While I’ve racked up 102 coaster credits in my life thus far, all of them have come within the U.S. Here’s a look at the overseas parks I’d love to visit the most.
There’s no question that when it comes to roller coasters, the U.S., particularly the eastern half of the country, is the place to be.
From high-budget theme parks like Disney and Universal resorts to the barrage of regional theme parks that dot metropolitan areas across the country, Americans in most major population centers are within range of some sort of amusement park.
Of course, the experiences between parks widely vary. As an enthusiast who is really only focused on riding roller coasters, I personally am not one to seek out parks that are more geared towards families or children with a higher density of flat rides and dark rides.
The story changes quite a bit when it comes to the country’s elite regional theme parks, which are mostly centered on high-thrill attractions – with parks like Cedar Point, Kings Island, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Great America standing out in this regard.
While one can never leave the U.S. and ride hundreds of roller coasters that are radically different from one another, there are some incredible rides to be had across the pond(s) – with many other countries helping to narrow the gap between the rest of the world and the U.S. when it comes to roller coasters.
There are roller coasters on all six inhabited continents, with most countries in the world having at least one coaster of some sort. Despite the U.S.’ dominance in the coaster world, China actually has more than double the coasters that the U.S. does at 2,005 – but I won’t be including any Chinese parks on this list as I don’t think it’s at all realistic that I’ll ever be able to make my way there.
While no other countries approach the 942 coasters that the U.S. boasts, there are several other coaster-dense countries across the world, including France (260), Germany (322), Japan (211) and the United Kingdom (212) among several others.
With some international coaster travels hopefully in my future at some point or another, here’s a look at the four parks I’d love to visit the most:
1. Alton Towers (Alton, Staffordshire, England)
One of the most unique theme parks on the planet, this resort park located east of Stoke-on-Trent in England is often viewed as the premier amusement park in the United Kingdom, and for good reason.
While a lineup of 11 roller coasters is bound to catch any enthusiast’s eye, it’s the quality of the lineup that elevates this to the level of many of its American counterparts.
Serving as a bit of a testing ground for world-renowned manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, Alton Towers is the home of the company’s first-ever flying coaster (Galactica) and first dive coaster (Oblivion) while also including one of the company’s earliest inverts in Nemesis: Reborn.
If that wasn’t enough, Alton Towers also boasts The Smiler, a wildly unique coaster that holds the record for the most inversions on any coaster in the world with 14.
Yet beyond the park’s amazing coaster lineup are the idiosyncracies that make these rides so unique. Due to local laws, coasters at Alton Towers cannot ascend past the tree line in an effort to preserve the picturesque countryside views of the area.
Therefore, many rides are dug into the ground, utilizing their unique terrains to include near-miss elements you won’t find at any other theme park. This gimmick is best utilized on Oblivion, a 65-foot tall dive coaster that sends riders down a 180-foot drop that plunges into a black hole in the ground before emerging on the other side.
With a stacked lineup and beautiful scenery in the area, it seems like it’s incredibly easy to have a fun day at Alton Towers – and it will undoubtedly be a destination during my next trip to the U.K., whenever that may be.
2. Warner Bros. Movie World (Oxenford, Queensland, Australia)
The top theme park in Australia and the entire Southern Hemisphere, Warner Bros. Movie World may only have eight roller coasters – but they absolutely get the most out of each ride.
Located in Oxenford, Queensland just west of Gold Coast, Movie World features an incredible 1-2-3 punch of top coasters at the park, headlined by DC Rivals HyperCoaster, the first and only hypercoaster located in the Southern Hemisphere.
Beyond the Mack hyper, fans of steep drops can also catch a ride on Green Lantern Coaster, a S&S El Loco model featuring a ridiculous 120.5 degree first drop – the second-steepest drop of any coaster on the planet.
As if that wasn’t enough, thoosies who love Intamin Accelerators are in plenty of luck at Movie World, with Superman Escape, which reaches top speeds of 62 mph (100 km/h) with a height and drop of 130 feet (40 meters).
Coasters rounding out its lineup include The Flash: Speed Force, a half-pipe shuttle coaster, as well as a junior coaster and family suspended coaster from Dutch manufacturer Vekoma.
Even being out on the west coast now, getting to Australia is still no easy feat – though I greatly hope to make it there some day for a plethora of reasons besides roller coasters. Still, if I were to ever visit, a day at Warner Bros. Movie World would undoubtedly be part of the trip.
3. Nagashima Spa Land (Kuwana, Mie, Japan)
There are several great parks located in Japan, but none quite stand out to me like Nagashima Spa Land, a resort park located southwest of the Nagoya city center in central Japan.
This park gained worldwide recognition in 2000 for the opening of Steel Dragon 2000, which opened as the world’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster – as well as being just the second gigacoaster ever to open.
While Steel Dragon 2000 is undoubtedly still a highlight of the park, there’s much more to experience at what seems like a gorgeous setting for roller coasters.
Among the other offerings is Hakugei, a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid that is often cited by enthusiasts as one of the best RMC coasters in the world, with its 180-foot (55-meter) height on a wooden structure giving it a truly majestic appearance.
Beyond that, the park also serves as a bit of a blast-from-the-past, including an old Arrow corkscrew and a Schwarzkopf looper while also including a B&M flyer in Acrobat as well as multiple junior and family roller coasters.
Though this certainly won’t be easy to get to, this park provides what looks to be one of the most well-rounded experiences you can find at any amusement park, and it would certainly be a part of any future trip to Japan.
4. Energylandia (Zator, Poland)
While parks like Cedar Point, Canada’s Wonderland and Six Flags Magic Mountain battled amongst themselves for years for who had the most roller coasters in a single amusement park, it is now Energylandia in Poland with the most in the world at 19.
A relatively new park located in southern Poland that opened just over 12 years ago, Energylandia has exploded into a premier theme park destination in Europe, despite Poland not having the same kind of tourism that coaster-dense countries like France, Germany and the U.K. receive.
While Energylandia’s lineup is undoubtedly a little top-heavy, there is still more than enough here to make a full day out of riding coasters, with the park’s headliner being worth it alone.
The monstrosity of the park is undoubtedly Zadra, an RMC hybrid that is the tallest of its kind in the world, reaching a towering height of 206 feet (62.8 meters) while featuring a 90-degree vertical descent and a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h).
Zadra is accompanied by Hyperion as the park’s elite coasters, an Intamin hypercoaster that includes a truly insane 269-foot (82-meter) twisting drop before packing in nearly 5 positive Gs and an inversion – making it the tallest roller coaster in the world that features an inversion (at least until Bakunawa opens at Six Flags Great Adventure next year).
While many of the coasters at Energylandia, like Canada’s Wonderland, are smaller coasters geared towards more of a family audience, it’s impossible to overlook this credit-dense park with two of what look to be some of the best roller coasters on the planet.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever make it to Poland, but if I do, it’ll be because of Energylandia.
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