Best Water Parks in the World, Ranked by Our Data
The best water park in the world is Caribbean Bay at Everland in South Korea — the only one on this list with an indoor half, so it runs all year, attached to the 4th best theme park in our global ranking.
Every water park below sits inside a park we score in our top 50 rankings, which means one ticket or one resort covers both the slides and a full day of rides. We only rank parks we hold data for, so standalone water parks with no theme park attached are not scored here.
The best water parks, ranked
| # | Water park | Inside | Country | Our park rank | Ticket from | Best season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caribbean Bay | Everland | South Korea | 4 | $32 | Spring |
| 2 | Jumbo Kaiyu Pool | Nagashima Spa Land | Japan | 5 | $38 | Spring |
| 3 | Hurricane Harbor | Six Flags Magic Mountain | United States | 10 | $60 | Spring |
| 4 | Water Park zone | Energylandia | Poland | 16 | $59 | Summer |
| 5 | Caribe Aquatic Park | PortAventura Park | Spain | 17 | $45 | Spring |
| 6 | Splash Works | Canada's Wonderland | Canada | 23 | $33 | Summer |
| 7 | Soak City | Kings Island | United States | 32 | $45 | Summer |
| 8 | The Boardwalk | Hersheypark | United States | 34 | $50 | Summer |
| 9 | WhiteWater World | Dreamworld | Australia | 43 | $45 | Spring |
The order follows our overall park score, which weights thrill, family appeal, value and wait times. Whether the water park is included in the ticket or gated separately varies by park and season — check before you buy.
Which water park is open all year?
Caribbean Bay, and it is the only one here that is. The indoor half stays open through the Korean winter, which is why it tops the list: every other water park on it is a seasonal add-on that shuts once the summer ends.
Nagashima Spa Land comes closest on scale rather than season — the Jumbo Kaiyu Pool complex is one of the largest in Asia, sitting beside Steel Dragon 2000, the longest full-circuit coaster ever built.
Best value: which is cheapest?
Everland at $32 and Canada's Wonderland at $33 are the two cheapest entries of the nine, and both give you a full theme park alongside the water park.
At the other end, Six Flags Magic Mountain is $60 before Hurricane Harbor is added on. Full price comparison: cheapest theme parks.
Which is best for young children?
Look for a large shallow zone, a lazy river and shade rather than slide count. Caribbean Bay at Everland, The Boardwalk at Hersheypark and Splash Works at Canada's Wonderland are the strongest of the nine on that measure, each with dedicated toddler pools beside the big slides.
If the trip is mainly about the little ones, our best theme parks for toddlers guide covers the same question for the dry rides.
Which is best for thrill seekers?
Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags Magic Mountain and WhiteWater World at Dreamworld both lean hard into speed slides, and both sit next to serious coaster lineups — Magic Mountain is 10th in the world on our ranking and holds Superman: Escape from Krypton.
See also best theme parks for thrill seekers.
When should you go?
Outdoor water parks are busiest in the school summer holidays, when queues for the headline slides pass an hour. Late May to mid-June and the first two weeks of September are the sweet spot in the northern hemisphere: warm enough to swim, no school crowds.
Six of the nine list spring or summer as their best season in our data. Timing details for each park are in best time to visit a theme park.
What to check before booking
- Is the water park a separate gate, or included in the theme park ticket?
- Are lockers, towels and lounger rental extra, and how much?
- What are the height requirements on the headline slides?
- Is it open daily in your travel window, or weekends only in shoulder season?
The full collection is on water parks and hybrid parks, and every park here is scored in the main best theme parks ranking.