All you need to know to visit Alton Towers Theme Park
- Jess
- Jun 21, 2021
- 9 min read
Updated: Feb 3, 2022
Everyone has their "local" go to theme park which you've been to more times than you can remember. For us that's Alton Towers! High School trips, first road trips and family outings - any excuse! This is one of our favourite places from the Merlin Attractions family of theme parks and we highly recommend it to any thrill seekers!
My Dad can remember going to this awesome place way before I was even a thought so I thought I'd give you a little history before we start! (All information found on Alton Towers website)
The grounds at Alton Towers were first opened to the public by the 18th Earl of Shewsbury in 1860, the ground and all the buildings were owned by the Earls since 1412. By 1890 Alton Towers was attracting crowds of 30,000 to watch acrobats, lion tamers, elephants, bands and fireworks, as well as the gardens. Although the Park had become a well known tourist attraction throughout the '60s and '70s it was not until 1980 that it became known as a Theme Park, with the introduction of the then revolutionary Corkscrew rollercoaster. The theme park has now been open each summer season for almost 40 years! The theme park opening at Alton Towers included the Corkscrew - Britain’s first double loop rollercoaster - plus the Pirate Ship, Cine 2000 and the Wildlife Museum.
The park is only just over an hour away from us, which is why we've been so many times. Its located between the M1 and M6 but is at the bottom of the Peak District. If youre driving there the address is : Alton Towers Resort
Alton,
Staffordshire,
ST10 4DB
It is 910 acres (or 3.7km²) of land with over 40 rides and attractions, for guests of all ages, but don't worry! You don't have to walk all that way! They have monorails from the hotels and the car park to the entrance and sky rides to get you from one side of the park to the other, with beautiful views of the gardens! The gardens takes up a large section of the park in the middle and doesn't have any rides, but is a beautiful walk with lakes and scenery for you to explore.
The car park is available to everyone. If you have a gold, premium or platinum pass to Merlin Attractions then it is free and included in your annual pass, otherwise its £6 for the standard parking. It is about a 15 minute walk into the park or you can grab the monorail from different stations. Disabled Parking (available only with a blue badge) is also £6 but is closer to the park, be early though as its first come first serve.
If you haven't bought this at the same time as your ticket, you can buy it in the park on Towers street in the Resort Box Office. You can also buy premium parking for £18 or annual pass holders for £12. This is only available when prebooked. You do however get it included with any stay at CBeebies Hotel.
You enter the park to Towers Street, which has all your guest services and shopping needs from merchandise to theme park snacks! You then come down to the beautiful lake front and a large grass space where they hold multiple different even stages throughout the year.
The first land you come across is CBeebies land, its located just to the right at the bottom of Towers Street. Alton Towers is the only place in the UK where you can meet some of CBeebies best loved characters and experience 15 different rides and shows.
In the land called "The Towers" (which is where you can visit the Alton Towers Dungeons!) you'll find the newest kid friendly ride: Gangster Granny, which is based on David Walliams Story.
The other lands that house the rides are X Sector, Dark Forest, Dark Forest, Forbidden Valley, Gloomy Woods, Katanga Canyon, The Towers and Mutiny Bay.
My TOP Rides!
The newest thrill and most anticipated ride for any trip is Wickerman. This is the UKs first wooden rollercoaster to be built in 20 years! It has a top speed of 44mph and is 2000ft in length! I LOVE IT! It takes the place of the beloved flume, which was such a fun bathtub themed water ride, but this rollercoaster is super bumpy and sooooo fun! Just be aware, you have to be over 1.2m to ride!
Nemisis was the first ever inverted rollercoaster in Europe and it opened in March of 1994. It 100% is still as great as it was back then, actually being a lot of visitors favourite ride and the one my Dad always brings up when he mentions his trips from the 90s. Its top speed is 50mph and includes corkscrews, spins and loops throughout its 716m of track.
Now, Ive never actually been on this ride as repeated spins make me feel sick- but the Smiler is definitely on the top of every thrill seekers to do list! It’s the worlds first 14 loop coaster and its 1170m track twists with a speed of 52mph!! It has 2 lifts - one at the start of the ride and then a vertical one half way through! You have to be over 1.4m to ride this crazy looping ride.
Another worlds first came in the form of Oblivion! This was the first vertical drop coaster and is still just as fun as when it opened up with the X Sector land in 1998. It is a vertical 180 feet drop! Now this is the shortest track length of 373m so I wouldn't wait that long for it but I'd keep it on your list for if you can jump in the queue somewhere shorter than 20-25 mins.
This next ride was my favourite until Wickerman came along and it is Galactica. Formally known as Air. Air is such a smooth ride, which turns you down to face the floor and whisks you around like you are flying. The part that has now tuned it into Galactica is the addition of VR headsets which make it seem like you're flying through space. I personally get motion sick so haven't tried this feature but I love the (what I think is) relaxing yet thrilling ride of Air that I don't mind. This one is 840m in length with 2 inversions and a speed of 46mph.
Th13teen is a vertical free fall coaster in the Dark Forest. It is set within a "overpowered forest which is growing at an alarming rate" so "if you go down to the woods today, you better not go alone!" There is a great twist and surprise in this ride so hold on tight! It has no ticking lift hill and is all free falling! You need to be 1.2m to ride this one but if you are 1.96m or over you can't ride. All of the rides have a code name of Secret Weapon and this is SW6 after Nemisis was SW3 and Oblivion as SW4.
The last BIG ride in my opinion is Rita. This is a super power ride that shoots you straight to 100kph in just 2.5 seconds, putting your body through 4.7G of G Force! Although it is such an exhilarating experience this ride is only 25 seconds long due to its speed and the track being only 647m long, so I wouldn't queue to long for this. Either go there first thing in the morning or get in line last thing before closing time. Other rides worth a mention are:
Duel is a zombie shooting family ghost train where you can fight back by aiming your laser gun and gaining points. This is great for a competitive group! Its also pretty long so you have some time sat down and have lots of fun.
The Runaway Mine Train reminds me of Big Thunder Mountain in Disney World and is a great starter rollercoaster for those big and little adrenaline junkies. Riders between 0.9 - 1.1m must ride with an adult.
Lastly Hex is a one and done for me but EVERYONE has to give it a go. It tells the legend of the Towers and the story of a chained tree with a confusing ride at the end. It does however have a Pirate Ship motion so I would maybe give it a miss if they make you feel ill.
Tips: I would highly recommend downloading the Alton Towers App for your trip as from there you can see all the wait times and plan out your day as you go! AND REMEMBER the advertised close time is the queue closing time. The ride officially closes after the last person has ridden so jump in a queue at last minute to squeeze that last one in!
Theres also a really cool Sea Life centre within Mutiny Bay which has 300 species of fish including Sea Horses, Sharks and Rays! Walk through the water with their viewing tunnel and different rooms to discover all the colours of different fish.
If you love remembering your trip with a souvenir picture, Alton has a package called imagic which is all your ride photos and any other professional images you have taken through out the day, all digitally direct onto your app for £15! The rides that have photos available are:
Thrill Rides: Wicker Man, TH13TEEN, Galactica, Nemesis, Rita, Oblivion and The Smiler.
Family Rides: Gangsta Granny: The Ride, Congo River Rapids, Duel, Runaway Mine Train, Spinball Whizzer and Sharkbait Reef by SEA LIFE.
Food
My go to place to eat has always been the Pizza Pasta Buffet within Katanga Canyon(Photo from Towersstreet.com). This has changed to set menus during the pandemic but its always been the enjoyable cheaper option for me and my friends. But there is many different restaurants around the park being Burger Kitchen, Just Chicken and Woodcutters Bar and Grill, which we went to on one of our previous trips. You can check out that vlog here:
The most popular place by FAR is the Rollercoaster Restaurants. This is so popular that Ive never actually been, so 100% book in advance for this sit down meal in the parks. It essentially is a rollercoaster ride for your meals! Watch as your order comes swirly down the track to your table for you to enjoy.
You can find all the menus on the Alton Towers website.
Theme Park Season here runs from March - the start of November at Alton and they do a lot of different events through out those months.
We have visited for the most recent Mardi Gras event, this had a bunch of different food options on the Food Street which looked yummy! We had pork and stuffing rolls and our friends had Yorkshire pudding Wraps. You can watch the vlog of that trip here:
Our previous link for the Woodier Grill is also a vlog of our Octoberfest trip. I think I enjoyed that trip more as we love the entertainment on offer as well as the food and drinks, it was very fun and interactive.
Theres also a Scarefest during October too where Alton Towers hosts 3 scare mazes and a lot of halloween themed entertainment. This is included in your day ticket if you book for one of the days it is running. Remember to book online in advance for the cheaper deal!
Ending the year on a bang, Alton throws a big Fireworks party for the 3 days over Bonfire Night and then you can also visit Santas Grotto during Christmas time!
If you fancy more of an indoor activity (this is next on my list to do), the resort here a Alton also has a waterpark! You can book separate tickets for this so you don't need to stay the night to visit. Theres a lazy river, slides and a water coaster! Its theming is so cool and holiday dreamy, I really want to spend some time here one day.
(Photo from Alton Towers website)
Opening Times vary throughout the year for both the theme park and waterpark so check the website for exact times for the day of your visit. Prices also vary depending on when you book, but booking online is always cheaper than on the door. Next day is always more expensive than in advance too.
Looking now (19th June 2021) the out of peak time for the theme park online is £34 for the day for 1 adult and in the summer holidays are £39 for an adult.
If one day isn't enough for you, you can always stay in the Alton Towers accommodation. Theres so many places to stay from The Alton Towers Hotel and the CBeebies Hotel to their amazing Luxury Treehouses and Woodland Lodges. Ive never stayed onsite as we live so close but one day I'd love to go to the waterpark and stay over. Theres lots of other restaurants within the hotels for you to eat away from the theme park and after closing too.
So as you can tell, I can't recommend Alton Towers more. I've visited so many times and have now started expanding my horizons to the other Merlin Attractions, but Alton will forever hold a special place in my heart and I will never turn down a visit with my friends. Let me know if you've visited or if you're planning a trip and what your favourite ride is!
Thank you so much for reading! X
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