My husband, son (who will be almost 9 years old at the time of travel) and I are planning a trip to Italy in June 2024. We are stuck with summer travel due to school year constraints. We are considering adding Gardaland to our itinerary for my son, who loves amusement parks and can only tolerate so many museum and church visits. :)
Questions:
1) What are the crowds/wait times for rides like in June at Gardaland? (Specific dates that Gardaland would work in our itinerary would likely be June 19th or June 23, depending on whether we stop there before our after the Dolomites).
2) Will the crowds/wait times be significantly better on a weekday, compared to weekend day? (We may be able to adjust our itinerary to go to Gardaland on a weekday, if advised, but it may be easier within our overall itinerary to go on a Sunday, unless the crowds/wait times would be considerably worse on weekends.)
3) Are there fun things for a short 9 year old at Gardaland? (It looks like they have a lot of intense roller coasters that he likely won't meet the height requirement for, so I'm wondering if it is worth it for younger/shorter kids.)
4) I am considering staying in Verona vs Lazise, only 2 nights. We will be using the train/public transportation (and coming from either Venice or the Dolomites, depending on where we fit it in to our itinerary). I know that Peschiera del Garda might be more convenient with being on the train line, but it doesn't appeal as much as Verona and Lazise. Would Verona or Lazise be more convenient/recommended? My husband and I would probably really enjoy Verona but I think my son might prefer Lazise with the castle, hotels with swimming pools and lakeside atmosphere.
Thoughts and recommendations are appreciated.
Thank you very much!
Posted by
Auckland
90 posts
We visited Gardaland in our trip on Dec 31st 2022, as part of our trip.
We had a 13 year old and a 10 year old.
For queue times, check this website. https://queue-times.com/parks/12/stats
Check the summary and statistics, and check out your day each year, as well as the forecasts.
It looks ok at that time of year. I would think weekday would be the best choice.
I kind of kicked myself for the 31 december date, however we purchased the fast pass, which got us to the front of the queue for a number of rides, so check that out.
On average the waits were about 30 min per ride
Our 10 year old was not a fan of the thrilling rollercoasters, but he did like the Mammut coast, the Jumanji ride, the kung foo panda, magic house and for a laugh we visited peppa pig land. There is enough there for him.
You can also get him to watch dogs. Heaps of Italians bring their dogs to the park, its crazy. We laso brought magnets and souvenirs.
We stayed in Verona, and glad we did. I looked up the bus route, and we caught the bus right outside our accommodation directly to the park entrance. Took about 30 minutes from memory. We loved staying in Verona.
Have fun, and let me know how you get on..
Posted by
OP
Oregon
24 posts
Thank you so much for the info! Will definitely check out that link for ride wait times. I'm glad to know it's possible to take a bus from Verona directly to the park entrance! I was thinking we'd have to take the train from Verona to Pescheira del Garda, then the shuttle from the train station to Gardaland. It sounds more direct and convenient to take the bus from Verona straight to the park!
Thanks again so much for the tips!
Has anyone taken a child to the opera in Verona? (My child will be almost 9.) It looks like the operas start around 9:30 at night, and I'm guessing they last several hours? It may not be the most child friendly activity, given the late timing of it...sure sounds like a cool experience though.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15899 posts
Last time I went to the arena I saw Aida by Verdi, it was great and Aida is grandiose enough to spark the interest of a child. It is probably one of the few theaters that can fully host the choreography of the Aida, so see if it’s playing when you are there (it generally does in June). The opera ends well past midnight, almost 1am, after which is dinner time in Verona. I was still kind of jet lagged so I really had a hard time staying awake, but I did (fortunately the arena is outdoors because in an indoor theater it would have been harder). I was ok for dinner (somehow food works magic on my body), which we ended at 2:30. You should be ok if you go after you are well adjusted to the time. If you decide to go, splurge on the front seatings, the Arena is big, and if you sit in the stands you are far from the stage (and the stone seats are hard on the arse unless you have a cushion).
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1308 posts
I was considering going to Gardaland next summer with my daughter who is a similar age. To be honest the online reviews put me off. it sounds like it gets very busy and it’s really hot with very little shade available. Not my idea of fun.
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ
333 posts
We went with our 13 and 10 year old and they loved it. However we visited in April and it was very slow. Yes, our son couldn't do as many big rides as his sister but still had a great time. I got a kick of their view of the US-there was a ride that was basically US Navy/Top Gun themed (no mention of US of course) and one area was themed US Old West. We had some good 'old BBQ which was very well done.
ps, I think opera for a 9 year old sounds like torture personally.
Posted by
OP
Oregon
24 posts
Thank you, Roberto, for your insight into the Opera and Aida! It sounds really spectacular. I would love to see it, but I'm not sure my son will be able to stay up that late (and not be very grouchy.) Thanks also to everyone who has shared their thoughts on Gardaland. It sounds like it would be fun for him, but I'm still on the fence about it. I keep thinking of other things we could do with an extra 2 nights, like add them to stops that are already on the itinerary for more time in one location. I think I might make a new posting with our overall itinerary for northern Italy to get recommendations for how best to spend those extra 2 nights. Thank you all again for the info and advice!