Guides → Roller coasters in Germany
The best roller coasters in Germany, ranked by thrill
TL;DR: Achtbaan’s catalogue has eight German roller coasters in four parks. Silver Star at Europa-Park leads with a thrill score of 45 out of 100, the tallest and fastest of them at 73 metres and 130 km/h. Expedition GeForce at Holiday Park and Voltron Nevera, also at Europa-Park, follow with 38. Phantasialand adds Taron (33) and Black Mamba (28), and Heide Park has the wooden Colossos (36). Europa-Park alone has four of the eight.
Germany has more big roller coasters in Achtbaan’s catalogue than any other European country except the United Kingdom, and its parks are within reach of the Netherlands and Belgium. This guide ranks the German coasters on Achtbaan by thrill score, explains what sets each one apart, and shows how to group them into trips.
The German coasters on Achtbaan, ranked
The thrill score is Achtbaan’s 0 to 100 measure built from top speed, height, inversions and track length; the rank is each coaster’s place among the 101 operating coasters in the catalogue.
| Coaster | Park | Type | Height | Top speed | Inversions | Thrill | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Star | Europa-Park | Steel | 73 m | 130 km/h | 0 | 45 | #15 |
| Expedition GeForce | Holiday Park | Steel | 53 m | 120 km/h | 0 | 38 | #35 |
| Voltron Nevera | Europa-Park | Steel | 32 m | 90 km/h | 7 | 38 | #36 |
| Colossos | Heide Park | Wood | 50 m | 110 km/h | 0 | 36 | #50 |
| Blue Fire | Europa-Park | Steel | 38 m | 100 km/h | 4 | 35 | #53 |
| Taron | Phantasialand | Steel | 30 m | 117 km/h | 0 | 33 | #59 |
| Wodan Timbur Coaster | Europa-Park | Wood | 40 m | 100 km/h | 0 | 31 | #68 |
| Black Mamba | Phantasialand | Steel | 26 m | 80 km/h | 4 | 28 | #78 |
The catalogue covers the notable coasters of each country, not every ride, so some German coasters are not listed yet. If one you love is missing, you can suggest it.
Europa-Park: four coasters, four different rides
Europa-Park, in Rust in the south-west of Germany, has half of the German coasters on Achtbaan, and they could hardly be more different. Silver Star, a Bolliger & Mabillard hyper coaster from 2002, is the tallest at 73 metres and the highest-scoring German coaster, 15th of the 101 in the catalogue; it has no inversions and is built for long airtime hills. Voltron Nevera, a Mack coaster from 2024, goes the other way: it is launched several times instead of climbing a lift hill and turns riders upside down seven times, the most of any German coaster on Achtbaan. Blue Fire, a Mack launch coaster from 2009, sits between them with four inversions and a score of 35, and Wodan Timbur Coaster, a GCI wooden coaster from 2012, runs 1,050 metres of track through the park’s Iceland-themed area.
Phantasialand: launches and theming near Cologne
Phantasialand, in Brühl near Cologne, is the closest of the big German parks to the Netherlands and packs its rides into tightly themed areas. Taron, an Intamin coaster from 2016, is launched twice and reaches 117 km/h as it weaves through the rockwork of the Klugheim area, scoring 33. Black Mamba, a B&M inverted coaster from 2006, hangs riders below the track through four inversions; at 26 metres it is the smallest of the eight, but inverted coasters feel more intense than their height suggests.
Heide Park and Holiday Park: one headliner each
Colossos, at Heide Park in Soltau between Hamburg and Hanover, is one of Europe’s tallest wooden coasters. Intamin built it in 2001; it closed in 2016, was rebuilt with a completely new track and reopened in 2019 as Colossos: Kampf der Giganten. At 50 metres and 110 km/h it scores 36, the highest of any wooden coaster in Germany on Achtbaan. Expedition GeForce, at Holiday Park in Hassloch, is an Intamin coaster from 2001 that many fans name among the best for airtime: 53 metres, 120 km/h and no inversions, for a score of 38.
Airtime or inversions?
Five of the eight German coasters have no inversions at all. Silver Star, Expedition GeForce, Colossos, Wodan and Taron are built for speed and for the moments you lift out of your seat over a hill, while Voltron Nevera, Blue Fire and Black Mamba are about turning upside down. Our guide to airtime explains the difference between floater and ejector hills, and roller coaster inversions explained covers loops, rolls and corkscrews.
Riding them all
The German parks fall into three trips. Europa-Park and Holiday Park are both in the south-west, so one longer trip covers five of the eight; Europa-Park alone is worth at least two days. Phantasialand is an easy add-on to a trip to the Dutch parks, which our guide to roller coasters in the Netherlands ranks. Heide Park, in the north, is a trip of its own. Our guide to planning a roller coaster trip in Europe covers how to combine parks across borders.
Log each coaster as you ride it and the ride log’s park planner shows which park still has the most coasters you have not ridden; you can also log a whole park visit at once. Going with friends and still arguing about where to stay for a two-day Europa-Park trip? VoteStay, a sister site in the Website Holding network, lets a group paste in the places they like and vote until one wins.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most thrilling roller coaster in Germany?
On Achtbaan’s thrill score, Silver Star at Europa-Park leads Germany with 45 out of 100, the 15th highest of the 101 operating coasters in the catalogue. At 73 metres and 130 km/h it is also the tallest and fastest German coaster on Achtbaan.
Which German theme park has the most big roller coasters?
Europa-Park in Rust has four of the eight German coasters on Achtbaan: Silver Star, Voltron Nevera, Blue Fire and Wodan Timbur Coaster. Phantasialand has two, and Heide Park and Holiday Park one each.
Are there wooden roller coasters in Germany?
Yes. Colossos at Heide Park and Wodan Timbur Coaster at Europa-Park are wooden coasters, both 40 metres or taller. Colossos was rebuilt with a new track and reopened in 2019.
Which German roller coaster has the most inversions?
Voltron Nevera at Europa-Park, with seven. It opened in 2024 and is launched several times rather than pulled up a lift hill.