Helix is the ride most people come to Liseberg for, and it earns that reputation with two separate launches, seven inversions, and a layout that threads through the park’s natural rock formations instead of running over flat ground. For a first-timer standing in line, though, the ride raises more practical questions than its stats alone answer: how fast it actually feels, which seat is worth chasing, whether you’re tall enough to ride, and how to avoid losing half your visit to the queue.
This guide covers all of that — verified speed, g-force, and height requirements straight from Liseberg’s own ride data, plus the seating, queueing, and ticketing details that decide whether your ride (and your day) goes smoothly.
Quick Answer
Helix at Liseberg reaches a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and pulls a maximum force of 4.3g across its two launches and seven inversions. Riders must be at least 130 cm (51 in) tall and 7 years old. It’s the longest roller coaster in Scandinavia, covering 1,381 m (4,531 ft) of track in about 2 minutes.
How Tall Do You Need to Be to Ride Helix?
Helix has a minimum height requirement of 130 cm (51 in), and riders must also be at least 7 years old. Liseberg’s restraint rules go beyond a height marker, though: every rider needs two legs down to the ankle restraints, the strength to hold on with at least one hand throughout the ride, and no rigid casts or splints on an arm or leg. These aren’t formalities — the restraint design genuinely won’t lock safely without them.
That’s why the test seat at the ride entrance matters as much as the height sign. It uses a simple traffic-light read: green means you’ll fit in any of the train’s 20 seats, yellow means you’ll need one of the two roomier rear ‘big boys seats,’ and red means the restraints can’t close safely for you on this ride. If you’re anywhere near the size limits — tall, broad-shouldered, or just unsure — test before you queue rather than after.
First-Timer Tips: What to Know Before You Ride
Liseberg runs Helix’s queue differently than almost any other coaster line in the world. While you wait, you can play the Helix Game on your phone — a set of short minigames built around the ride’s actual elements, including the launch, the zero-g roll, and the pretzel knot. Every 15 minutes, whoever posts the highest score wins an Express Pass that skips the regular Helix line on their next ride. It’s worth opening the app and trying a round even if you don’t expect to win, since it turns a 30-plus-minute wait into something closer to entertainment.
Liseberg also runs a standard virtual queue through its official app, so check the official Helix page before you go, since virtual-queue hours and Helix Game availability can shift by season. Joining the virtual queue as soon as you arrive, then doing something else in the park while you wait, is a simpler way to fit in a second ride than standing in the physical line twice.
Seat choice matters more for comfort than for intensity on Helix. If you’re just chasing the best experience rather than solving a fit issue, the front-vs-back seat debate leans toward front row after dark, when riders can see the whole illuminated layout unfolding ahead through the hillside; the back is the pick if you want to feel whipped through the inversions rather than see them coming.
How Fast Does Helix Go?
Helix hits its top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) using two separate linear synchronous motor (LSM) launches rather than a single chain lift. The first launch fires the train into the hillside terrain, and a second boost launch part-way through the layout brings it back up to full speed for the second half of the ride. That dual-launch setup is what makes Helix feel faster than its top-speed number suggests — riders hit maximum velocity twice, with a mid-course dip in pacing between the two pushes rather than one long build-up followed by a slow fade.
At 100 km/h, Helix is faster than most European launch coasters of its era, though Liseberg’s own 2018 dive coaster Valkyria is slightly faster at 105 km/h (65 mph).
How Many G’s Does Helix Pull?
Helix reaches a maximum of 4.3g, among the higher sustained forces found on any launch coaster in Europe. Rather than a single peak moment, the 4.3g figure is hit at multiple points across the seven inversions, so the intensity is spread through the ride instead of concentrated in one element.
Liseberg’s own ride data also lists three distinct moments of weightlessness (airtime/zero-g sensations) across the layout, on top of the sustained lateral and positive g-forces generated through the corkscrews, the pretzel knot, and the Norwegian loop.
Inversions and Ride Layout
After the opening launch, Helix snakes through seven inversions in quick succession: two corkscrews, a pretzel knot, a zero-g roll, a top hat, and the headline element — a Norwegian loop, a rare inversion type found on very few coasters worldwide. The altitude drops as much as 52 meters (171 ft) from the ride’s highest point to its lowest, on a structure that peaks at 41 m (135 ft).
Throughout, the track hugs Liseberg’s natural rock formations, diving close to the ground and threading past existing park structures in ways that keep the layout feeling unpredictable. The terrain-integrated design required blasting through existing rock on site, a construction challenge that ultimately shaped the coaster’s unusually organic path. Mack Rides built the ride at a cost of roughly 239 million Swedish kronor, and it opened to the public on April 26, 2014.
Awards and How Helix Ranks
Helix has stayed in the conversation about Europe’s best steel coasters since it opened. It has placed in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards Top 50 Steel Coasters list every year since its 2014 debut, with its strongest showing coming in 2019, when it ranked 19th among steel coasters worldwide. In the European Star Awards, Helix was voted the continent’s second-best steel roller coaster in 2022 and placed fifth in the 2025 rankings, holding its own against newer launch and inverted coasters built in the years since.
That consistency is part of why Helix is still Liseberg’s headline attraction over a decade after opening — the layout hasn’t aged the way some early-2010s launch coasters have.
Planning Your Visit: Tickets and Access
Helix isn’t a pay-per-ride attraction in the traditional sense — it’s included with Liseberg’s Ride Pass, which is typically sold bundled with park admission, or it can be ridden using coupons from Liseberg’s Ticket Book if you’d rather pay per ride than buy a full Ride Pass. Liseberg uses dynamic pricing, so the same admission-plus-Ride-Pass combo costs more on a busy Saturday in July than on a quiet Wednesday in the shoulder season, and buying online in advance is consistently cheaper than paying at the gate.
Because prices, hours, and the Helix virtual-queue setup all shift by season and by day, check the official Helix page on Liseberg’s website for current ticket prices, opening hours, and queue details before you go.
Build a working coaster on the kitchen table and learn why the first drop has to be the tallest. A good gift for young coaster fans.
Over 3,700 pieces, a real vertical loop and a working chain lift. Display it on a shelf in the coaster room.
Rub-on sunscreen that fits in a pocket — reapply in the queue without greasy hands on the lap bar.
Helix Liseberg roller coaster FAQs
How tall do you have to be to ride Helix at Liseberg?
You need to be at least 130 cm (51 in) tall and at least 7 years old. Riders also need two legs down to the ankle restraints, the grip strength to hold on with at least one hand, and no rigid cast or splint. The test seat at the ride entrance will confirm whether you fit before you queue.
What is the best seat on Helix?
For comfort, the two rear seats in each train are Liseberg’s roomier ‘big boys seats’ with larger restraints. For experience, front row at night gives the best view of the illuminated layout ahead, while back row makes the inversions hit with more surprise since you can’t see them coming.
How fast is Helix at Liseberg?
Helix reaches a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), achieved across two separate launches rather than one continuous build-up.
How many inversions does Helix have?
Seven: two corkscrews, a pretzel knot, a zero-g roll, a top hat, and a rare Norwegian loop.
Is Helix the fastest or longest ride at Liseberg?
Helix is the longest roller coaster in Scandinavia at 1,381 m (4,531 ft) of track, but it isn’t the fastest ride at the park — Liseberg’s dive coaster Valkyria tops it slightly at 105 km/h (65 mph) versus Helix’s 100 km/h (62 mph).
Do I need a separate ticket to ride Helix?
No. Helix is included with Liseberg’s Admission + Ride Pass, or it can be ridden using coupons from the Ticket Book if you prefer paying per ride. Check the official Liseberg site for current prices, since the park uses dynamic, date-based pricing.
Has Helix won any awards?
Yes. Helix has ranked in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards Top 50 Steel Coasters every year since opening in 2014 (peaking at 19th globally in 2019), and placed second and fifth respectively in the 2022 and 2025 European Star Awards for best steel coaster.
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