The excitement of running around with friends and enjoying gravity-defying rides is second to none – even queuing to get on the rides is fun. Alton Towers is a great day out for the whole family, so why not take your little ones there as a special treat?

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The amusement park boasts over 40 rides plus 10 themed-areas, with something to entertain everyone, from thrill-seeking teenagers to tiny tots. There’s The Smiler with 14 loops, Oblivion with its tell-tale vertical drop, and Wicker Man which is the latest wooden rollercoaster in the UK.

Then there’s the In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride for youngsters who are a long way off the height restrictions. And remember, under threes go for free at Alton Towers. Alton Towers launched The World of David Walliams in 2021, which is inspired by David Walliams's books like Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy.

It also expanded CBeebies Land in 2022 with new attractions including Hey Duggee's Big Adventure Badge and Andy's Adventures Dinosaur Dig, plus, there's the chance to meet Bluey at CBeebies Land this Easter.

Aside from the main theme park, there's also the waterpark which has water canons, slides, coasters and flumes which are sure to be loved by all, as well as garden space to enjoy a picnic.

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Feeling inspired to take a trip? Here’s how you can get cheap Alton Towers tickets.

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The RadioTimes.com team know a thing or two about bagging cheap tickets. Just take a look at our how to get cheap concert tickets and how to get cheap football tickets guides.

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How to get cheap Alton Towers tickets

We’ve put together this guide to help you buy Alton Towers tickets for as cheaply as possible, and we also have some tips and tricks for keeping the cost down when buying tickets in general. Let’s take a look.

Planning ahead is key. For Alton Towers and other theme parks like Thorpe Park, buying tickets online is a lot cheaper than turning up on the day. So, if you’re able to plan a day out in advance, we recommend doing so.

Also, have a think about what you’d like out of the day. At Alton Towers, you can choose between a theme park day pass, a water park day pass, and a crazy golf game. When you buy in advance online, the theme park pass will set you back £29, whereas the water park pass is slightly cheaper from £17.50 for annual pass holders, and the crazy golf pass is even cheaper still from £6 for annual passholders.

Read the offers below. Not to toot our own horn, but we have found some pretty great deals that will help you get cheap Alton Towers tickets.

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Based near London? Find out how to get cheap Thorpe Park tickets and how to get cheap theatre tickets.

Best Alton Towers deals at a glance:

Best Alton Towers discounts and offers for 2024

Save almost £40 on Alton Towers tickets

save on alton towers day pass
Congo River Rapids. Alton Towers Resort

We know how difficult it can be to get your kids organised — even getting them ready for school on time is no mean feat! However, if you are able to plan your Alton Towers trip in advance, we strongly recommend doing so as it will save you some pennies.

Buying an Alton Towers theme park day pass on the door (or the large theme park gate) will set you back £68, whereas purchasing them online will save you over half the price at £29 each.

Buy an Alton Towers day ticket for £68 £29 (save £39 or 49%) at Alton Towers

Alton Towers would make a brilliant day out during half term — for more inspiration, take a look at the best UK family days out.

Save 28% on Alton Towers water park tickets

alton towers waterpark save
The water park. Alton Towers Resort

If water activities are more you and your family's bag, why not swap the theme park for the water park? It's jam-packed with water rides and slides for all ages.

Entry into the water park will cost £24 on the day, and you can get in from only £18 if you book online in advance. That’s a decent saving of £6.

Buy an Alton Towers water park ticket for £24 £18 (save £6 or 28%) at Alton Towers

Unsure if a theme park would make a good Mother's Day gift? Take a look at more traditional activities like spa days and afternoon tea in our Mother's Day experiences and gifts guide.

Save 47% on Alton Towers day tickets, plus flexible booking

how to get cheap Alton Towers tickets
daysout.com

You are always going to save when it comes to buying tickets in advance versus getting hold of them on the day you need them. Just bear in mind that with this deal, there are peak times when prices may be slightly higher, like on bank holidays – if you can avoid these days, do. Having said that, we've never seen a price spike of more than £10.

One of the reasons we love this deal from daysout.com is that it has flexible booking, so if your plans change you won't lose out on money or on your day out. It's easy to exchange dates on the website, just remember that you need to exchange your ticket at least 24 hours before the date of your original booking.

Buy Alton Towers day pass tickets for £68 £36 (save £32 or 47%) with flexible booking at daysout.co.uk

Discounted Alton Towers tickets with Tesco Clubcard

how to get bluey at cbeebies land tickets 2024
Bespoke Bluey Illustration - Alton Towers Resort - CBeebies Land Bespoke Bluey Ilustration - Alton Towers Resort - CBeebies Land

Like with Thorpe Park, you can get discounted tickets to Alton towers with Tesco Clubcard. It works like this: scanning your Clubcard generates points, and you can convert these points into Tesco Reward Partners vouchers. In this particular offer, you get double the vouchers’ face value to use on tickets. For example, £5 in points is £10 worth of vouchers.

For more great savings, here's how to get cheap cinema tickets and how to get cheap concert tickets.

Get over 200 days' entry with the Merlin Annual Pass

The Merlin Annual Pass gives you access to some of the UK's biggest attractions, including Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. With prices starting at £99 you can get the Discovery Pass, which gives you over 200 days entry to any of the attractions available. Or, you can upgrade to the Silver, Gold, or Platinum passes, which give you 300, 340 and 364 days respectively, and extra perks like free parking and a discount on fast track vouchers.

Get over 200 days' entry with the Merlin Annual Pass

For more information on this magical pass, take a look at our What is a Merlin Pass? guide.

Two-for-one on Alton Towers passes with National Rail

What's the deal: National Rail is offering two-for-one entry at top UK attractions, such as Alton Towers, when you travel by train.

Why we chose it: If you're planning on travelling to Alton Towers via train, this deal is a no brainer. Plus, accessing the two-for-one tickets couldn't be easier: simply choose an attraction, download and print the voucher or buy your tickets online, travel by train, and remember to present the voucher.

Two-for-one on Alton Towers passes with National Rail

Save 26% on Alton Towers tickets with Virgin Experience Days

alton towers virgin experience days merlin deal
Alton Towers via Virgin Experience Days Virgin Experience Days

What's the deal: Save £20 (or 26%) on Alton Towers when you buy tickets through Virgin Experience Days.
Why we chose it: The theme park is always upgrading its rides and activities to bring excitement to children of all ages. From Friday 15th March, you can now ride the infamous Nemesis Reborn in the deserted Phalanx, and, of course, everyone's favourite animated character Bluey is at CBeebies Land this Easter for meet and greets.

We also like shopping at Virgin Experience Days, as the site allows you to use your voucher from the moment you buy it up until later in the year. This particular voucher can be redeemed any time up until 23rd June 2024.

Buy two Alton Towers tickets for £78 £58 (save £20 or 26%) at Virgin Experience Days

For more information about this brilliant offer, take a look at the Merlin Virgin Experience Days deal guide.

Get £20 student tickets with Student Beans

What's the deal: Students can snag £20 tickets to Alton Towers – that's a saving of £15 on the online one day pass price. All you have to do is verify your student status with Student Beans and you're good to go.

Why we chose it: One of the biggest perks of being a student (aside from immersing yourself in the world of learning and going to cheap freshers events) is student discount. Getting a cheap Alton Towers ticket is a great way to de-stress after exams, so make the most of it while you can.

Get £20 student tickets with Student Beans

For top guides, such as best London experience gifts, great deals which see you bag tickets for less, like how to get cheap football tickets, and the latest ticket releases, like Twenty One Pilots tickets, stay up to date with our free Going Out newsletter.

How to travel to Alton Towers

how to travel to alton towers cheap tickets 2023 uk
ballyscanlon via Getty Images ballyscanlon via Getty Images

Speaking of National Rail, are you wondering what's the best way to travel to Alton Towers Resort? Well, let us enlighten you. As we mentioned earlier, the RadioTimes.com team would always prefer to catch public transport to places rather than drive as it avoids traffic jams and you can unwind on the journey, perhaps you could read a book (did you know we have a best Kindle deals guide?), listen to an audiobook (be sure to check out the top Audible deals for this month), or try to prevent the kids from picking on each other.

But is the cost of public transport cheaper than petrol? Well, with our how to get cheap train tickets article, we break down the best ways to travel for less, for example, buy a Railcard to save over 30 per cent of the overall price or book tickets in advance. To save money on Alton Towers tickets, we recommend buying in advance anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone and purchase train tickets at the same time?

The nearest train station to Alton Towers Resort is Uttoxeter station, which is just a 30-minute bus journey from the theme park.

Save up to 1/3 of the train fare with a Railcard

Is there parking at Alton Towers?

If you'd prefer to drive to Alton Towers, it's worth knowing where you'd park your car.

There is a car park at Alton Towers, and it's roughly a 15-minute walk to the main theme park entrance. Parking will set you back £10 for an all-day ticket, and there are a few ways you can purchase a ticket: on the Alton Towers website, through the Alton Towers Resort app, at the main theme park entrance, or at the Resort Box Office. Your ticket will be scanned when exiting the car park.

Buy a standard parking ticket for £10 at Alton Towers

Some unique days out for the family include ghost tours, and we've rounded up the best York ghost tours and the best Edinburgh ghost tours.

Can you do Alton Towers in one day?

If you live in the surrounding areas to Alton Towers, such as Stoke-On-Trent, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, we believe you'll have time to travel to and from Alton Towers, and experience it within a day.

If you live further afield, or perhaps you and your family would like to really make the most of the 40-plus rides and 10 themed areas, then we recommend booking an overnight stay.

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Looking for some experiences in the capital city? There are some great ones in our best escape rooms in London and best VR experiences in London guides. We also have our best West End shows and London walking tours recommendations.

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