Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire is the UK’s most popular Theme Park. It offers a great variety of rides and attractions including record-breaking roller coasters like The Smiler and Thi3teen. Alton Towers also caters for younger guests with the world’s first CBeebies Land.
Alton Towers Theme Park
Alton Towers is home to some of the UK’s most well-known rollercoasters. There is an ever-expanding collection including ‘Wicker Man‘, ‘Nemesis‘ and ‘The Smiler‘. Younger guests are also catered for with the World’s first CBeebies Land.
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Thrilling Roller Coasters
There are seven thrilling roller coasters on offer at Alton Towers.
Wicker Man
Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden coaster built in over 20 years, a globally unique experience that will reconnect riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters. Wicker Man was also the first to incorporate fire.
Galactica
Galactica is a flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of the Theme Park. The £12m thrill ride was the first-ever flying coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and features a dual-platform loading station, permitting three trains to operate simultaneously.
Nemesis
One of the best roller coasters here in the UK, Nemesis is an angry alien creature trying to rip its way out of the ground. It was Europe’s first inverted roller coaster and features a truly thrilling storyline.
Oblivion
Oblivion was the world’s first vertical drop roller coaster featuring a 180ft drop at 87-degrees. As each car reaches the drop it is held by a holding chain for a maximum of five seconds, giving the rider a clear view of the long drop, before a brake is released allowing the car to drop into the tunnel. Each car features two rows, with the back row being slightly raised in order to give passengers a clear view of what lies ahead.
Rita
Rita starts with the train racing forward from the station area, accelerating from 0 to 98.3 km/h (61.1 mph) in 2.5 seconds. The ride negotiates high-speed corners and air-time hills. It was the first hydraulic Launch roller coaster of its kind in the whole of Europe.
The Smiler
The Smiler is the world’s first and only 14-loop roller coaster. When viewed from off the ride, The Smilers batwing element resembles the Smiler logo. The roller coaster’s twisting track combines the world-beating 14 loops with a speed of 85kph.
Th13teen
The £15m Th13teen ride was the world’s first vertical freefall drop roller coaster, on which the track and train freefall in darkness.
Attractions at the Alton Towers Resort
In addition to the famous Theme Park, you will also find a wide range of other Attractions at Alton Towers Resort.
Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE
Sharkbait Reef is located under the wreckage of the galleon in the Mutiny Bay section of Alton Towers Theme Park. The scaled-down version of a Sea Life Centre is brimming with blacktip sharks, spotted rays, seahorses and starfish. It was home to the UK’s first Tropical Interactive Pool with shrimp that will manicure the tips of your fingers if you dip them into the touch pool.
Extraordinary Golf
Extraordinary Golf is a fun mini-golf for all the family with holes based on some of the rides and attractions from within the theme park.
Alton Towers Waterpark
Our number one choice for Top 10 UK Waterparks, Splash Landings is a large indoor water park at Alton Towers Resort. A highlight of the water park is the Master Blaster Water Coaster which takes you around the whole Waterpark at breath-taking speed. This amazing water slide will have you screaming with joy.
CBeebies Land
Little ones can meet their favourite characters from children’s television at the world’s first CBeebies Land. Attractions in this section of the park include Postman Pat’s Parcel Post and In The Night Garden Magical Boat Ride. A recent addition is the Octonauts Roller coaster Adventure a roller coaster designed specifically for your little one!
Mr Bloom’s Allotment offers hands-on fun. Guests venture down the garden path to Mr Bloom’s Allotment. Mr Bloom is on holiday and he has left his neighbour Mr Blossom in charge who requires the help of willing Tiddlers!
Gangsta Granny: The Ride
Escape to Alton Towers Resort and experience Gangsta Granny: The Ride where it is your job to help Granny and Ben pull off the greatest jewel heist in history!
Take a spin through the sewers on a 360° special-effects-laden, wild ride to break into the crown jewels vault!
Can you grab the jewels and make an explosive escape?
And don’t miss the other delightful rides and attractions from The World of David Walliams including The Royal Carousel, Raj’s Shop and Raj’s Bottom Burp!
Alton Towers Offers
Alton Towers Resort frequently offers discounted short breaks and some great deals on Theme Park Tickets. View our webpage listing of all Alton Towers Offers.
Food and Drink
Whatever your tastes, there is something to suit every palette at Alton Towers Resort. The Theme Park offers a variety of cuisines for you to experience. Sit down for Hunter’s Chicken or Feta Salad in Woodcutter’s Bar & Grill or enjoy unlimited pizza and pasta in Explorer’s Pizza Pasta Buffet. With a wealth of food and drink locations throughout the park, you’re never too far away from somewhere to sit down and refuel.
One of the latest additions is the Roller Coaster Restaurant which is more about the entertainment value rather than the actual food. If you are into Roller Coasters then this is a must-visit if you are lucky enough to get a table.
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Alton Towers Resort Maps
Ride Height Restrictions
Attractions Near Me – Alton Towers Waterpark
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Alton Towers Resort Tickets
There are lot’s of ways to save on your Alton Towers Tickets, you can get 2-4-1 entry from cereal boxes and each year the Sun Newspaper run a promotion where they give away Free Theme Park Tickets including Alton Towers.
Purchase your tickets in advance to save time queuing at the entrance to the park and also save on the full price admission. View our Alton Towers Resort Special Offers Page for the best discounts on your Tickets and Accommodation.
You can buy tickets in advance direct from the Alton Towers Official Website or alternatively from Love to Visit.
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Travelling to Alton Towers Resort
Alton Towers is located in the beautiful Staffordshire countryside. There are a number of ways to get to Alton Towers. If you are travelling by car, Alton Towers Resort is between the M1 and the M6. When driving to any of Alton Towers Resorts Attractions use the postcode ST10 4DB. Please follow the signs for the final part of your journey, as your Sat Nav may attempt to take you down a local farm track, especially if you’re coming down the B5417.
Please drive with care when you’re in the area. There are many walkers, cyclists and horse riders, and the roads can be very narrow in places.
Travelling by Train
The nearest train station to Alton Towers is Uttoxeter, which is accessible from a large number of UK train stations including London, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne, where trains depart every hour. Search for your train tickets using Raileasy. From Uttoxeter, the remainder of the journey can be made by taxi or bus (there is one daily bus service which takes approximately 40 minutes). Visitors also catch trains to Alton Towers via Stoke-on-Trent (four bus departures daily) and Nottingham and Derby (both one bus service daily).
Nearby Accommodation
There are lots of places to stay in the Peak District. Alton Towers is surrounded by beautiful countryside. The theme park offers on-site accommodation. If you only planning on visiting the park for one day and would like to explore some of the other attractions in the area then take a look at some of the wonderful self-catering cottages available from Snaptrip.
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Attractions Near Me Offers
For the best deals and Discount Days Out visit our Offers page Attractions Near Me
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Roller Coasters
Alton Towers - Runaway Mine Train
Alton Towers - Wicker Man
Alton Towers - Congo River Rapids
Alton Towers - Postman Pat Parcel Post
Alton Towers - Cbeebies Characters
Alton Towers - Galactica
Alton Towers - The Smiler
Alton Towers - Spinball Whizzer
Top 10 Rides at Alton Towers
1 - Nemesis
Often rated amongst the top roller coasters in the world, Nemesis is an inverted roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley section of the theme park. Costing £10 million the roller coaster officially opened to the public on 19 March 1994. Ride designer John Wardley came up with the concept and layout of the ride.
Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), Nemesis features a top speed of 50 miles per hour. Constrained by the tree-level height limit imposed on the park the ride is only 43 foot tall. A ride layout was developed which was exciting for both riders and non-riders. A perfect example of this is the final inversion which was built at spectators eye level.
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2 - Wicker Man
Wicker Man is the UK's first new wooden rollercoaster in over 20 years. The last wooden rollercoaster to be built in the UK was Megafobia at Oakwood Theme Park in Wales. The ride offers one of the world’s most immersive rollercoaster experiences to date. It unites cutting-edge special effects with classic wooden coaster technology for the first time.
The rollercoaster trains race around a labyrinth of twisted track. Burning embers light the path as the train hurtles towards the six-storey high flaming Wicker Man who spectacularly ignites into flames as the train bursts through his chest three times.
3 - Oblivion
Located next to The Smiler in the x-sector section of the park is Oblivion. When Oblivion opened in March 1998 it was the world's first dive coaster. The ride was heavily marketed with guests able to purchase its own brand of deodorant and related goodies. Each train has a capacity of 16 riders with guests seated in 2 rows of 8. The seats in the rear row are raised in order to ensure that everyone has a great view.
The ride has a simple layout with the main element being a 150-foot drop at 89.5 degrees. The roller coaster train ascends 60 feet at a 45-degree angle in order to build tension. Open reaching the top of the lift hill the track levels out, with the train slowly travelling around a curve on a chain system unique to Oblivion. The train reaches the top of the drop where it is briefly held by a holding chain, giving the rider a clear view of what lies ahead. Once released the train drops into the tunnel quickly emerging onto a high banked turn and makes its way back to the station.
When the ride first opened a voice saying "don't look down" was played at the top of the drop. Sadly in 2004, this sound effect was removed due to sound restrictions on the park. The words "Don't look down" have now been painted on the floor of the guest observation area where the ride enters the ground. The words are clearly visible to riders when the train is hanging over the edge of the drop.
With a maximum speed of 68 mph, at the time of writing Oblivion is the third fastest roller coaster in the UK, behind Stealth at Thorpe Park and The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
4 - Galactica
One of Alton Towers latest additions is Galactica. The former Air roller coaster was briefly fitted with virtual reality headsets to add a whole new dimension to the ride experience where Riders were blasted through an advanced space travel portal to another dimension. The ride combined the experience of a flying roller coaster with cutting-edge Virtual Reality. Now the virtual reality element has been removed.
5 - The Smiler
Featuring 14 inversions, including one hidden underground The Smiler holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster. In order to help build excitement guests queue underneath the ride with the roller coaster trains racing around above them.
One of the main features of the ride is the large spider-like structure that serves as a centre point for the roller coaster. Called ‘The Marmaliser,’ it has 5 legs, each with a distinct function to manipulate riders into "smiling". The Marmaliser is equipped with a wraparound screen, which displays graphics and videos relating to the theme of the ride. The roller coaster intertwines within the structure causing greater interaction with riders to enhance the experience.
The Smiler has two lift hills, one of which is vertical. Sadly The Smiler is most well known for a tragic accident that occurred on 2nd June 2015 when two of the ride's trains collided leaving five riders seriously injured.
6 - Thi3teen
Another world first in roller coaster design was Thi3teen. This ride is the world's first vertical freefall drop roller coaster, on which both the track and train freefall approximately five metres in darkness.
7 - Rita
Rita (formerly known as Rita: Queen of Speed) is an Intamin accelerator coaster located in the Dark Forest area of Alton Towers. Open since 2005, it accelerates to 61.1 mph in 2.5 seconds. The ride is loosely based on drag racing, though this partly changed with the retheming of "Ug Land" into the "Dark Forest" in 2010. It now stands as an abandoned drag racer that is used as the escape cart to escape the Dark Forest. Riders must be over 1.4 m (55 in) tall to ride. In 2006 a similar coaster opened at Thorpe Park, called Stealth.
8 - Spinball Whizzer
Spinball Whizzer opened in 2004. The ride featured a loose pinball machine theme and was a pun on the song "Pinball Wizard" by The Who which explains why people often mistakenly refer to it as Spinball Wizard. In 2010, Spinball Whizzer was renamed Sonic Spinball as part of a partnership with Sega. The roller coaster was given a red and blue track repaint, new decoys, signage and audio. It has now returned to its original name of Spinball Whizzer. As the roller coaster trains make their way around the track they spin freely adding to the excitement of the ride.
9 - Congo River Rapids
Board your 8 man raft and take on the wild and raging waters of the Congo River Rapids. This ride is great fun and offers lots of guest interaction. Each passenger is sat facing each other and it is totally random as to who will get wet. The Grand Canyon Rapids (as it was originally known), was built for the 1986 season. The ride occupies 12 acres of space previously used as car parks. In order to create the channel that forms the ride over 40,000 tonnes of earth and rock were excavated. It even required the installation of its own electricity substation, and the creation of a 1.3 million gallon reservoir to store the water. Great care was even taken during construction not to disturb the existing trees in the area.
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10 - Runaway Mine Train
The Runaway Mine Train is one of the best themed rides at Alton Towers. This was one of the first rides to be designed with the helping hand of John Wardley, designer of Nemesis, Oblivion and Air. It may be made of steel, but most of the track that is visible is hidden by wooden trestle, giving it a completely new look and feel. After queuing, you join the train which holds 46 passengers at a time. You will notice at this point that there is no lift hill due to the ride being powered throughout. This gives the ride operator control over the speed the train travels, but this doesn't stop the train from going pretty fast at some stages.
Most guests find the most thrilling part of the ride is a very quick entry into the tunnel which is shared with the Congo River Rapids. High throughput, and a relatively short ride time means that you will be treated to two laps around the track, the second being much faster in the first third of the track.
1 Review on “Alton Towers”
Alton Towers is one of the best Theme Parks in the UK. It has some fantastic rides and attractions for all ages. I still love riding some of the older rollercoasters like Oblivion and Nemesis but the more recent additions are all excellent too. CBeebies Land is great for kids with a great selection of rides and shows. The only negatives with Alton Towers are that it can get very busy with long queues in peak periods and the sections with the childrens rides are completely separated from the adults sections meaning that families may need to split up. Don’ pay the gate price for Alton Towers there are always lots of 2-4-1 vouchers and other offers available .