CROATIA is home to one of the biggest water parks in Europe – it has 14 slides, six pools and several bespoke attractions for kids.
The summer has people planning lots of fun days out, with water parks being a great choice for the entire family.
Despite being one of the largest water parks in Europe, most Brit holidaymakers probably haven’t heard of Aquapark Aquacolors.
Located in Poreč in north Croatia, Aquapark Aquacolors covers a whopping 95,000 square metres and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
The huge water park is home to six different pools, including a huge outdoor wave pool.
Spanning 1,500 square metres, the outdoor wave pool routinely produces artificial waves.
It’s also lined with hundreds of sun loungers and parasols, providing the ideal place to relax on a sunny day.
Nearby, there’s also the Lazy River, where guest can spend 15 minutes floating along the twists and turns on a giant inflatable ring.
Crocodile Bay is another outdoor pool at the water park, and it’s also surrounded by 140 luxury massage benches and sun loungers.
There are two other outdoor pools at the water park, including the Kids Crocodile Pool and the Kids Water Pool.
Other pools include the Crocodile Cave Bar – a small pool that’s been described as the “highlight” of Aquacolours.
The swim-up bar is shaped like a huge crocodile’s head and it’s where guests can order drinks like cocktails.
In addition to all the pools, there are plenty of water slides at the water park, including Magicone.
Described as the “king of all water slides”, guests will be asked to climb into a rubber ring before descending the slide’s unique geometrical shape.
Windigo is another popular water slide at the park, featuring six parallel tracks where park-goers can compete against friends and family in a bid to win a water race.
At the end of the ride, guests can see who won thanks to a unique measuring device that displays timings.
Looping Rockets is another adrenaline-inducing ride where park-goers are sent down the slide at speed.
For something a little more relaxed, there’s also the Family Rafting Slide – 204m-long side where visitors can unwind.
Other water slides include Spheres, Turbolance, Multisurf, Freefall, Uphill navigatour, Space boat, Black Hole and Body Slide.
There are plenty of attractions for younger children too, including Tornado, which is a smaller version of Magicone.
There’s also Twister, a 15-second open-air water slide that’s full of twists and turns, as well as a children’s playground.
Guests aren’t allowed to bring their own food and drink into the water park; however, there are several bars and restaurants on the site where visitors can order a range of sweet and salty goodies.
Entry tickets cost €36 (£30.30) for anyone who is taller than 1.4m, reduced tickets cost €29 (£24.40) for anyone who measures between 1m and 1.4m, with children under 1m going free.
The water park closes during bouts of bad weather, with refunds not being issues to customers, so make sure to check the weather before purchasing a ticket.
The park has a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award due to the number of positive ratings it has received.
One parent wrote: “Super cool, if you have all day and wanna give your kids some fun, take them to the Aquacolors.”
Another person added: “It was a great experience, we were with children and everybody was happy!”
Someone else wrote: “Amazing and fun water park with excellent water slides for everyone, young and older. Coming back for sure next year.”
The water park has won other awards too, including winning first place for having the most beautiful commercial swimming pool in Europe.
The water park is a 10-minute drive from Poreč in northern Croatia.
While most Brits head to Split or Dubrovnik in Croatia, Poreč is a great beach destination that is popular with Europeans instead.
In addition to the water park, there are more than 20 beaches to choose from in Poreč, many which are Blue Flag so you can expect them to be clean.
Flights are to Pula, which take around 2 hours and start from around £40 return with easyJet.
It often has great weather too – it rarely drops below 10C in winter and reaches highs of 27C in summer.
What else do I need to know about Poreč?
Poreč now uses euros, with Croatia ditching the kuna last year, with around £10 getting you €11.
The main language is Croatia although most people will speak English at the resorts.
Poreč is currently one hour ahead from the UK.
Five new water attractions opening in the UK next year
- Therme Manchester will have 25 swimming pools, 25 water slides and an indoor beach.
- Modern Surf Manchester will be a surfing lagoon offering lessons to both beginners and experts.
- Chessington World of Adventures waterpark is set to have wave, infinity and spa pools as well as waterslides and cabanas.
- The Cove Resort, Southport is likely to have a water lagoon and a thermal spa with steam rooms and saunas.
- The Seahive, Deal plans to be the “surfing wellness resort” in the UK.
If you don’t want to jet off abroad for a water park, then there are plenty in the UK including Sandcastle Water Park in Blackpool.
And here are some other water parks in the UK you should visit, including a huge new £250million attraction opening in 2025.