Center Parcs Allgäu with kids in November: a ten-hour drive, the longest wild water river

Center Parcs Allgäu with kids in November: a ten-hour drive, and still our second visit. The wild water river in the Aqua Mundo is the longest of any Center Parcs at 165 metres, Lake Constance and Neuschwanstein are an hour away, and zone 5 suited us well (ten minutes' walk from the Market Dome).

Center Parcs Allgäu with kids is a ten hour drive from the Netherlands, and we still did it a second time. That says most of it, but below is why.

The first time was years ago, in a winter with a lot of snow. This time we came back in November and saw a completely different park: autumn colours, cooler air, quieter paths and enough changeable weather to keep it interesting. It confirmed what we already suspected, which is that this park works in more than one season.
 

The Aqua Mundo and the longest rapid river

The pool alone fills several days. Big, varied and well laid out, with slides, a wave pool and quieter corners. The rapid river is 165 metres long, the longest within Center Parcs, and it did not bore us once.

Compared with pools outside Center Parcs, very little comes close, certainly with children.

You did not need to book a time slot, you simply walk in whenever it suits you. And in November it was quiet: no queues, no crowded pools. What a week in the middle of the summer holidays is like we cannot tell you, because we have not been then.
 

A park that needs no day trips

You do not have to leave the site for a proper holiday here, and that is the biggest plus. Everything is there, and it is spread out enough that you move around without it becoming tiring.

Beyond the pool, our days filled up with walking around the site, feeding the koi, the petting farm, and the indoor and outdoor playgrounds. Everything sits in the landscape rather than on top of it.

The park is largely car free. You may drive to your cottage on arrival and departure to load up, after that cars go to the central car park. That makes it calm and safe, and children can move around freely.

Activities: good fun, and the costs add up

There is plenty to do: archery, bungee trampolines, climbing walls, safari car rides, go karts, and even operating small excavators together. Undeniably fun, but add it all up and it runs away with you. A build-a-bear quickly comes to around 25 euros per child.

At the same time there is more than enough to do without spending extra, certainly for younger children. We alternated, and that worked: one paid thing a day and the rest free.

We also hired a family bike and rode around the park for an hour, with a stop at a hill that turned out steeper than it looked. From the top you had a wide view over the park and the forest around it, in full autumn colour. That bike cost us around 20 euros for the hour we rode it.

November, lanterns and one evening of snow

What made November special here were the small things. The children made their own soft toy with a wish heart and put together lanterns for St Martin's Day. After that we joined a small lantern parade around the park, singing along to German songs we half understood.
The weather played its part too. We arrived expecting mild autumn weather, but halfway through the week the temperature dropped sharply: cold mornings, icy air, and one evening even enough snow for a snowman. The next day everything was green again.
 

Eating on the park, and one clear miss

Eating out on the park was mostly positive. The pizza and pasta were genuinely good and the currywurst with chips stayed a favourite. A small detail that stands out at German parks: Spezi, a mix of cola and orange soda, became a hit here.

The exception is the Rockets snack bar. On both our visits the chips were limp and the burgers disappointing. Everything else ran from fine to very good, so this really is the outlier.

What it costs: we ate properly on the park twice and paid 75 euros one time and 135 euros the other, for four of us. That gap is big enough to mention, because it shows that eating out here runs from an ordinary family bill to a serious expense, depending on where you sit down and what comes with it in drinks and dessert.
 

Which zone to book

Distances on the park are manageable, but where your cottage stands does matter. We were in zone 5, about a ten minute walk from the Market Dome, and as far as we are concerned that is a good zone.

Roughly: zones 0, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12 are within comfortable walking distance of the centre. Zones 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 mean a fair hike. That is the most useful thing you can know when booking, and it is nowhere to be found clearly on the booking sites.
 

What to do around Center Parcs Allgäu

If you do want to head out, you are well placed here. Lake Constance, the town of Lindau and even Neuschwanstein castle are all about an hour's drive away. Several theme parks are easily reachable too, including Legoland Germany.

We did not go anywhere ourselves. Not because we could not, but because we spent a week entertaining ourselves on the park and simply had no need to. That is not a shortcoming of the area but the best evidence for the point above: you do not need day trips to fill a week here. If you want them, they are ready and waiting.

There is also a large lake on the park where you can get out on the water in summer. During our autumn visit it was not in use, but you can see straight away what it adds in July and August.
 

Frequently asked questions about Center Parcs Allgäu

 

Does Center Parcs Allgäu work for families?

 

See also

Destinations Irrland with kids: a day out just across the German border Destinations Landal Hochwald with kids: big indoor playground, small pool Destinations Landal Salztal Paradies with kids: two weeks in the Harz in November

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