Gardaland
A few people recommended Gardaland to us as it is especially suitable for little ones. Taking their advice, we prebooked tickets online using Tiquets, as they are generally more affordable and the PDF tickets are easily accessible within the app, alongside other bookings we already have. Our tickets for 2 adults and 2 children cost a total of £153 for a weekday visit in the beginning of August. The tickets were advertised as fast track, but this does not include fast track access to the attractions inside the park itself. Instead, it simply means you can skip the queue to purchase tickets and proceed directly to the entrance gates. When we arrived, we parked the van without any issues and made our way toward the entrance, where we were greeted by the excitement of the rope drop. Although there were queues almost everywhere, we managed to be inside the park within 10 minutes of arrival.
We found a guide map upon arriving, but the layout of the park remained somewhat confusing. When we entered, Peppa Pig Land was situated on the left, so we decided to head there first. Esme was absolutely thrilled when she saw Peppa's house, and we rode all three rides available in that section, exploring the surrounding area thoroughly within about 40 minutes. Afterward, we joined the queue to meet Peppa inside her house. However, after waiting for 20 minutes and being next to see Peppa, the attendant informed us that Peppa would be leaving and would return in 30 minutes. This announcement caused quite a bit of frustration among those waiting, as no other attendant had previously stopped people from queuing or communicated the times. Despite the disappointment, we left the house with a promise to return later in the day.
We headed towards the Fantasy area for more small rides. We found the Giostra Cavalli (a classic carousel) Voloplano (flying planes) and the Magic House. Sam loved the Magic House as it was similar to the Feng Ju Palace in Phantasialand. We waited no longer than 20 minutes for the most popular rides and 5 minutes for most of the smaller attractions.
As midday approached, the kids were clearly ready for a much-needed lunch break. We decided it would be best to find a dine-in option to give little legs a rest from the hot sun. After some searching, we managed to navigate our way to The Saloon Pizzeria, situated right in the heart of Western Village. The restaurant offered a selection of pizzas along with a few pasta options. According to its website, the pizzeria was supposed to open at 11.30am, but we ended up waiting around until 12.10pm before they finally admitted us inside. We only lingered because a passing worker reassured us that they typically open sometime around midday. Once inside, we placed our orders: pizzas for most of us, and Esme chose a carbonara, which was served first. There was no kids menu visible, and if one did exist, it was never offered to us. The pizzas then arrived at varying intervals. Despite the staggered service, the pizzas were absolutely delicious. Steve and I both went for the specials — one topped with gorgonzola, walnuts, and prosciutto, and the other a sauceless creation featuring mortadella, pistachios, burrata, and basil. Sam, true to form, polished off his whole margherita pizza as he always does.
Esme then eagerly pulled us onto a series of three rides: Baby Canoe, Baby Cavalli, and Baby Corsaro. Sam was reluctantly dragged along but didn’t seem very enthusiastic about the smaller attractions. Afterward, we decided to split up for the next attractions, with Sam heading off to enjoy some of the larger, more thrilling rides, while Esme chose to ride Peter Pan. Among all the rides, Sam’s absolute favourite was Wolf Legend, a drop tower attraction similar in intensity to Doctor Doom's Fearfall at Islands of Adventure. He was also captivated by Jumanji, an exciting 4x4 off-roader experience that took us through encounters with dangerous animals, falling obstacles, and a mighty, towering stone giant.
We left the water rides towards the end of the day. Once again, Esme was too small to join in the more adventurous attractions, so we happily enjoyed smoothies watermelon while waiting patiently for the boys to finish. Later, we discovered Prezzimolo Land, a charming medieval-themed water area designed especially for the little ones. It featured a castle surrounded by water slides, cannons, and a giant bucket that regularly drenched the kids with water. Luckily, Sam was already wearing swim shorts, but Esme wasn’t allowed access in her playsuit, so she made do by going in her underwear! Fortunately, we had brought spare clothes along with us.
Whilst walking around, we did spot the Legoland Waterpark. In the future, I think we’d much rather spend a full day enjoying the waterpark itself. It’s a bit of a shame that the waterpark is not accessible as a standalone attraction, meaning visitors must either purchase a combination ticket or pay a supplementary fee on top of the Gardaland ticket to gain entry. Fortunately for Sam and Esme, the legoland shop was accessible!
Before leaving, we bought some hotdogs from a small kiosk and then went to join the queue for what would be our last opportunity to meet Peppa Pig. Esme curiously wondered why Peppa seemed to be home alone and why Peppa didn’t talk to her. However, a quick glance around the Peppa Pig shop quickly distracted her from thinking about the giant Peppa Pig.
We did have a great day out at Gardaland, enjoying many of the rides and attractions. However, when considering the atmosphere, the overall appearance of the park, and the quality of the service, we don’t believe it was truly worth the cost. Photo prices from the attractions were expensive, costing an arm and a leg, and some of the souvenirs were similarly overpriced. The whole place also seemed very unorganised with confusing opening times and inconsistency with ride heights. There are several other theme parks that offer similar or even cheaper ticket prices while providing a much better overall experience.