The 24 Best Theme Parks in the World

Theme parks rank among the premier tourist destinations of all and their appeal, needless to say, isn’t limited to youngsters: plenty of grownups are just as enthusiastic about the rides, immersive experiences, live performances, character meet-and-greets and all the other sundry attractions on offer at these self-contained vacationlands.

Knowing which of the seemingly countless theme park options is the best for you and your trip can be a daunting task. Luckily we've detailed 24 of the best theme parks in the world for you to learn about and hopefully make an informed choice for your theme park trip. Remember, as a AAA member, you can save on your theme park adventure by purchasing your tickets through AAA Tickets.

Courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort

The long-anticipated Universal Epic Universe opened within Universal Orlando in 2025 and it hosts a bevy of exclusive attractions within its four themed lands: Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic and How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. From the Fantastic Beasts live performances of Le Cirque Arcanus to such rides as Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, Harry Potter & the Battle at the Ministry and Dragon Racer’s Rally, there’s already much to explore at Epic Universe, with additional attractions likely in the offing as this new theme park continues to spread its wings.

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EPCOT, the second theme park to open at Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, was originally envisioned by Walt Disney as the “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” and has since become one of the most visited parks in the world. Divided into four neighborhoods, including World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature and World Showcase, EPCOT is best known for its seasonal festivals that bring fresh experiences throughout the year. Guests can admire vibrant topiaries and gardens during the International Flower & Garden Festival, sample global flavors at the International Food & Wine Festival, enjoy creative displays at the Festival of the Arts and explore holiday traditions at the Festival of the Holidays. The park also features popular attractions such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the reimagined Test Track and the iconic Spaceship Earth, making EPCOT a destination that blends culture, innovation and celebration.

Roller Coaster Philosophy / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

No amusement park in the world can lay claim to as many roller coasters as Six Flags Magic Mountain, which boasts no fewer than 20 of them. Opened back in 1971 and acquired by Six Flags in ‘79, Magic Mountain, located in Valencia, California, offers such rides as X2, Full Throttle, Tatsu, Goliath, Twisted Colossus, Batman: The Ride and Wonder Woman Flight of Courage and is set to debut a Vekoma Thrill Glider coaster in the near future.

CrispyCream27 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

The first theme park in the now-globe-spanning Universal Destinations & Experiences family, Universal Studios Hollywood has its roots in the sightseeing tours of the working backlot of Universal Studios that kicked off back in 1915. The world-famous Studio Tour is still the linchpin attraction, a tram ride showing off sets and setpieces from such films as Psycho, The Sting and Back to the Future and amping up the adrenaline with such thrill-style highlights as King Kong: 360 3-D, a flash flood and a splashy callback to Jaws.

But there’s much more to experience here at “The Entertainment Capital of LA,” including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and rides such as Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and The Simpsons Ride. And the theme park is also well known for its Halloween Horror Nights seasonal attraction—not for the faint of heart.

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Opened in 2001 as the second theme park at Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort, Disney California Adventure ranks high on any list of U.S. family vacation destinations. It is spread across eight themed lands: Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, Avengers Campus, Paradise Gardens, Hollywood Land, San Fransokyo Square, Pixar Pier and Grizzly Peak. Landmarks include Grizzly Peak itself as well as the Pixar Pal-A-Round, backdropping rides such as Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, Web-Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, Toy Story Midway Mania and Grizzly River Run.

Other attractions here include the hands-on Animation Academy and the interactive Turtle Talk With Crush theater presentation.

Courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Islands of Adventure expanded Universal Orlando Resort back in 1999, but it got a notable boost more than a decade later with the addition of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, an inaugural launch of the Harry Potter-themed attractions that subsequently spread across Universal Orlando. And, indeed, that boy-wizard world’s the setting for several of the theme park’s standout rides, including Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and the Hogwarts Express. However, the park is also home to other notable attractions, such as Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Jurassic Park River Adventure and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.

Courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort

Opened in 1971, Magic Kingdom is split between six lands: Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Liberty Square and Main Street, USA. From The Hall of the Presidents to the Country Bear Musical Jamboree, its attractions are legendary and so are the rides, which include Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World, The Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Studios Florida opened in 1990 as the first component of Universal Orlando Resort, with none other than famed director Steven Spielberg consulting on ride design in the early days.The park offers different themed lands including World Expo, DreamWorks Land, Hollywood, San Francisco, London/Diagon Alley, New York, Minion Land on Illumination Avenue, Springfield and World Expo, all surrounding a central lagoon. The attractions and rides covering a large territory, with highlights including the Revenge of the Mummy coaster, Harry Potter & the Escape From Gringotts, Men in Black: Alien Attack, Hogwarts Express and such live performances as The Bourne Stuntacular, Olliwander’s Wand Shop and Universal Orlando’s Horror Makeup Show.

As with the California location, Universal Studios Florida also presents one of the nation’s best-known Halloween attractions: Halloween Horror Nights.

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Both a major zoo and a major theme park, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has been one of Florida’s premier tourist attractions since the late 1950s. A couple of hundred species of animals are represented here, from African lions, giraffes, tigers, hippos, meerkats and kangaroos to Nile crocodiles and the many different feathered denizens of the Bird Gardens.

Encompassing such themed lands as Jungala, Nairobi, Stanleyville, Congo, Edge of Africa and Sesame Street Safari of Fun, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is just as notable for its rides, not least such standout roller coasters as Montu—among the fastest and tallest inverted coasters in the world—and one of the two very tallest hybrid wooden/steel coasters, Iron Gwazi, which is also the fastest of its kind. The Serengeti Express and the Skyride provide unique transport around the park.

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Another of the world-famous theme parks at Walt Disney World in Florida, Disney’s Hollywood Studios takes full advantage of the Walt Disney Company’s vast trove of characters, stories and franchises across its themed areas: Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Echo Lake, Grand Avenue, Animation Courtyard and Toy Story Land. Anchored by such as landmarks as the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre replica and Hollywood Tower Hotel, the park offers a variety of first-class rides—including The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (within the Hollywood Tower Hotel), Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad and also puts on lavish, crowd-pleasing live shows such as Beauty in the Beast Live on Stage and The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.

Roving street performers and a packed calendar of events such as Star Wars Weekends and Disney Jollywood Nights are other draws at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort

The only Disney park to be designed under Walt Disney’s watch, Disneyland in Anaheim, California established the theme-park blueprint when it opened back in 1955. And it remains one of the most-visited of any. Along with the centerpiece of Sleeping Beauty Castle, its attractions include legendary vintage rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure as well as newer experiences such as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and the rides of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the latest of Disneyland’s nine themed zones.

The park’s long-running transportation options, which include the Disneyland Railroad and Disneyland Monorail, are just about as iconic as any of its rides.

Canada’s Wonderland / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

Only Six Flags Magic Mountain and Energylandia boast more roller coasters than Canada’s Wonderland, one of North America’s top theme parks. Located in the Toronto metro area, this is a seasonal park, open for the warmer months. Among its 18 coasters are AlpenFury, Ghost Coaster, Leviathan, Flight Deck, Vortex and Yukon Striker, the longest, fastest and among the tallest dive coasters on the planet.

Canada’s Wonderland also encompasses the Splash Works waterpark, as well as special children’s areas such as Planet Snoopy and a variety of sound, light and stunt shows.

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Among the very oldest amusement parks in the world, Denmark’s Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843 in the heart of Copenhagen and remains one of Europe’s top attractions. Its rides include some stone-cold classics of the historical (and still delightful) variety—the Rutschebaren wooden roller coaster, Animal Carousel and Dragon Boats among them. However, there are also modern adrenaline-pumping setups such as The Demon roller coaster, Fatamorgana, The Star Flyer, Tik Tak and The Golden Tower.

Throw in numerous restaurants, live-performance facilities such as the Tivoli Concert Hall and Glass Hall Theater and a variety of holiday and other seasonal festivities and it’s safe to say Tivoli Gardens still very much holds its own in the theme-park department.

Fry72, Karel Frydrýšek / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

Set in Zator, Poland, roughly an hour from the capital city of Krakow, Energylandia stands among the best theme parks in the world for roller-coaster fanatics: You’ll find nearly 20 at this place, rivaling Six Flags Magic Mountain. Among them are some genuinely superlative contraptions, including the soaring Hyperion, better than 250 feet tall and Zadra, which along with Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is the loftiest of all hybrid wooden/steel coasters. Supporting a variety of other rides and attractions ranging from Splash Battle, Jeep Safari and the Fairy-Tale Carousel to The Golden Mine Ride, Monster Attack and The Formula Autodrome, Energylandia offers a lot of bang for your buck.

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One of the most venerable still-operating theme parks—and also the biggest in the Netherlands and among the most popular in all of Europe—Efteling dates back to the 1950s and manages to celebrate its whimsical past while keeping offerings fresh and exciting as well. The 180-acre, beautifully landscaped park puts Dutch and European folklore front and center, but there’s also plenty of diversity. Five realms—Travel, Fairy, Adventure, Other and Fantasy—compose the spread, which includes such attractions and rides as the (time-honored) Fairytale Forest, The Flying Dutchman, Piraña, The House of the Five Senses, Danse Macabre and Fata Morgana.

Jeremy Bolwell / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

Established on the grounds of a former private country estate in Staffordshire, England, Alton Towers opened as a theme park in 1980 and remains among the most lauded in Europe. Its sprawling, roughly 900-acre layout includes some unique features, given the historical property, including the tranquil haven of The Gardens (a nice visit in between thrill rides). And some top-tier roller coasters await your ridership, including the first dive coaster in the world (Oblivion), the inaugural Bolliger and Mabillard flying coaster (Galactica) and the impressive wooden coaster called Wicker Man.

Other attractions at Alton Towers include the Curse at Alton Manor dark ride, the Nemesis Sub Terra drop tower, Hex – The Legend of the Towers, Battle Galleons and the Sharkbait Reef aquarium.

Partonez / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

What this German theme park, opened in 1967, lacks in size it more than makes up for in terms of thoughtful design, top-notch rides and other attractions and excellent food and drink (including, of course, some highly quaffable German beer). Located in Brühl, Rhineland, within shouting distance of Cologne, Phantasialand includes several distinct zones such as the industrial steampunk realm of Theme World Rooksburgh, Theme World Mystery (hosting the medieval village of Klugheim), Theme World Berlin (encompassing the impressive Kaiserplatz) and the children-oriented Theme World Fantasy, featuring Lake Mondsee and the Wuze folk.

Some excellent rides are part of Phantasialand’s appeal, including Taron, Black Mamba, Maus au Chocolat, F.L.Y., River Quest and Colorado Adventure, backed up by live shows and other immersive experiences.

Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

Germany’s biggest theme park is regularly ranked as one of the very best not only in Europe, but anywhere in the world. It’s a Disney rival that nods to that entertainment-resort juggernaut here and there in design and experience. Sprawling Europa-Park in Rusk gives you almost two dozen European countries for the price of admission, given its themed areas are meant to evoke different nations: from Italy, France and Switzerland to Russia, Liechtenstein, Ireland and Croatia, with rides, attractions, architecture and cuisine striving to evoke each destination and culture. (And fear not: Germany’s among the countries represented.)

Europa-Park plays host to a number of fabulous roller coasters, including Silver Star and the Blue Fire Megacoaster, as well as many other thrill and family rides, among them Jungfrau Glacier Flight, Pirates of Batavia, Crazy Taxi, Whale Adventures – Northern Lights, Tiroler Log Flume, Danube Steamer and Fjord-Rafting.

Roller Coaster Philosophy, Jeremy Thompson / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

Situated in Yongin, South Korea, outside of Seoul, Everland is popular among both domestic and international visitors for its wide array of attractions. Its themed areas include Global Fair, American Adventure, Magic Land, Zootopia and European Adventure and among its rides, which also include Safari World and Amazon Express, the park boasts an internationally celebrated wooden roller coaster, T Express, one of the longest and tallest of its kind on the globe.

From the live animals on display in Zootopia to K-Pop Hologram and the Caribbean Bay waterpark, Everland covers quite a bit of thematic ground and is also known for its seasonal celebrations, not least the thronged springtime Tulip Festival.

MasaneMiyaPA / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

Opened in 2016 in China’s biggest city, Shanghai Disneyland, suitably enough, claims the largest of all Disney castles: the Enchanted Storybook Castle. Its operating motto “Authentically Disney, Distinctly Chinese” describes the blend of classic Disney theme-park attractions and nods to Chinese culture, including the central landmark of the Gardens of Imagination. Rides include the TRON Lightcycle Power Run, Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, Roaring Rapids and Soaring Over the Horizon.

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This spectacular, nautically focused attraction at Tokyo Disney Resort easily ranks among the top theme parks in the world. Situated just outside Japan’s capital city, Tokyo DisneySea delights with its diverse ports-of-call and themed lands, which include Mediterranean Harbor (the park’s gateway), Mermaid Lagoon, Lost River Delta, Arabian Coast, American Waterfront, Port Discovery, Fantasy Springs (opened in 2024) and Mysterious Island (lorded over by Tokyo DisneySea’s chief landmark, Mount Prometheus).

You’ll enjoy celebrations of cherished Disney stories ranging from The Little Mermaid and Aladdin to Finding Nemo and Frozen here, with rides including Journey to the Center of the Earth, Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Jasmine’s Flying Circus, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull and Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage. Other highlights include Mediterranean Harbor’s Venice-inspired gondolas and the Mermaid Lagoon Theater.

Tokumeigakarinoaoshima / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

The first Universal Studios attraction to open outside of the United States, Universal Studios Japan also ranks near the very top when it comes to the world’s most popular theme parks. Located in Osaka, the park includes such themed areas as Hollywood, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Wonderland and Super Nintendo World and it has its share of showstopper rides, among them Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic Park: The Ride, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Jaws and Flight of the Hippogriff.

Other Universal Studios Japan attractions include Hello Kitty’s Ribbon Collection, Elmo’s Bubble Bubble, WaterWorld and the rather delightful, Beetlejuice-hosted Universal Monster Live Rock & Roll Show (which formerly played at both the Florida and California Universal Studios resorts).

Fred Cherrygarden / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

Mirroring such iconic destinations as Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland—a companion attraction to Tokyo DisneySea, another no-brainer on this list—was the first Disney park opened outside of the U.S. and in terms of attendance, it typically lands within the five top theme parks in the world. Its themed lands include World Bazaar, Toontown, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Westernland, Tomorrowland and Critter Country. Some of the park's high-profile rides are Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin.

Stdragon04 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA

For fans of auto racing and Italian sports cars, no theme park checks all the boxes quite like Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, located on Jas Island in the United Arab Emirates capital. As the name suggests, the park is inspired by Ferrari and among its arsenal of roller coasters, including Mission Ferrari, Flying Aces, Fiorano GT Challenge, etc., is the fastest in the world: the legendary Formula Rossa, which reaches roughly 150 miles per hour.

Other Ferrari World Abu Dhabi rides and experiences include Tyre Change, Turbo Towers and Viaggio in Italia.

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