Galactica queue times
Galactica at Alton Towers averages 32 minutes. It is shortest at 7pm and worst at 4pm. It has run 89% of the park's opening hours recently.
Galactica queue times, day by day
Galactica over recent weeks
Typical waits from this ride's own recorded readings
Galactica has averaged about 32 minutes of queue across its recorded readings, peaking around 42 minutes, with the longest queues near 4pm, and the shortest near 7pm. Pick a date below to see that day minute by minute.
Galactica queue times by hour
Average wait by hour
Across the last 28 days · minutes
Galactica peaks at 5pm with 43 minutes, and is at its shortest at 10am with 20. Riding it at the right hour saves 23 minutes on a single ride.
Best time to ride Galactica
Best time to ride
Galactica averages 20 minutes at 10am against 43 at the 5pm peak - 23 minutes for turning up at the right hour. The longest queue it has ever held is 85 minutes.
Galactica by day of the week
Average wait by day
14 days with a recorded queue
- Mon22m
- Tue22m
- Wed17m
- Thu21m
- Fri50m
- Sat57m
- Sun34m
Wednesday is the quietest day for Galactica, at 17 minutes against 57 on Saturday.
Does Galactica break down?
Uptime and closures
90% of opening hours · 14 days recorded
Running 90% of the minutes Alton Towers was open, across the last 14 recorded days.
Last 14 days uptime
- 80%
- 98%
- 94%
- 99%
- 92%
- 93%
- 89%
- 100%
- 99%
- 32%
- 99%
- 94%
- 86%
- 93%
Galactica ran 90% of Alton Towers's opening hours across 14 recorded days. It ran without a recorded stop on Sunday 4 Oct.
Longest Galactica queues on record
Peaks in the last 14 days
Every one a real date · tap through to that day
- 1Saturday 26 Sept85m
- 2Saturday 3 Oct80m
- 3Friday 25 Sept70m
- 4Friday 2 Oct70m
- 5Sunday 20 Sept55m
- 6Sunday 27 Sept50m
- 7Monday 21 Sept40m
- 8Thursday 24 Sept40m
The worst queue recorded for Galactica was 85 minutes on Saturday 26 Sept.
Galactica through the year
All-time average by month
From this ride's own recorded readings · minutes
Queue times are the figures Alton Towers publishes for this ride, recorded every few minutes through the park's own opening hours. The hourly pattern is this ride's own last 28 days; the day-by-day rail is its last 14 days. Uptime is the share of the park's operating minutes the ride was running.
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About Galactica
Galactica is a flying coaster at Alton Towers, originally opened in 2002 as Air and rebranded in 2016 with a VR overlay (the VR was later retired). Riders are loaded vertically, then rotated face-down for a smooth, low-G flight through the Forbidden Valley landscape. The ride uses a Bolliger and Mabillard layout, the same manufacturer behind Nemesis next door. Three minutes from station to station with a top speed of 47 mph.
Galactica's queue typically stays moderate even on busy days because its hourly throughput is high. Mid-morning and late afternoon are best for short waits. Check the live wait time before crossing the park - the walk from the entrance can take fifteen minutes, longer than the queue itself on quiet days.
Galactica has averaged about 32 minutes of wait over recent weeks, and is typically busiest around 4pm and quietest around 7pm. Over the last two weeks it has been open around 89% of the park's operating hours. It's typically quietest on Wednesdays and busiest on Saturdays.
Frequently asked
What's the current wait time for Galactica?
The live wait time for Galactica at Alton Towers is shown at the top of this page and refreshed directly from the park's own ride system. Check live Galactica queue times.
Is Galactica open right now?
The live status badge at the top of this page shows whether Galactica is open or closed right now - it updates automatically from Alton Towers's own ride system. Over the last couple of weeks, Galactica has been open around 89% of Alton Towers's operating hours. You can also see the live status of every ride at Alton Towers.
What's the best time of day to ride Galactica?
Based on historical queue time data, Galactica is typically quietest around 7pm. For most rides the queue is shortest in the first hour after the park opens and the last hour before it closes, with midday through mid-afternoon the busiest window.
What is the best day to ride Galactica?
Galactica is usually quietest on Wednesdays, and busiest on Saturdays based on recent weeks - visit on a Wednesday for shorter waits.
How long is the queue for Galactica usually?
Over recent weeks, Galactica has averaged about 32 minutes, with queues usually longest around 4pm. Wait times usually build through the morning, peak from midday to mid-afternoon, then ease off before close. Weekends and school holidays run noticeably longer than quiet weekdays. This page shows today's live wait time, the day's average, hourly breakdowns and the full history of peak queues for Galactica at Alton Towers.
Is Galactica often closed or broken down?
Over the last two weeks, Galactica has been running about 89% of the time. We track Galactica's uptime and downtime automatically - see the "Reliability" and "Downtime History" panels on this page for its full record over the last 30 days, including any current closures and how long they've lasted.
Where can I find Galactica at Alton Towers?
Galactica is at Alton Towers - see the park map and full ride list for its exact location. The Alton Towers page also shows which rides nearby have the shortest queues right now.
Can I get queue time alerts for Galactica?
Yes - create a free alert and we'll notify you when Galactica's wait time drops below your chosen threshold (for example, "tell me when Galactica is under 20 minutes"). Great for timing your sprint from across the park.