Which UK Theme Park Offers the Best Value for Money?

With the UK Summer Holidays fast approaching, theme parks are a go-to activity for families looking to have some fun this summer!

But with rising prices and added extras, an exciting day out enjoying the rollercoasters can quickly become a pricey one.

To help you get the most for your money, we’ve compared ticket prices, food costs, parking fees and what’s actually included in the price, so you can see which UK theme parks offer the best value without the unexpected costs!

Peak vs Off-Peak Ticket Prices

Ticket prices can fluctuate depending on the day or the season, and dynamic pricing is common with popular tourist attractions. When demand is higher, so are the prices, which are often on weekends or during school holidays and breaks!

Booking in advance online can save you around 40-50% compared to buying tickets on the day, especially during peak periods.

Here’s a price breakdown of 8 popular UK theme parks:

Theme Park	Off-Peak Price (online)	Peak Price (gate)
Alton Towers	£35	£68
Thorpe Park	£34	£64
Chessington	£34	£66
LEGOLAND Windsor	£35	£68
Blackpool Pleasure Beach	£33	£50
Drayton Manor	£29.50	£46
Flamingo Land	£39	£52.50
Paultons Park	£43.50	£58.50

As you can see, it pays to be organised! Book your tickets in advance (online!).

What’s Included in your Ticket?

Not all tickets offer the same value. Some parks give you much more for your money, while others include less than you might expect!

Here are a few examples:

Zoo Access

1. Flamingo Land

Flamingo Land offers a combined theme park and zoo experience, with over 140 species of animals, including lions, giraffes and penguins to enjoy, as well as their exciting selection of rides. A standard adult ticket costs £46 when booked more than seven days in advance, with prices increasing closer to the visit date.

2. Drayton Manor

Drayton Manor features a 15-acre zoo with a variety of animals from around the world. Tickets include access to the zoo, the theme park, and Thomas Land. Prices start from £27.50 when booked in advance.

Family-Friendly

1. Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington is ideal for families with younger children as it offers over 40 rides and attractions, a zoo with over 1,000 animals and a SEA LIFE centre. Tickets booked online in advance start from £29!

2 LEGOLAND Windsor

Targeted at children aged 2-12, LEGOLAND features over 55 interactive rides, live shows and attractions, including DUPLO Valley and Splash Safari. Advance tickets start from £39.

Thrill Seekers

1. Alton Towers

Home to over 40 rides and attractions, including the UK’s first vertical drop rollercoaster, Oblivion, and the newly launched Toxicator. Advance tickets start from £29.

2. Thorpe Park

Known for its adrenaline-pumping rides, such as Stealth and The Swarm, Thorpe Park offers over 30 thrilling attractions – tickets booked online in advance start from £29.

Parking Costs

You’ve purchased your tickets and you’ve arrived, but where do you park? And more importantly, how much is it going to cost?

Parking on-site can quickly rack up your total spend, but let’s see which is the cheapest:

Theme Park	Parking Cost
Alton Towers	£12
Thorpe Park	£12
Chessington	£15
LEGOLAND Windsor	£12
Blackpool Pleasure Beach	£8-£10 (off-site car park)
Drayton Manor	Free
Flamingo Land	Free
Paultons Park	Free

Food & Drink

We’ve all been stung by the cost of Food & Drink at our favourite attractions – but which offers the best value?

Meals: Expect to pay around £10–£15 per person for a basic meal like burgers or chicken with chips.

Snacks: Drinks typically cost £2.50-£3, with ice creams around £3-£5.

For a family of four, lunch alone can easily set you back about £50. To cut costs, where possible, bring a packed lunch or drinks & snacks. Most parks allow it and offer picnic areas! Make sure to check online or ring ahead before you do so. This could save you a fortune throughout the day.

Fast Passes

Queuing for rides can take up a big part of your day, but fortunately, most theme parks offer fast passes to help keep wait times down.

1. Alton Towers & Thorpe Park

At these popular theme parks, prices range from £10 for a single ride fast-track up to £100+ for unlimited fast-track options. The FastTrack options are £5 cheaper to book online compared to the walk-up price, so make sure you book early to save money.

2. Chessington & LEGOLAND

These resorts offer handy smartphone-based Reserve & Ride services, which cost between £15 and £50. By booking this pass, you can queue for rides virtually, so there’s no need to wait in line, allowing you to use your time enjoying other rides and attractions. Again, these passes tend to be cheaper when booked online instead of booking on the day.

3. Blackpool Pleasure Beach

The Pleasure Beach also offers a Speedy Pass for £30, which allows you to queue virtually for your rides, reducing wait times by up to 90%! They also provide a VIP Speedy Pass for £50, which allows you to skip right to the front of the queue. With this, you’ll wait just 10% of the usual queue time, turning a 30-minute wait into just 3 minutes.

4. Drayton Manor

This theme park offers limited fast-track bundles costing between £25–£100. The cheapest option allows you to jump the queue on 3 rides, while the most pricey option allows you to skip lines as much as you want.

5. Flamingo Land & Paultons Park

Flamingo Land offers VIP Ride passes for up to 6 rides at their park, but these will set you back £50 per person and can only be bought at the Queue Buster Outlet on site. Paultons Park offers fast-track privileges as part of their VIP packages, which start at a huge £280 per person.

If you don’t want to splash out on a fast track for an entire theme park, most parks offer one-off passes for individual rides, ideal if you’re looking to ride the Nemesis Inferno or Big One multiple times. To reduce queue times and enjoy better value for money, we also recommend visiting your chosen theme park on an off-peak day.

Total Cost for a Family of Four

These are the total costs for a family of four (two adults and two kids) visiting on peak and off-peak days, including tickets, parking, and one meal at some of the UK’s most popular theme parks:

Theme Park	Off-Peak Day Total	Peak Day Total
Alton Towers	£190	£320
Thorpe Park	£185	£310
Chessington	£185	£315
LEGOLAND Windsor	£190	£320
Blackpool Pleasure Beach	£170	£240
Drayton Manor	£160	£230
Flamingo Land	£200	£250
Paultons Park	£210	£275

For families, Drayton Manor provides the most value, offering a full day of rides and zoo access at the lowest overall price, including free parking.

Accommodation & Travel

Day visits to theme parks are a much cheaper option than a short break or overnight stay. However, be aware that public transport varies for each location.

Alton Towers is quite remote and difficult to reach without a car, so you’ll have to take petrol costs into account. Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Chessington are easily accessible by train or bus, with plenty of local transport links to neighbouring towns and cities.

You’ll likely have to combine train and bus travel to LEGOLAND if you travel via public transport, while a train to Southampton Central will drop you just 8 miles from Paultons Park.

Of course, travel costs will vary depending on the location you’re travelling from, however, there are ways to save on public transport. Investing in a railcard can save you a third off most train fares on journeys across the UK.

If you’re travelling with young children, an overnight stay might be a more appealing option. Many theme parks offer value for money short break packages that include 1-2 night stays and perks like free parking, making travelling much easier.

Below is a breakdown of the average costs for a stay at the UK’s most popular theme parks.

1. Alton Towers

An overnight stay at Alton Towers can cost you anywhere from £72 to £249. You can also book a short-stay package that includes a 1-night stay in their hotel, a full English breakfast buffet, evening entertainment, a 9-hole round of golf and free parking.

2. Chessington

Hotel stays for a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 children) at Chessington start at £32 per person. These short breaks also include free parking and free breakfast, plus a free second day at their theme park.

3. LEGOLAND

The LEGOLAND Windsor on-site hotel offers stays from £29 per person with early-park access, free parking and a free LEGOLAND gift included! They also offer a free second day on selected short breaks, as well as 20% off for Merlin Annual Pass holders. If you stay for 2 nights, you’ll also get a 20% discount on your bed and breakfast.

4. Pleasure Beach

If you’re heading to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the Big Blue Hotel is right next door and ideal for families! It offers themed family rooms with bunk beds, mini TVs and park views. Room packages often include park tickets, with offers like ‘Stay & Ride’ from £399 per family. Blackpool Pleasure Beach tickets start from £30 online – but booking ahead can save you up to £20 per person!

5. Paultons Park

Paultons Park does not offer on-site hotels, however, there are plenty of affordable options nearby. Hotels near Paultons Park start at around £89. They also offers 2-night breaks at local hotels from £48 per night, per person, with 2 days’ park entry for the price of 1 and free parking.

Which UK Theme Park Offers the Best Value?

Overall Value

If you’re after a well-rounded day out that’s both affordable and value for money, Drayton Manor is hard to beat. There’s a good mix of both family & thrill rides, free parking and an on-site zoo included with your ticket price.

Best for Families with Young Children

While it’s not the cheapest, Paultons Park more than makes up for it with a brilliant experience for little ones, especially if they’re Peppa Pig fans! It’s well organised and the queues tend to be a lot less stressful than the bigger parks. Add in free parking and a family-friendly layout – it’s a great pick for a first theme park visit.

Best for Thrill Seekers

Looking for big rides and adrenaline? Head to Alton Towers or Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Both parks offer great value on quieter days, with loads of rollercoasters and thrill rides to keep teens and adults happy! Book off-peak to avoid long queues and high prices – and you’ll get a lot more ride time for your money!

Choosing wisely based on your family’s preferences and planning your visit around off-peak days and online deals can maximise your fun and minimise your costs.

Top Saving Tips from NetVoucherCodes

1. Book Online in Advance

Buying your theme park tickets online is almost always cheaper than paying on the day! Many parks offer up to 40% off when you pre-book, especially if you’re visiting midweek or outside of school holidays. It also means you can skip the ticket queues at the gate and go straight in. For even better value, check out our Days Out category for offers from sites like AttractionTickets.com.

2. Bring Your Own Food

Theme park food might be convenient, but it’s never cheap, especially when you’re feeding a larger family or group. Most attractions will allow you to bring your own food & drink, and will have designated picnic tables dotted around. Taking your own snacks, sandwiches, and drinks could easily save you between £40 and £60 over the course of the day! Just make sure you read what food & drink is eligible before you pack.

3. Visit Off-Peak

If you’re flexible, visiting outside of busy weekends or school holidays could save you a ton. Not only are tickets usually cheaper, but queues are much shorter, meaning you’ll fit in more rides and get more for your money. This is especially good if you’re planning on visiting some of the larger parks like Thorpe Park, Alton Towers or Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

4. Use a Discount Code

Before you book anything, make sure you check for a voucher code beforehand! Whether it’s a code for discounted tickets, family passes, or bundle offers, using a promo code can take a big chunk off the price! Head to our Theme Park Vouchers & Days Out section to see what deals are available now – we regularly feature offers from Merlin, AttractionTickets.com, Drayton Manor and more.