TÉMOIGNAGES – Entrance tickets on the rise, more expensive parking, annual subscriptions revisited: Disneyland Paris, Parc Astérix and even Europa-Park are increasing their prices this season. An addition that weighs more and more heavily on household budgets.
Thrill rides, roller coasters, thrills guaranteed… If spring marks the return of sunny days, it also launches the amusement park season. With nearly 650 sites in France, these outings remain a must for families. This year, several large parks – Disneyland Paris, Europa-Park, Parc Astérix – have adjusted their prices. Sometimes modest increases, of only a few euros, but which, cumulatively, end up weighing heavily on the budget of regular visitors.
According to a study published in March 2026 by the specialized site Parc-Attraction-Loisirs, a family of four today spends on average €143.10 on entry tickets for a visit, compared to €136.40 in 2025. An increase of 4.9% in one year, all types of parks combined. Even if the sum does not seem prohibitive, some arbitrate. “I now favor a trip abroad, like to Morocco, rather than a day of rides”says Hind Helbringer, 43, order picker in Mulhouse. “Annual passes keep increasing”notes for her part Pascale Hinfray, 60 years old, childcare assistant and great regular at Disneyland Paris, based in Yvelines. Because if the magic continues to work, it has a cost.
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“A stay at Europa-Park no longer offers the same value for moneyâ€
Hind Helbringer was nevertheless a supporter of Europa-Park. She took the road twice a year with her children to this park located in Rust, Germany, about 45 minutes by car from her home, near Mulhouse. Crowned “best amusement park in the world” in 2025 at the Golden Ticket Awards, awarded by the American magazine Amusement Todayhe punctuated their family outings. But since the opening in 2019 of Rulantica, the Europa-Park water park, then the renovations carried out after the fire in 2023, she says she has noticed a clear increase in prices. “Today, we have the feeling that a stay at Europa-Park no longer offers the same value for money,” she decides.
Just ten years ago, Hind Helbringer remembers booking a night at Santa Isabel, one of the site’s themed hotels, with spa access and park entry, for €400 for two people. Today, she estimates that for a comparable service, it is necessary to add €200 more. “A two-day weekend with one night in a hotel can easily reach €1,000. Even a single day for a family of four costs around €600, not including meals.”she maintains. She also points out a parking lot whose price has doubled, from 5 to 10 €, an entry ticket passed «de 52 € à 76 € par personne» and a catering budget that is now far from being anecdotal. In 2019, an adult ticket cost €52 and a child ticket €44.50: today they climb to €76 and €65 in high season. His last visit was two years ago.
Since then, the forty-year-old has reviewed her priorities and now favors a trip abroad. In February, for around €600, she went for five days as a couple to Tangier, with car rental, hammam with massage and four excursions. Another way of “putting the price”, but for a stay which, she says, seemed much more exotic to her than two days in the kingdom of rides.
“It’s the best annual pass I’ve hadâ€
Thibault Camus / REUTERS
At 60 years old, Pascale Hinfray knows Disneyland Paris by heart. This childcare assistant, based in Yvelines, goes there with her grandson at least twice a month, particularly during school holidays and public holidays. For her, the annual pass – a subscription which allows entry to the park all year round under certain conditions — remains a good calculation. In 2025, she paid €524 for the Gold Pass in 2025 and €392 for that of her 7-year-old grandson. “Thanks to my MDPH (Departmental House for Disabled People) card, we both benefit from a 25% reduction”she specifies. For comparison, before the February price increase, this same pass was priced at €699 for an adult and €523 for a child. “In our case, it’s profitable,” observe-t-elle.
But for Pascale Hinfray, the price continues to rise. She has much more favorable memories of the old formula, the Infinity pass, abandoned in the summer of 2023 by Disneyland Paris in favor of the new Disneyland Pass Bronze, Silver and Gold. “The best annual pass I’ve had†. It gave access to the two parks 365 days a year without reservation, included stroller rental, offered higher discounts in shops and restaurants, as well as discounts of up to 50% on nights in the park’s hotels.
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“Despite the almost annual increase in prices and the loss of certain advantages, we remain very advantaged”nuance the sixty-year-old. The major players in amusement parks are also banking on dynamic pricing. Since November 2024, Disneyland Paris no longer offers its dated tickets at a fixed price: prices now vary depending on the date and expected attendance. For a day in a single park, the price of a dated ticket can vary between 50 euros and 100 euros depending on the most popular days. For her, the calculation remains simple: at the price of a one-day ticket, two parks, the frequency of their visits and the free parking when she comes by car with friends still makes it possible to amortize the cost of the subscription, where other visitors end up giving up.
More expensive tickets in 2026
At Disneyland Paris, the increase has already been in effect since February 12. The Silver Pass, which allows you to come 300 days a year to the two parks, increases to €569 for an adult, compared to €499 previously, an increase of 14% (from 378 to €426 for a child). The Gold Pass, which provides year-round access to the two parks, increases to €799 for an adult, compared to €699 previously, and from €523 to €601 for a child.
At Europa-Park in Germany, since March 28, the adult ticket has increased from €73 to €76 in high season. In low season, you will now have to pay €67 compared to €64.50 previously. For children, prices increase from €62.50 to €65 in high season and from €54 to €56.50 in low season.“In order to be able to offer visitors the usual quality in 2026 also, cost increases in all areas of the business, due to rising wages and labor costs, but also rising energy prices as well as persistent inflation, must be compensated.”justifies the park to the Münchner MerkurGerman regional daily.
At Parc Astérix, in Plailly (Oise), the increase remains limited to a few euros per ticket for the season which begins on April 4. The “Liberté Flex” ticket, to be reserved for a specific date, increases to 68 € for adults and those over 12 years old, compared to 65 € in 2025. The “Futé” ticket, which allows you to change your visit date until the last moment, is set at 56 € €, up 2 €. For children aged 3 to 11, the “Liberté Flex” reaches 59 €, compared to 56 € last year, and the “Futé” 53 €, compared to 51 €. For a family of two adults and two children, this represents €10 more on entry alone compared to 2025. The site justifies these increases with an investment plan of 250 million euros by 2030, for new themed areas, attractions and an additional hotel, with the aim of entering the top 5 European parks.
