Canada’s Wonderland: The Best Rides, Activities and Hotels Nearby

Updated Jun 27, 2025
Fact checked by
Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève Leclerc Marie-Ève Leclerc
Marie-Ève, Web Director at Milesopedia, is an expert in budget travel and a slow travel enthusiast. Specializing in Aeroplan, Scene+, and Marriott Bonvoy programs, she spends nearly six months a year abroad, making travel her way of life. Constantly seeking the best waves to surf, excellent coffee, and strategies to extend her travels, she is often found in coworking spaces with fellow digital nomads or by the sea, watching the sunset.
All posts by Marie-Ève Leclerc
Canadas Wonderland
To the point Milesopedia guides you to Canada's Wonderland must-see attractions, exciting activities not to be missed and the best nearby hotels for an unforgettable stay.

Canada’s Wonderland amusement park is one of Canada’s most popular entertainment destinations, offering visitors an unforgettable experience. In this article, we’ll explore the best rides not to be missed, exciting activities to discover and hotels ideally located near the park.

About Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario

Canada’s Wonderland is Canada’s largest amusement park and one of North America’s largest theme parks. It offers rides, shows, restaurants and entertainment for all ages.

The park is located north of the Greater Toronto Area. It offers over 69 rides and 19 roller coasters, including the world’s largest and fastest.

Canada’s Wonderland opened its doors for the first time on May 23, 1981, becoming Canada’s first major theme park. The park welcomes over 3.5 million visitors per season.

In its early days, it already offered several rides and shows. Over the years, Canada’s Wonderland has added new rides and more thrills. Today, it covers 300 acres (or the equivalent of 227 soccer fields).

Taking a photo with family or friends in front of the fabulous mountain and fountains is a classic!

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Canada's Wonderland amusement park - Ticket prices and rates

Tickets can be purchased on site or online at Canada’s Wonderland. If you buy them on site, the tickets are much more expensive than online. So I recommend you buy them before you get to the site.

Admission is free for children under 2.

Here are the ticket prices for the year 2025:

Ticket type Price Benefits
One-day ticket From $45 online ($90 at the door)
  • Splash Works admission included from May 24
Silver Pass season pass $89
  • Unlimited visits until Labour Day
  • Earlier entry to the park
  • 15% discount on food and beverages
  • Discount for a friend’s ticket
  • Exclusive benefits and discounts.
Gold Season Pass 115 $
  • Unlimited visits until Labour Day, including Halloween Haunt and Winterfest events
  • Admission to Oktoberfest and Camp Spooky
  • Earlier entry to the park
  • 15% discount on food and beverages
  • Discount for a friend’s ticket
  • Access to other Six Flags parks available at an additional cost
  • Exclusive benefits and discounts.
Prestige Season Pass $325
  • Unlimited tours until Labour Day, as well as Halloween Haut and Winterfest events
  • Admission to Oktoberfest and Camp Spooky
  • Free privileged parking
  • 20% discount on food and beverages
  • Earlier entry to the park
  • Access to the VIP section
  • 2 free tickets for friends
  • One free Fast Lane entry per visit
  • Access to other Six Flags parks available at an additional cost

Other options can be added to enhance your day, such as :

  • Fast Lane: From $69 to go ahead of everyone else for 22 rides.
  • Fast Lane Plus: From $79, to go ahead of everyone else for 22 rides + the following rides: Yukon Striker, Leviathan and Behemoth.
  • Fast Lane Plus Season Pass: From $599, you can pass everyone else, all season long!
  • Single Day FunPix: From $24.99, get all the photos taken in the park during the day, including unlimited photo downloads.
  • Single Meal Deal: $18.99 including appetizer, side dish and fountain drink.
  • All Day Dining: $31.99, For one entrée and one side dish at participating restaurants every 90 minutes. This package does not include drinks.
  • Premium All Day Dining: $43.99, for an entrée, side dish or snack at participating restaurants every 90 minutes. Every 15 minutes, a Coca-Cola drink can be purchased free of charge, all day long.
  • VIP Lounge access: Starting at $19.99, this is your passport to free snacks, TV, phone recharging and other exclusives.
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While we’re on the subject of passports, we might as well talk about the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card!

It gives 2 Scene+ points for every dollar spent on entertainment at theme parks like Canada’s Wonderland. It also avoids the 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee when visiting other Cedar Fair parks in the U.S.

Then exchange 1,000 Scene+ points for a $10 discount on your grocery bill or travel expenses.

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, you’ll receive up to 45,000 Scene+ points in welcome bonus (a $450 value):

  • 35,000 points after $2,000 in purchases in the first three months
  • 10,000 points after $40,000 in purchases in the first year

Then, each year, if you make at least $40,000 in purchases on the card, you’ll earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 points, a value of $100.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, you earn 3 points per dollar spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà by IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.

You’ll also earn 2 points for every dollar you spend, including on foreign purchases, in the following categories:

  • Grocery shopping
  • Restaurants
  • Entertainment centers
  • Transit

The Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport is an excellent Visa credit card for this type of purchase.

These points can be used against any travel purchase at the rate of1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb). You can also redeem your points for cash back at Scene+, for example, at your local grocery store checkout at the same rate of 1,000 points = $10.

The Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport also offers :

  • No fees for foreign currency transactions
  • 6 access to VIP airport lounges
  • Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
  • Concierge service

We voted this credit card the Best No FX Fee Credit Card of 2024 and 2025.

Discounts on Canada's Wonderland tickets

For 630 AIR MILES Dream Miles per ticket, you can get a free one-day ticket to Canada’s Wonderland for one person, Friday to Sunday.

Plan ahead, about 2 working days in advance, to ensure you receive your electronic ticket on time.

air miles canadas wonderland

Hotels near Canada's Wonderland

Several hotels in the vicinity of Canada’s Wonderland offer room and attraction packages.

  • Aloft Vaughan Mills: The closest hotel to Canada’s Wonderland is Aloft Vaughan Mills. This top-rated hotel is also right next to Vaughan Mills, a large shopping center with a LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Toronto.
  • TownePlace Suites Toronto Northeast/Markham: This hotel is perfectly located between Canada’s Wonderland and the Toronto Zoo. What’s more, it gives free breakfast to all its guests and its rooms have a kitchenette.
  • Courtyard Toronto Vaughan: Renovated in recent years, easy access to highways 400 and 407. The Courtyard Toronto Vaughan is a 10-minute drive from Canada’s Wonderland.
  • SpringHill Suites Toronto Vaughan: This contemporary hotel has large rooms and also offers free breakfast to all guests.
  • Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel: Right in downtown Toronto, it’s further away than the Canada’s Wonderland hotels above. But it’s glued to Toronto’s Rogers Centre. If you also want to see a Blue Jays baseball game during the season, you can even attend from certain privileged rooms!

Do you have Marriott Bonvoy points thanks to a Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card by any chance? You could get a free night or even a free night certificate to make that stay cheaper.

Or, if you have points from your favorite loyalty program, check to see if you can use points to reimburse your Canada’s Wonderland getaway. For example Scene+points, NBC Rewards points and TD Rewards points.

Discover the best rides at Canada's Wonderland

AlpenFury

AlpenFury is THE new ride coming to Canada’s Wonderland this summer.

It’s the longest, highest and fastest ride in Canada. It features two dazzling accelerations, one of which propels passengers to a dizzying height of 50 meters. What’s more, its nine inversions are guaranteed to thrill and delight.

The Leviathan

The Leviathan is a ride for thrill-seekers of all kinds. It’s one of the biggest and tallest roller coasters in the world. It’s a gigantic roller coaster, measuring 1.6 kilometers in length.

It soars to a thrilling height of 93 metres in the air, then plunges into a steep 80-degree freefall. Then the cars speed along at 148 kilometers per hour, turning in curves of over 90 degrees.

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Yukon Striker

The Yukon Striker is another ride that takes passengers’ breath away and makes them scream in terror for two minutes!

The ride begins by hanging for 3 long, interminable seconds before reaching a speed of 130 km/h. In addition, there will be inversions and a complete 360-degree loop.

Behemoth

In less than 4 seconds, passengers accelerate from 0 to 125 km/h. It’s another Leviathan and Behemoth ride to try.

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The Bat

It’s a merry-go-round that goes forwards… and back again! For connoisseurs, it’s the same style as La Ronde‘s Boomerang.

Drop Tower

Passengers ascend 70 meters into the air, then wait for agonizingly long seconds before being suddenly dropped at 100 km/h to the ground.

The Windseeker, Flight Deck, Backlot Stunt Coaster and Psyclone are just some of the rides you’ll want to try out.

Planet Snoopy and children's rides

Conversely, Kidzville and Planet Snoopy are places that appeal to younger guests. They have their own level of rollercoaster fun.

taxi-jam-canada wonderland

Splash Works Water

Splash Works Water is the part of the park with water slides, a swimming pool and water games. In 2025, this part of the park will open on May 24. Since last year, it has featured a new thrill ride called “Moosehorn Falls”.

Canada's Wonderland site map and photos

The official Canada’s Wonderland map contains full information on minimum size requirements.

On the map, you’ll see several Fun Pix pictograms, where a photo is taken during the ride. You need to have purchased the Fun Pix option to have unrestricted access and unlimited downloads.

What’s more, several official park photographers are scattered throughout the park in strategic locations, and Fun Pix lets you get those photos.

canadas wonderland map

Canada's Wonderland - Shows

There’s more to the park than just rides! During the day, a variety of stunts, musicals, bands, circus acts and sky dives are presented.

Each day’s program is different and may vary, so it’s a good idea to check their calendar before you visit.

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang always put on a big show at the Peanuts Gazebo in the Planet Snoopy section. They organize dances and get-togethers for children.

For guests looking for some adrenaline-pumping action, take in the aerial madness of the Fall Out Stunt Dive Show and Victoria Falls High Divers.

Canada's Wonderland - Events

Halloween Haunt: Every year on autumn evenings, Canada’s Wonderland offers a terrifying Halloween Haunt, filled with zombies, mazes, monsters, spooky shows and scary attractions. Not recommended for children under 13, as it’s really spooky. Some rides are open and visitors can ride them in the dark. An additional ticket must be purchased in addition to the regular park ticket.

Camp Spooky: On weekends in September and October, kids can have their Halloween party too! This gentle, family-friendly event features candy, a Halloween costume parade for kids, live entertainment with The PEANUTS band, and meet-and-greets with Halloween characters.

Winter Fest: Takes place between November and early January. It’s a new event at Canada’s Wonderland. It includes ice skating on Snow Flake Lake, a dozen shows, holiday food tastings, millions of spectacular lights and hundreds of magnificent Christmas trees throughout the park, including two 15-metre-high Christmas trees on International Street.

Oktoberfest: This German festival takes place on weekends in September. Enjoy authentic German-themed sausages, schnitzel, giant Bavarian pretzels and cold beers, while listening to traditional bands.

Celebration Canada: First week of July. Celebrate Canada’s birthday with music, traditional Aboriginal performances, street performers, poutine and other Canadian delicacies.

Fireworks: On certain dates only, such as Canada Day and long vacation weekends.

KidZfest: Mid to late July. It’s a party just for kids! They can meet Peppa Pig and Marvel superheroes, enjoy dance parties, music and shows.

Canada's Wonderland - Opening hours

Canada’s Wonderland is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the summer. The park may close earlier in spring and autumn, when the sun sets earlier. We strongly recommend that you check the calendar before visiting the park.

Splash Works opens in late May and runs until early September.

Canada's Wonderland - Parking

All taxes included, parking at Canada’s Wonderland costs when you buy online:

  • 30 per car and van
  • $ 40 for VIP parking
  • $ 40 for camping trailers

Explore Niagara Falls and Toronto during your stay

While you’re in the Toronto area, visit Niagara Falls and the surrounding area!

The famous falls are located 1h30 from Canada’s Wonderland, and make an excellent one- or two-day getaway.

To visit other parks, read our article on theme parks around the world.

Photo credit: Canada’s Wonderland

Where is Canada's Wonderland?

Canada’s Wonderland is located in Vaughan, northwest of downtown Toronto.

What are the payment methods and how do I pay at Canada's Wonderland?

Canada’s Wonderland is cashless. It accepts purchases by debit card, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover as well as via smartphone, thanks to Apple Pay or Google Pay.

There are also several Cash-to-Card Kiosks, where you can convert cash for a prepaid debit card. This card can be used anywhere in the park, and also to pay for purchases outside the park, free of charge.

When will Canada's Wonderland open in 2025?

It usually opens on the first Friday in May.

In 2025, Canada’s Wonderland opens its doors on May 8.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Caroline Tremblay
Caroline Tremblay
Caroline, a loyalty program specialist, helps families maximize their points to travel more frequently and affordably. With expertise in Disney, AIR MILES, and Costco, she travels the world with her partner and two children through rewards. Passionate about the latest in loyalty programs, Caroline shares tips to help you earn more points and turn your travel dreams into reality.
All posts by Caroline Tremblay
Region
Canada, Toronto

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