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Best Alton Towers deals: how to get cheap ticket and hotel offers for autumn breaks

If you’re looking for something exciting to do with your kids, look no further than Alton Towers.

The Smiler at Alton Towers

Merlin

Published: Friday, 4 September 2026 at 8:00 am

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September is here and there's no doubt that, despite the cold creeping in, Alton Towers is still a great day out for the whole family.

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The excitement of running around with friends and enjoying gravity-defying rides is second to none – even queuing to get on the rides is fun. Plus, now we're in the 'ber months, there's Halloween Scarefest and Christmas attractions to try.

The amusement park boasts over 40 rides plus 10 themed-areas with something to entertain everyone, from thrill-seeking teenagers to tiny tots. There’s The Smiler with 14 loops, Oblivion with its tell-tale vertical drop, and the Toxicator, an addition to the Forbidden Valley group of rides.

On the less spooky side of things, Alton Towers also has a colourful Cbeebies Land for little tots with the world's first-ever Bluey ride, a SEALIFE Centre, and a waterpark which has water canons, slides, coasters and flumes which are sure to be loved by all, as well as garden space to enjoy a picnic.

Feeling inspired to take a trip? Here’s how you can get cheap Alton Towers tickets.

Buy Alton Towers tickets at Alton Towers

The RadioTimes.com team know a thing or two about bagging cheap tickets. Just take a look at our how to get cheap concert tickets and how to get cheap football tickets guides. Plus, the Merlin September Sale.

Merlin offers 4 months' free theme park entry

Merlin is offering to make the rest of your 2026 day trips free if you sign up for next year's Merlin Annual Pass today. This September, if you buy the 2027 Gold or Platinum Pass early, you can get an additional four months tacked on, meaning every trip from now until 31 December 2027 would be covered. The Gold Merlin Annual Pass costs £239 and the Platinum £299, meaning you'd be saving at least £80 if you buy now. This deal will last until 30 September 2026. Get the rest of 2026 free with the Merlin Annual Pass

Jump to:

How to get cheap Alton Towers tickets

We’ve put together this guide to help you buy Alton Towers tickets for as cheaply as possible, and we also have some tips and tricks for keeping the cost down when buying tickets in general. Let’s take a look.

Plan ahead. For Alton Towers and other theme parks like Thorpe Park, buying tickets online is a lot cheaper than turning up on the day. So, if you’re able to plan a day out in advance, we recommend doing so.

Select a ticket type. Have a think about what you’d like out of the day. At Alton Towers, you can choose between a theme park day pass, a water park day pass, and a crazy golf game. When you buy in advance online, the theme park pass will set you back £32, whereas the water park pass is slightly cheaper from £18, and the crazy golf pass is even cheaper still from £5.

Read the offers below. Not to toot our own horn, but we have found some pretty great deals that will help you get cheap Alton Towers tickets.

Buy Alton Towers tickets at Alton Towers

Best Alton Towers deals at a glance:

Best Alton Towers deals: cheapest ticket and hotel offers

Get Alton Towers tickets from £32

save on alton towers day pass

Alton Towers Resort

We know how difficult it can be to get your kids organised — even getting them ready for school on time is no mean feat! However, if you are able to plan your Alton Towers trip in advance, we strongly recommend doing so as it will save you some pennies.

Buying an Alton Towers theme park day pass on the door (or the large theme park gate) will set you back £68, whereas purchasing them online at the moment will save you more than half the price at £32.

Get Alton Towers tickets from £32

Book a short break from just £77

Right now short breaks at Alton Towers start from just £77 per person. This is obviously more expensive at the moment because of the peak summer holiday times, but still a saving.

Buy Alton Towers short break tickets from £77

Enjoy 12 months of fun with the Annual Pass for £64

The Alton Towers Annual Pass gives you access to Alton Towers for 12 month for just £64. This means you only need to visit the park twice to make your money back.

Enjoy 12 months of fun with the Annual Pass

Save 28% on Alton Towers water park tickets

alton towers waterpark save

The water park. Alton Towers Resort

If water activities are more you and your family's bag, why not swap the theme park for the water park? It's jam-packed with water rides and slides for all ages.

Entry into the water park will cost £25 on the day, and you can get in from only £18 if you book online in advance. That’s a decent saving of £7.

Buy an Alton Towers water park ticket for £25 £18 (save £7 or 28%) at Alton Towers

Get 20% off waterpark tickets with Merlin

What's the deal: Merlin pass holders can get their hands on a ticket to the Alton Towers waterpark for just £14.40, a reduction of 20% on the RRP.

Why we chose it: The advantages of the Merlin pass are endless getting you access to water-based fun as well as a range of Britain's theme parks.

Get 20% off waterpark tickets with Merlin

Play a nine-hole game of extraordinary golf for £5

What's the deal: Enjoy a nine-hole game of crazy golf at Alton Towers for just £5.

Why we chose it: This isn't just crazy golf, it's extraordinary! The most extraordinary thing about it is the ultra-low price of just a fiver for a full game.

Play a nine-hole game of extraordinary golf for £5 at Alton Towers

Bag a parent and toddler ticket for just £29

What's the deal: This offer is an online exclusive during off-peak periods, and it'll see you secure an adult and toddler (under five-years-old) ticket for just £29. So you and your little one can have a fantastic day meeting Bluey, celebrating CBeebies Land's 10-year anniversary, and more this summer.

Why we chose it: With this deal, toddlers essentially go free, as an adult ticket booked in advance will set you back from £29.

Buy a Parent and Toddler Pass for £29 at Alton Towers

Discounted Alton Towers tickets with Tesco Clubcard

how to get bluey at cbeebies land tickets 2024

Bespoke Bluey Illustration - Alton Towers Resort - CBeebies Land Bespoke Bluey Ilustration - Alton Towers Resort - CBeebies Land

Like with Thorpe Park, you can get discounted tickets to Alton towers with Tesco Clubcard. It works like this: scanning your Clubcard generates points, and you can convert these points into Tesco Reward Partners vouchers. In this particular offer, you get double the vouchers’ face value to use on tickets. For example, £5 in points is £10 worth of vouchers.

Get over 300 days' entry with the Merlin Annual Pass

The Merlin Annual Pass gives you access to some of the UK's biggest attractions, including Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. With prices usually starting at £139, you can get the Essential Pass, which gives you over 300 days entry to any of the attractions available. Or, you can upgrade to the Silver or Gold passes, which give you more days and extra perks like free parking and a discount on fast track vouchers.

Get over 300 days' entry with the Merlin Annual Pass

1/3 off Alton Towers passes with National Rail

Family board a train

VioletaStoimenova via Getty Images

National Rail is offering 1/3 off Alton Towers tickets when you travel by train.

If you're planning on travelling to Alton Towers via train, this deal is a no brainer. Plus, accessing the tickets couldn't be easier: simply choose an attraction, download and print the voucher or buy your tickets online, travel by train, and remember to present the voucher.

1/3 off Alton Towers passes with National Rail

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Get £21 student tickets with Student Beans

Students can snag £21 tickets to Alton Towers – that's a saving of £14 on the online one day pass price. All you have to do is verify your student status with Student Beans and you're good to go.

One of the biggest perks of being a student (aside from immersing yourself in the world of learning and going to cheap freshers events) is student discount. Getting a cheap Alton Towers ticket is a great way to de-stress after exams, so make the most of it while you can.

Get £21 student tickets with Student Beans

How to travel to Alton Towers

how to travel to alton towers cheap tickets 2023 uk

ballyscanlon via Getty Images ballyscanlon via Getty Images

Speaking of National Rail, are you wondering what's the best way to travel to Alton Towers Resort? Well, let us enlighten you. As we mentioned earlier, the RadioTimes.com team would always prefer to catch public transport to places rather than drive as it avoids traffic jams and you can unwind on the journey, perhaps you could read a book (did you know we have a best Kindle deals guide?), listen to an audiobook (be sure to check out the best Audible deals for this month), or try to prevent the kids from picking on each other.

But is the cost of public transport cheaper than petrol? Well, with our how to get cheap train tickets article, we break down the best ways to travel for less, for example, buy a Railcard to save over 30% of the overall price or book tickets in advance. To save money on Alton Towers tickets, we recommend buying in advance anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone and purchase train tickets at the same time?

The nearest train station to Alton Towers Resort is Uttoxeter station, which is just a 30-minute bus journey from the theme park.

Is there parking at Alton Towers?

If you'd prefer to drive to Alton Towers, it's worth knowing where you'd park your car.

There is a car park at Alton Towers, and it's roughly a 15-minute walk to the main theme park entrance. Parking will set you back £10 for an all-day ticket, and there are a few ways you can purchase a ticket: on the Alton Towers website, through the Alton Towers Resort app, at the main theme park entrance, or at the Resort Box Office. Your ticket will be scanned when exiting the car park.

Buy a standard parking ticket for £10 at Alton Towers

Can you do Alton Towers in one day?

If you live in the surrounding areas to Alton Towers, such as Stoke-On-Trent, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, we believe you'll have time to travel to and from Alton Towers, and experience it within a day.

If you live further afield, or perhaps you and your family would like to really make the most of the 40-plus rides and 10 themed areas, then we recommend booking an overnight stay.

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Looking for some experiences in the capital city? There are some great ones in our best escape rooms in London, best West End shows and London walking tours.

Authors

Laura Wybrow

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