Trip Report - Sweden Part 1, Liseberg
This weekend I headed back to Sweden with my beloved CoasterForce for some world class coasters and Scandinavian goodness. It was only a fleeting trip, but as always we managed to cram a heck of a lot in, so brace yourselves, here we go!
We started off on the Friday with a day at Liseberg, open from 1PM-11PM - plenty of time for night riding on Helix! I think more parks should structure their day like this, that way you still get a lengthy operating day plus all the fun of a theme park at night combined with the summer warmth, surely it's a winning combination?
Anyway, we arrived for opening and the very generous folks at the park gave us free wristbands and fastrack. Awesome! Of course we wandered straight up the hill and into the queue for Helix - otherwise known as the best coaster in Europe. I'd ridden this back in 2014 and was blown away by how perfect a coaster this was. Snaking around the hillside that overlooks this city park, Helix packs in just the right balance of force, airtime and inversion, building gradually to a beautiful crescendo as you crest and fall down the final airtime hill. It really is a gorgeous example of near perfect coaster design, and I'm glad to say that although it was only the start of the day and hadn't warmed up quite yet, it was still packing a punch for me!
The park was LOADS quieter than the last time we visited, where you couldn't see your own feet for crowds. I was glad to finally be able to relax in this gorgeous city park and really take in the classic style theming and building that decorate the streets of Liseberg. They're so pretty, think Disneyland Paris Main Street only slightly toned down and less gaudy and add accent of Scandinavian architecture and you're essentially there.
There's a mini 'main street' packed with cute waffle houses and chocolate shops that fill the air with delicious aromas overshadowed by a backdrop of a hill swarming with thrill rides. Yet somehow it's not vulgar, it's classy and it works. The style of every sign, every facade, is deliberately classic and understated yet instantly recognisable and on brand. The styling is mostly Victoriana/turn of the Century-esque, almost American in some ways with a splash of modern thrown in every now and then.
So yh, I love this place. It's not big, but I could easily spend hours here just hanging out. Which you can, it's a free to enter park, you just need a wristband to ride, so essentially you could just chill here and watch the world go by if that's what kind of thing you're into. God I love Sweden.
We went through the paces and slowly ticked the rides off of the list. I sat out of the more violent attractions and didn't ride as much as I usually would due to a recent car crash I was involved with, but despite this I was simply happy to stand here in this gorgeous setting and just soak it all in.
Balder, the airtime machine wooden coaster by Intamin frames the back corner of the park nicely. If you love airtime then this one's for you, it's absolutely packed full of leaving-your-seat moments and is a ton of fun, if a little too predictable for me to totally fall head over heels for.
Other stand out attractions include the ridiculous log flume - part leisurely tour of the parks coasters, weaving in and out of the metal as trains whizz around you in every direction, part ridiculous drops and huge splashes. It's probably the best example of a classic log flume and I'd implore anybody visiting not to pass this one by!
We also stopped by for a brief check-in at the Gasten Ghost-Hotel - probably the best themed horror walk-through you'd find anywhere on earth. OK, it's not that scary if blood, gore and chainsaws are more your thing but there's no denying it looks absolutely stunning. It's hard not to just wander around the place in awe.
After much wandering, riding and waffle-eating, night finally fell over the park - this is when it truly comes to life. Not only is the place even more stunning than it is in the daylight but for some reason the coasters really seem to come out of their shell once the sun goes down, Helix in particular. And this is the reason it's my third favourite coaster in the world - there's nothing that even comes close in Europe to a night ride on Helix. Everything is so perfectly paced, punctuated with pops of forceful yet enjoyable airtime and unique and interesting elements. My favourite view of Gothenburg is upside down after the second launch on this coaster.
Shattered but satisfied, we dragged our weary up-at-4am selves back to the hire-Volvo (but of course) and began our journey towards the hotly anticipated RMC that would await us tomorrow.
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