Chessington World of Adventures

You can turn your Chessington World of Adventures experience into a short break easily by staying at one of the Chessington Resort hotels, or alternatively a nearby partner hotel.

Options include:

• Azteca & Safari Resort Hotels
• Explorer Glamping
• Partner hotels (such as Holiday Inn)

All the hotels (including partner hotels) offer options to bundle your Theme Park, Zoo and SEA LIFE centre tickets together with your hotel stay.

Click on the banner above or below to go through to the official Chessington World of Adventures website and see your hotel options.

Can you buy a 2-day ticket?

At the moment it is not possible to purchase a 2-day ticket, but if you want a second day at Chessington then you might like to book a resort overnight and you will get free entry on day two.

How long will I need at Chessington World of Adventures?

You can easily do Chessington in a full day. But you'll want to get there at opening at 10 to fully make sure you get the most out of your day, including queuing time, time for lunch, and time to properly see the animals in the Zoo and SEA LIFE. An overnight stay at the Chessington Resort or partner hotel will make your whole experience more relaxed and leisurely.

Can you just visit the zoo and/or SEA LIFE centre?

In the main summer season you cannot separate the tickets out; all tickets include the Zoo, SEA LIFE centre and Theme Park.

During the quieter winter season it is possible to visit just the animals on Zoo Only days.

The Return Promise (ex Rainy Day Free scheme)

Chessington have a policy that means should your day out be disrupted (i.e. rides closed) for over an hour by inclement weather (wind, heavy rain, storms, etc), management will typically offer you a Return Promise - meaning you can come back for FREE within 9 months. ​See Chessington World of Adventures website for full details.

What age is Chessington most suitable for?

This is of course a matter of preference, but many people find that there is definitely enough to meet everyone's needs, while children in the age range of around 5-13 might get the most enjoyment out of the theme park.

It is worth bearing in mind minimum height requirements for some rides; you will need to be at least 1.3 m tall for many. If you are under 1.1 m then there won't be so many rides open to you but for those at least 0.9 m there are: Jungle Rangers, Tuk Tuk Turmoil bumper cars, Canopy Capers, and the Scorpion Express roller coaster plus of course the Zoo and SEA LIFE included in your ticket.

Rides at Chessington

For many people the rides are the main attraction. Chessington have developed their rides over a number of years and now have over 40. As always, the most popular rides typically have the longest queues.

Scariest ride

The scariest ride is thought to be 'Dragon's Fury.'

Upside down ride

Mandrill Mayhem Ride (new in 2023 - Jumanji).

Suitable ride for little kids

The Gruffalo River Ride - an enchanting boat winding through the imaginary forest.

All-time classic

The Vampire ride is not to be missed, a coaster through the 'Wild Woods.'

What are the queues like at Chessington World of Adventures?

Like any theme park, queues are so variable and depend entirely on season, time of day, day of the week, etc.

If you can get on the most popular rides as soon as you arrive around 10 am you should find them much quieter. By lunchtime they're usually getting pretty busy.

If you get lucky you can have an average wait time of just 20 minutes, on very busy days you could double this or more for the most popular rides. Queue wait times are displayed clearly on the outside before you go in so to some extent you can make your judgement as you go around.

You can pay for the Reserve and Ride Fast Track system if you really want to avoid the worst of the queues.

Food and drink at Chessington World of Adventures

As with all theme parks, you will have a big variety of food on offer - but you'll need to budget for it as it is typically on the pricey side.

The usual burgers, ‘dirty fries’, pizza, BBQ & hot dogs are all available on-site.

Can we take a picnic?

Yes you can. If you want to save a bit of money there are plenty of benches to sit on and picnic areas too.

Is Chessington suitable for disabled visitors?

The whole park is wheelchair and pushchair friendly. You can hire a wheelchair for £10 per day. If wheelchair users need assistance with getting onto rides, that can be requested. There is a full disabled guide for Chessington available online.

Opening times

Chessington World of Adventures is open all year round, 7 days a week from 10am to 5, 6 or 7pm depending on the time of year (see website for details).

Address and location

Chessington World of Adventures Resort
Leatherhead Road
Chessington
Surrey
KT9 2NE

The Resort is well signposted. It is on the A243, just two miles from the M25 and A3. From the South on the M25, take Junction 9 and from the North, take Junction 10. From London, take the A3 to Hook and follow signs to the Resort.

If you drive there is a parking fee on-site except for Merlin Pass holders.

Chessington from London by train

Chessington is an easy 25-min train ride from central London. The regular South West Railways services run from Waterloo, Clapham Junction and Wimbledon. You need to get the train to Chessington South Station.

From Chessington South Station the theme park is an easy 10-minute walk.

Chessington South station is within zone 6 of the London travel zones. You can use your Oyster card here. Use the banner below to look up train times.

Long-running options for 2 for 1 at Chessington that have now been around for many years include:

Kellogg's long-standing Merlin attractions - adults go free

One adult or child goes free when you buy an online ticket (there are no longer separate adult and child tickets, all tickets are the same price).

Simply buy one of the qualifying cereal boxes with the offer printed on, then use the unique 10 digit code to select your chosen attraction and pre-book at the discounted price. Once you have booked you can then download or print the tickets to take with you on the day.

These offers usually run for a couple of months during the summer, but run our typically before the school holidays.

Also valid at LEGOLAND Windsor, Thorpe Park, Warwick Castle, SEA LIFE, Alton Towers, Madame Tussauds, Shrek's Adventure! London, The London Dungeon (and other UK Dungeons), and the London Eye, amongst others.

2for1 theme parks and attractions with National Rail

See our page Railways 2 for 1 offer for more information about this excellent permanent offer when you travel by train.

Tesco Clubcard offers

You can convert Tesco Clubcard points into vouchers to get money off theme parks such as Chessington World of Adventures. Typically £5 in points will equate to £10-worth of vouchers.

Other vouchers

Other promotional vouchers for Chessington can be found by searching around, both on and off line such as 50% off deals, just check the expiry dates.