be only 20 Euros. 

After six hours of perfect family fun, we went for an ice cream at Lazise, one of the charming fortified towns along the coast of Lago di Garda. More about this in the next story. 🙂

But, please do tell me … do you think we’re becoming more and more scared as we get older? Or, are you still the same adrenaline junky as you were before?
When I was 16, I was fearless… Now… hm… not so much. : D

All information about the fees, discounts, family offers, shows and the rides find HERE