Our Trip to Playmobil Fun Park - A Review

For a couple of years we've been promising the children that we'll visit Playmobil Fun Park in Zirnsdorf, Germany, just ourside of Nuremberg. At the weekend we finally went. 

Now, I am not an amusement park person, never was and never will be. But I can honestly say that this was fun for all the family. We spent seven hours in the park and would have stayed longer if we hadn't been exhausted by all the excitement.

From a quarry to a knights' castle to a lake with a huge pirate ship, from dinosaurs to the wild west, there is something for everyone. As well as those main attractions, there are playgrounds, cafes, kiosks, a beer garden, a Playmobil discount shop and an indoor play centre and climbing garden, so even if it rains, you can still have a good day out.

We were so impressed, we even made a couple of  little videos for you!

Opening Times & Admission Fees:
The park is open daily from 9am till 7pm and costs €10 per person. Children under 3 years of age have free entry. 

Age Group:
Our children are under 1, almost 5 and almost 7 and there was something to suit each of them. I would say 2-10 years is the age bracket that the park is best suited to. For parents who like to join in on the fun or who have clingy children who need some encouragement to start playing, it is absolutely no problem. The Bavarian and I had a ball playing with the kids, especially at the tree house, the castle and the pirate ship. 


Family Friendliness
Everything is family-friendly. I was impressed with Centre Parcs but Playmobil Fun Park really topped that. 
On admission each child is given an armband that you write their name and your mobile number on in case they get lost. The speaker system throughout the park is good and we heard several announcements for parents to come and pick their lost children up. There were staff members readily available all over the park to answer questions or help if a child got lost. (Ours didn't, thankfully). Plus there were signposts at every junction to show the way to the various activities, cafes, etc. You really cannot go wrong there. 

There are plenty of toilets around the park, so you don't have to go far when your child inevitably needs to wee. They have special low down toilets and wash hand basins for the children. Everything was spotlessly clean. But what really amazed us was that there were tumble dryers where you can dry your clothes if the children get wet in one of the water features. On top of that you can hire out spare clothes from the information centre to keep your little ones clothed while their clothes are in the dryer. What an inspired idea! 

 


Towards the end of the day The Bavarian had a chat with a nice lady from the information desk. We wanted to let her know that we'd noticed that the beers were from local breweries and the staff were mostly local too. We liked the philosophy. According to the lady, it is a Playmobil policy to keep things down to earth and accessible for everyone. That means there are plenty of picnic areas for those who want to bring their own food and drink. For those who want to purchase food and drink at the park, the prices are kept at a normal level (around €2.30 for a coffee, €4.50 for a pork chop in a roll, around €2.50 for a slice of cake, ice-creams and soft drinks cost the same as at a regular shop). In addition, your entrance fee covers pretty much all of the activities. The only money we spent on top of the €10 per person entry was for ice-cream, coffees and lunch. We brought water, apples and biscuits for snacks for the children. 

What to bring and when to visit:
We visited on a Saturday at the beginning of the Whit holidays when some parts of Germany start two weeks off school. There were plenty of visitors to the park, but it didn't seem overly busy or crowded. We didn't have to queue for anything and we got a parking space in one of several multi-story car parks next to the entrance gates (€4 date rate for parking).
As well as water and snacks, we brought wellies, rain coats and waterproof trousers for the boys. They only used the waterproof trousers on the boating lake and they did need them there. We saw a lot of children get out of the peddle boats with wet bums and legs from the splashes. At the raft pond where the pirate ship is moored we didn't bother with the waterproofs. If they fell in, they'd have been soaked to the skin anyway. The water was only 60cm deep and there are life jackets available, so we weren't too worried about anything happening to them. We were with them all the time anyway. 
There is plenty of walking to be done if you want to see everything, but there are no long stretches at a go. I would recommend bringing a buggy if your children are three or under. Our older two are too big for a buggy but they were ehausted by the end of the day from the excitement and action. 

The Verdict:
All in all, it was a brilliant day out. Every one of us had plenty of fun and we would all go again. I would consider it good value for money, especially considering that you can bring your own food and drink. I am quite sure this was not our final visit.

[This trip was entirely funded by me. There was no sponsorship involved. All opinions are my own and those of my family].