Fantasiana

Fantasiana - Erlebnispark Strasswalchen is a family-focused amusement park near Salzburg, Austria. It offers an interesting variety of rides as well as a family coaster and a brand-new Mack Rides big dipper. The park is small, but it is constantly developing and offers enough exciting attractions to fill the day. In 2026, Fantasiana is celebrating it's 30th anniversary. The park plans to announce a new attraction during the festivities on 10th July. Stay tuned! 

Highlights: Helios (BigDipper Coaster), Mami Wata (Log Flume), Pendula (Wild Swing), Knights Ride Tower (Free Fall Tower), Playgrounds

Location: Fantasiana Straßwalchen, Salzburg, Austria 

Web: www.fantasiana.at 

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Helios excels on many levels. The area is beautifully crafted in a Mediterranean theme. The queue intertwines with the ride, which, along with the epic soundtrack makes the waiting time feel quite short. There is only one queue (no single rider/fast pass), but during full days, the staff will take care of filling the trains. Currently Helios operates with one train, but it is possible to expand to two trains, given time and budget.

The ride itself starts on a surprisingly quick chain lift hill and instantly plummets down an intense, twisted first drop. A noteworthy element is the outward banked airtime hill. This coaster offers a lot of variety, airtime and hangtime. The onboard audio makes the ride feel like an epic journey. While the first half of the ride is definitely stronger than the last bit, it still got great pacing. The inner seats ride very smoothly, while the wing seats offer more intense forces during the first drop and the outward banked hill. The outer seats rattle a bit, but nothing too serious or uncomfortable. 

Helios is open to riders starting 6 years old and 1,20 m, so it offers a great gateway into bigger coasters for smaller kids too. But worry not – Helios is an action-packed ride that is definitely enjoyable for adult enthusiasts too.  While definitely not as forceful, it still often gets compared to Voltron at Europa Park. I like to call it “Voltron’s little sister”.

Bonus: Due to it’s quick lift hill and lower height, it’s easy to enjoy Helios, even if you have a fear of heights. This makes Helios a great way to conquer coaster fear or get into the hobby!

Comparison: Wiener Looping at Vienna Prater is the same model (Mack BigDipper) and opened the same year as Helios. While both coasters have similar elements and a fun and varied ride, Helios offers a slightly better experience due to its layout, theming and soundtrack. 

Is Helios worth riding? Yes, definitely. If you like airtime but aren't looking for extreme roller coasters, Helios is currently one of the best family thrill coasters in Europe. It also has great re-riding potential.