Scandinavia may be best known for its dramatic landscapes, forests and outdoor adventures, but the region is also home to some excellent theme parks. From historic amusement parks in the heart of Stockholm and Copenhagen to family-friendly attractions dedicated to Lego, Moomins and fairy tales, there’s plenty to keep thrill-seekers and younger visitors entertained.
So, whether you like your entertainment low-key and local or stomach-churning and thrilling, there’s a theme park in Scandinavia to suit you
Gröna Lund Tivoli, Stockholm, Sweden
Sweden’s oldest amusement park, Gröna Lund Tivoli in Stockholm, dates from 1883 but has plenty of up-to-date, hi-tech rides for thrill-seekers. Beautifully located on Stockholm’s Djurgården island, the park has a variety of attractions from the low-key carousels and tea-cup rides for kids to the aptly named Insane!
The park continues to add new attractions alongside classic favourites, offering everything from family-friendly rides to adrenaline-pumping rollercoasters with spectacular views across Stockholm’s waterfront.
Admission to the park is included on the Stockholm Pass, though rides cost extra.
Liseberg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Scandinavia’s biggest amusement park, Liseberg, is a lively place filled with flowers, trees, pretty gardens and colourful lights. It’s also home to some great rides, including water flumes, a twisted corkscrew ride, the world’s best wooden rollercoaster, and Europe’s highest free-fall ride.
Liseberg is also known for its summer concerts, having hosted top names in the past such as Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones – and, of course, Abba.
The Gothenburg Pass includes admission to Liseberg park and gardens, though the rides cost extra.
Kneippbyn
Located just outside Visby on the island of Gotland, Kneippbyn Resort is one of Sweden’s most popular destinations for families. The resort combines an amusement park, water park and on-site accommodation, making it easy to turn a day trip into a longer family holiday. Visitors can enjoy everything from water slides and pools to rides and family-friendly attractions, while younger guests can visit the original Villa Villekulla from the Pippi Longstocking movies. Beyond the park itself, families can easily combine their visit with exploring Gotland’s beaches, nature and the medieval town of Visby.
Legoland, Billund, Denmark
Opened in 1968, the original Legoland theme park was built next door to the Lego factory in Billund to showcase the colourful plastic bricks that took the world of children’s toys by storm. Today, Legoland remains one of Denmark’s most popular family attractions, with themed lands, rollercoasters, water rides and interactive experiences spread across the park.
It’s a huge park with rollercoasters, rides, log flumes and, of course, the famous miniland where more than two million Lego bricks were used to create scale models of capital cities and iconic buildings. Some 265km west of Copenhagen, the park has plenty of accommodation if you want to stay the night, including the on-site Hotel Legoland, with a good range of themed family-sized rooms.
Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark
One of the world’s oldest and most iconic amusement parks, Tivoli Gardens have held pride of place in the centre of Copenhagen since 1843.
Beautifully landscaped with lawns and lakes, and festooned with colourful lights at night, the gardens were much loved by Hans Christian Anderson and Walt Disney, who was so inspired by Tivoli that he returned home to create his own famous theme park in the US.
Tivoli’s oldest and most popular ride is a wooden rollercoaster dating from 1914, but, of course, it has more modern rides too, including the thrilling Demon and the adrenaline-inducing Fatamorgana.
You can buy fast-track admission-only tickets, or go the full hog with an unlimited ride ticket and really make the most of your day.
Linnanmäki park, Helsinki, Finland
Finland’s oldest amusement park, Linnanmäki can easily be reached by tram (route #3) from Helsinki’s central station.
It has more than 40 rides, including the stomach-churning Kirnu rollercoaster which spins you round at speeds of around 60km/hr and a scream-inducing free-fall tower, which drops riders suddenly from a height of 75 metres.
Linnanmäki is unusual in that it’s owned by the Children’s Day Foundation and all its profits go children’s welfare charities – so you can have fun and do good at the same time! Admission to the park is free (some of the young children’s attractions are free too) – you only pay for the rides.
Moominworld, near Turku, Finland
Ok, so it may not have the scariest rides, but it’s certainly the quirkiest and most Finnish of theme parks – and anyone with children won’t want to pass up a trip to Moominworld.
Based on the island of Naantali, near Turku, this low-key theme park is dedicated to the fictional Moomin characters, created by Tove Jansson.
Kids can hug cuddly Moomins, play in the Moomin house, go on a nature trail and watch puppet shows and theatre performance based on the books.
The park is open all summer, some autumn weekends, and one week in February, and admission tickets include entrance to theatre performances and attractions.
Hunderfossen, Lillehammer, Norway
One of Norway’s most popular visitor attractions, Hunderfossen is known as the fairytale park, with rides and attractions based on Norwegian folk tales.
You can travel through a huge fairytale castle, climb inside a 14 metre-high troll, explore a fairytale cave and brave the scary Troll Drop. There’s also white-river rafting, fairy-tale shows, a children’s farm and mini snowmobile rides (in winter).
Tusenfryd, Vinterbro, Norway
Some 20km south of Oslo, Tusenfryd is Norway’s largest amusement park. It has some pretty hair-raising rides, such as the SpeedMonster, which accelerates from 0–90km/hr in 2 seconds.
Water-based attractions include the white-river rapid Ragnarok ride, the Supersplash rollercoaster with one of the world’s steepest water drops, and a trip down the BadeFryd river on an inflatable ring (summer only).
Bus #505 (free for Oslo Pass holders) runs from the centre of Oslo to Tusenfryd.
Which Scandinavian theme park is your favourite?
From historic city amusement parks and world-famous Lego attractions to quirky Moomin adventures and family-friendly resorts on Gotland, Scandinavia offers far more theme park fun than many visitors expect. Have a favourite Scandinavian theme park? Let us know in the comments below.
See also:
Visiting Legoland from Copenhagen
Moomin attractions in Finland
10 of the coolest, wackiest Airbnbs in Scandinavia
