There’s nothing better than good old fun. The silly, goofy, grinning-from-ear-to-ear kind that comes from genuinely having the best time possible – exactly what a (good) theme park promises. Whether it’s from whizzing down a rollercoaster, saying hello to your favourite cartoon character or eating a giant Mickey Mouse shaped ice lolly as a Disney parade passes by, theme parks offer those magical moments where it’s completely and utterly innocent

They are also one of those miraculous family trips where all different ages can have said fun together. A four-year-old might be enchanted by little carousels, while their teenage sibling heads off to be spun around upside down five times – and you can regroup for lunch, a show or a family ride afterwards. And lets not forget the grown-ups who are having just as great a time as their off spring, nostalgically wandering down memory lane and getting to be big kids themselves for a bit. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever leaving a theme park and sying ‘well I wish we hadn’t bothered to book this’

There are hundreds of theme parks all over the world but what they all have in common is being places of magic, excitement and wonder where the sole aim of the trip to have as much fun as you possibly can. Somewhere to create those wonderfully silly, slightly over-the-top holiday memories that are hard to replicate anywhere else

Yes – and if your budget allows, we’re (usually) big fans

Some theme parks in particular have gone far beyond ticking the basic ‘hotel next door’ box. You can sleep in a LEGO-themed bedroom at LEGOLAND, stay in a princess suite at Disneyland Paris, bed down in a safari-style room at Chessington or pick from one of Europa-Park’s *six* themed hotels

Plus, plenty of parks offer accommodation that is more practical than fancy, boasting family rooms, apartments, cabins and campsites that have thought through the logistics of travelling with kids (for example, Puy du Fou in France and Efteling in the Netherlands do this particularly well)

There are three words here: location, location, location

Being onsite means you can often walk straight from breakfast to the park rather than loading everyone into the car. You can nip back for a nap or swim, get changed before dinner and return for evening entertainment without turning the day into a military operation

Some resorts also offer early access or other guest benefits, depending on the park and hotel. For example you get the Magic Hour at Disney resorts if you stay in one of their hotels. This gives you access to the parks for an hour before everyone else, which is quite frankly amazing for cramming in rides before the masses pour in

But perhaps the biggest advantage is atmosphere. A themed hotel extends the holiday beyond the park gates. If your child is obsessed with Marvel, Disney, Harry Potter or animals, why stop the fun at 6pm? They could be chatting to their favourite character in the lobby or even over breakfast

For younger children in particular, the ability to retreat to the room for an hour during the day can be a total sanity-saver

There isn’t one magic age – it depends entirely on the park. If you keep scrolling further down the page, you’ll find our top theme park picks for each age group, from pre-schoolers through to teens

Preschoolers: parks such as Paultons, LEGOLAND, Chessington World of Adventures, Liseberg and Disneyland Paris can be fantastic. Don’t try to cram in every attraction. Character meets, gentle rides and simply soaking up the atmosphere may be enough

School-age children & tweens: this is arguably the sweet spot. They are tall enough for more rides, old enough to understand the excitement and young enough to be completely swept away by the magic. Disney World and PortAventura are great choices at this age

Teenagers: choose somewhere with serious rides. Universal Orlando, Alton Towers, Europa-Park are all excellent

And don’t write Disney off for teenagers either. Older children often become just as obsessed with the rides, food and atmosphere as younger ones

The frustrating answer is: how long is a piece of string?

A UK day trip can be relatively affordable, while a week at Walt Disney World in Florida with flights, hotels, park tickets and food can run into several thousands of pounds for a family

Your biggest costs will usually be:

• Flights or transport
• Accommodation
• Park tickets
• Food and drinks
• Parking or transfers
• Fast-track/queue-skipping passes
• Character meals or special experiences
• Souvenirs
• Extras such as waterparks

Don’t just compare the headline ticket price. A £60 ticket might look cheaper than a £100 one, but if the first park has expensive parking, food and add-ons, the overall difference can shrink quickly. Our tip would be to work out the whole holiday cost per person, not simply the entry ticket

And if you’re travelling as a family of five or six, look particularly carefully at family rooms, apartments and onsite packages. Accommodation can be where larger families get stung

For bucket list, blow the budget trips Disney World and Universal Orlando are the ones to visit, while Toverland, Liseberg , LEGOLAND and Paultons are much more affordable. Somewhere in the middle sit Puy du Fou, Disneyland Paris and Europa-Park

Absolutely – and this is one of our favourite ways to do it. A theme park can be the main event or simply one brilliantly exciting chapter in a bigger family trip

Disneyland Paris + Paris: perhaps the easiest combination. Spend a couple of days in the park, then head into the city

PortAventura + Barcelona: theme parks, sunshine, beaches and tapas. Yes please

Universal Orlando + Florida: combine the parks with a villa, beaches, Kennedy Space Center or a few days at Disney

Gardaland + Lake Garda: rides in the morning, gelato by the lake in the afternoon

Tivoli + Copenhagen: arguably the most elegant theme park city break of them all

Tokyo Disney + Japan: use the park as part of a much bigger Japanese adventure

Europa-Park + Alsace/Germany: combine the park with pretty towns, countryside and other European adventures

There is no universally perfect month, but spring and early autumn are often excellent compromises

Spring

The parks are waking up, temperatures are often comfortable and crowds can be lower outside school holidays. Just check operating calendars carefully because some parks have seasonal opening dates

Summer

Longer opening hours and lots of entertainment, but expect higher prices and bigger crowds. Heat can also be a serious consideration in places such as Florida and Spain

Autumn

Potentially one of the best times to go. Cooler temperatures, Halloween events and atmospheric decorations can make parks brilliant

Winter

This depends hugely on the park. Disneyland Paris and some European parks can be magical around Christmas, while others close for the winter

Top tip: If you can travel midweek or outside of school holidays, do it (it’s all about making those INSET days work hard). It can make an astonishing difference to both prices and queues