Ranking The Top 10 Best Rides in Phantasialand

Phantasialand is a beautiful theme park just outside of Cologne, Germany in the town of Brühl. It has impressive lands, great kids zones, thrilling rides, awesome food, and fantastic shows and stores. With so much to do, it’s hard to determine what attractions take priority. Well, we just returned from Phantasialand and have created a list of what we consider our top 10 rides. That doesn’t mean there isn’t more to explore. There are other phenomenal attractions, such as Talocan, Crazy Bats, Feng Ju Palace, The Crazy Hotel Tartuffe, and many more. They just didn’t quite make our list, although The Crazy Hotel Tartuffe got super close.

#10 - Maus au Chocolat

The first item on our list is a fun shoot-em-up game that is perfect for families. This ride is a cross between Ratatouille and Toy Story Mania at Disney World. Here, a French patisserie is overrun by mice. Our job is to use a piping bag with our 3D glasses to shoot them with chocolate… no, really - that’s what the ride is. The lead exterminator can’t control all of them, so he asks for our help. It was a little difficult with the language barrier, since he is speaking German with a slightly French accent. Strange to hear for us English speakers, but it was really fun and easy to understand what we were supposed to do during the ride. We think this is great for kids to have friendly competition. The ride lasts about 6 minutes, so it’s a little longer than other rides that we’re used to in the US.

#9 - Winja’s Fear and Force

This ride is really interesting. It has 2 different tracks: Fear and Force. The “mysterious” Wuze tribe is testing out their courage, speed, and strength through their "intimidating” ways.

We didn’t know that the track you take depends on what side you walk during the queue. Towards the end of the queue, if you pick the right side, you have chosen Force. If you walk towards the left side, that is the queue for Fear. It was a little frustrating because there is no sign for this until you get pulled to sit in the vehicle. There was a lot of confusion about that, but since you’re reading this blog, you’re already aware now (you’re better off than we were). We consequently chose the right side, so we only did Force. There is a lift that transports the vehicle up to the track and then you spiral down the track that’s shown in the main section of the pavilion. We think children would like this ride. Even if you have a fear of heights, it doesn’t seem that bad to us. We feel this is a good introduction to kids regarding roller coasters. I love spinning rides, so I was excited for this one. However, it doesn’t spin nearly as much as you think it does. For those who are prone to motion sickness, this one really shouldn’t give you a hard time. You should be just fine. It was a good time!

#8 - Raik

The reason this ride isn’t listed higher is because of how short it is. Raik lasts less than a single minute. You get a great initial launch with an awesome track. Then, you travel backwards and do the track in the other direction. It’s a very cool feeling (you almost feel like you’re getting whiplash), but it just doesn’t last very long. When we waited in the queue, we only had to wait about 15 minutes. I think if we waited longer, we probably would have been a little disappointed and upset. We don’t think you should wait longer than 30 minutes for this ride. We think it’s a super fun ride to enjoy, but we just wish it lasted a little longer. If you have a fear of heights, this one might be hard when you slowly move backwards to prepare for the long drop. Otherwise, you should be fine. Remember, it lasts less than a minute!

#7 - Chiapas

You can find Chaipas in the Mexican pavilion of Phantasialand. This is a water flume ride with a fun Mexican atmosphere. It kind of reminds me of Splash Mountain at the Disney parks, but with less animatronics and more impressive engineering for the tight space. This 6-minute ride has 3 main drops with smaller drops between. The largest drop at the end is considered the steepest drop of any flume ride in the world, with an incredible 53 degree angle. You might get moderately wet - compare it to getting wet on Splash Mountain. Some people remain dry and others get drenched. If you want to dry off after the ride, they have drying stations you can walk in for a small price. I, on the other hand, am a water ride enthusiast and love getting completely soaked on these rides! I think they could do a little more with the theming, but the cool engineering more than makes up for it.

#6 - Mystery Castle

This is another one that seems to mimic that of a popular Disney attraction. Mystery Castle has a fun background story with its unique structure. The noble family Windhoven is overcome with greed and sought a deal with evil. With the castle being cursed by the family, your courage is tested to get rid of the evil that exists in the tower. But how much courage you possess will determine if the evil is banished from the castle.

This is a drop ride, which is similar to The Tower of Terror at MGM Studios (sorry, I still don’t call it Hollywood Studios - 90s Disney World kid here). We would not recommend this for people who have a fear of heights or darkness. It is basically dark as soon as the ride starts, pushing you up immediately towards the top of the tower. It appears everyone has a different experience with how many drops they take. We were told it’s random, so you don’t really know what you’re going to get. Also, I think the queue for this ride is super fun and spooky! Sometimes, they hire scare actors in the queues to test your courage. So, it’s really a combination of a drop ride and a haunted house all in one!

#5 - Black Mamba

In this inverted roller coaster, you will experience 10 “near miss” effects that will scare you to death. This ride has multiple twists and turns, 4 inversions, and several drops that will make your heart beat faster as you travel through the deepest parts of Africa. The theming is great, music is fun, and the engineering is spectacular. I suppose the only reason this isn’t ranked higher is because we have been on tracks similar to this and the following attractions have things we’ve never experienced before in a ride system. We think this ride is great for thrill seekers and coaster junkies, but also for those who love great theming. You see a gigantic black mamba snake head made out of “rock” as you watch the roller coaster whip by. We do not recommend this ride for kids or those who have a fear of getting thrown upside-down. It’s a short ride, lasting about 2 minutes, but we think it’s worth it to wait a maximum of 45 minutes for this ride.

#4 - River Quest

Okay, this ride was full of surprises. If you want to be completely surprised, don’t keep reading this blog. River Quest has 3 main drops, with the 2nd one being the most interesting. It’s a long whirlpool down to the drop, so everyone starts guessing who’s going to have to drop backwards. Everyone has some opportunities to laugh at unfortunate mortals who end up getting completely drenched while others stay nearly dry. You think “This can’t be that long of a ride… there’s not that much space in this portion of the park.” The tube ride seems about normal before you enter the inside of a building. It is there that your tube gets put on a lift. Yes. A LIFT! ON A WATER RIDE! The door then opens and shows you an intense-looking drop. You immediately begin having flashbacks of your childhood. This is not a normal water ride. After 3 main drops and lots of opportunities to get drenched, some may wonder why they put themselves through it. I say why not?! This ride was incredible!

#3 - Colorado Adventure

This is Germany’s answer to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I have to say, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has always been my personal favourite ride at the Disney parks, so I had high expectations for this ride, especially after hearing it was Michael Jackson’s favourite ride in Phantasialand. The theming is basically the same: Western. That’s weird considering it is literally between the Mexican and Chinese pavilions. It’s very confusing to find and the transitions don’t make much sense. But anyway, back to the ride. We got ourselves situated and the ride quickly started. I instantly realised that we were in for a treat. Let me just say… my mind was blown and I felt like a kid again. After traveling to Disney World last year and riding BTMR, I was a little disappointed. It didn’t feel the same like I remembered as a child. Colorado Adventure gave me the same excitement I had when I was a small kid going on BTMR. This ride is super fast, jerky, full of surprise drops, and it makes everyone laugh and have a great time! It’s a wonderful ride, and we just can’t describe how great it was. It felt very special and nostalgic, even though it was our first time riding it. You have to ride Colorado Adventure on your trip to Phantasialand. It’s well worth your time.

#2 - Taron

So, Taron took my personal top spot for best rides in Phantasialand. However, my husband and I are a team and we compromised on the list. Taron was the fastest multi-launch coaster in the world before Pantheon in Busch Gardens took the top spot.

Taron really feels like it’s split up in 2 parts, with the first launch being the first half and the second launch starting the last half of the ride. At the beginning, you are instantly launched at a speed of 49.7 mph. You are taken through steep drops, twists, turns, and all sorts of fun. Just when you think you’re done, you get blasted off again with another launch full of drops and turns. Even though there are no inversions with this ride, you kind of feel like you are flipping because of the force from the twists. You end up crossing your own track 116 times before your ride is complete. Pretty good for lasting about 2 full minutes. With the cool Old Norse theming, it’s no wonder why it was awarded Germany’s Best Themed Ride in 2022 and Europe’s Best Steel Coaster Award of 2022. It is probably one of my new favourite rides ever! I would go to Phantasialand just for this ride!

#1 - F.L.Y.

I think most people would agree with us on this one. F.L.Y. has it all: great theming, thrilling tracks, speed, pretty music, character, all of it. Photos just can’t do this fantastic coaster justice. You really need to experience it for yourself.

It is set in the fictitious city of Rookburgh, which is basically steampunk Berlin. You are joined in a room for a safety video and “flying test” along with a double security check. Once you are strapped in, the seats flip over to a “flying” position. Then, you quickly get launched at 48.5 mph. You get to see all of Rookburgh, but also not very well because you are going SO FAST. Seriously, it feels like one of the most intense rides I’ve ever been on. There are 2 inversions, lots of twists and turns, major drops, and all of it is in your stomach-down position. We won’t spoil much for you, but we believe this ride is deserving of all the awards it has received in a short period of time. If you only have time to do one ride, we suggest doing this one!