Thorpe Park or Chessington World of Adventures Resort Comparison

With nearly 100 attractions between them, including thrill-a-second roller coasters, splash rides, a zoo, an aquarium and more, it’s no wonder that Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures are two of the UK’s most popular theme parks. We took a closer look to see how these entertainment titans measure up…

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Published: September 25, 2024
Friends on a roller coaster

Thorpe Park: The Lowdown

Rollercoaster at Thorpe Park
  • Name and age. Thorpe Park opened in 1979.
  • Location. The Surrey village of Thorpe, 20 miles south of Central London.
  • Best for. Thrill-seeking teens and grown-ups.
  • Slogan. 'The home of feel-good thrills'
  • Getting there and getting in. Trains connect Waterloo with Staines, from where the 950 express bus shuttles passengers direct to Thorpe Park. Day tickets, annual passes and VIP experiences can be booked via the Thorpe Park website.
  • Staying over. Thorpe Shark Cabins, made from converted shipping containers are the on-park option, and you can also book ticket+stay packages at some nearby hotels.

Thorpe Park in a Nutshell

Saw – The Ride at Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park sits on a huge tract of parkland, complete with lakes and meadows that lend the park its island-like appearance. Nine themed zones including a jungle, an old town and a haunted dockyard, contain around 30 rides. Among these are the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the country, one of the tallest water rides in Europe and several terrifying movie-themed attractions, based on the likes of The Walking Dead and the Saw franchise. Suffice to say then, it’s largely geared towards families with older kids.

Thorpe Park: Vital Statistics 

  • Size. A chunky 410 acres.
  • Number of zones. Nine, including an Atlantis-style lost city, a spooky dockyard, and an apocalyptic disaster zone.
  • Number of attractions. Somewhere in the region of 30 rides, including eight roller coasters and four water rides.
  • Visitors. Around 1.5 million annually.

Thorpe Park Highlights

The Swarm ride at Thorpe Park
  • For thrill seekers. Only the tallest, fastest and most weightless coaster in the UK, Hyperia soars 236 feet over the aptly named Fearless Valley zone. No less nerve-jangling, Stealth, The Swarm and Nemesis Inferno are very much not for the faint of heart. And be warned: the horror-themed Saw and The Walking Dead rides are pure nightmare fuel!
  • For water babes. Make a splash on the Rumba Rapids, or take your life in your hands for Tidal Wave’s epic 85-foot drop, one of the highest water rides in Europe.
  • For families. Though primarily aimed at teens and adults, Thorpe Park does have a few gentler child-friendly options, including a mini coaster, a playground and a paddling pool.

Chessington World of Adventures: The Lowdown

Family having fun on a day out
  • Name and age. Chessington opened as a zoo way back in 1931, adding the theme park elements in 1987.
  • Location. Chessington, which is within Greater London, is around 12 miles southwest of the city center.
  • Best for. Families with kids of all ages.
  • Slogan. 'We’ve got it!'
  • Getting there and getting in. Regular rail services run from Waterloo, Wimbledon and Clapham Junction to Chessington South station, a 10-minute walk from the park. Entry to Chessington World of Adventures is included with an attractions pass from Go City, which can save you up to 50% on more than 100 London tours, activities and attractions. Find out more and get yours here.
  • Staying over. There are safari- and Aztec-themed 4-star hotels on site, plus a glamping accommodation option.

Chessington World of Adventures in a Nutshell

Clown fish in an aquarium

Chessington is the whole package. Not only does it have some 40 rides, running the gamut from dizzying roller coasters and croc- and mamba-themed thrill rides to river rapids and much gentler rides for toddlers, it also boasts an entire zoo and Sea Life Centre, plus live shows, character meet-and-greets, live music, and kiddies’ play zones.

Chessington World of Adventures: Vital Statistics 

  • Size. 128 acres.
  • Number of zones. There are 11-themed zones, including the watery Shipwreck Coast, the jungly World of Jumanji, and the child-friendly Land of the Dragons. Chessington Zoo and the Sea Life Centre are in addition to these.
  • Number of attractions. Forty-something rides, plus a zoo, an aquarium, live entertainment and more.
  • Visitors. Around 1.5 million each year.

Chessington World of Adventures Highlights

Gorilla in a zoo
  • For thrill seekers. Hit up the World of Jumanji, Wild Woods and Forbidden Kingdom for some of the park’s most terrifying rides. We’re talking the Mandrill Mayhem and Vampire coasters, plus Mamba Strike, Ostrich Stampede and the Croc Drop. Try not to get bitten! 
  • For animal lovers. Chessington Zoo is home to more than 1,000 critters, including several endangered species. Say hey to snow leopards, Asiatic lions, western lowland gorillas, cute Humboldt penguins and more and experience feeding frenzies and fascinating zookeeper talks. The adjoining Sea Life Centre adds sharks, rays, jellyfish, octopuses and more into the mix.
  • For families. In addition to the fab animal attractions, there are several rides and zones designed specifically with younger kids in mind. Land of the Dragons is the park's main children's area, with a huge soft-play zone, a treehouse with rope bridges, and gentle water rides. Meet-and-greets include Elmer the patchwork elephant and characters from CoComelon, who also feature in the live stage shows.

Recap: Thorpe Park vs Chessington World of Adventures

Young couple on a theme park ride

Two titans of the amusement park world, both inside the M25 and within easy reach of Central London. But which is better? Well, your preference is likely to be swayed by how much you crave a thrill ride and how much you’re looking for a family all-rounder for your day out. Thorpe Park falls firmly into the former category. Like, say, Alton Towers, its focus is primarily on rides – and the faster and more furious the better. This is one for the adrenalin fields and will mostly suit teenagers and young adults. 

Thanks to the addition of a zoo, an aquarium and some dedicated zones for smaller children, Chessington World of Adventures is a stronger bet for families, especially those with kids across a range of ages. Suffice it to say that there’s plenty to enjoy here whether you’re two, 12 or 42 years old.

Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

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Relaxing things to do in London

Looking for something a little more laid-back than London’s usual hustle and bustle? Relax! We’ve got you covered…
Dom Bewley
A tourist photographs a statue at the British Museum
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The top free things to do in London

London’s reputation for being expensive (just check out the house prices), doesn’t mean vacations in the British capital have to break the bank. Many major museums are free to enter, whilst parks, markets and even some concerts will cost you absolutely nothing, leaving you free to spend your cash on other things. The list of free things to do in London is a long one, so here are a select few that will leave you quids in. Explore London’s museum collections Starting out with just 38 paintings in 1834, The National Gallery on the northern side of Trafalgar Square now has close to 2,500 artworks hanging from its cloth-lined walls. Concentrating on a mere 700 years of European art roughly corresponding with the years 1250 to 1900, some of its most famous works include da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks, van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire. Cross the Thames at Hungerford and Golden Jubilee Bridges and you’ll be perfectly located to continue your tour of free things to do in London at Leake Street Arches, the capital’s foremost space for graffiti and street artists. The freedom to spray means it never looks the same for long, and now also plays host to a Polish kitchen and board game café. Food sadly isn’t welcome at the British Library’s Sir John Ritblat Gallery, whose free permanent exhibition space includes some of the most important documents in British history. These include Magna Carta, a symbol of liberty and law to this day, and handwritten manuscripts by everyone from author Charlotte Brontë to Beatle Paul McCartney. Picnic in the park Nearly as many trees as residents, 14,000 species of wildlife and 3,000 parks – it’s no wonder London became the world’s first National Park City in 2019. Its public green spaces have acted as shared backyards, in some cases, for centuries. Its largest is Epping Forest, an area of woodland untouched since the time of William the Conqueror in 1066. Mountain biking and walking are popular pastimes here, with multiple short walks allowing visitors to soak up the spirit of the place and catch sight of its wild deer. Hampstead Health’s Parliament Hill also has a small population of muntjac deer, although it’s far better known for its panoramic views of central London, spanning from The Shard to Canary Wharf. For a sense of what you might expect at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew without the entrance cost and tube journey, there’s the Barbican Conservatory. An oasis of greenery, it’s London’s second-largest indoor garden, containing some 2,000 plants erupting from every surface. Pull back the leaves and you’ll also find a hidden pond filled with koi carp and terrapins. Take part in ancient traditions Things to do in London for free aren’t limited to the capital’s static attractions. Head to Buckingham Palace for mid-morning and you’ll be able to admire the pageantry of the marching bands involved in the Changing of the Guard. The full ceremony lasts 45 minutes, with the changeover between guard battalions taking place at 11AM. The best viewing spots go early, but Hyde Park’s southern boundary offers a crowd-free space to watch the mounted troops arrive and depart from Wellington Barracks. Whilst it’s not possible to enter the palace during the ceremony, it is usually possible to enter the neogothic splendor of the Houses of Parliament a short distance away. Members of the public are able to see the goings-on of the House of Commons (the green-benched lower house) from the perch of the Strangers Gallery. Along the way you can grab a glimpse of Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the complex and where royals lie in state. No pre-booking is required to visit Pugin’s pre-Raphaelite artworks or parliament’s central halls, although the Strangers Gallery fills up quickly for Wednesday’s Prime Ministers Questions. Less confrontational in nature are the free concerts taking place in churches and auditoriums across the capital. Often used as rehearsals to later paid events, classical works can be heard at a number of locations, including the bright interior of St-Martins-in-the-Fields off Trafalgar Square, Morley College’s Waterloo Center and Regent Hall on Oxford Street. Visit London’s top markets All walks of London life buy and sell at its plethora of markets, with voices from all over the world demonstrating why London is known as a city where everyone is welcome. When it comes to color and Instagram posts, make a beeline for Sunday’s Columbia Road Flower Market, which is packed full of blooms. The shadow of Waterloo Bridge plays host to the Southbank Centre’s daily book market, whose row after row of secondhand tomes are sure to include that out-of-print classic you’ve been searching for, in addition to a select pick of artworks old and new. The nearby space behind Royal Festival Hall also hosts a Friday – Sunday pop-up street food market, with aromas that drift towards the Thames sightseeing cruises mooring up at Westminster Pier. Back in east London, the stalls of Old Spitalfields Market sit beneath Victorian ironwork dating to 1876, though its history stretches back to the 1600s. Once a fruit and vegetable wholesale market, today’s stalls are a trendy blend of soul food spots, homeware and boutique fashions, with antiques taking over each Thursday. Take a stroll Getting out into fresh air is relatively easy, and as well as its parks and green spaces, London has numerous walks. The obvious place to start is the Jubilee Walkway, unveiled to mark 25 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign in 1977. Connecting many of London’s major landmarks, it runs for 15 miles, with the most popular stretch lining the south bank of the Thames from Lambeth Palace to Tower Bridge. Meanwhile, Regent’s Canal provides a place to wander without the crowds, taking in Paddington Basin, Little Venice, the howls of ZSL London Zoo’s wolf pack and popular Victoria Park along the way to its terminus on the Thames at Limehouse. You certainly won’t be disturbed by the residents of Brompton Cemetery, a grade I listed space containing around 35,000 memorials dating back to the 1830s. Among them you’ll find the graves of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and the scientist who discovered the cause of cholera, John Snow. Other ways to save in London There are a huge number of free things to do in London. But they’re not the only way to save when visiting the British capital. The Explorer Pass from Go City saves on admission at many of London’s top visitor attractions without you having to make any decisions on what to do beforehand. What’s more, all you need is your phone to get started!
Ian Packham
A row of red telephone boxes covered in snow
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Visiting London in January

January is London’s quietest month when it comes to visitor numbers, meaning there are usually some great flight and hotel deals to be had. What many people don’t realize is that London in January remains a hive of activity. Not only is it still possible to experience the Christmas festivities, but also to grab a bargain in the January sales and celebrate Spring Festival with the capital’s Chinese community. Weather in London in January   London in January is typified by short days and cloudy skies. Whilst milder than most other capitals in northern Europe, temperatures struggle to hit double figures, with top daytime temperatures reaching eight or nine degrees Celsius. Rain can be expected at almost any time, although significant rainfall is limited to about a third of the month. Snow in the heart of the capital is rare, and deep snow falls even rarer. If weather forecasts hint at the possibility of a sprinkling of snow, the best places to enjoy the spectacle are attractions on the city’s outskirts such as Richmond Park or the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. When it comes to staying warm, be sure to pack plenty of layers, a trustworthy pair of waterproof boots and some thick socks. Then you’ll be ready for anything the unruly British weather might throw at you whilst exploring all that London vaunts, from New Year partying to renowned museums. New Year in London   London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are beamed live across the globe. Even so, there’s nothing quite like being there in person. The countdown begins long before the midnight fireworks light up the skies above the London Eye, with restaurants booking up way in advance. The fireworks are followed by a New Year's Day Parade. One of London’s newest traditions – having first taken place in the late 1980s – the spectacle starts at noon in upmarket Piccadilly before passing through Trafalgar Square on route to the Houses of Parliament. The 10,000 participants form an eclectic mix of dancers, musicians and performers from every continent, alongside the homegrown delights of London’s Pearly Kings and Queens. But that’s certainly not the end of the seasonal festivities. Christmas in London doesn’t conclude until Twelfth Night (Epiphany) on January 6. Only then are the Christmas lights switched off, window displays removed, and Christmas trees taken down. The day is marked on the banks of the Thames at Shakespeare’s Globe by the appearance of the Holly Man. A character from pre-Christian folklore akin to the Green Giant, he symbolizes new life and is welcomed by suitably-clad dignitaries before wassailing (blessing) the river and the city. Grab a bargain   As shopping destinations go, London in January has got to be up there with the best of them. By the start of the month the biggest sales of the year are already in full swing. Few stores want to miss out on the action, with Harrods and Selfridges among the well-known names slashing prices. Although the crowds tend to form at the start of this period, many of the best discounts are to be had when the sales are wrapping up in the middle of the month. They are swiftly followed by more shopping opportunities at the London Art Fair. Collating works from over 100 of London’s independent galleries, the fair has become one of the best places to scrutinize the capital’s up-and-coming artistic talent in close quarters. And whilst all the works of painting, sculpture and photography are for sale, browsers are also very welcome. Discover major cultural events   Not content with one lot of New Year’s celebrations, the end of January (or start of February) sees another moment of feasting, this time for Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Shifting on an annual basis with the new moon, the largest commemorations outside of Asia begin with a street parade in Chinatown containing a series of finely-decorated floats. Firecrackers then echo across Trafalgar Square to launch a day-long festival of lion dances, musical performances and a plentiful supply of authentic street food. It’s a Spring Festival tradition to mark the new year from high-up, with The View from The Shard and ArcelorMittal Orbit the perfect way to do this. January’s other big event is Burns Night on January 25. Scotland’s unofficial national day, restaurants across the capital join in with honoring the poetry of Robert Burns, author of Auld Lang Syne. Expect Scottish salmon to make an appearance, alongside haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes) rounded off with a portion of whisky-dosed cranachan. Or you could forgo this raspberry and cream concoction and jump straight to a whisky tasting at one of London’s cocktail bars. Tick off a museum or two   January’s rainier days are just the excuse you’ve been looking for to jump headlong into London’s museums and galleries. Whatever your interests, you can pretty much guarantee there’s a collection somewhere in the capital that suits. For an overview of two million years of humanity look no further than the British Museum, whose riches include the Rosetta Stone and the Anglo-Saxon treasures of the Sutton Hoo ship burial. Less celebrated but still worth any amount of time you can dedicate to them are Kensington Palace and the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The palace in Hyde Park was the birthplace of Queen Victoria and is presently the home of Prince William and his young family. Meanwhile, the Royal Greenwich Observatory has been leading the way in mapping and timekeeping for four centuries. Pierced by the prime meridian, it’s one of the most photogenic places on Earth to have your photo taken with one leg in the eastern hemisphere and the other in the western. Whilst in the area, take a turn at some of Greenwich’s additional attractions, including the Cutty Sark, the last tea clipper sailing ship to be built before steam power took over. Capable of conducting the journey between Chinese ports and the southeast of England in a record-breaking three months, this elegant masted vessel kept Londoners’ obsession with tea fed for just eight years before swapping to a role in the wool trade. Don’t miss your chance to save with Go City There’s plenty to see and things to do in London in January. Many of the capital’s top attractions welcome Explorer Pass holders, allowing you to save on standard admission costs. So, if you’re considering January in London because of the deals available, don’t forget to add Go City to your list of budget-stretching buys.
Ian Packham

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