Paultons Park
vs
Thorpe Park

On a typical day Paultons Park queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Thorpe Park, a difference of roughly 13 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now Compare other parks

01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Paultons Park and Thorpe Park compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Paultons ParkUnited Kingdom	Thorpe ParkUnited Kingdom
Average wait per ride	11 min (best of the two)	24 min
Rides with recorded waits	38 (best of the two)	21
Longest typical queue	Splash Lagoon20 min	Hyperia54 min
Shortest typical queue	Viking Boats5 min	Vortex5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	97% (best of the two)	85%

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Paultons Park and Thorpe Park compared on live queue times
Right now	Paultons ParkUnited Kingdom	Thorpe ParkUnited Kingdom
Average wait right now	-	-
Rides open	-	-
Opening hours today	-	-
Longest queue	-	-
Shortest queue	-	-

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Paultons Park queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Thorpe Park, a difference of roughly 13 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Paultons Park if…

You want shorter queues: Paultons Park averages 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Thorpe Park
You want more to do: 38 rides here have recorded wait data against 21 at Thorpe Park
You would rather not find rides shut: Paultons Park's rides run 97% of opening hours against 85% at Thorpe Park
Splash Lagoon is on your list - it is Paultons Park's longest typical queue at about 20 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Paultons Park's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Thorpe Park if…

You will accept a longer queue - 24 minutes a ride here against 11 at Paultons Park - for what Thorpe Park has that Paultons Park does not
Hyperia is on your list - it is Thorpe Park's longest typical queue at about 54 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Thorpe Park's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Paultons Park

Paultons Park is a family-focused theme park in Romsey, Hampshire, best known as the home of Peppa Pig World - the world's first Peppa Pig themed area. Beyond the preschool rides, the park also runs bigger attractions in its Lost Kingdom dinosaur land (Flight of the Pterosaur) and Tornado Springs (Storm Chaser, Cyclonator), giving it genuine appeal for older children as well as toddlers.

Paultons is compact, so queue times concentrate on a handful of headline rides rather than spreading across a huge line-up. Arrive at opening to knock out Peppa Pig World first (it builds up fastest), then work outwards. Check our live wait times before committing to the longest queues and use the crowd calendar to avoid peak school-holiday days.

Paultons Park live queue times

Thorpe Park

Thorpe Park is the UK's premier thrill-ride destination, sitting on a lake-filled 500-acre site in Chertsey, Surrey. Owned by Merlin Entertainments, the park is built around adrenaline: Stealth rockets from 0 to 80 mph in under two seconds, Hyperia stands as Britain's tallest and fastest rollercoaster at 236 feet, and Nemesis Inferno, Saw and Colossus round out one of the most coaster-heavy line-ups in Europe.

Queue times at Thorpe Park swing dramatically with the seasons - quiet in spring and on weekdays, extremely busy during Fright Nights in October and summer weekends. Check live queue times before your ride priorities, and use the crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit if you want to hit every major coaster in a single day.

Thorpe Park live queue times

05 · Questions

Paultons Park or Thorpe Park?

Which is better, Paultons Park or Thorpe Park?

If you are judging on queues, Paultons Park: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 24 at Thorpe Park, roughly 13 minutes back on every queue you join. Paultons Park has 38 rides with recorded waits against 21 at Thorpe Park. Paultons Park also runs its rides more reliably - 97% of opening hours against 85%.

Which has shorter queues, Paultons Park or Thorpe Park?

Paultons Park, by about 13 minutes a ride. On a typical day Paultons Park averages 11 minutes against 24 at Thorpe Park. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Paultons Park best time to visit and Thorpe Park best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Paultons Park and Thorpe Park in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United Kingdom, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Paultons Park and Thorpe Park for the full ride lists.

Is Paultons Park bigger than Thorpe Park?

By rides we track waits for, Paultons Park is the bigger day out: 38 rides against 21. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Paultons Park is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Paultons Park calendar Thorpe Park calendar Compare other parks