Top 10 coaster reasons to visit Sweden
Following on from my cold and calculated list of top ten countries for coasters, I thought it would be good to follow up with some warm and fuzzy (weather permitting) examples of the actual coasters that each one has to offer, a top ten within a top ten as it were.
As home to my current favourite coaster and park, there won’t be much surprise in how most of this list turns out. Like Spain it’s actually a hard one to do as Sweden’s strength is in its consistency of ride quality and there really isn’t that much to choose from, with most being spread across just a handful of parks. I learnt today that there’s a lot of Wacky Worms outside the big 3 parks, a project for the future no doubt, but in the meantime here’s their most interesting, unique and enjoyable rollercoasters – probably with favouritism, it can’t be helped.
Which all means I’m stretching a bit to start here. Sweden’s only powered coaster? Not much of a claim. It does have a charming indoor section with some unusual decoration though. A solid and unique family coaster.
I didn’t think much of this Gerstlauer Bobsled but it is a custom layout and has the potential for some good interaction with neighbouring Jetline. As a bonus bit of intrigue they like to play POVs of rides from around the world on queueline TVs – I do like a bit of fan service.
And here’s that neighbour. It’s had an interesting history, with almost too many manufacturers getting involved. Designed by Schwarzkopf, made by Zierer, built by BHS and modified by Maurer – there’s plenty of claims for the spreadsheet you can worm around there. It lacks a bit of punch in comparison to the Swedish brother further down the list and this is likely due to location constraints, but those limitations make the visual spectacle fascinating all by itself.
Pure one of a kind. An S&S Free Fly with winged seats that freely rotate around an entirely different axis to what you’d usually find on Free Spins and more famously the 4D coasters. If you enjoy trying new models and any sense of completionism then this is definitely one to make the effort for. Tranan does feel like a prototype/proof of concept as it doesn’t do a huge amount with this special technology, I’m a little sad that it hasn’t been taken any further as of yet.
Though admittedly my least favourite coaster from the Gravity Group, it’s still a great little woodie and reason enough to go to Gröna Lund on its own. If anything it will give you a greater sense of appreciation for how many sensations the manufacturer is able to create from so little potential energy. Like Tranan, a taster of better things to come.
The announcement of any new B&M dive coasters has almost become a bit of an eye roll moment for enthusiasts and I have to admit I’m guilty of the same mindset. It’s a very predictable ride type which, while amazing for local patrons to experience for the first time, once you’ve done one you feel like you’ve done them all.
In spite of all that Valkyria to me is the best B&M dive in the world and I was beyond happy with the result. It feels different. It moves with purpose throughout the layout. It looks fantastic. Even if you’ve done all the others, you need this one.
This ride still blows my mind every time I see and ride it. The efficiency and amount of trains it runs is sheer delight, but it’s the landscaping, terrain and interaction that really make it a world class attraction. There’s just nothing else out there like it. Visit Sweden specifically for this hillside.
Tons of airtime, one of only 4 Intamin prefab woodies in the world. What more reason do you need?
Location, location, location. While I’m not Wildfire’s biggest fan, entirely due to what I feel like is a bit of wasted potential, RMCs feel like that new set that is both reasonably achievable and that everyone wants to finish. And rightly so. Even the worst of them is incredible.
Forget everything you read above. Visit Sweden for the next level of rollercoasters. Here’s why.