Grona Lund is the oldest amusement park in all
of Sweden. This park has a beautiful location in Stockholm, but it has barely any land to work
with. It is tiny. So it’s incredibly impressive they’ve managed to cram in as many rides as they
have, including 8 different roller coasters. This is because the park is very creative by
stacking attractions on top of each other. In this video, I will review Grona Lund and share
everything you need to know about this park.
Grona Lund opened back in 1883, making it one of
the world’s oldest theme parks. Today the park is owned by Parks and Resorts Scandinavia,
who also own the nearby Kolmarden Zoo, Skara Sommarland, and Furuvik. Grona Lund is
located on Djurgarden Island in Stockholm. It is specifically next to the Viking Museum and
the ABBA Museum. This placement is gorgeous. The park is right against the water. And in the
distance, you can see many of the city’s historic buildings. There’s a boardwalk running along the
water. Then the park’s tallest rides offer some of the best views of any amusement rides.
There are many ways to access Grona Lund. I would avoid arriving by car though. One, the
roads can get congested. Two, I’ve heard you cannot even bring you car onto Djurgarden unless
you have a permit. Three, parking doesn’t seem particularly convenient between the cost
and distance form the park. The lot the park recommends using is a 15 minute walk away.
Instead, I would use public transit. The park is just a 2 mile walk from Stockholm Central.
And the journey is scenic. Alternatively, you can rent a bike or scooter and take
advantage of the abundance of bike lanes. Then there are buses, trains, and ferries going
directly to the park. The latter is the coolest way to arrive. You get some stunning
views of the park’s rides on the way.
This park has one of the most impressive
skylines out there. You just see all these large towers and a convoluted mess of coaster
track. It’s not by choice, it’s by necessity.
This is one of the smallest amusement
parks in the world. The park spans just 9.5 acres. That is tiny. For reference, Toy Story
Land alone at Walt Disney World is larger. Yet Grona Lund features roughly 30 different
rides. That is roughly 3 rides per acre.
This could look tacky. I know I’ve made many
parks in Roller Coaster Tycoon that look busy, clustered, and downright ugly when I stack
rides on top of each other. But Grona Lund pulls this look off. The park is very pretty.
The park is clean and well-presented. A lot of parks like this would solely focus on the rides,
but Grona Lund took beauty into consideration as well. The park has a tiny bit of theming, but
it’s more about creating a cheery and pleasant atmosphere. Many buildings have a classical
architecture. The park also manages to squeeze in some greenery, whether it be a few trees or
flowers. Attractions have nice-looking facades or signs that add ambiance to the midway. Rides look
fresh. Then the rides that travel above the midway are thoughtfully blended into their surroundings.
For example, Kvasten has a support that is themed to look like a monster to match the adjacent House
of Nightmares. Monster’s station is underground, and the tunnels were given some landscaping
so they’re more aesthetically pleasing.
All the rides cycling around you
give this park so much kinetic energy. It’s overwhelming in a good way.
And make sure not to miss anything. Remember, rides are layered on top of each other.
My recommendation is to walk through the entirety of the park. It’s not like that’s a
huge time commitment anyway. The park is divided into two sections. There’s a main area with the
larger rides. Then there’s a bridge across the road leading to a cluster of kiddie rides.
This park comes even more alive at night. There are plenty of lights adorned
along the buildings and rides.
Many parks in Europe close by dinner, but
Grona Lund is routinely open late. They typically close at 10 pm. And it’s a hard close.
Food and shops close promptly at 10. Then ride queues will close early so the last cycle goes
out exactly at park close. So plan accordingly.
The one wrinkle is if you visit on a concert day.
Grona Lund gets some really popular artists and the show is included with admission. Past acts
have included people like Weird Al and Dua Lipa. The park doesn’t have a seating area. Rather
people pack the midway. The park then converts Vilda Musen and Eclipse’s ride platforms into
priority viewing areas. So these rides will close well before the show starts.
Kvasten and Fritt Fall can also close there are extremely heavy crowds,
but it’s not a common occurrence.
Even on concert days, ride lines have been
very manageable for me. The longest line I’ve personally seen has been 20-30 minutes.
And that’s only for a few rides with lower throughputs like Eclipse, Vilda Musen, and
Kvasten. Usually I am boarding most rides in under 5 minutes. A lot of that comes
down to the fast and efficient operations. The employees here work briskly while remaining
super friendly. I love the staff at this park.
I know this park can get busy for their Halloween
event though, which is the case with many parks.
Crowds were noticeably lighter in 2023 than
past years as a result of a tragic accident on the park’s Jetline roller coaster.
The ride partially derailed, killing one guest and injuring nine others. Thoughts and
prayers to the victims and their families. I was stunned to hear of this accident since the park
seemed safe from my visits and well cared for.
If you do encounter long waits, this park
does offer a paid skip-the-line system called Jetpass. This is available on the park’s largest
rides. There is no unlimited option. Rather, you book individual rides. Each one costs roughly
80-120 Swedish Krona or $7-$11 USD. You reserve a 10 minute window and when you return,
you should have near immediate boarding.
From what I saw, not many people were using
this. It simply wasn’t needed for most rides.
The only time I used Jetpass was to redeem the
two that came with my wristband. I’m not sure if this is just an online special or if you
get this if you buy a wristband in person.
Speaking of wristbands, I want to
talk about this park’s admission options. There are a few options.
First, there’s general admission. This gets you into the park, but not on any rides.
This costs 100-200 Swedish Krona or $9-$18 USD depending on the day. Prices are higher on days
with concerts. There also are discounts if you arrive in the evening. A lot of people come
here just to soak up the amazing atmosphere.
Second, there’s something called the Ticket
to Ride. This is includes park admission and a wristband valid for all the park’s rides.
The park offers an all-day option for 400-600 Swedish Krona or $37-$56 USD. Prices are higher
during peak periods with longer hours. There’s also an evening ticket valid after 7 pm
on days with late closes. This typically costs about 300 Swedish Krona or $28 USD.
For the past few years, Grona Lund offered wristbands valid for the first
half and last half of the day, but those don’t seem to be available in 2024.
Even if you purchase your admission online, you need to stop at the ticket booth adjacent
to the entrance to pick up your wristband.
Now let’s talk about the rides this park offers.
I really like this park’s collection. The mix of coasters and non-coasters is very well-balanced.
The latter is particularly impressive. The coaster lineup is good, but it’s the
non-coasters that are exceptional. Not many parks do better in this department.
The park currently has 8 different roller coasters, and they cover most main genres.
The big thing this park is missing is a launch coaster, but that will be rectified with a
recently announced expansion. The park is expanding into a nearby parking lot. This are will
have a World’s Fair theme and most importantly, a dynamic Vekoma launch coaster offering
a mix of airtime hills and inversions. This likely will become the park’s best
ride and I cannot wait for it to open.
As for what the park currently offers, their
top coaster at this time is Monster. This is a unique Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster.
The conception of this ride alone is intriguing and I talk about that more in its own
review. Monster sprawls about the park, creating some exciting visuals as you whiz past
rides, buildings, and pathways. And the elements are great as well. The inversions are floatier
than the older inverts, but the turns have nice positive Gs. And the first drop is amazing
between the views and wild snap in the back row.
Insane is the park’s most intense coaster. This
is a rare Intamin Zacspin. Some don’t find this the most comfortable experience, but as I noted
in a review, I like its tenacity. The raven turns forcibly yank you downwards. Then the vehicles can
also rotate. You won’t get many flips on this ride since the staff typically balances the cars, but
you’re almost guaranteed to get a ferocious flip on the final hill. It’s a wild sequence offering
an inversion and ejector airtime simultaneously.
Jetline is a bizarre coaster. It was designed
by Schwarzkopf, but his company went bankrupt so it was built by Zierer. Then Maurer modified
the ride a decade after it opened to have a longer and steeper first drop. The main layout is a
tangled mess, but the highlight is the second drop. You know that demonically twisted drop
on Windstorms? Imagine that but larger. It has some crazy forces. The subsequent turns
offer nice positive Gs as well. It’s unclear if this ride will reopen after the accident.
Another ride that has been standing but not operating for quite some time has been Twister,
the park’s Gravity Group wood coaster. This has the stats of a family coaster, but it has
some shockingly sharp drops. In the back row, you’ll get some strong bursts of airtime. Then
the layout has some super tight turns since it was shoehorned around and on-top of pre-existing
rides and structures. Hopefully this one reopens soon because it adds a lot to this park’s lineup.
Then this park has two solid family coasters. Vilda Musen is a Gerstlauer bobsled. This
wild mouse variant has a few hairpin turns with nice laterals, but it otherwise isn’t
particularly forceful. The coaster is unique though as it winds atop buildings and
shares some supports with Jetline.
Kvasten is a Vekoma family suspended coaster.
This layout has since been cloned by Vekoma and other manufacturers, but it was designed
specifically for this park. So you have some great near-misses with rides and cool visuals
riding above the midway. The sensation of flight is what this ride does best. And the two
helixes offer some spurts of positive Gs.
Then there are two kiddie coasters. They’re big
hits among kids, but yes, adults can ride both without a kid if they want the credits.
Tuff-Tuff Taget is a mini wild mouse from Zamperla. It is one of the tamest
coasters out there. There aren’t any real drops and you just wind back-and-forth.
Nyckelpigan is a small Zierer Tivoli coaster. It’s small and slow, but it’s feistier. The first
drop actually has some whip in the back row.
Both these rides are in that aforementioned
kid’s section. This area mostly has some smaller flat rides, but it has such a nice
vibe. It is the greenest area of the park and it has a more relaxed atmosphere
than the main part of the park.
For adult flats, this park has an
impressive collection. Grona Lund loves their tower attractions. They
have to be the drop tower capital of the world. There are three different models.
The most famous of the bunch is Ikaros. This is one of two Intamin skyjumps worldwide. This ride
stands an impressive 312 feet or 95 meters tall, so the views are incredible. And it features
gondolas that tilt a full 90 degrees, meaning riders will be looking directly at the
ground for the descent. This is a freaky visual. As I noted in a separate review, the
drop isn’t as forceful as other drop towers, but it’s certainly a memorable experience.
My favorite of the three drop towers is Fritt Fall. This is an Intamin giant drop standing 262
feet or 80 meters tall. All three sides offer amazing views of the park, water, and city. Then
the drops are punchy and full of floater airtime as well. Two of the three sides have sit-down
gondolas. These sides are great. The third side is exemplary. This one features stand-up,
floorless, tilting gondolas. The riding position is downright terrifying. You feel so exposed. You
only tilt 15 degrees, but that’s enough to force you to stare at the ground. Add in a fast and
forceful drop, and this ride is breathtaking.
Katapulten is an S&S combo tower. It
differentiates itself from the other drop towers by starting with a launch. And this launch will
sneak up on you since it’s oddly silent, which is a stark contrast to other space shots out there.
You get some sweet floater airtime at the apex. Then you slowly raise back up for a turbo drop.
The descent is good for an S&S tower, but not as impactful as the park’s Intamin drop towers.
The largest tower of all is Eclipse. This is a Funtime star flyer standing 400 feet or 122 meters
tall. This ride offers the most impressive views of all, as you see for miles in each direction.
It doesn’t spin as fast as other rides like it, but that makes it easier to take in the
sights. Then there are still plenty of views as the swings spin in the wind.
Speaking of spinning, this park has three notable rides that’ll make you dizzy.
Pop-Expressen is a Huss breakdance placed indoors. It has a dance club atmosphere with party
lights and booming music. The ride is super fun and extremely disorienting, especially if you
throw your weight into it to get full spins, but it does have a rather short cycle.
Blackfisken is a Schwarzkopf Polyp cleverly placed next to the water. The tubs spin at a
good clip and when combined with the bouncing motion, it’s a satisfying experience.
Kattingflygaren is a Zierer wave swinger, also placed by the water. You get a refreshing
breeze and incredible visuals as you spin about.
The other flat ride of note is Flygande Mattan.
This is a rare Zierer flying carpet. No airtime, but the downswings violently rip you
downwards and offer heavy positive Gs.
Moving onto the dark rides, Grona
Lund also excels in this department.
Bla Taget is a fun ghost train. The hodgepodge
visuals are similar to what you’d get on a carnival haunted house, except the scenes are much
better quality and more fleshed out. Especially the man taking a poop. No really, that’s
something you’ll see. Then along with the visuals, this ride has some auxiliary effects built into
the vehicle that are effective jump scares.
House of Nightmares is a haunted
walkthrough. It is an upcharge, but it’s well-worth the price. It’s an atmospheric
attraction. There aren’t too many scare actors, but they’re well-spaced out and loud, so they’ll
make you jump when they appear. Then there are additional effects like squishy floors, air
blasts, and fake paths add an extra element.
Lustiga Huset has a strong case as the world’s
best fun house. The experience is nearly 5 minutes in duration and there are all sorts of
crazy platforms. I particularly love the sliding staircases at the start and the bouncing bridges.
Then the walls are decorative along the way. And the attraction ends with a fast wooden slide.
Karlekstunneln is a classic tunnel of love. It’s a slow-moving boat ride. It’s not as engaging
as newer dark rides, but you do pass a series of miniatures and static displays. It does have charm
and some nude scenes you’d never see in America.
One gap in this park’s lineup is the lack
of a water ride. Water rides are still popular in Scandinavia despite the cooler
climate, so I’d love if the park could find a way to squeeze one in down the road.
What else does this park have beyond the rides? There are no shortage of places to eat. Most
places are quick service stands offering all the theme park staples. Two items I really like here
are the pizza and also the fish and chips. There are also some full service restaurants that have
good food and nice locations for people-watching.
Then there are plenty of games as
you make your way down the midway.
So do I recommend Grona Lund? Absolutely! This is
a classic amusement park with a lot to offer. The atmosphere is top-notch. The park has a beautiful
and bustling atmosphere while also taking full advantage of the nearby Stockholm. The ride lineup
is very strong between the mix of coasters and non-coasters. The variety is strong and there’s
something for everyone. That’s why I’d recommend this park for not just coaster enthusiasts,
but anyone visiting Sweden’s capital city.
How much time you’ll need depends on
your interests? You can easily do the coasters and best non-coasters in a half day
given this park’s compactness and crowds, but I like to allocate myself a full day so I have
plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere and get plenty of rerides. There are so many quality rides
here and they all compliment each other so well.
And if you’re visiting this park, make
sure to explore Stockholm as well. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world. It is
simply beautiful and the people are so nice.
Grona Lund is one of the better parks in
Europe. And it will only get better once the new expansion opens. It’s my second favorite
amusement park in Sweden. I do prefer Liseberg for the best park in the country. I think
that park has a similarly awesome atmosphere, fantastic non-coasters as well, and a
far superior roller coaster lineup.
So those are my thoughts on Grona Lund. What
are your thoughts on this park? Do you love it as much as me? Let me know down in the
comments. If you enjoyed this review, I would appreciate it if you gave this video a like and
you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos
here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!
