Paronella Park Review
Paronella Park is a Spanish-style castle and garden built by hand by José Paronella beside Mena Creek Falls. Your ticket includes a 30 minute guided tour, the evening light show and a free night in the van park, and it stays valid for 24 months. It is about 50 minutes from Mission Beach and 120 km south of Cairns. Book the evening experience ahead.
Paronella Park ticket prices
Paronella Park entry, day and night
Guided day tour, evening experience and a ticket valid for 24 months. Open 9:00am to 6:00pm. The evening experience must be booked..
Pensioners pay $56. A family of 2 adults and 3 children under 15 pays $192: tell us in the notes. For children under 5 we confirm the price when you book. Prices valid until 31 March 2027.
What is included on Paronella Park
- The Dream Continues guided tour, about 30 minutes
- The evening experience with floodlighting and a sound and light show (book ahead)
- Botanical walk booklet and souvenir guide map
- Ticket valid for 24 months
- 1 free night in the van park
- Fish food, umbrellas and the photo museum
Is Paronella Park right for you?
How the day runs
A visit with the evening show. The guided tour runs throughout the day.
Before you go
The full review
Paronella Park is the place people struggle to describe after a visit. A Catalan migrant built a castle, a ballroom and gardens by hand in the rainforest, and the ruins sit beside a waterfall.
Start with the Dream Continues tour, a 30 minute guided walk that tells José's story and shows you the highlights. Then explore at your own pace: the tropical gardens, the fish feeding and the 1930s hydro-electric generator, which still lights the park.
Stay for the evening if you can. The night experience is in the same ticket, with floodlighting and a sound and light show, but you must book it. The ticket also gives you a free night in the van park and stays valid for 24 months. There is a café on the deck and a pub 300 metres up the road.
Why it earns Best Heritage Attraction and a 4.7: a remarkable story, day and night in one ticket, and good value for a family. The catch: you need a car, and the park has 47 steps between its two levels, though a courtesy vehicle is available.
Paronella Park FAQs