Europe is home to some of the world’s top roller coasters, by manufacturers such as Mack Rides, Vekoma, Intamin and Bolliger & Mabillard. Visitors can enjoy these at parks including Efteling, Disneyland Paris, Europa-Park, Liseberg, Alton Towers and Phantasialand.
There are so many types of coasters, from wooden, steel and hybrid coasters to launched, spinning and inverted coasters. Here, we explore the most exciting and innovative experiences on the continent.
1 Big Thunder Mountain | Disneyland Paris, France
Big Thunder Mountain is a classic coaster that has been replicated across the world. Even though Disneyland Paris‘ version is the newest, it has been operating for more than three decades at Europe’s most attended amusement park since it opened in 1992.
Big Thunder Mountain is different to many roller coasters on this list because it isn’t designed for thrill seekers. Instead, the ride provides an immersive and themed family experience in the centre of Frontierland, offering views of Phantom Manor, geysers and detailed western-inspired façades.
2 Blue Fire | Europa-Park, Germany
Blue Fire is an innovative fusion of dark ride and launched coaster at Europa-Park in Germany. Opened in 2009, Blue Fire was the first launched coaster built by Mack Rides. After leaving the station, riders are transported through a ‘secret laboratory’ before going from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds. They take a trip past rugged cliffs in the park’s Icelandic-themed area.
Europa Park’s 10th roller coaster was its first to feature inversions. The theme park‘s 14th coaster is currently being built in the new Croatia-themed area. Europa-Park CEO Michael Mack described the new attraction as “one of the most modern and spectacular coasters in Europe” and “another spectacular highlight” for Europa-Park.
3 Crush’s Coaster | Disneyland Paris, France
Crush’s Coaster is a spinning coaster launched in 2007 at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris. On turtle shell-style ride vehicles, riders enjoy a thrilling voyage through memorable moments from Finding Nemo. After diving into the ocean, guests meet Nemo, Squirt and other characters in the Great Barrier Reef. They then plunge into the deepest, darkest depths and encounter some of the more dangerous sea creatures.
The majority of this innovative coaster is enclosed, with dark ride special effects used to immerse visitors. “We were able to develop with one of our manufacturers these small backlight fixtures that help to give the effect of being underwater,” Tracy Eck, art director at Disneyland Paris, told blooloop. “We really wanted the guests to feel like they were under the water and lighting was a huge part of making this successful.”
4 Expedition GeForce | Holiday Park, Germany
Expedition GeForce is a steel coaster at Holiday Park in Haßloch, Germany. It was built by Intamin, a creator of record-breaking amusement rides. Opened in June 2001, Expedition GeForce is one of Europe’s largest coasters and features an 82-degree first drop. Riders enjoy maximum speeds of 120 km/h and seven airtime moments.
Until the debut of Europa-Park’s Silver Star, Expedition GeForce was the tallest coaster on the European mainland. Holiday Park was acquired by the Plopsa Group in 2010.
5 F.L.Y. | Phantasialand, Germany
Phantasialand’s F.L.Y. was manufactured by Vekoma, the Dutch coaster specialist. The world’s longest and first launched flying coaster can be found at the theme park in Brühl, Germany. It is part of the new steampunk-themed land, Rookburgh. Opened in 2020, F.L.Y. features rotating seats, dark ride sections and two launches.
Vekoma started working alongside Phantasialand on the concept for F.L.Y. as far back as 2014. The company’s goal was to create a coaster with as much flying time as possible and a record-breaking track length.
“The flying coaster has always had a very challenging ride position, with lots of room for improvement,” said Vekoma’s sales manager Stefan Holtman. “Our goal together with Phantasialand was to create a pure flying sensation with the best possible passenger experience. With F.L.Y., we have created a total flying experience like never seen before in the world.”
6 Grand National | Blackpool Pleasure Beach, UK
Grand National at Blackpool Pleasure Beach is a historical wooden coaster. It is on the National Heritage List for England alongside Sir Hiram Maxim’s Captive Flying Machine and Big Dipper, another wooden coaster at the park. Grand National was designed and constructed by American engineer Charles Paige in 1935.
It is one of the world’s few Möbius Loop roller coasters, meaning the trains return on the other side of the station due to a clever crossover design. During each cycle, two trains leave a Grade II-listed Art Deco station designed by Joseph Emberton. They race alongside each other around turns named after the fences of the Aintree Racecourse, including Becker’s Brook and Valentine’s Brook.
7 Helix | Liseberg, Sweden
Helix is a double launched coaster at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden, built by Mack Rides. It opened in 2014, offering top speeds of 100 km/h, seven inversions, and three moments of weightlessness along 1,381 metres of track. Helix was the third launched coaster from Mack Rides, after Blue Fire at Europa-Park and Manta at SeaWorld San Diego.
Liseberg – Scandinavia’s largest amusement park – has opened a new coaster called Luna. Luna features 242 metres of track and speeds of up to 68 km/h. “Our goal is to become one of the world’s greatest amusement destinations, in all seasons,” said Andreas Andersen, the park’s CEO.
8 Kondaa | Walibi Belgium
Kondaa, the highest and fastest coaster in Benelux, made its debut at Walibi Belgium in 2021. Another roller coaster from Intamin, Kondaa offers 1,200 metres of track and reaches speeds of up to 113 km/h. It is the fourth new coaster to be added to Walibi Belgium as part of a €100 million investment plan by operator Compagnie des Alpes.
Kondaa boasts 15 airtime moments – more than any other steel coaster in the world. Riders on the new coaster enjoy weightlessness, airtime and multiple changes in direction. “Kondaa is a real airtime machine,” said Walibi Belgium’s director general Jean-Christophe-Parent. “A totally new experience for our visitors.” Additionally, Kondaa includes the world’s first non-inverting cobra roll element.
9 Nemesis | Alton Towers, UK
Nemesis is a £10m coaster at Alton Towers, offering a thrilling ride experience with a g-force of 3.5 and top speeds of 50 mph. Located in the park’s Forbidden Valley area, Nemesis was created by legendary coaster designer John Wardley and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M). It opened in 1994 as Europe’s first inverted coaster.
In November 2022, Nemesis was closed by order of the Phalanx – a secret organisation charged with keeping a beast contained beneath its steel structure. As part of a major revamp and reopening in 2024, its entire 250-tonne, 716-metre-long track is being replaced.
“As Europe’s first-ever inverted roller coaster, Nemesis rightly holds legendary status among thrill seekers,” said Bianca Sammut, divisional director at Alton Towers.
10 The Ride to Happiness | Plopsaland De Panne, Belgium
Opened in 2021, The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland is the first extreme spinning coaster in Europe from Mack Rides, and the second in the world. The €17.5m attraction includes two launch sequences, five inversions, maximum heights of 35 metres and top speeds of 90 km/h. Its four-seater cars rotate freely, and the experience is enhanced by an exclusive soundtrack based on the ‘Tomorrowland Hymn’ composed by Hans Zimmer.
The coaster is inspired by the Tomorrowland music festival, which takes place every year in July in Boom near Antwerp. It anchors the wider Tomorrowland zone at Plopsaland De Panne. “The aim is to translate the unique atmosphere that prevails in Boom every summer into this spectacular coaster,” said Tomorrowland and Plopsa in a joint statement.
“The coaster can be seen from afar on the motorway and changes the entire skyline of the park,” said Plopsa Group CEO Steve Van den Kerkhof. “The fact that we can achieve this together with Tomorrowland is a dream come true. Through this collaboration, we will both be able to entertain an even larger audience, which will only make each other stronger.”
11 Shambhala | PortAventura World, Spain
Shambhala at Spain’s PortAventura Park is a B&M steel hypercoaster. It opened in 2012 as Europe’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. However, that record is now held by Red Force, which opened in 2017 at PortAventura World‘s Ferrari Land theme park. Shambhala is still the tallest coaster in PortAventura Park, and boasts five camelback hills.
The ride intersects with PortAventura Park’s Dragon Khan coaster. It features speeds of up to 134 km/h across 1,564 metres of track. Soon, it will be joined by the world’s first Uncharted-themed ‘dark ride roller coaster’ thanks to a partnership between PortAventura World and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
12 Taron | Phantasialand, Germany
Taron is a steel multi-launch coaster at Phantasialand, a family-owned theme park in Brühl, Germany. When it opened in June 2016, this Intamin coaster was the fastest multi-launch coaster in the world – a record now held by Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Taron offers maximum speeds of 117 km/h across 1,320 metres of track. It does, however, boast the most intersecting track points on a coaster.
13 Thundercoaster | Tusenfryd, Norway
Thundercoaster is a wooden roller coaster located at Tusenfryd in Vinterbro, Norway. It was manufactured by Vekoma and opened in May 2001. This coaster features a drop of 32 metres, top speeds of 93 km/h, and a track length of 950 metres. It is also Norway’s only wooden coaster, and the country’s tallest, fastest, and longest.
In 2023, Tusenfryd is opening a new coaster called Storm from Gerstlauer.
14 Troy | Toverland, the Netherlands
Troy, a wooden coaster at Toverland in Sevenum, the Netherlands, opened in June 2007 and was manufactured by Great Coasters International (GCI). Troy is the tallest, fastest and longest wooden coaster in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It boasts a height of 31.9 metres, speeds of up to 86.9 km/h, and a track length of 1,077 metres.
“The Troy roller coaster is, nowadays, still one of the best,” Jean Gelissen Jr, general manager of Toverland, told blooloop. “If you’re a roller coaster enthusiast, one day you’ll have to ride Troy.”
15 Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park, Sweden
Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), Wildfire is a wooden coaster at Kolmården Wildlife Park in Kolmården, Sweden. Riders enjoy three inversions and 12 airtime hills, as well as speeds of up to 115 km/h.
At 142 metres above sea level, Wildfire is the tallest wooden coaster in Europe and the second tallest in the world. It is also the fastest wooden coaster in Europe. Wildfire opened in 2016.
16 Zadra | Energylandia, Poland
Zadra, another RMC coaster, can be found at Energylandia – the largest theme park in Poland. The steel hybrid coaster uses RMC’s patented I-Box Track, which consists of a steel track on wooden supports.
Opened in 2019, Zadra provides a track length of 1,316 metres, heights of up to 63.8 metres, and top speeds of 121 km/h. Vekoma Rides is creating two new coasters for Energylandia’s new Sweet Valley area.
17 Mandrill Mayhem | Chessington World of Adventures, UK
Mandrill Mayhem is part of Chessington World of Adventures’ new Jumanji-themed land. It is the world’s only Jumanji-themed coaster, and the park’s first new coaster in nearly 20 years. This B&M attraction is a winged, launched shuttle coaster with an inversion – a first for Chessington. It wraps around a huge ‘Jaguar Shrine’ structure, with riders dodging the hazards of the jungle and racing through the treetops.
Ahead of the coaster’s opening, Chessington is apologising to local residents for the inevitable screaming. The resort also installed boxes containing ear defenders for Surrey residents in locations across the county.
“With inversions (a first at Chessington), turns, accelerations and reverses – and spiral after spiral – the new Mandrill Mayhem roller coaster means scream levels are expected to reach new heights as many children (and grown-ups) experience being flipped upside down at 42 mph for the first time,” said Chessington.
“We wanted to apologise in advance for the noise people having the thrill of their lives may cause and should the screams become too much, offer up emergency ear defenders for use.”
18 Sik | Flamingo Land, UK
Flamingo Land, a family-run theme park in North Yorkshire, opened its new £18m Sik coaster in July 2022. Another Intamin ride, Sik is a 10-inversion roller coaster. It was originally built in 2012 for Hopi Hari amusement park in Brazil. It was later shipped, unused, to a park in Malaysia but never launched.
The coaster reaches top speeds of 85 km/h, has a maximum height of 33 metres, and offers 875 metres of track. Highlights include a loop, cobra roll, double corkscrew and quad heartline roll.
The name for the new ride, which could interpreted as slang for ‘cool’, is taken from a partnership with local clothing brand Sik Silk. Flamingo Land CEO Gordon Gibb said the ride’s name “is on trend and resonates well with the target age group”. He added: “It’s also a play on words; people get sick on rollercoasters.”
19 Monster | Gröna Lund, Sweden
Gröna Lund, an amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden, opened its new inverted steel coaster called Monster – King of Roller Coasters in June 2021. Manufactured by B&M, this coaster sends guests through the park at speeds of up to 90 km/h. Monster boasts a curved drop, zero-g roll, Immelman turn, and two flat spins. Highlights also include a panoramic spiral, horseshoe, camelback and four inversions.
“We’ve travelled the world for years visiting different amusement parks and trying out hundreds of roller coasters,” said Johan Tidstrand, owner of Gröna Lund. “That’s why we proudly, and without exaggerating, can say that Stockholm has now got a world-class roller coaster with the premiere of Monster.”
20 Baron 1898 | Efteling, the Netherlands
B&M was chosen by Efteling, the fairytale theme park in the Netherlands, to produce the Baron 1898 dive coaster. Opened in July 2015, the coaster includes a soundtrack by the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra.
Like Monster, Baron 1898 features top speeds of 90 km/h across a track of 501 metres. It offers two inversions and a 37.5-metre drop. The lead designer on Baron 1898 was Sander de Bruijn.
