Peppa Pig World and Paultons Park review for families

Still good fun for: Grown-ups and older children. It’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement of watching your younger children be immersed in the world of Peppa Pig, plus there’s plenty of more high-octane rides to appeal to older kids.

Avoid if: Image-conscious teens probably won’t want to hang around Peppa Pig World for long, although there's plenty of thrilling options in the rest of Paultons Park to keep them happy. If you're looking for attractions suitable for older children, take a look at our roundup of the best UK theme parks.

Is Peppa Pig World separate to Paultons Park?

Peppa Pig World is one of 5 themed areas within Paultons Park, and your entry ticket gives you access to the whole park.

How much does Peppa Pig World entry cost in 2023?

Advance tickets for Peppa Pig World and Paultons Park are £41.75 per person over 1m tall – if your child measures under this height (while wearing shoes) or if you’re wheelchair dependent you do not have to pay for entry.

You can choose to upgrade your ticket to the VIP Bronze, Silver or Gold package, which all provide fast track ride access, on top of other extras, but they come at a serious price – the Bronze package starts at £260 per person, with Gold starting at £430 (which includes a private meet and greet with Peppa and George).

Are there discounts or cheap tickets available for Paultons Park?

• Look out for special offers on Picniq
• If you plan to visit Paultons Park with a group of 15 or more people you can also get a saving of around 10% on the day ticket price, so it costs you £37.25 per person.
• There’s the option of an Annual Pass if you plan on visiting regularly, which ranges in price from £155 for off-peak trips, to £260 for visit any time of the year.
• Holiday Extras and the Paultons Park website both offer short breaks that include accommodation, breakfast and entry to the park on 2 days.
• Evans Evans Tours offer fantastic tours from £69 per child.

Are there any extra charges once I’m there?

Parking is free and the car park is mercilessly close to the entrance – hooray for not having to trek miles with two already over-excited kids!

Of course, the Park is full of tempting places to grab lunch or a snack, but if you’re wanting to save some money there are so many areas to enjoy a picnic you’ve brought from home. As the car park isn’t a huge distance from the entrance you could even leave it in your car in a coolbox to collect halfway through the day if you wanted (you just get a stamp on your way out for re-entry).

One thing that’s pretty tricky to avoid is the gift shop. There’s a decent size one in Peppa Pig World, but our two were so engrossed with the rides we managed to distract them away quite easily.

However, the aptly named ‘Big Toy Shop’ at the entrance/exit of the main park is impossible to miss. With its rainbow entry arches – including a mini arch for little visitors – it certainly draws you in and once inside good luck trying to escape without parting with a bit of money! In fairness, prices are pretty much what you’d expect from a standard toy shop and there is something for all budgets, so it is possible to survive the gift shop without spending a fortune. We made sure to set a budget for each child before we stepped inside, which helped a lot.

As far as other extras go, there’s the usual ride photos on offer. We usually don’t bother with these but the previous year we couldn’t resist spending £12 on a fridge magnet featuring my son and daughter absolutely loving life on the Farmyard Flyer rollercoaster. SO cute and worth every penny! This visit we caved and bought both children their own ‘Driver’s Licence’ from Al’s Auto Academy Driving School after completing the ride (where you get to drive your own little car around a mini street layout). It included their photos, names and a cool lanyard, but did set us back £20 in total.

Also, if you’ve got a mega Peppa Pig fan on your hands – and can afford it – there’s the option to buy an Early Pass which gives you a personal meeting with Peppa and George, as well as 30 minutes access to all the rides before other guests are let in. But be prepared, this comes at a premium – an extra £29.75 for a 3-year-old on top of the usual ticket price (slightly less for a younger child and just £19.25 for an adult).

How long will you spend at Paultons Park?

There’s so much to explore here. Of course, there’s Peppa Pig World, but as well as this the Park includes various themed areas including Tornado Springs, Lost Kingdom, Critter Creek and Wild Lands, and you could easily spend two days here discovering it all.

For toddlers and pre-schoolers, the most honest answer is that you can spend as much time there as your little ones allow – nap times often seem to cut the day short for the youngest visitors, rather than running out of things to do. We arrived first thing and crammed as much as we could into our day, but still didn’t have enough time to explore all the themed lands on offer. So it's definitely worth considering a short break package with a 2nd day included. If you’re just interested in enjoying Peppa Pig World, rather than the rest of the Park, we’d say it’s doable in a day, as long as you arrive when the Park opens and use the app to be savvy with queue times.

Looking for more things to do nearby? Take a look at our roundup of the best family days out in the New Forest.

What’s Paultons Park like for families?

Quite frankly, it’s a dream day out for families. Named the UK’s best-rated amusement park in the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards for 6 years running, Paultons Park really knows its audience and goes out of its way to create the ultimate day out for toddlers, pre-schoolers, children and their parents.

The whole park is easily accessible with a pushchair and there are plenty of toilets and changing facilities dotted around the site, so you shouldn’t be caught out even if you’re in the middle of potty training.

With wide pathways and plenty of signs to show you where each themed ‘world’ is, Paultons Park is super-easy to get around. Despite fitting so much in, it all felt surprisingly compact as we made our way from one side to the other – our 7-year-old happily walked around all day with zero complaints. Our only just 4-year-old did start to tire halfway through the day, but we only ended up having to carry her a couple of times – usually the promise of an ice cream was enough to spur her on!

We also couldn’t believe how clean and tidy the whole park was – we’re talking spotless! The toilets were sparkling and well stocked, while all the rides and grounds looks very well cared for.

While you will have to queue for some of the more popular rides, they never had the lengthy waiting time of many the family theme parks we’ve visited – something that gets a big thumbs up for a day out with young kids.

Are there any seasonal events at Paultons Park?

In October, Paultons Park will get a spooky makeover for their frightfully fun Halloween Spooktacular.

You'll have the chance to meet Peppa and George in their spooky outfits, wonder through the majestic secret garden decorated with webs and pumpkins, meet Pickles the Pumpkin and the rest of the spirit squad characters and then see them perform in the enchanting Halloween show, The Legend of Paultons Manor. Plus, the park will have late night openings until 7:30pm on selected dates so you can experience rides in the dark.

You can visit the Paultons Park Halloween Spooktacular from 12th-30th October 2023 with late night openings on 24th, 25th and 26th October and Halloween shows running between 21st-30th October. See the Paultons Park website for more information.

Is there an app to help you navigate the park?

Yes, there’s a free Paultons Park app you can download before you arrive, which we would thoroughly recommend. It shows you a full map of the Park, gives you an estimated walking time and distance from one ride to another, as well as showing queue times for each ride or attraction. It also shows where the toilets are, and where you can grab a bite to eat, as well as show time for things like the Peppa Meet and Greet and penguin feeding. We found it invaluable when planning out our day (before we arrived and while we were there). The only feature we would have appreciated would have bene the option to create a ‘Favourites’ list of rides, so we could have a list to refer to of the rides to head for first.

What are the themed 'worlds' that make up Paultons Park?

Paultons Park is made up of 5 themed areas, and this variety of rides and activities for young children is what makes it so perfect for a family day out:

• Peppa Pig World: A pre-schooler’s paradise, this part of the theme park is undoubtedly what Paultons is most famous for. Home to TV’s most iconic pig, it’s a colourful, kid-friendly world full of gentle rides and play areas to suit the youngest members of the family. Age-wise, we think it’s best suited to young toddlers and kids up to the age of around 6. Our 7-year-old still enjoyed some of the rides, but was keen to explore the rest of the Park.
• Tornado Springs: The latest addition to the park, Tornado Springs opened in April 2021. With a 1950s Americana theme, it features everything from sedate tractor rides right up to the thrilling Storm Chaser rollercoaster. There’s something for everyone here, from pre-schoolers up to adults.
• Lost Kingdom: Dinosaur fans will love this Jurassic world, packed with dino-themed rides, lifelike animatronic dinosaurs and a fun playground. Again, this is perfect for pre-schoolers (who don’t mind the occasional loud roar!) up to adults.
• Critter Creek: This vibrant fantasy world sits close to Peppa Pig World and certainly targets the same age-range. It has a great family rollercoaster (the Cat-o-pillar) and Professor Blast’s Expedition Express Train, suitable for children 0.9m and up.
• Wild Lands: If you’ve got animal-mad kids, this area of the park offers a change of scenery from all the rides. There’s the chance to see meerkats, crested porcupines and plenty of creepy crawlies, as well as a walk-through aviary and cool nocturnal house.

What shouldn’t be missed when visiting Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park?

Our Peppa Pig World highlights were:

• George’s Dinosaur Adventure was unanimously voted our favourite ride at Peppa Pig World. Here, you get to ride on giant versions of George’s beloved green Mr Dinosaur, around a themed track and genuinely it’s just a lot of fun. It’s worth knowing that is your child is under 1.1m they need to ride in the front seat with an adult behind, but if they’re over this height they have to ride alone. Because this is a very popular ride, they have now introduced the rule that single adult riders are not allowed – this may mean you having to queue with your children then leaving them to ride alone if they are over 1.1m.
• Seeing Peppa Pig and George IN REAL LIFE is one of the biggest draws – our 4-year-old couldn’t believe it when she spotted them outside the schoolhouse. Understandably, to stop a scrum you have to queue to say hello and get your photo taken together, so make sure you have snacks at the ready to occupy your toddler or pre-schooler, as the queue does move rather slowly.
• The other ride the whole family loved was Grampy Rabbit’s Sailing Club. We all fitted together inside one of the boats, which gently spins along a watery track past some familiar faces from the show. It’s a really safe, relaxing introduction to water rides – we all had great fun

What shouldn’t be missed at Paultons Park?

There’s so much to pack in across all the other ‘worlds’ in the theme park, but some of our highlights were:

• Storm Chaser is part of the recently opened Tornado Springs, and it’s your classic rollercoaster for thrill-seekers. Which turned out to be our just turned 7-year-old! Suitable for children 1m and up, here spinning seats whizz around a sprawling track at ridiculous speeds. It’s not for the fainthearted; although my son was desperate to go on it straight away, I was left a little shell-shocked. It was a serious gear change after the sedate Hot Air Balloon ride at Peppa Pig World, but a lot of fun!
• We were lucky enough to visit on a hot, sunny day and, after learning my lesson from our previous visit, I came prepared with swimsuits and towels so the children could enjoy the Water Kingdom Splash Park. It’s open from March until September and has a handy seating area for parents so you can keep an eye on your kids as they run around and get soaked by sprinklers and fountains. The only hard part is convincing them to get out…
• Right at the far side of the park, close to Lost Kingdom, is the Raging River Ride Log Flume. Turns out it’s not only our son who is an adrenaline junkie – our daughter is just the same! Children have to be 0.95m to ride, so all 4 of us piled into a log before being dropped 11m at over 35mph. We all LOVED it. Yes, we got pretty wet – so pack a change of clothes for everyone if you can. I had some spares for the kids but not for us and it was a rather damp trip home.

Is there anything else to see?

The grounds are really worth exploring – we pottered through the themed African Garden (the kids were highly impressed with the fancy topiary and now insist we get an elephant-shaped bush at home) and Japanese Garden and couldn’t believe how quiet it was. It felt like a little oasis of calm away from all the excitement.

We also really rated the numerous playgrounds you’ll find around the Park. Mr Potato’s Playground in Peppa Pig World, in particular, was a dream come true for our youngest – as well as providing the perfect place to keep her busy and happy while our older thrill-seekers snuck off to Tornado Springs for another go on the rollercoasters. On a side note, this playground is right next to the schoolhouse, so if you did want to queue to meet Peppa and George, a top tip is for one adult to stand in the queue while the other takes your child to the playground to pass the time. You can thank me later…!

Paultons Park also put on the live-action Magical Pirate Adventure Show, penguin and meerkat feeding time and keeper talks, as well as the ALIVE! Dinosaur Encounter where you can get up close with some impressive dino-animatronics. You can keep an eye on show times on the app or on boards around the Park.

Are there any scary elements that young or sensitive children might not enjoy?

With a daughter who is seemingly not scared of anything apart from lawn mowers, we didn’t encounter any issues at all on the day. However, I can imagine some of the lifelike animatronics in the Lost Kingdom – as well as the loud roars – might be too much for some children.

The soft play area at Peppa Pig World – a pretty epic spaceship set-up – can also get quite busy and VERY loud, which some kids might find a little overwhelming.

Does Paultons Park cater well to children of all ages?

Yes, I feel it does. While Peppa Pig World is obviously more a draw for the youngest visitors, it’s pretty hard not to get swept up in all the excitement – plus there’s plenty to keep everyone happy elsewhere around the theme park.

What to bring?

• If you’re visiting with a toddler or pre-schooler, I’d say a pushchair or stroller is essential. There’s a decent amount of ground to cover and if you want to get from one place to another quickly, it feels like the only solution
• There’s so much room for a picnic here, so it you want to save a bit of money do bring your own packed lunch. If you find the dedicated picnic areas a little crowded (they are small and fill up quickly around lunchtime, especially in Peppa Pig World), make use of the gorgeous grounds and find a shady spot in the gardens instead
• We found snacks essential when trying to placate our youngest in some of the longer queues. If in doubt, pack double the snacks for a day out like this!
• There are also some great water play areas, like the Water Kingdom Splash Park, near to the Lost Kingdom, and Muddy Puddles at Peppa Pig World. It’s impossible not to get wet, so if you know your kids will want to get involved do be prepared. Even a change of clothes and a towel will do.

Can you hire pushchairs at Paultons Park?

Yes. Last year we realised with horror on the drive down the day before, that we’d forgotten to bring our stroller with us. Luckily, you can hire strollers at Paultons Park (£10 for a single stroller or £14 for a double). These colourful pushchairs need to be pre-booked by 4pm the day before you visit –­ you cannot book once you arrive at the park.

Not your typical lightweight stroller, this was more a multi-coloured tank, but we found it one of the best expenses of the day. There’s a large hood to shelter your child from the sun (or rain) and despite being bulky, it was very nifty to manoeuvre. And most importantly our daughter loved riding in it, whereas there would have been guaranteed tantrums getting her in and out of our usual buggy. It’s worth noting these are for children who can sit independently, rather than little babies, though. We didn’t bother booking one for our just turned 4-year-old, but at times I wish I had!

How long are the queues at Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park?

Visiting on a gloriously sunny Friday in the school summer holidays, we were bracing ourselves for some mega queues but were so surprised – and relieved – that that wasn’t the case. Collecting our tickets and going through the main entrance was a breeze.

Last year, the only time we did have to wait was for the gates of the theme park to open – we arrived early and were let in to the grounds along with other visitors, then directed into a queue which quickly dispersed as soon as it hit 10am. This time around we arrived just as the gates arrived and were able to stroll right into Peppa Pig World.

We were told to avoid Peppa Pig World first thing, as that’s where everyone goes, and instead head to the far end of the Park, but our 4-year-old was having none of it, so we headed there first. It was a relief to find that most rides had very short queues and it didn’t feel busy or hectic. Throughout the day the queues did build a little, but we kept an eye on the queue times on the app and most ranged from a manageable 5-20 minutes max.

How can you avoid the queues for Peppa Pig World rides?

We had heard from friends that George’s Dinosaur Adventure and Grampy Rabbit’s Sailing Club tend to be among the most-popular rides, so this is where we headed first. We probably queued for just a few minutes for each one – however checking back later in the day we saw that queues had gone up to around 20 minutes.

One of the issues with the rides at Peppa Pig World is that as they only take a small number of riders at a time – and getting toddlers and pre-schoolers on and off rides isn’t a speedy business – so queueing can take longer than you’d imagine. The only way to fast track through a queue is but splashing out on the VIP packages.

We found the app so handy for checking queue times throughout the day – which always seemed very accurate. We also appreciate that the queue times were displayed on little screens at the entrance to each ride, so you have a good idea what to expect going in.

How to make the most of your day at Paultons Park

• Download the Paultons Park app to keep an eye on queue times and for the interactive map – it’s so useful for working out where the closest toilets or food outlet is or deciding which rides to head for first.
• When we visited it certainly felt like Peppa Pig World was the place most people had come to visit, so if you want to make the most of your time there it’s worth having a think about what timings work best for you. The general consensus from other friends who’ve visited is that its best to head there as soon as it opens or leave it until lunchtime, when the crowds ease a bit.
• Look at the website or app before you arrive, so you can get a general idea of the must-do rides for your family.

What are the food and drink facilities like at Paultons Park?

There are plenty of food and drink kiosks dotted around the Park – in fact, you’re never far from somewhere to get a cup of tea, ice cream or quick snack. We found the queues minimal and were often able to walk straight up to order.

There’s a number of restaurants and cafes serving hot food too – from the American style Route 83 diner to the Mexican style Hay Barn. In Peppa Pig World there’s the choice of Daddy Pigs Big Tummy Café, where you can buy things like sausage rolls, pizza slices and pasties, or The Queen’s Kitchen which sells paninis and hot dogs, among other offerings. These both get very busy – as do the outside picnic areas – so it may be worth heading away from Peppa Pig World for lunch if you can.

Last time we visited the children ate lunch at The Wild Forest Restaurant, which sits right at the entrance to Paultons Park. It definitely has the most extensive menu we saw, including everything from hot meals like fish cakes or pasta, to wraps and salads. The most expensive thing we saw on the menu was £15.50 for The Big Gun Burger, but on average expect to pay between £10-15. Not a bargain, but certainly not extortionate compared to other theme park eateries.

The kids' menu offers the usual fare of chicken bites, chips and beans, jacket potatoes, pizza or a lunch bag, as well as more creative dishes like spinach and ricotta ravioli and lemon and herb marinated chicken, coming in at £7.25-75. Our 2 went for sausage, chips and beans, and while the chips and beans were gone in a flash, they were not keen on the sausages (unheard of usually!). The quality of the sausages was very poor and one of the very few disappointments we had during out visit last year. However, the menu does seem to have been revamped since then so hopefully this has improved.

Instead, on our most recent visit, we decided to go for hotdogs from one of the food stands just outside Critter Creek, where 2 massive hot dogs, 2 Fruit Shoots and a Tango came in at just over £16. Service was quick and friendly and there were no complaints from the kids this time.

Can we take a picnic?

Absolutely. There are plenty of picnic areas with seating, as well as grassy areas perfect for nice weather.

What are the toilets like?

The toilets were plentiful and very clean and well stocked with toilet rolls, soap and sanitiser. There are numerous toilet blocks around the park, each with accessible toilets and the majority with baby changing facilities too. There are also standalone ‘Baby Care Centres’ which are private buildings for feed and changing babies.

We found the toilets to be a decent size – I managed to squeeze in with both kids at one point. What I particularly liked was how all the toilets had child seats built in, which you could fold down to use if needed. The accessible sinks also were a great height for little kids.

There are toilets before you enter the park – handy for emergencies after a long drive – but in peak times these do get busy, so if you can wait until you’re inside the Park (where there’s a large block of toilets once you’re in) the queue times should be much less. We never had to queue at all during out visit.

Can you visit Paultons Park on a rainy day?

You can, but there’s not a lot to do undercover, so you'll get the most out of your tickets by visiting on a dry day.

How accessible is Paultons Park?

There’s a special car park area in the main parking area for guests with disabilities, and pretty much all of the Park is flat and tarmacked to make it suitable for getting around with a wheelchair or pushchair. The shops and restaurants are all wheelchair accessible and there are lots of accessible toilets available – although only one accessible changing place, which is just inside the entrance to the park.

Paultons Park operate a Queue Assist Scheme, for guests who may struggle with queueing for a variety of reasons. If you head to the First Aid Centre, near the main entrance, this can be issued to you, providing you show some form of documentation stating the nature of the disability.

The website has a good breakdown of the facilities on offer here as well as detailed ride accessibility here.

What should you do before visiting?

The website has some great videos showing tours around Peppa Pig World, as well as specific rides, which we showed to our children before we went. It helped give our youngest especially a real idea of what to expect, plus it sent excitement levels through the roof.

Also, as I’ve mentioned – download the app, you won’t regret it!

Is it worth a long car journey?

Without a doubt, yes! Peppa Pig World is like nowhere else – if you’ve got a young child who has even a passing interest in the show, you can’t fail to be caught up in the magic. Even hearing the Peppa Pig music on repeat around the park can’t dampen the fun.

What really surprised us was how much more Paultons Park had to offer. There is so much to explore and plenty to keep a large age-range of kids entertained. We’ve been twice now, and the children are desperate to go for a third time already.

Opening dates and times:

Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World open throughout February half-term, then from mid-March to October, with selected dates in November and December. Opening times also vary throughout the year, but when we visited in August and in April the Park opened at 10am and closed at 5:30pm. There’s an interactive opening times calendar on the website, so you can check for specific dates there.

How to get to Paultons Park

• If you’re travelling by car the postcode to put in your satnav is SO51 6AL. The Park is in Romsey, in The New Forest, Hampshire, and there are plenty of brown tourist signs on the motorway and beyond to reassure you you’re heading in the right direction
• The nearest train station is Southampton central, which is a 10-15 minute taxi drive to the Park, you can find train tickets on trainline.com
• The regular bus service stops outside the park, leaving you with a 5-10 minute walk up the drive to the main entrance, however during certain school holiday some buses do provide drop offs directly outside the entrance
• The Peppa Pig World Express is a coach service which runs from May-October, from London Victoria straight to the park entrance and back.

Is there free parking?

Yes, parking is free, and close to the entrance.

Which hotels or holiday accommodations are near Paultons Park?

Paultons Park's location on the outskirts of the beautiful New Forest, and near to Southampton, means there are plenty of accommodation options in the countryside and city.

• You can book short breaks at the park including park tickets through Holiday Extras
• For self-catering cottages in Blackwood Forest located a 30 minute drive from the park, look on Forest Holidays
• Other self-catering options can be found at holiday home rental site Vrbo
• Find family-friendly hotel deals near Paultons Park on Booking.com.

For more great nearby accommodation, take a look at our roundup of the best New Forest hotels and accommodation for families.

Nearby attractions:

Paultons Park is conveniently just a 20 minute drive from Southampton, and a 10 minute drive from the New Forest National Park. Longdown Activity Farm is a great family-friendly option in the New Forest, and Southampton has many attractions to entertain all the family, including the Tudor House and Gardens and SeaCity Museum. Marwell Zoo is also less than a 30 minute drive from Paultons Park (check for deals on Kids Pass).

MFM verdict:

If you’re after a special day out that will appeal to everyone from toddlers to primary school kids, Paultons Park is the one. With everything geared towards families, you feel like you can really relax here – after all, at Peppa Pig World you’re surrounded by fellow parents of toddlers and pre-schoolers, so everyone is in the same boat and you don’t have to worry about any raised eyebrows if your child is throwing a tantrum over queuing.

There’re so many age-appropriate rides to keep little ones entertained, but we were very pleasantly surprised by how much there was for older kids – and parents, too. From the relaxed Queen’s Flying Coach Ride monorail around Peppa Pig World to the family-friendly Farmyard Flyer rollercoaster and adrenaline-pumping Storm Chaser, there’s something to suit the most nervous to the biggest thrill-seeker of the family.

With plenty of place to explore, Paultons Park never felt crowded. Staff were friendly and helpful and everywhere felt very safe. Perhaps if it had been chucking it down all day, we would have struggled to keep spirits up, however our children had the best day out and haven’t stopped talking about it since.

Visit the Paultons Park website.

See more reviews of Paultons Park on Trip Advisor.