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Twenty-five minutes drive south-east of Brussels, and just south of the French-Brussels language border is the town of Wavre, on the outskirts of which is a theme park, Walibi Belgium. Originally opened in 1975 by Eric Meeus (there is a plaque in his honour just inside the gates), the park has changed names a number of times in the few years we have lived here – Walibi, Six Flags and back to Walibi again. On part of the complex, there is Aqualibi, which is a water theme park, but since I have never been inside, this review will only deal with the park. Aqualibi is subject to a separate charge from the main park.
WHAT RIDES ARE THERE?
Walibi is a serious theme park, with lots of rides that you would expect at places like Alton Towers or Chessington World of Adventures. The park has classified the rides under four headings – sensations, for families, for children and Walibi Follies, although this latter is also for children.8 rides come under the heading ‘Sensations’, and these are the real white knuckle rides. Cobra is a corkscrew roller-coaster, which you do both backwards and forwards, while the Vampire takes you round with your feet dangling. Dalton’s
Terror involves a rapid 50 meter descent, while Inferno, a new ride this year, takes you for an aerial tour of much of the park like a runaway chair lift. I have only one been on the Turbine, and turned such a shade of green that it has become an in-joke with my friends for feeling really it. On this ride, you sit in the dark before being rocketed forwards to do a loop-the-loop and emerge briefly into the sunshine, before having to do the whole thing in reverse. My favourite of the rides in this section is without a doubt Loup-Garou, which is the French for werewolf. This is an old-fashioned wooden roller, but goes so quickly, turns so sharply and dives so sharply than it is two minutes of pure adrenaline rush. Queues here tend to be the longest in the park, although on some of them if you are willing to ride on your own, ie fill in gaps, there is a separate quick queue.
Under the heading ‘For Families’, there are 15 rides, including the Big Wheel, a rapids river ride and a log flume (called Flashback). The challenge of Tutankhamon gives a novel twist on a ride through a scary pyramid in the dark, as you have a laser gun to shoot at targets on the mummies, zombies and monsters as they jump out at you. There is a runaway train rollercoaster, whirlers at different places, a Spongebob 4-D film (French or Dutch soundtrack only) and the French cancan, which is a cross between a carousel and swings.
The ride for children are mainly concentrated in two separate areas. However, by the entrance there is an old-fashioned merry-go-round and some old timer cars. In the first area, there are lots of mini-rides – train, swings, merry-go-rounds – all with Italian names and themes. The second area, Walibi Follies, was originally built when the park was run by Six Flags, and had a Warner Brothers theme with Bugs Bunny etc. Now with a change of ownership, the characters are Walibi’s own creation, but the rides are still the same. The centrepiece of this section is a huge maze of pipes and climbing frames, which creates a huge water play area for the children.
In addition to these areas, my children love the “poneys”, mechanised horses, the ladybird (a miniature rollercoaster just for children) and dragon boat, while is a very sedate boat ride around part of the lake.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE OTHER THAN RIDES?
Other than rides, there is an outdoor stage, where the 6 Walibi characters sing and dance for the children. Again the shows alternate between French and Flemish, and last about 20 minutes.The whole park is set out around a small lake. The misnamed Walibi Express (it goes at little more than walking pace) goes round the lake, but you can amble just as quickly. The grounds are nice, with lots of flowers in bloom in July.
There are food outlets throughout the park, mostly fast food, but you can also get surprisingly tasty fresh sandwiches at a reasonable price (tomato and mozzarella ciabatta for €4.25 (£3)). The signs at the outlets offer various meal deals, but these didn’t look that enticing. One offer I couldn’t resist however, was a thermos cup for €4.95, with free coffee throughout the day (normally €2.10). There are plenty of tables and chairs to sit and have picnics if you bring your own, which lots of people do.
There are merchandising shops, but these are not in your face at all. You get photographed with one of the characters on arrival, and you can choose to buy a photo or keyring of this when you leave, but they are not cheap. On some of the bigger rides, you also have the opportunity to buy a photo/keyring of you screaming at the top of your lungs. There are also a few extra fairground booth type games that typically charge €2 a go. However, I actually managed to win a cuddly toy on one of them, so they are not rigged. You can also pay to go on mini-go carts. It is very easy to avoid these additional costs, and the shops are relatively unobtrusive as well.
QUEUES, PRICES ETC
The park can get crowded and there are queues. On a sunny July day, the longest we waited was half an hour, but we didn’t go on the most popular rides. We saved time at the entrance (and €2 a ticket) by buying the entry tickets on-line. There are quite a lot of outings here – scout groups, kids’ holiday clubs, sport clubs etc – but generally the park has enough space and rides to absorb them without you feeling overwhelmed.
Entry for adults (counts as anyone over 12) is €31, €29 on-line. Children from 3-11 cost €27 (€25 online). It costs €6 to get out of the car park, and you have to buy a token as you leave the park.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Walibi is not one of the big named theme parks of Europe, but that does not mean it is in some way second rate. There is a good range of different rides for all tastes and ages, reasonable variety of food and drink outlets, nice grounds and space to sit and catch your breath. Under-rated, not well known, relaxed, a hint of the old-fashioned, but pretty good, friendly and well worth a visit, you could say it’s a bit like Belgium itself. It makes a good day out – the theme park of Belgium and the Belgium of theme parks.
== PRACTICAL INFO Park location – Jct 6 or 9 of E411 (Wavre), 30km south-east of Brussels. There are good train and bus links
Cost: €31 adults (12-54 years of age); €27 for 3-11, over 55 and disabled. Children under 3 are free of charge. There is a €2 discount for booking online.
Parking: €6
Opening hours: Generally 10.00-18.00 mid-season, 10-19 high season (mid-July and August). There are a few Saturdays with evening openings and fireworks, and late night in the half-term week at the end of October. The park is not open midweek in September though. It is closed from early November through to late March.
Rides: there are height restrictions clearly marked on various rides. The signage is clear and obvious, and is enforced. There are various health notices as well, eg bad back, epilepsy warnings etc.
Website: www.walibi.be
Pictures of Walibi Belgium
View of Walibi Belgium from the top of the big wheel
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Some decent thrilling rides, good mixture Disadvantages: Facilities were sparse and poor quality, areas of the park were poorly signposted. Website is scant on information for foreign visitors.
indiegirl 16.09.2002 (18.09.2002)
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