Destinations · Germany

Center Parcs Hochsauerland with kids: one big hill, rent the e-car

September 30, 2025 · Yasmine Kas Updated on September 8, 2026

In short

Where: Medebach, Sauerland, Germany, about 15 kilometres from Winterberg
Driving: 320 kilometres from Utrecht, roughly 3.5 hours
We were there: September 2025, ten nights
With: children aged 4 and almost 8
Cottage: a six-person Premium cottage, in zone 3 (house 347), a fair way from the centre of the park
What we paid: around 138 euros a night, ten nights in September
Best tip: rent an e-car if your cottage is high up or far out; you pick it up at the Cycle Center, ours seated six and cost 295 euros
Strong: the Aventura playground against the slope, and the landscape
Less so: everything sits on a hill, so you are climbing for ten days
Car-free: yes, you are only allowed onto the park on arrival and departure day

Center Parcs Hochsauerland with kids in September: ten nights in a six-person Premium cottage at around 138 euros a night, 3.5 hours from Utrecht. The park is car-free, the cottages sit high up, and the e-car (295 euros for the whole stay, collected at the Cycle Center) was the best decision of the trip.

In this story

Center Parcs Hochsauerland with kids is mostly one thing: hills. The cottages sit high up, the facilities sit at the bottom, and in between is a climb you underestimate on day one. We solved that with an e-car, and it was the best decision of the whole stay.

It was our first visit to this part of Germany, and the landscape makes this park feel different from other Center Parcs straight away. Green and height everywhere, and the sense of being in the landscape rather than beside it.

Child on a seesaw in the sandy playground at Center Parcs Hochsauerland — One of the smaller playgrounds on the park. The big one, Aventura, is on the slope.

A park that makes you climb, and what the e-car solves

This is not a flat park. The accommodation sits high on the hills and most facilities are down below, so you are going up and down all day. More often than you expect, and with children who are tired after swimming that is not a detail.

Mother and child in the rented e-car on a path across the park — The e-car cost 295 euros for the whole stay. You pick it up at the Cycle Center.

The e-car became our answer. We were in zone 3, house 347, which is a fair way over to the other side of the park. What would otherwise have been exhausting became manageable, and for the children it was actually fun: laps around the park, hopping out for an ice cream, off to the playground.

The practical part, because this is written down nowhere: you pick it up at the Cycle Center. Ours seated six and cost 295 euros for the whole stay: collected on the morning of 16 September, returned on the 24th around five.

And there is a tip in that which nobody gives you. The park is car-free except on your arrival and departure day, so on exactly the two days you are hauling luggage you are allowed to drive your own car right up to the cottage. Which is precisely when you do not need that e-car. So we rented it for the days in between rather than door to door.

Without an e-car this park really is a different holiday, certainly if you are high up. It is not a luxury here, it is part of the trip.

The Aventura playground: 160 metres long, and by Center Parcs' own account the longest in Europe

The star of this park is Aventura, the playground built against the slope. Center Parcs calls it the longest playground in Europe, 160 metres, and that is exactly what it looks like: this is not the standard little play area most holiday parks have.

Whether it is also the biggest in Europe we cannot measure, and those two claims are not the same thing. What we can say: of all the holiday parks we have been to this is by far the largest playground, and it is the only one where we genuinely lost the children for an hour without anyone coming to ask what we were doing next.

The climbing frame runs up the slope, and once you start there is no quick way back down. We know this because a toilet emergency arose halfway along. One adult made the entire descent while the rest stood waiting. Hilarious and exhausting at the same time, and really this park in miniature.

What makes it special is the height difference. The children grew bolder, egged each other on and flew down the big slide at the end, with a view over the valley thrown in. For adults it is a workout too: down and back up again is no small thing.

The Aventura climbing frame stretching down the slope — The climbing frame runs down the slope. Halfway along there is no quick way back.

The long metal slide at the bottom of the Aventura playground — The slide at the bottom, with a view over the valley thrown in.

Familiar Center Parcs, with a different feel

We now know three parks from this brand, and this is the most outdoor-facing of the three. Center Parcs Allgäu is newer and flatter, Les Trois Forêts is much bigger and more wooded. At its core you get what you expect from Center Parcs here: the Market Dome, the pool, indoor play, a games hall, restaurants and organised activities.

What felt different was how that fitted into our days. The children each picked a couple of activities they really wanted to do, like driving a safari car and the bungee trampoline. The rest of the time filled itself with swimming, playgrounds and wandering about. The prices did not get out of hand: the safari car cost us about 15 euros for half an hour of driving and the bungee trampoline around 8.50. We booked through the app, and when it is quiet you can sometimes just ask on the spot.

Child high in the air on the bungee trampoline on the park — The bungee trampoline, around 8.50. We booked it through the app.

Two children driving a safari car across Center Parcs Hochsauerland — The safari car cost us about 15 euros for half an hour of driving.

Some work had to happen in between, and that went surprisingly well. The children entertained themselves in the cottage with games and drawing, and the park stayed calm and manageable around us. About the park's wifi we honestly cannot tell you anything: we always have our own Starlink with us and never switched the cottage connection on.

View over the wooded hills of the Sauerland from the park — Towards the end of September the temperature dropped and mist hung over the hills.

September, and why this park is probably better in winter

Towards the end of our stay the temperature dropped and it became immediately visible how much this park changes with the season. Cool mornings, mist over the hills, and the first hint of autumn in the air.

The other German park we stayed at in that season, Landal Salztal Paradies in the Harz, felt very quiet in November. Here it stayed lively even in September. With the ski areas around Winterberg close by, this park is easy to picture as a winter base. The same hills that cost you energy in summer are probably the reason to come then.

Frequently asked questions about Center Parcs Hochsauerland

Which Center Parcs is near Winterberg?

That is Park Hochsauerland, in Medebach, about 15 kilometres from Winterberg. The ski areas there are within reach, which also makes this park interesting as a winter base. From Utrecht it is 320 kilometres and it took us roughly 3.5 hours.

Is Center Parcs Hochsauerland any good?

For us yes, with one condition: you must not mind height differences. If that is fine by you, you get a landscape and a playground in return that you will not find on a flat park. If you want everything close by and level, you are better off choosing somewhere else.

Is Center Parcs Hochsauerland car-free?

Yes. You are only allowed onto the park on arrival and departure to unload and load, and after that the car stays in the car park. You notice it in the rhythm of the week too: on Mondays and Fridays, the changeover days, you see the most cars, and on every other day almost none. For children who walk to the playground on their own that really matters.

Do you need an e-car at Center Parcs Hochsauerland?

If your cottage is high up or far out, we would simply do it. We were in zone 3 and used ours for the whole stay: the distance between cottage and pool became a ride instead of a climb. You collect it at the Cycle Center, and we paid 295 euros for a six-seater across our whole stay. Tip: on your arrival and departure day you may drive your own car right up to the cottage, so you only need it for the days in between.

Does Center Parcs Hochsauerland have discounts?

We did not book with an offer or an early-booking discount, so we cannot tell you anything about those. What we paid is therefore simply the price without a discount: around 138 euros a night for a six-person Premium cottage, ten nights in September 2025. Prices here vary a lot by season, and given the ski areas around the corner winter is almost certainly the most expensive.

Is Aventura the biggest playground in Europe?

Center Parcs itself calls it the longest playground in Europe, 160 metres, which is a different claim from the biggest. We have not measured it. What we can say is that of all the holiday parks we have been to, this is the largest playground we have come across, and the height difference makes it genuinely different from a big flat play area. It runs up the slope, so you are climbing along with them.

What age is the Aventura playground for?

For us it worked for a child of 4 and one of almost 8, and both of them loved it. It is a climbing frame across a slope, so young children cannot nip back halfway. Bear in mind that you go up with them.

Does Center Parcs Hochsauerland work for families?

Who this is for

Active families who actually enjoy climbing and playing outside
Anyone renting an e-car, or booking a cottage close to the centre of the park
Children who want free rein on a big climbing frame

Who it probably is not for

Anyone who wants everything close by and level
Families with a pushchair, or anyone unsteady on their feet
Anyone booking without an e-car who ends up in a far zone, as we did in zone 3

Going yourself? Check the Center Parcs site for current prices and availability. Ask which zone your cottage is in when you book, because how far you sit from the centre matters more here than the type of cottage. We were in zone 3 and that is a decent walk.

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