Best European CenterParks or similar for young children

[KindPanda]

Hi all,

I know versions of this have been asked plenty of times before but I’m just wondering if anyone could offer some advice on holiday parks in Europe that are best suited to young children? We have a 3 1/2 year old and a 15 month old so a lot of the activities and facilities that people talk about in reviews won’t really apply to us as the kids are too young. So I suppose the surroundings/restaurants/facilities for adults are a priority as well as having some activities for little kids and great swimming options.

Any suggestions?

Erperheide I found the best for little children. De Kempervennen when older. I live in Belgium and place we went for many half terms etc was Landal Hoog Vaals. Nice pool and huge indoor play area. Some nice outdoor spaces and restaurant. Not too full on. But there is loads to do nearby - Maastricht, castles, the Drielandenpunt where you can stand in 3 countries at once, with lookout tower and maze. Monschau. Depending on time of year CP De Haan is also nice if you want to be close to the beach. There's a coastal tram so easy to get up and down to different towns, water parks, Boudewijn Seapark, Plopsaland etc.

Village nature is great however you do pay a premium for being near disneyland which may be wasted if you're not planning to visit

My children are at the other end of the age range...I'm also not interested in activities, just looking a good indoor pool as looking a winter holiday.

Landal hoog Vaals looks ok....have you any other suggestions in that rough area? Nl/ Germany/ north Belgium

We stayed once at the Landal Sonnenberg site - that was nice. Did visits along the Moselle valley and Trier. Had a wild animal park and a pool / indoor play area. We've also stayed at Het Vennenbos which is more like CP. Also have a look at Roompot website. We stayed in the Water Village next to the main Roompot resort in Zeeland. That was lovely. Near the beach, seal watching trips, Neeltje Jans Delta Park, Go Ape type place and lots of cute dutch villages.

All have indoor pools. De Kempervennen stands out in my mind as the best one. There is also Duinrell - depends on who you book with how much pool access you get.

I mentioned Plopsaqua on another post yesterday - near the Belgian coast. I didn't realise you could stay there too - they have cottages and chalets and a hotel. https://www.plopsa.com/en/plopsaqua-de-panne

La Rive in France has a MASSIVE indoor soft play area and 2 indoor splash park areas; 1 for babies and toddlers and another for the young children. They’re right next to each other too, so you can keep your eye on all children at the same time. Outside there is an even larger splash area and a lakeside beach. Only downside is that there’s nothing in walking distance outside the campsite.
La Garangeoire had a very good play area when we went a few years ago. Everything was there: slides, chicken coops, bouncy castes, a merry-go-round, swings, a sandpit, trampolines… There was also a little fenced-in area with soft play and sensory for under 3s. My daughter did pony rides and enjoyed the heated toddler pool.

My teens love De Kemprevennan as it’s got a ski centre on site. We’ve been a few times and would happily go back again.

Thanks so much for all the lovely suggestions - I have some homework to do checking them all out! It’s great to have some starting points as when you look online there are just so many options that it’s hard to know where to begin.

I haven't done European CP, but wanted to add to the plopsaland love 💚
Bellewaerde was also really fun.

That another thing I’ve been wondering, is it worth going to Disneyland with kids so young? I know it would be completely wasted on the 1 year old (and possibly a bit of a nightmare dragging her around), but would there be enough for the 3 year old to go on to keep him happy? He has seen it on tv and has said a few times said he wants to go (I know, he’s 3 - he wants to go everywhere!) so if we were nearby we might try to include it. I went to Disney World as an older child and hopefully we will do a proper trip with them when they’re older but in the meantime, is there any point in bringing them for a day?