11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
1,245 reviews
Excellent
598
Very good
390
Average
190
Poor
47
Terrible
20
BGS
Norwich, UK1 contribution
Sep 2021 • Family
The sheer scale of the place is mesmerising. After SIX hours we had barely scratched the surface of what was on offer here. Perhaps the owners could look towards building a hotel to enable visitors to stay, as there is just too much to do in such unforgivingly short opening times. Definitely would recommend to theme park thrill seekers…especially the roller coaster that goes into pitch black tunnels to give the riders twists and turns blind!. 10/10, will definitely be returning to see what other hidden gems can be uncovered
Written January 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ghostie
Great Yarmouth, UK146 contributions
Jun 2021
Very reasonably priced amusement park for young children and families located near Britannia Pier. £1.50 per ride, with a couple of options to 'bulk buy' tokens.
The park opened in 1949, the snails being an original ride still going! Some of it looks a little bit dated but there is a character and charm that you don't see as frequently now.
There's lot of choice with what to go on: - Roller-coaster, mini-Ferris wheel, parachutes, pirate ship, tubs, 'Neptunes Kingdom' + more. There's also an arcade within the facility.
Not all the rides can cater adults, bare that in mind if you have a child nervous to use the rides. I also felt like a couple of the rides were complete duds and it's not always easy to tell what you're queuing for. Continuing from that, it gets very busy and subsequently very cramped to point where taking a pram inside feels foolish. Social distancing is not possible in many areas where there is queuing.
That being said, it's wonderful to see attractions like this still drawing crowds and I would definitely take people here in future.
The park opened in 1949, the snails being an original ride still going! Some of it looks a little bit dated but there is a character and charm that you don't see as frequently now.
There's lot of choice with what to go on: - Roller-coaster, mini-Ferris wheel, parachutes, pirate ship, tubs, 'Neptunes Kingdom' + more. There's also an arcade within the facility.
Not all the rides can cater adults, bare that in mind if you have a child nervous to use the rides. I also felt like a couple of the rides were complete duds and it's not always easy to tell what you're queuing for. Continuing from that, it gets very busy and subsequently very cramped to point where taking a pram inside feels foolish. Social distancing is not possible in many areas where there is queuing.
That being said, it's wonderful to see attractions like this still drawing crowds and I would definitely take people here in future.
Written August 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Readytoreport
51 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Great little place that is well thought out to make the most of the small space they have. £30 for 25 tokens which was about right for 2 small children who could go on the rides together (children over a certain height are allowed to act as the 'adult' to accompany their younger sibling- mine are 3 and nearly 6). Rides appropriate for their ages, wouldn't entertain my eldest for many more years though. Spooky rollercoaster an absolute must. Even if you pop in just to try that out.
We arrived early to try to avoid most of the business. Got there at 10:45 to queue and we're first in line for an 11am opening. We were in there about 1hr 15minutes and by the time we'd been in there for about 40 minutes, it was already feeling very busy. Extremely difficult to social distance by this point. People having to desperately dance round each other to try to give everyone space.
Whilst they have tried to implement measures to reduce risk (such as markers in queues, a once way system and hand sanitiser in many places), it still didn't feel safe like other places we have visited.
Whilst the rides themselves were greatly enjoyed, if the day we visited was reduced capacity at the least busy time of the day, I wouldn't like to visit on full capacity in the middle of the day.
I so wanted to be able to give this review more stars as my children had a great time, and you can tell that they have tried to make the place safe. Unfortunately, I think they have missed the mark slightly.
We arrived early to try to avoid most of the business. Got there at 10:45 to queue and we're first in line for an 11am opening. We were in there about 1hr 15minutes and by the time we'd been in there for about 40 minutes, it was already feeling very busy. Extremely difficult to social distance by this point. People having to desperately dance round each other to try to give everyone space.
Whilst they have tried to implement measures to reduce risk (such as markers in queues, a once way system and hand sanitiser in many places), it still didn't feel safe like other places we have visited.
Whilst the rides themselves were greatly enjoyed, if the day we visited was reduced capacity at the least busy time of the day, I wouldn't like to visit on full capacity in the middle of the day.
I so wanted to be able to give this review more stars as my children had a great time, and you can tell that they have tried to make the place safe. Unfortunately, I think they have missed the mark slightly.
Written August 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jason W
Ilkeston, England, United Kingdom55 contributions
Aug 2021
Fantastic traditional fairground for little kids. I'd say any child under 7 would love it! The rides are traditional and a little bumpy but that makes them more fun! My 2 year old loves the snails, the rocket cars and the spooky coaster. Every ride is £1.50 per person but we got 12 token for £15 and it was enough for my son to have a good time on all the rides . Once you have your tokens you can come and go as you please so its great if you want a wander along the pier or beach in between rides. Would recommend anyone with small children to come here over pleasure beach!
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
It is what it is
Hertfordshire, UK45 contributions
Aug 2020
Our 6 year old daughter absolutely loves this place and on our overnight visit it's one of the main things she was looking forward too.
Whilst I cannot really fault the rides, me and my partner were not impressed with the measures in place to help with social distancing.... basically there is none.
Yes there is a one way system and someone standing on the entrance as you go in, but as far as we could tell no one was counting just how many people were in Joyland at any one time. Once inside it was absolutely rammed with people all bunched up together and barely any room to move around without getting far to close to someone. We resorted to wearing our masks as it felt that unsafe.
I also feel the price isn't really worth it.
Whilst I cannot really fault the rides, me and my partner were not impressed with the measures in place to help with social distancing.... basically there is none.
Yes there is a one way system and someone standing on the entrance as you go in, but as far as we could tell no one was counting just how many people were in Joyland at any one time. Once inside it was absolutely rammed with people all bunched up together and barely any room to move around without getting far to close to someone. We resorted to wearing our masks as it felt that unsafe.
I also feel the price isn't really worth it.
Written August 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Connie R
West Malling, UK95 contributions
May 2022 • Family
We took our daughter, aged 3, here at the start of the May half term. She really enjoyed it and there was plenty for her to go on.
Tokens are £1.50 each and rides are generally 1 token per person. I thought this was good value.
Ride photos can be purchased in the form of key rings, magnets and large prints. Again, I felt it was reasonably priced (we paid £4 for a ride photo magnet).
My only criticism is that it can be a little cramped, especially if you’re in a group and waiting for a little one to finish on a ride. This definitely didn’t take away from the fun experience though!
Tokens are £1.50 each and rides are generally 1 token per person. I thought this was good value.
Ride photos can be purchased in the form of key rings, magnets and large prints. Again, I felt it was reasonably priced (we paid £4 for a ride photo magnet).
My only criticism is that it can be a little cramped, especially if you’re in a group and waiting for a little one to finish on a ride. This definitely didn’t take away from the fun experience though!
Written May 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Hippychick793
London, UK50 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Joyland is a classic and unique fairground!
Deemed by my teenage daughter to be “pure fun” and my younger children to be “brilliant”, it was lovely to see all the rides I remembered from my own childhood being well cared for and fully functioning. The snails, the tubs, the jet cars, it’s all solidly made and the clever layout means an awful lot of fun is shovelled into a small park footprint.
They have adapted well to pandemic covid-19 requirements, there’s lots of hand sanitiser, a one-way system, and the staff have masks and visors even though it’s all outdoors. There’s careful attention to numbers in the park, and though at times it was busy when we were there, it didn’t feel badly overcrowded.
We loved our hour or so going around all the rides and I hope it manages to weather the awful havoc that Covid-19 has wrought onto so many seaside entertainments.
Thanks for continuing to run during such a difficult time, Joyland, you made my kids very happy today.
Deemed by my teenage daughter to be “pure fun” and my younger children to be “brilliant”, it was lovely to see all the rides I remembered from my own childhood being well cared for and fully functioning. The snails, the tubs, the jet cars, it’s all solidly made and the clever layout means an awful lot of fun is shovelled into a small park footprint.
They have adapted well to pandemic covid-19 requirements, there’s lots of hand sanitiser, a one-way system, and the staff have masks and visors even though it’s all outdoors. There’s careful attention to numbers in the park, and though at times it was busy when we were there, it didn’t feel badly overcrowded.
We loved our hour or so going around all the rides and I hope it manages to weather the awful havoc that Covid-19 has wrought onto so many seaside entertainments.
Thanks for continuing to run during such a difficult time, Joyland, you made my kids very happy today.
Written August 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Boro_Steve
London217 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
We were staying on holiday and visited Joyland to reminisce about my childhood holidays. I'm amazed that Joyland hasn't changed much in several decades.. The snails and tyrolean tubs still there and making new generations of kids smile. Prices of the rides have increased over time but Joyland is a little time capsule full of childhood memories.
Written July 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Daddydan86
7 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
My childhood memory is going on the snails and I still love them 30+ years on! Seeing my children go on them does bring back those happy family holidays and they really enjoyed them too. Trouble is, I think the owners of joy-land forgot to update the park as time went on! Really needs a good freshen up to modernise it. The coin operated rides are very out of date and look like they need retirement. The arcade attached again is very out of date and getting old.
Prices are good. 1 token per ride and you only need about 6 tokens to do it all so good value.
Overall, my childhood memories makes this a good place to visit, I’m sure my children will bring their children to visit. Maybe more for the novelty rather than the park.
Would love to see this place get a real good investment and be modernised. Of course keep the famous snail ride but the rest really does need something.
Prices are good. 1 token per ride and you only need about 6 tokens to do it all so good value.
Overall, my childhood memories makes this a good place to visit, I’m sure my children will bring their children to visit. Maybe more for the novelty rather than the park.
Would love to see this place get a real good investment and be modernised. Of course keep the famous snail ride but the rest really does need something.
Written October 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Fishker82
Oxford, UK183 contributions
Aug 2022
I have a very hazy memory of going on the snail ride when I was about 3 or 4 back in about 1986. We ended up going to GY again this year on holiday for the first time since then, so was fun to go back and see it.
The area itself is super tiny, you can walk around it in about 60 seconds, but that's no bad thing given how massive some theme parks can be.
Most/all of the rides are pretty old, but they are well kept and its a very colourful place, and very good value, around £1.50 per person per ride but you can get a discounted bag of tokens from the kiosk.
The snail ride and the Tyrolean Tub Ride are essential.
And yes - of course we recreated the photo we had taken in the 80's!
The area itself is super tiny, you can walk around it in about 60 seconds, but that's no bad thing given how massive some theme parks can be.
Most/all of the rides are pretty old, but they are well kept and its a very colourful place, and very good value, around £1.50 per person per ride but you can get a discounted bag of tokens from the kiosk.
The snail ride and the Tyrolean Tub Ride are essential.
And yes - of course we recreated the photo we had taken in the 80's!
Written August 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
LadyP1968
Cambridge, UK19 contributions
Would this be ok for a 11yr & 15yr old or is it aimed at younger children?
maxiiner96
Harrold, UK139 contributions
Aimed at more younger children but the pleasure beach has a lot for that age group x
kimcktuffs
Scunthorpe, UK26 contributions
Is there toilets available?
Richard Collins
4 contributions
No. Not on the park. Nearest ones are on the Britannia Pier next door.
Bethany
South Normanton, UK3 contributions
Hello, I have a 5 months old be nearly 6 months when we go. Can he go on the snails on my lap? I went on as a kid and would love to take him on.
Lilyland
Lowestoft, UK1,084 contributions
Hi, I'm not sure about that...
They do put a safety bar down around you so that might be a problem... And although the snails are quite slow they do turn sharply around a few corners and go a bit faster when going down the slope... And with today's health and safety they probably won't allow it anyway.
if I spend 15 in the diner, what ride pass do you get(how many ride tokens is it)? thank you
colin f
Melbourne, Australia
I don't know I segest you contact Joyland direct and ask them OK as I don't know this sorry!
Bexy Boo
6 contributions
Does anyone know if there are any minimum age or size requirements? We are wondering if it would be worthwhile taking our 6 month old.
🤞🏼
Nicky
Halesowen, UK434 contributions
It’s free to walk around - it’s just on the sea front near the pier - they are mostly toddler/small rides that you get tokens for & go with them. Our 1 year old went on a few rides with us.
paulandbeck25
Kent, UK1 contribution
Are dogs allowed in Joyland?
Charlotte S
Norfolk, UK6 contributions
Yes they are
Cass668
2 contributions
Does anybody know what time this closes please ?? Today x
packard999
Taverham, UK87 contributions
Old question, see their website or face book Account
Joyland (Great Yarmouth) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Joyland
- Joyland is open:
- Mon - Fri 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Sat - Sun 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Hotels near Joyland:
- (0.08 mi) Hotel Ocean
- (0.05 mi) Henry's on the Prom
- (0.11 mi) The Prince
- (0.09 mi) Prom Hotel
- (0.04 mi) The New Beach Hotel
- Restaurants near Joyland:
- (0.02 mi) Joyland American Diner
- (0.03 mi) American Diner
- (0.04 mi) Sea Chef
- (0.04 mi) Metropole Restaurant
- (0.06 mi) Darling Darlings Cat Lounge