Thrillseekers, Ahoy! 15 Roller Coasters Worth Traveling the World for

Go around the world's most thrilling coasters.
by Tim Henares | September 21, 2015

You can classify them all you want—with the Gs and whatnot—but the best rides are generally the biggest, the fastest, and the most loopy. The possibilities are endless.

The Banshee – Kings Island (USA)

This is the world’s longest inverted roller coaster. You know what that means, right? Instead of sitting in a car, your feet are dangling in the air as you hang from a track. Enjoy!

The Sky Scream – Holiday Park (Germany)

Welcome to one of the most strangely-designed roller coasters ever. Loops, upside-down loops, configurations you never expected roller coasters to conform to. It’s all there for you in Germany, but there’s no safeword.

The Intimidator 305 – Kings Dominion Park (USA)

How’s a 90MPH drop sound like to you? Well, try it and find out!

El Toro – Six Flags Great Adventure (USA)

One of the few wooden coasters with loops, the El Toro also holds the distinction of being the second-fastest wooden coaster in the world.

The Beast – Kings Island (USA)

This is the longest wooden roller coaster in the world, and also finds itself in the top ten for highest drop, and fastest speed in its class. Not too shabby at all!

Colossos – Heide Park (Germany)

This is the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world. You want to be scared out of your wits? Colossos is your go-to.

Goliath – Six Flags Great America (USA)

And now, here comes the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world, with an 85-degree drop. Goliath is scary because being a wooden roller coaster means it has that old-timey charm that makes you feel you’re about to die, as opposed to the very aerodynamically sound steel coasters of today.

The Ultimate – Lightwater Valley (UK)

At 7,442 feet, The Ultimate is one of the longest roller coasters in the world. It won’t be a leisurely ride, though, given that it’s a roller coaster in UK. No amount of “Keep Calm and Carry On” will save you.

Top Thrill Dragster – Cedar Point (USA)

If the lines for the #1 coaster on this list are too long, Top Thrill Dragster is the second highest roller coaster in the world, and we’re sure you won’t notice the difference that much.

Steel Dragon 2000 – Nagashima Spa Land (Japan)

There’s a running joke that Viagra is like a roller coaster: you wait an hour just for a two-minute ride. Considering that Steel Dragon 2000 is the longest roller coaster in the world, though, it’s at least two or three times longer than that, so there’s that.

10 Inversion Roller Coaster  – Chime-Long Paradise (China)

Steepest? Fastest? Highest? Meh. How about the most number of inversions? Well, the 10 Inversion Roller Coaster wasn’t exaggerating about its name, and that’s how many loop de loops you can expect throughout the span of this ride.

Green Lantern Coaster – Warner Bros. Movieworld (Australia)

Probably the scariest roller coaster in this entire list, because it’s based off a terrifyingly awful movie, the Green Lantern Coaster is infamous for having a vertical drop of 120.5 degrees, which ties for the second steepest vertical drop in the world.

Takabisha – Fuji-Q Island (Japan)

Japan clocks in with this doozy, thanks to the fact that it has a vertical drop of 121 degrees, which is the steepest vertical drop for a roller coaster.

Formula Rossa – Ferrari World (UAE)

Welcome to the fastest roller coaster in the world! Hope you’re ready for the 240 KM per hour speeds, because you’re going to experience it with only a lap restraint.

The Kingda Ka – Six Flags Great Adventure (USA)

The Kingda Ka is often considered the best roller coaster in the world, and with good reason: it’s the tallest one and consequently has the highest drops out of every single one of them. And, oh, it’s the second fastest in the world, clocking in at 206 KM per hour.

What are your dream roller coaster rides? Link us up in the comments!

Thumbnail image from wits and nuts on flickr.com.