The Welsh theme park ranked one of the best-value visitor attractions in the UK

A new study has revealed the UK’s best-value theme parks – with a visitor attraction in Wales ranking in the top 10.

For the owners of The Dinosaur Park in Tenby there was much to celebrate as the park ranked sixth in the best-value list in the UK.

The research revealed the family theme parks offering the best value for money, as families look for affordable days out following Rachel Reeves’ announcement of a temporary VAT cut for attractions this summer.

The Chancellor has announced that VAT on attractions such as theme parks, zoos and museums will be temporarily reduced from 20% to 5% over the summer. With this in mind, the research analysed 47 theme parks across the UK to determine which provides visitors with the best experience for the most affordable price.

The study looked at four main factors: day ticket prices, annual pass prices, number of rides and number of attractions. These were then combined to create an overall value score out of 100, revealing which theme parks offer visitors the best value for money across the UK.

Woodlands Family Theme Park topped the rankings as the UK’s best value theme park, with a score of 72.45. The Dartmouth park has a combination of affordable day tickets, priced at £18.00, and a substantial offering of 18 rides and 29 attractions. Its annual pass costs £99.00, helping it perform strongly for both one-off visitors and families who may return more than once.

Gulliver’s World in Warrington secured the second-best spot with a score of 70.54. The park offers day tickets at £26.00 and has 32 rides, one of the highest ride counts in the top 10. It also features 20 attractions and an annual pass priced at £99.00.

Twinlakes Family Theme Park in Melton Mowbray ranked third, with a score of 70.03. The park offers 25 rides and 22 attractions, while day tickets cost £21.95. Its annual pass is priced at £89.95, keeping it competitive for families who may want to visit several times across the year.

Alton Towers Resort placed fourth with a score of 69.87. While its day ticket price of £35.00 is higher than several other parks in the top 10, it offers 40 rides, the highest number in the study. Its annual pass price of £64.00 also helped boost its overall value score.

Crocky Trail in Waverton rounded out the top five with a score of 68.37. The park has one of the cheapest day tickets in the top 10, at £16.00, and offers 31 attractions, the highest attraction count in the full ranking. Although it has just six rides, its low entry price and wide attraction offering helped secure its position.

The Dinosaur Park in Tenby ranked sixth, with a score of 66.53. The park offers day tickets at £19.95 and features 12 rides and 26 attractions. Its annual pass price of £50.00 is also one of the lowest in the top 10.

Gulliver’s Land in Milton Keynes placed seventh with a score of 65.84. The park has 25 rides and 24 attractions, offering one of the strongest overall activity counts among the highest-ranking parks. Day tickets cost £29.00, while annual passes are priced at £99.00.

Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea ranked eighth, scoring 63.63. The park offers 33 rides, the second-highest number in the full study, alongside day tickets priced at £25.00. Its annual pass costs £50.00, making it a strong option for repeat visitors.

Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park in North Stainley took ninth place with a score of 62.55. The park offers 28 rides and 12 attractions, with day tickets priced at £24.50 and annual passes at £89.00.

The Web Adventure Park in Wigginton completed the top 10, with a score of 62.44. It has the lowest day ticket price in the ranking, at £12.50, as well as 11 rides and 15 attractions. Its annual pass price of £49.95 also makes it one of the cheapest parks for repeat visits.

A spokesperson at Sudoku Bliss, who carried out the research, commented on the findings: “Rachel Reeves’ VAT cut could be good news for families planning a day out this summer. Theme parks can get expensive very quickly once you add up tickets, travel, food and anything extra children ask for once they are there.

“But even with lower VAT, families will still want to know they are getting enough for what they pay. A cheaper ticket is helpful, but it does not always mean better value if there are only a few rides or attractions included.

“Woodlands Family Theme Park is a good example of a park that performs well without being one of the most obvious names. It offers a strong number of attractions, a reasonable day ticket price and enough variety to help families feel like they are getting a full day out.

“Some of the bigger parks still have a lot to offer, especially when it comes to ride numbers, but families may also be paying more for the name, the location or the scale of the park. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make it worth checking what is actually included before booking.

“With the VAT cut in place this summer, many families may be tempted to book a day out while prices are lower. The best thing to do is look past the headline ticket price and compare how many rides and attractions are included, especially when travelling with children of different ages.”

Methodology:

A list of 47 UK theme parks was analysed to determine which offer the best value for money in 2026.

Data was gathered for four factors to determine the ranking. Each factor and its corresponding weighting are listed below:

Number of rides: 30%
Number of attractions: 25%
Day ticket price: 30%
Annual pass price: 15%
Each theme park was scored out of a maximum of 100 points based on these four factors. Parks with a higher number of rides and attractions scored more highly, while parks with lower day ticket and annual pass prices also received higher scores.

Where a park sells multiple annual or season passes, the cheapest individual pass that gives repeat entry was used. Premium add-ons, family bundles, hotel packages and multi-attraction passes were excluded where a more directly comparable park-specific pass was available.

Where no directly comparable individual annual pass was found, this field was left blank and given a score of 0, to avoid rewarding parks for a product visitors cannot buy.

The final ranking was created using min-max normalisation, with each park receiving a score for every factor before the weighted scores were combined into an overall index score out of 100.

Theme park prices can change depending on booking date, promotions, visitor age and ticket type. The study uses the cheapest broadly available adult or standard day ticket benchmark found for 2026. Ride and attraction counts may also change during the season due to closures, refurbishments or new openings