Bellewaerde Tickets: Prices, Rides & Animal Park Tips

Inside Bellewaerde: what you’re paying for

Bellewaerde Park, open since 1954, is the oldest theme park in Belgium — and one of very few in Europe where a coaster queue can come with a view of giraffes. The park, run by Compagnie des Alpes (the group behind Walibi and Parc Astérix), sits in mature woodland on the Bellewaerde ridge just outside Ypres, and splits its site between rides and a proper animal park with lions, giraffes and dozens of other species.

On the ride side, the names to know:

• Huracan — the Mayan-themed coaster that partly runs indoors, the park’s signature thrill.
• Dawson Duel — twin racing alpine-coaster tracks; grab a friend and race.
• Wakala — a smooth family coaster almost everyone in the group can ride.
• A set of water rides that get properly soaking in summer — bring a change for kids.

Bellewaerde suits families with children from toddler age to early teens best. Hardened coaster fans will exhaust the thrill lineup in a couple of hours — for them, Walibi Belgium is the better ticket — but nowhere else in Belgium lets you go from a coaster to watching lions in ten minutes. Next door, the indoor Bellewaerde Aquapark adds a water-park day, bookable as a combo.

Timing is everything

Belgian school holidays (July–August, plus the spring and autumn breaks) and sunny weekends are the busy times; the park’s compact layout means queues build fast at the three or four headline rides. Go on a weekday in May, June or September and you’ll walk onto most things.

At opening, head straight to Huracan, then Dawson Duel — both queue slowest. Save the animal areas for the early afternoon, when ride queues peak but the animal paths stay pleasant. Animals are livelier in the morning and late afternoon than in midday heat, so if wildlife is your priority, flip that plan and ride in the afternoon instead.

Insider tip: The animal sections are the park’s pressure valve. When ride queues spike after lunch, spend that hour with the lions and giraffes and come back to the coasters after 15:30, when day-trippers start leaving.

How to save on tickets

• Book online for a fixed date — on the official site and resale platforms like Tiqets, day tickets run around €49, and dated online pricing typically undercuts the gate.
• Kids pay less, and the smallest children enter free — check the current height/age bands when booking.
• Combo with the Aquapark is cheaper than two separate tickets if you’re staying in the Ypres area two days.
• Annual pass maths works from about three visits — relevant if you live in Flanders, Wallonia or the Lille area.
• Quiet-season calendar dates are sometimes discounted online; check a few dates either side of your plan.

Getting there without the hassle

Bellewaerde is on the Meenseweg (the old Menin Road) just east of Ypres, in West Flanders. By car it’s roughly 40 minutes from Bruges, an hour from Ghent and Lille, and 90 minutes from Brussels; on-site parking is paid. Public transport works too: take the train to Ieper (Ypres) station, then a short local bus or taxi ride the last few kilometres to the park gate.

Make it a trip

The Ypres area rewards an overnight stay:

• Ypres itself — the In Flanders Fields Museum by day, and the Last Post at the Menin Gate at 20:00, every single evening. Bellewaerde ridge itself was a WWI battlefield; the contrast stays with you.
• Plopsaland De Panne at the coast is about 40 minutes away — the natural second park day for families.
• Pairi Daiza, Europe’s most-awarded animal park, is around an hour east if Bellewaerde’s zoo half was your favourite part.

More ideas on the Belgium destinations hub and the theme parks hub.