Blogs

If you're an amusement park geek, you've probably mused at some point about what makes one roller coaster better than others. You've tried to answer this question logically with various rankings and lists, but they just don't gel, because roller coasters are very subjective. Two coaster enthusiasts could experience the same ride and come away with entirely different opinions on its quality. So how do we really know what the best roller coaster in the world is?

Steel Dragon 2000 - Nagashima Spa Land, Japan

Located in Kuwana, near Nagoya and a train ride of two hours and drive of nearly three southwest of Tokyo, this park has a dozen roller coasters, but this one is in a class by itself. It's the fastest (200 kilometers/124 miles per hours), the tallest (218 feet), and longest (3,819 feet) steel roller coaster in the world, with boasts an amazing seven inversions, a heartline roll (a zero-g roll over your head), a cobra roll (a double corkscrew), and three vertical loops. This is the ultimate ride for thrill seekers!

Millennium Force - Cedar Point Amusement Park, Sandusky, Ohio, USA

At this iconic Ohio park about an hour from Cleveland, this is one of only three coasters in the world that tops 200 miles per hour and has been voted “best steel roller coaster” nine times since 2011 by Amusement Today readers. It's also one of only two coasters designed to hit top speeds without going through a tunnel first. The other coaster that does this is Top Thrill Dragster (see below), also at Cedar Point. Millennium Force is also the tallest coaster in North America and the second tallest on earth after Kingda Ka at New Jersey´s Six Flags Great Adventure.

Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point

Cedar Point is also home to what was built in 2003 as the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster, with a 420-foot drop and reaches speeds of 120 miles per hour in less than four seconds. It´s is one of the most popular attractions at Cedar Point, which attracted more than 3 million visitors annually.

Insanity - CC Joyland Park, China

This huge park in the city of Changzhou, just over two hours from Shanghai, is themed (without a license, by the way) after the World of Warcraft, and this baby built in 2016 by the powerhouse global rides creator Dynamic Attractions has been named by the Guinness World Records as the tallest roller coaster in the world. It stands at 302 feet tall and features a drop of 213 feet, giving riders the sensation of falling from an airplane when they take off from the top of the tower. The ride also moves up to 70 miles per hour through a series of twists and turns on its way down to the ground level.

Also read: Which is better Skyscanner or Google Flights?