Bakken
Klampenborg·Denmark·Europe
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Visit
Breakdown
Introduction
We visited Bakken on July 13th, 2025, for our official Parkrating visit. Roughly 442 years after it first opened in 1583, it retains the title of the world’s oldest operating amusement park. Bakken is quite different from most other parks, as it is free to enter and focuses heavily on Danish culture and "Hygge." At times, it can feel more like a local hangout spot with rides; however, it has retained much of its charm and quirky character over the centuries, hiding a few unexpected pearls among the chaos.
Bakken Review
Best Coaster
7
Remember those pearls we mentioned earlier? This is one of them. To say Tornado is not your standard spinning coaster would probably grant you the "understatement of the year" award, as this coaster strikes the perfect balance between a NASA training machine and some kind of sadistic torture device. If you like your pleasure with a little bit of pain, you will enjoy this ride immensely, just as we did.
Now, the regular ride experience of Tornado is fun, with an ultra-intense first sequence and a few crazy banked helixes, but the rest of the ride is quite tame and uninteresting. All of this changes with boostmode, however, where the ride promptly eliminates all dead spots and turns its most intense moments into borderline illegal activity. It is an experience every enthusiast has to try, though whether you will actually enjoy it is another question entirely. Tornado is not comfortable; your neck will get chopped and your senses will be assaulted, but the reward is pure adrenaline and the feeling of truly being alive - so do with that description as you will.
Now, the regular ride experience of Tornado is fun, with an ultra-intense first sequence and a few crazy banked helixes, but the rest of the ride is quite tame and uninteresting. All of this changes with boostmode, however, where the ride promptly eliminates all dead spots and turns its most intense moments into borderline illegal activity. It is an experience every enthusiast has to try, though whether you will actually enjoy it is another question entirely. Tornado is not comfortable; your neck will get chopped and your senses will be assaulted, but the reward is pure adrenaline and the feeling of truly being alive - so do with that description as you will.
Coaster Depth
4Unfortunately, Rutschebanen was closed during our visit, which left Mine Train Ulven as the main supporting act. Thankfully, it is a surprisingly good Intamin mine train coaster. Vilde Mus is just your average wild mouse; without the big drop found on larger park variants, it remains a decent, albeit quite forgettable, experience. Although Rutschebanen is probably not Bakken's best coaster, the score would surely have been much higher had it been operating during our visit. Regardless, Bakken could definitely use another coaster to boost its lineup - and in turn, this score.
Water Rides
4
Bakken offers only a single water ride: Vandrutschebanen, a 1985 Reverchon log flume. Thankfully, it is a genuinely enjoyable attraction, especially in the scorching July heat. The ride has a charming aesthetic and proudly represents the classic look and feel of Bakken, with good energy and vibes in the surrounding area. The two drops, despite not being very tall, were quite zippy and got us quite wet - which we appreciate in a water ride. Overall, while Vandrutschebanen is a solid flume, Bakken would need another to be competitive with most European theme parks.
Flatrides And Darkrides
6.5
Starting with the positives - and as expected from a park of this caliber - Bakken's flat ride selection is solid. Supernova is a forceful little pendulum ride, Sky Roller is a fun Gerstlauer Sky Roller, and Tårngyset is a powerful S&S Double Shot tower. Rounding things off with a NebulaZ, a classic Polyp, and teacups, we have a very well-balanced lineup.
In terms of dark rides, Bakken does okay at best. Though Spøgelsestoget is an absolute classic at Bakken, it's not exactly what you would call "high quality," and its sister dark ride, Safari, feels like an old, temporary attraction that has been quite forgotten. The park features both a 5D cinema and an interactive dark ride; the former is actually surprisingly decent, offering working seats and a few cool special effects, but the latter is terrible. Overall, the non-coaster lineup at Bakken is decent, but they could use a ride of genuine scale or quality to really put them on the international map.
In terms of dark rides, Bakken does okay at best. Though Spøgelsestoget is an absolute classic at Bakken, it's not exactly what you would call "high quality," and its sister dark ride, Safari, feels like an old, temporary attraction that has been quite forgotten. The park features both a 5D cinema and an interactive dark ride; the former is actually surprisingly decent, offering working seats and a few cool special effects, but the latter is terrible. Overall, the non-coaster lineup at Bakken is decent, but they could use a ride of genuine scale or quality to really put them on the international map.
Park Appearance
5.5
Walking through Bakken’s narrow, Tivoli-style streets filled with carnival games, cafés, restaurants, and odd little shops, it is hard not to smile. There is a genuine sense of history here, and in parts of the park, it feels like very little has changed in over 400 years. That atmosphere alone does a lot of heavy lifting. Unfortunately, actual theming across the park is close to nonexistent. Every shop and ride seems to do its own thing, and many of the rides here look more like portable, traveling fair attractions than rides designed for a permanent theme park. It would be nice if they could incorporate their general aesthetic more into the rides and perhaps experiment with some theming unique to the park itself. Bakken has history, charm, and good vibes more so than traditional good looks.
Park Practicality
8
Not much to complain about here. Bakken is laid out in a large loop encircling a central area where Rutschebanen stands, with several connecting paths that make navigation incredibly easy. Finding rides, food, and facilities was simple, even without relying on an app or signage. It is refreshingly straightforward and easy to get around, though at the cost of the feeling of exploration, as you will mostly walk around a moderate-sized loop for most of the day. The park does really well here, but an app with more ride information and navigation would still be a worthwhile addition.
Food
4.5
We praised the atmosphere created by Bakken’s many food stalls earlier, and visually that still holds true. Unfortunately, not all of them deliver. We ended up eating at American Diner in search of our usual Season 1 and 2 burger. While the food itself tasted fine, the following hour and a half hunched over a theme park toilet decidedly was not. How does this still land at a 4.5? We choose to believe we were unlucky, as the overall food selection is extensive and many of the stalls we passed looked genuinely appetizing.
Snacks And Drinks
6.5
Bakken offers a very classic selection of amusement park snacks and desserts, including ice cream, candy, cotton candy, bubble tea, and churros, just to name a few. We went with ice cream, which was completely standard but good, and a bubble tea that fell well below expectations. The variety available across the park does most of the work in keeping this score at a 6.5.
Ride Operations
6.5While we did not get to experience Rutschebanen due to its breakdown during our visit, the rides we did manage to ride featured solid dispatches and friendly staff throughout. Nothing stood out as exceptional, but nothing caused frustration either.
Park Management
6.5
So, where do all these highs and lows leave us? Bakken is a truly unique, historic park with hidden gems and a few standout attractions, but it also lacks several elements that modern theme parks typically provide. Perhaps that is the point; Bakken feels like something else entirely, something that is difficult to categorize. Whatever it is, it is run competently. We encountered no facility closures, no staggered ride openings, and no strange park policies. The biggest downside was Rutschebanen being closed the entire day and the fact that the world’s oldest amusement park seemed to lack any merchandise whatsoever.
Roller Coasters (5)
Main Coasters (4)
Optional Coasters (1)
Gallery
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