Theme parks have something for everyone. Whether you’re a thrill-seeker looking for your next adrenaline hit or you prefer to sit back and enjoy the gentler rides, the magical atmosphere at a theme park can take you and the whole family to a new world.
With so much to experience in a day, visiting your favourite theme park doesn’t always come cheap. From purchasing souvenirs to remember the day, paying a surcharge for your favourite ice cream, all on top of the entry fee, the price of amusement rides can soon add up. So where in the world can you visit the least expensive theme parks for cost per ride?
The Top 10 least expensive theme parks for cost per ride
(Rank,Amusement park, Location, Adult Day Price £, # of rides, Cost per ride (£))
- Chimelong Paradise Guangzhou, China, £26, 70, £0.38
- Canada’s Wonderland Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, £39, 70, £0.56
- Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen, Denmark, £15, 26, £0.60
- Lotte World Seoul, South Korea, £36, 51, £0.71
- Hersheypark Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, £54, 76, £0.71
- Everland Seoul, South Korea, £31, 43, 0.72
- Cedar Point Sandusky, Ohio, United States, £54, 71, £0.77
- Parque Warner Madrid, Spain, £32, 42, 0.77
- Nagashima Spa Land Kuwana, Japan, £36, 45, £0.81
- OCT Happy Valley Beijing, China, £33, 40, £0.84
In first place, to get the most for your money, the least expensive theme park is Beijing’s Chimelong Paradise. Averaging just £0.38 per ride, for only £26 an adult day ticket gives visitors access to a generous 70 rides.
In second rank is Canada’s Wonderland, based in Ontario. Although the day ticket is slightly more costly at £39, also offering 70 rides, this park comes in at a modest £0.56 per ride. Denmark’s Tivoli Gardens wins the crown for the lowest entry fee per adult (£15), offering thrill-seekers 26 rides to explore for only £0.60 per ride.
For tourists who have deeper pockets, theme parks in the USA are the most expensive to visit. Universal Studios Hollywood in California will set you back £9.35 per ride, with a pricey entry fee of £93 per adult. Those seeking the most rides per visit may struggle, as the average queue at Universal takes 43 minutes, meaning for the high price of an adult ticket you could complete 15 rides in a day.
Still costing over half the price of Universal Studios, in second for the most expensive theme park is Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Florida. At £5.37 per ride (£91 adult day ticket), Disney fanatics can enjoy 17 rides if they’re willing to queue an average time of 34 minutes.
Costing a third less of the highest priced park, Florida’s Busch Gardens could entertain families for a more affordable £3.09 cost per ride. The queue time is considerably lower, taking 20 minutes on average, people have 27 rides to enjoy for the price of £83 per adult.
When visiting a theme park, for many, the first question can be how much time do we have and how many rides can we go on? Planning your next steps and where to explore first is all part of the fun, so which theme parks across the world can you complete the most rides in a day?
Theme parks you can complete the most rides per day
(Rank, Amusement park, Location, Queue Times (Min), # of rides you could complete in a day)
- Gardaland at Gardaland Resort Castelnuovo del Garda, Italy, 10, 82
- Liseberg Gothenburg, Sweden, 12, 55
- Europa-Park Rust, Germany, 13, 54
- Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen, Denmark, 13, 47
- Phantasialand Brühl, Germany,14, 47
- Parc Astérix Plailly, France, 12, 46
- Legoland Deutschland Günzburg, Germany, 12, 46
- De Efteling Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands, 17, 42
- Disneyland Park Anaheim, California, United States, 22, 41
- Legoland Billund Billund, Denmark, 12, 39
For theme park visitors whose mission is to go on as many rides as possible, parks based in Europe come out top. In first place, the low average queue time at Italy’s Gardaland means you could complete the rides a whopping 82 times in a day. With an average of just 10 minutes to queue, perfect for even the most impatient family members, visitors can embrace the whole day to enjoy their favourite roller coaster or water ride several times before the park comes to a close.
Sweden’s Liseberg takes second place, with an average queue time of just 12 minutes, visitors can complete 55 rides in a day, offering plenty of exhilarating experiences for all kinds of amusement.
Disney fans will be queuing the longest, taking an average of 22 minutes, however, they could complete a generous 41 rides in a day and still have time to meet their favourite characters in real life.
All Data gained from ETIAS.com
