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The UK’s best attraction has been crowned for 2024 by the Sun

At the newspaper’s Sun Travel Awards 2024, one legendary Staffordshire theme park was crowned the country’s best attraction

Amy Houghton
Written by
Amy Houghton
Contributing writer
Alton Towers theme park in England, UK
Photograph: Craig Russell / Shutterstock.com
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We’re not short of attractions here in the UK. Fancy an adrenaline rush? We’ve got thrilling theme parks for that. Want to step back in time? No problem, there’s a bunch of fascinating living museums to explore. Need to feed your creativity? Our spectacular sculpture parks or stunning art destinations might help. Needless to say, picking one attraction that’s better than all the rest is no easy task. 

But travel editors at the Sun have done just that. After tens of thousands of votes from its readers, the results from the 2024 Sun Travel Awards have been announced. And snatching first prize in the ‘best UK attraction’ category was Alton Towers.

As the UK’s largest theme park, Alton Towers is a firm favourite among Britain’s thrill seekers and home to some world record-breaking rides. It’s got The Smiler, the first 14-loop coaster in the world, TH13TEEN, which has the first ever vertical freefall drop, and Oblivion, which was the world’s first vertical drop rollercoaster when it opened in 1998.  

Lisa Minot, the Sun’s head of travel, highlighted the park’s most recent upgrade, writing: ‘We couldn’t get enough of the re­vamp­ed classic, Nemesis Reborn at this year’s winner, Alton ­Towers.’

The Eden Project in Cornwall landed second place, with Legoland claiming third. Elsewhere in the awards, Merlin Entertainments (the folk behind Alton Towers, Legoland and Warwick Castle) won editor’s choice and Walt Disney World in Florida won best global attraction. You can see the full list of winners and runner’s up here

Did you see that Europe’s second best sustainable restaurant is in the UK?

Plus: The best hotels in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been crowned for 2024

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