I am American and partook in a study abroad program in London and Dublin. This fair was near our hotel and I just knew I had to go! I took advantage of our first free time opportunity to go to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and had an amazing time!! Figuring out how to book activities online was a little confusing, but it also showed me just how many rides and activities there are at Hyde Winter Wonderland.
Due to costs, I only took part in one activity; the Ice Bar. Since I was alone, I was a bit awkward sitting with my drink by myself, so I would definitely recommend you go with friends to this attraction. However, the bar was so cool; I got one free drink in a cup made out of ice. The drink I chose was pink and cutesy and tasted amazing. The bar and its decor was made out of ice and had neon color-changing lights everywhere. There were ice sculptures and other interesting things to look at, and with the jacket and gloves you are loaned, it wasn't horribly cold. The one downside of this attraction is that it was a bit pricey, running at about 17 pounds. Besides that, it was awesome all around!
Since the rides were cheaper than the attractions, I rode 4 rides at Hyde Winter Wonderland. They were The Hangover, Munich Looping, Blizzard, and Airborne. With each of these rides, I didn't experience a long wait at all. If you have gone to an American fair, you understand the pain of waiting in painfully long lines for rides. The lines at Hyde Winter Wonderland were extremely short in my opinion. I don't know if this can apply to everyday and for every activity, seeing as the ice skating rink was sold out, but it should be known that the lines for the attractions I did were VERY short, which really elevated my experience.
What better ride to start with than The Hangover; Hyde Winter Wonderland's 279 foot (85 meter) drop tower? As we were raised to the top, the mechanism holding the seats rotated in a circle, giving us a beautiful view of more London from above than you can see from a stationary high place. Then we were dropped to the ground, giving me a rush of adrenaline!
If you dislike drop towers, but love rollercoasters, then Munich Looping is the ride for you! Munich Looping is the world's largest portable roller coaster featuring 5 loops! I was very excited for this as I love colorful roller coasters with loops, and as soon as the ride started, we were already looping!! A very nice thing to note is that I didn't get whiplash, which I was very grateful for, as that is the main downside I have experienced riding looped coasters. The loops were thrilling and fun, and the colorfulness of the coaster was appealing to my eyes. It was extremely fun! I would definitely recommend this ride if you are starting to get into more high-adrenaline rides.
I am not one to be scared on rides that often since I have ridden many high thrill rides, but Airborne had me so scared I was gripping the over the shoulder restraint for dear life!! I haven't experienced this level of fear on a ride in FOREVER, so if you are an adrenaline junkie, Airborne will definitely give you your fix! Airborne is a pendulum ride that offers you no visibility of itself as you are soaring through the air in circles reaching 213 feet (65 meters) high. It feels as if you are in free fall, offering an incredible view of London upside-down!! The fact that all I could see was my environment and not the ride was the scariest part as it felt like I was going to fall face first into the ground far below. It was awesome!! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrill rides.
The last ride I did at Hyde Winter Wonderland was Blizzard; a pendulum ride that is very similar to Airborne, but just as fun! This ride also stands at 213 feet (65 meters) tall, but was not as scary since you could see the ride during each rotation. The bright and vibrant color-changing lights made this ride so pretty, which I loved. While this ride is not as scary as Airborne, it will definitely still give you a major adrenaline rush. My adrenaline was already peaked by riding Airborne before this, so this ride felt more relaxing, which was very enjoyable. Airborne lacked Blizzard's visual element of the beautiful lights, which I enjoyed very much. With all this being said, if you are looking for some adrenaline but also to feel relaxed at the same time, Blizzard is the ride for you!
There are over 100 rides and attractions to experience at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, and I had a blast only experiencing 5! Hyde Park Winter Wonderland was my favorite activity I experienced in London, and that speaks volumes! I love thrill rides, but there were plenty of other attractions for individuals of all ages. Whether you are a family looking to go out for the holidays with your kids, or a tourist looking for solo activities to have fun at in London, you will 100% love the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland fair!! read more