Tips for Visiting Alton Towers

Alton Towers is one in all our favorite theme soils in the United Kingdom. It’s house to a superb many rides and sights, from the kid-friendly rides and displays in CBeebies Land to the high-octane thrill rides such because the Smiler and Nemesis Reborn.

It’s the biggest theme terrain in the United Kingdom, and we’ve were fortunate plenty to seek advice from Alton Towers on many events.

On this information, we’re committing to percentage you with all our tricks to aid safeguard you get essentially the most out of your Alton Towers seek advice from, from discovering your manner across the terrain thru to creating positive you get to trip all of the rides you need to trip, even on a hectic year.

This information is concentrated in particular on guidelines for visiting Alton Towers.

If you happen to’re on the lookout for extra main points at the terrain, together with details about all of the rides, eating places, opening instances, price tag costs, our critiques and extra, take a look at our whole information to visiting Alton Towers.

That information is going right into a superb trade in extra quality concerning the terrain basically, while this information focuses in particular on sharing tricks to get essentially the most from your seek advice from.

15 Pointers for Visiting Alton Towers

Alton Towers Hotel is positioned in central Staffordshire in England (about midway between Birmingham and Manchester) and is the biggest theme terrain in the United Kingdom. The Alton Towers theme terrain sits on over 550 acres of land, with the bigger lodge department totaling 910 acres.

A seek advice from to Alton Towers is regularly a unique travel with folk and pals on the lookout for a amusing year or two. For lots of additionally it is a vital funding of their hard earned cash and future.

We’ve visited Alton Towers a number of instances through the years and we would have liked to grant guidelines and recommendation to aid you produce essentially the most of your seek advice from to Alton Towers and get essentially the most from your year.

Those come with recommendations on methods to plan forward, save future, get monetary savings, steer clear of surprises, and optimistically aid steer clear of any tantrums!

Purchase Tickets & Parking in Move

If you wish to get the most productive worth for tickets, you are going to unquestionably need to conserve your tickets in go at the respectable web site right here.

Tickets purchased on-line are just about all the time considerably more economical than purchasing them in user on web site. Purchasing your tickets in go additionally approach you’ll be able to move directly to the turnstile and skip any order for the price tag workplace.

It’s additionally virtue noting that Alton Towers operates a dynamic pricing gadget, so on busier top days tickets have a tendency to be dearer, and on quieter days tickets will also be more economical. If you’ll be able to be versatile along with your dates, it’s possible you’ll to find that opting for a unique year in your seek advice from can prevent some cash.

We additionally counsel buying parking in go for those who aren’t staying on web site (parking is integrated for on-site lodge visitors). While there’s incorrect preserve for doing so, it saves you having to pay for parking on web site.

The Alton Towers Dungeon (positioned inside the terrain however calls for an residue price tag) tickets also are inexpensive if booked in go than if bought in-person at the year. They’re recently £2 in keeping with user inexpensive on-line than in user.

Construct a Basic Course Plan for the Life

Alton Towers is unfold out over a immense department, and it may remove a generation (from time to time so long as part an occasion) to move from one trip to every other. So this is a just right thought to plot out your normal year and feature a normal path plan for what you need to seek advice from and in what series.

Because you probably need to spend extra future taking part in the rides and sights than strolling, it’s a good suggestion to have a normal plan in your year on the terrain. Spending once in a while having a look on the terrain map both at the terrain’s web page or within the terrain’s app can aid you propose your path and prevent future at the year.

Alton Towers is specified by other zones, each and every of which has a unique theme and each and every of which comprises plenty of rides and sights. You’ll be informed extra about all of the zones and main points of each trip in my colorful Alton Towers information.

Relying in your workforce, you could or would possibly not finally end up visiting all of the zones. For instance, if you’re visiting with more youthful youngsters, you’re most probably committing to spend extra future in CBeebies Land and The International of David Walliams and now not such a lot future within the X-Sector and the Unlit Woodland.

So a normal plan could be one thing like this “Purchase tickets and parking in advance. Arrive at park at 9:30am, start in CBeebies Land, break to have a packed snack, then go to World of David Walliams, walk to Mutiny Bay and buy lunch there, spend the rest of day split between Mutiny Bay and Katanga Canyon (save water rides for last!).”

Then again, if you’re visiting with youngsters and adults who meet all of the trip top necessities, you’re most probably committing to be heading for the larger rides.

A normal plan for Alton Towers if visiting the bigger rides and staying in a single day on web site could be as follows.

“Have breakfast in hotel at around 8am and head over to park for 9am opening with pre-booked tickets. Use guest hotel entrance. Join queue for preferred ride in Forbidden Valley, then do remaining Forbidden Valley Rides. Head to Dark Forest for the thrill rides then have lunch at Woodcutter Grill. After lunch head to Wicker Man, then finish the day at X-Sector”.

In fact, relying on how busy the terrain is and possibly sooner you’ve got Fastrack Passes you’ll have to regulate your agenda. On very busy days with out Fastrack passes it’s possible you’ll now not be capable to do greater than 3 or 4 large rides in a year. Conversely, on a calm year or if in case you have a Fastrack Go it is possible for you to to slot in extra rides.

If you’re in need of to seek advice from the Alton Towers Dungeon (residue price tag wanted), remember to permit about an occasion for that.

Having an concept of which rides you need to do as a gaggle is a superb get started in your seek advice from. You’ll next have a look at the map of the terrain and work out which farmlands you want to seek advice from.

It’s unquestionably a good suggestion to trip all of the rides in a particular department that you need to do sooner than shifting directly to a pristine department. Differently you’re committing to spend extra future strolling between farmlands instead than experiencing the sights.

For the ones with any more or less accessibility or incapacity factor, we extremely counsel studying the Alton Towers accessibility information, really helpful routes, and insurance policies. Ask any questions you could have in go so you’re ready at the year of your seek advice from.

Obtain the Alton Towers App

While I’m nonetheless now not satisfied that the whole thing on the earth wishes an app, I’ve to mention that the Alton Towers app is lovely worthy, and vital when visiting the terrain.

It has a batch of capability that can toughen your seek advice from, from reside trip queue instances, to managing your trip pictures, to a at hand map and navigation constituent that can get you all over the place within the terrain you need to move.

There’s distant WiFi throughout Alton Towers, so that you don’t want to concern about information utilization. The app may be distant to obtain and worth.

While probably the most knowledge within the app too can simply be discovered within the terrain, alternative such things as trip queue instances are a lot more uncomplicated to search out within the app. Having all of the knowledge for your patch can in reality aid when deciding which trip to go to nearest.

The app will also be downloaded right here.

Begin Early / Drop Overdue

To produce essentially the most of your future at Alton Towers you will have to plan to reach early and next preferably keep till the terrain closes. The longer you’re on web site, the extra it is possible for you to to peer and do, and the extra price you are going to get out of your price tag.

It’s noteceable to notice that while rides usually get started running at round 10am, the terrain itself if truth be told opens at 9am. So you’ll be able to move into the terrain and connect the queue for the primary trip you need to move on. Or simply seize a espresso or wander the grounds.

For ultimate, relying at the future of age and year, the terrain in most cases closes at 4pm or 6pm (for particular occasions it may additionally keep detectable upcoming than this). Then again, this ultimate future is the terminating future you’ll be able to connect a trip queue, now not the terminating future the trip runs. So if you’re nonetheless in a order upcoming ultimate future, you will have to nonetheless get to do the trip.

Now, if you want to release the terrain for any explanation why, reminiscent of to move in your automobile or let the children have a snooze, next you simply want to produce positive you get a hand stamp from an admission personnel member sooner than you progress so you’ll be able to reenter upcoming. So you’ll be able to remove a split and go back. This makes essentially the most sense for the ones staying in a single day on the Alton Towers Hotel.

We expect that taking advantage of your future at Alton Towers makes a batch of sense as you’ve got invested a good bit of cash into your seek advice from, so will have to get the utmost price from it.

Perceive any Trip Restrictions

Maximum theme terrain rides have minimal top restrictions for riders because of fitness and protection causes. Among the rides even have most top restrictions.

If you’re visiting Alton Towers with somebody who could be suffering from the trip top restrictions, for instance kids or the ones over 6 ft majestic, next it’s a good suggestion to do a little analysis in go as to which rides are committing to be appropriate for the entire workforce. You’ll see all of the trip top restrictions at the respectable web site right here.

This may increasingly steer clear of you losing future committing to rides that you’ll be able to’t all trip in combination. Figuring out which rides your youngsters can and will’t trip can aid steer clear of a batch of tears and sadness.

Figuring out which rides are appropriate for which individuals of your workforce may also mean you can divide your workforce up if you want, so everybody will get to revel in the sights they need to, and nobody will get disappointed about lacking out or having to attend round.

Plan your First Trip

If you’re a thrillseeker and wish the get essentially the most out of your year at Alton Towers, it’s in reality noteceable that what you desire to your first trip to be. We’d counsel selecting the trip which is prone to have the longest traces because the year progresses.

While it may be brittle to grasp precisely which rides will likely be maximum usual on any given year, as a normal rule of thumb the more moderen extra exciting rides have a tendency to have the longest traces.

For instance, the Smiler and Nemesis Reborn are in most cases very usual rides with lengthy wait instances. So if the ones rides are in your to-do checklist, we suggest heading to these rides once you set in and becoming a member of the order. This will have to get you onto those rides briefly.

An illustration, on a contemporary seek advice from to Alton Towers I joined the order for Nemesis Reborn at 9.30am and was once using via 10.10am, most effective 10 mins upcoming the trip opened. Then within the year, trip wait instances have been over 2 hours for that trip.

For the ones centered at the smaller rides and rides geared to more youthful kids, lengthy traces are usually much less of a priority. However it may nonetheless be a good suggestion first of all the rides your youngsters need to trip maximum.

Believe the Fastrack Passes

If you’re visiting Alton Towers on a busier year, reminiscent of a college amusement or a weekend, next the queue lengths for most of the rides usually are reasonably lengthy.

By means of reasonably lengthy, we ruthless 1 – 2 hours wait future for the extra usual rides. Essentially the most usual rides are usually the fun rides and large themed rides, however even the smaller rides will have lengthy wait instances on a hectic year (or if they’re pristine to the terrain).

The excellent news is that you’ll be able to skip nearly all of the traces via making an investment in a Fastrack Go. There are a selection of Fastrack passes to be had, which can be named Bronze, Gold, Silver and Platinum.

The cross you select is dependent upon which rides you in reality need to trip, in addition to your price range. It’s additionally imaginable to shop for a unmarried Fastrack cross on a in keeping with trip foundation for most of the rides, which will also be a great way to trip a particular trip briefly for those who don’t need to put money into a complete Fastrack cross.

Alternative than the Platinum Fastrack cross, all of the alternative passes permit you one access to the particular Fastrack order for each and every trip that has Fastrack. Nearly all of rides do have Fastrack, apart from the CBeebies Land rides and probably the most alternative smaller rides.

The Platinum Fastrack cross is the one cross which lets you worth the Fastrack order as again and again as you need for each and every trip. It’s additionally the most costly, and in reality aimed toward those that need to trip as many rides as imaginable, more than one instances in a year.

We’ve visited Alton Towers on an overly busy year, and the wait future for most of the rides was once effectively over an occasion, with many rides having two occasion wait instances. With our Fastrack passes, we most commonly were given onto rides in 5 or ten mins. So for us it made a abundance residue, that means rather of using 3 or 4 rides within the year, we have been ready to trip each trip within the terrain.

In fact, the Fastrack Passes received’t produce sense for everybody. We’ve visited Alton Towers on calm days the place wait instances are most often not more than 20 mins for a trip, during which case a Fastrack Go makes much less sense.

You’ll purchase Fastrack Passes in go of your seek advice from right here. You’ll additionally purchase them in user on web site, on the other hand you will have to bear in mind that the Fastrack passes do come from a restricted lake and they may be able to promote out.

If you’re visiting all the way through top season and also you do need a Fastrack, next purchasing in go is a good suggestion to remember to get the Fastrack Go you need.

Gather a Smartphone Charger

The chances are high that that you will be the usage of your Smartphone a batch at Alton Towers. You’ll be taking pictures and movies of your adventures, the usage of the Alton Towers app to test trip instances and to find your manner round, and a lot extra but even so. And all that worth goes to empty the battery.

While there are charging stations to be had at Alton Towers for a charge, we predict a a lot more good resolution is solely to put money into a conveyable battery bind in your telephone. Those can rate your telephone from flat more than one instances over (relying at the capability), and ruthless you’ll be capable to reserve the usage of your telephone all year with out concern.

There are countless of choices available in the market, we recently worth one like this which labored effectively to rate our telephones and our pals’ telephones on a contemporary seek advice from to Alton Towers.

Construct a Meals Plan

Along with creating a normal plan about what rides and appeal you need to seek advice from in go, additionally it is a good suggestion to take into accounts what and the place you need to consume.  Considering forward can prevent future and cash.

There are a selection of meals distributors and eating places within the terrain detectable all the way through the year, from scorching canine and ice cream stands to take a seat ill eateries just like the Woodcutter’s Bar and Grill and the Rollercoaster Eating place.

It may be a good suggestion to have a look at the terrain map and feature a normal plan for lunch so if there’s a explicit playground you need to consume, you’ll be able to produce your technique to that department for lunchtime.

If you wish to get monetary savings (and most probably once in a while), imagine bringing alongside your individual meals and snacks.

Alton Towers has a couple of other picnic farmlands, and you’re greater than welcome in order your individual meals to the terrain. This is a superb manner to economize in your seek advice from, particularly if you’re visiting as a gaggle or folk, as meals prices for a couple of public can briefly upload up.

Deliver a Refillable Aqua Bottle

You’re going to be doing a batch of strolling at Alton Towers, and it’s committing to be an extended year. So that you unquestionably need to keep hydrated.

Instead than having to pay for beverages or purchase bottles of aqua, you’ll be able to deliver your individual refillable aqua bottle and next worth the aqua replenish stations which can be dotted all the way through the terrain. We worth those aqua bottles via Klean Kanteen, however there are a lot to choose between.

If you’re making plans to shop for comfortable beverages within the terrain, you could possibly get monetary savings via the usage of the Coca-Cola Fill up stations all the way through the terrain.

To worth those, you want to buy one of the most refillable Coke Freestyle cups (priced at £15 all the way through our terminating seek advice from) and next you’ll be able to drink up to you would like. You’ll worth the similar cup on hour visits for a decrease in keeping with year value.

Keep In a single day

One in reality just right technique to produce essentially the most of your future at Alton Towers is to stick in a single day, both at one of the most on-site inns (see and conserve all of the choices right here) or at a close-by lodge.

We’ve performed each, they usually each and every have their professionals and cons.

Staying two nights can produce it more uncomplicated to get there early and keep till ultimate the terrain with out being concerned about heading house.

If you happen to most effective make a choice to stick one night time, we’d counsel making it the night time sooner than your seek advice from. This manner you’ll be capable to input the terrain at opening future and produce essentially the most of your year.

Lodging at Alton Towers

Staying on web site at one of the most Alton Towers lodge inns unquestionably has its benefits. First, the inns are all themed, so your total revel in will likely be prolonged. The theming extends from the principle farmlands thru to each and every room, and there’s additionally leisure on do business in within the lodge farmlands as effectively.

Every other benefit of staying on web site is that it will provide you with future to revel in probably the most alternative sights on web site that it’s possible you’ll now not another way have future to revel in.

Those come with the Leak Landings aqua terrain and the terrain themed Small Golfing. We’ve performed either one of those when staying in a single day and suppose they’re each virtue experiencing.

If you happen to keep on web site, you additionally get distant on-site parking, which is able to prevent a little bit of cash if you’re using to Alton Towers.

In spite of everything, one of the most major benefits of staying in one of the most on-site inns is that you’ll be able to input the terrain by way of the lodge visitor most effective front, which is similar the lodge monorail prohibit.

This front brings you into the terrain proper nearest to Galactica and Nemesis Reborn. If those rides are in your to-do checklist, next you’ll be able to are available early and connect the order for them sooner than somebody else.

It additionally approach you don’t must queue for the monorail, or move to the principle terrain front. On busy mornings the monorail queue will also be 40 mins lengthy, generation the move to the principle terrain front from the inns is round 20 mins. So you’ll be able to skip all that and be directly into the terrain rather.

For more info and an in depth breakdown of what each and every lodge has to do business in, see my whole Alton Towers information.

You’ll conserve the lodge inns as a part of a package deal together with your terrain front right here. They regularly run offer during the age, so do take a look at what’s on do business in as you could possibly avoid wasting cash in your seek advice from.

Lodging similar Alton Towers

Rather of staying on web site, you’ll be able to additionally keep at a close-by lodge. We’ve additionally performed this, staying round 10 mins pressure away at the night time sooner than our seek advice from.

This allow us to set in early and supposed I were given to trip Nemesis Reborn as one of the most first riders with just a shorten wait, instead than the 2 occasion wait that came about upcoming on.

The primary benefit of staying out of doors the terrain is that you just get a much wider number of lodging, it may be higher price, and it’s committing to be a extra conventional lodge revel in. Relying at the lodge, it can also be a little bit of a quieter and extra stress-free revel in because the on-site inns are very usual with households.

Each will also be just right choices which can be effectively virtue bearing in mind in your Alton Towers seek advice from. If you have an interest in a lodge, listed here are some suggestions within the department, taken care of via approximate using distance from the lodge:

The White Hart – a usual inn within the village of Alton, providing a vary of en-suite rooms. 7 mins’ pressure from Alton Towers
The Laurel’s B&B – This can be a well-rated B&B which serves breakfast. Rooms are en-suite with tea/espresso making amenities. 8 mins’ pressure from Alton Towers
The Bay Tree – an overly well-reviewed B&B with en-suite lodging and breakfast to be had. 8 mins’ pressure from Alton Towers
Peakstones Inn – This 3* lodge offer a vary of en-suite rooms and there’s an on-site eating place and bar. Breakfast is to be had. 10 mins’ pressure from Alton Towers.
Heywood Corridor – This component offer plenty of self-contained residences, each and every with a little kitchen an en-suite toilet. There’s additionally a scorching bathtub and ground for visitors worth. 12 mins’ pressure from Alton Towers.
Whiston Corridor – A former nineteenth century corridor which has been transformed into a contemporary mid-range lodge with its personal golfing path. A vary of en-suite rooms are to be had, and breakfast is obtainable. We loved our keep right here and the meals specifically was once excellent. 13 mins’ drivee from Alton Towers.
The Duncombe Fingers – This pub/lodge is located in Ellastone and offer air-conditioned rooms with espresso machines and en-suite amenities. Breakfast is to be had and there’s a cafe and bar for alternative foods. 13 mins pressure from Alton Towers
The Royal Oak – This inn offer a vary of snug rooms within the the town of Ashbourne. There’s a cafe and bar on web site with foods to be had. 19 mins’ pressure from Alton Towers.
YHA Ilam Corridor – This adolescence hostel is located in a gothic corridor i’m ready in 84 acres of parkland. There’s an on-site breakfast, kitchen for self-catering, and a number of shared or non-public lodging. 22 mins’ pressure from Alton Towers.

In fact, there are a lot extra choices to imagine. You’ll see a complete vary of lodging choices similar Alton Towers on Reserving.com right here, which contains plenty of amusement leases as effectively.

Construct Meal Reservations if Staying In a single day

If you make a decision to stick at one of the most on-site inns, it would be best to produce meal reservations in go of your seek advice from. This contains breakfast and dinner mealtimes.

The eating places get busy, so reservations are required to deliver for them so that you could safeguard everybody has a just right revel in. Reservations are distant, and colorful details about methods to conserve will likely be despatched to you as a part of your reserving affirmation.

The extra usual instances, reminiscent of round 7:00pm to 7.30pm for dinner and round 8am for breakfast, conserve up rapid, so if you need extra selection, we propose reserving effectively in go. You’ll all the time alternate the future of your reservation for those who alternate your thoughts, topic to availability.

Pace you’ll be able to nonetheless regularly consume with no reserving, it may be an extended look ahead to a desk or it’s possible you’ll now not get your number of a cafe.

Believe the Virtual Picture Go

If you wish to have recollections of your future at Alton Towers, next we’d counsel making an investment in a Virtual Picture Go in your seek advice from. While you’ll be able to clearly remove pictures everywhere in the terrain, the only playground the place pictures is exactly prohibited is at the rides.

The excellent news is that all of the rides have their very own pictures techniques in playground, most often positioned to seize a key occasion all the way through the trip the place you’re looking maximum excited or terrified. Naturally those can produce for some memorable photographs! Moreover, there are some explicit sights with a photograph explode part, reminiscent of in CBeebies Land, the place you’ll be able to have alternative pictures taken of your seek advice from.

The Virtual Picture Go will provide you with get entry to to all of the trip pictures out of your year at Alton Towers, for you and somebody for your workforce. The pictures are all delivered digitally by way of the Alton Towers app, and you’ll be able to next percentage them with pals digitally, or print them along with your most well-liked print carrier.

On a contemporary seek advice from to Alton Towers as a gaggle of six (4 adults and two youngsters) we ended up with over 100 virtual photographs between the six folks, which made the Virtual Picture Go greater than virtue it.

The primary tip I might give can be to have all of the pictures taken and added to the app, and next on the finish of the year you’ll be able to make a decision if you wish to pay for them. Sooner than you pay for them they may be able to be previewed in a little model with a watermark. If you make a decision you just like the pictures, you’ll be able to pay to release upper answer variations with out a watermark. Differently, for those who don’t like them, you don’t want to pay.

The pictures keep within the app for 90 days upcoming your seek advice from, so you’ve got plethora of future to make a decision. After you have bought, they next stay within the app for an alternative age, all the way through which future you’ll be able to obtain them in your tool and reserve them perpetually.

You’ll after all additionally purchase the Virtual Picture Go in go of your seek advice from or all the way through your seek advice from. It’s in most cases introduced as an possibility while you purchase your tickets.

Then again, except you’re 100% positive you’re going to wish the photographs, our advice is to attend till you notice all of them sooner than deciding to shop for.

Be Ready for Solar & Drizzle

The elements in England is notoriously blind, even within the top of summer season. We’ve had studies the place we visited Alton Towers throughout two days, with the primary year being pouring rainfall and the second one year being gloriously scorching sunshine.

So that you simply by no means know fairly what you’ll get, and the elements forecast isn’t all the time committing to get it proper. So we suggest being ready for a vary of situations. We’d usually counsel bearing in mind packing please see, which you’ll be able to regulate relying at the future of age you’re visiting:

Pull Benefit of Detached Presentations and Leisure

Alton Towers has a batch extra to do business in than exciting rides. There also are plenty of distant displays and alternative forms of leisure on do business in, a lot of which can be absolute best if you’re visiting the terrain with more youthful kids.

Those displays will also be a great way to remove a split and take a seat ill while being entertained. Presentations range, however come with reside motion displays such because the Furchester Lodge, Howdy Duggee, Bluey, and Teletubbies displays. Most of the displays additionally come with the chance to remove a photograph with the characters.

Moreover, there’s a reside level arrange nearest to the Alton Towers puddle which regularly hosts performances. You’ll want to take a look at the agenda while you set in to peer what’s on in your explicit year.

If you’re staying in one of the most on-site inns, next the celebration doesn’t prohibit while you get again for the night time. Each and every lodge in most cases has reside performances each and every night time so that you can revel in as effectively.

Additional Studying

That’s it for our guidelines for visiting Alton Towers! We are hoping you discovered it helpful.

Sooner than you move, we would have liked to percentage a couple of of our alternative guides that it’s possible you’ll to find helpful.

We’ve a whole information to visiting Alton Towers, which has the whole thing you want to grasp. It contains knowledge on all of the rides, inns, actions and a lot extra.
For wider UK travel making plans, we’ve recommended one time and two time UK itineraries
We’ve guides to many alternative towns in England. See our information to objects to do in Manchester,  issues to do in Stratford upon Avon,  issues to do in Bristol,  issues to do in Portsmouth, tips about a weekend in York, tips about Visiting Oxford on a Life Travel, and issues to do in Cambridge
If you happen to’re heading to Scotland, take a look at our 2 year Edinburgh itinerary, our Glasgow and Loch Lomond itinerary, our information to the perfect year journeys from Glasgow, our information to issues to do in Edinburgh, our itinerary for Skye and the Highlands, our information to the perfect year journeys from Aberdeen, and our information to the most productive year journeys from Edinburgh to get you began. We even have a information to getting from London to Edinburgh.
We’ve a information to 10 of the most productive Stately Properties in England, a few of which aren’t that a ways from Alton Towers

And that’s it! Have you ever ever visited Alton Towers? Do you’ve got anything else you’d upload to the above, or a query about an after seek advice from? Simply tell us within the feedback beneath!