We righted a terrible oversight on this website last week, realizing that we had never written a Top Ten Walt Disney World Attractions post. You know what else we realized? There was no Disneyland Resort (or Tokyo Disney Resort, for that matter) Top Ten Attractions post either! After sitting in that embarrassment for a week, it was time to fix the problem. In this post, we’ll share our top ten attractions at Disneyland Resort.

For this list, I’ve included any ride, 3D movie and animatronic stage show. Live entertainment and nighttime spectaculars were not considered. Despite only having two parks, Disneyland Resort had plenty of rides to consider. It helps when one of those parks has 37 attractions. California Adventure is no slouch in the amount of rides either, coming in with 22. 59 rides almost matches the total of the four parks in Walt Disney World!

Unlike that WDW top ten ranking, this one is not as diversified. Sorry DCA, but going up against the best theme park attraction roster ever is not an easy thing to do. The resort’s second gate did sneak a few rides onto the top ten list. As usual with my rankings, there was probably some bias involved but I did try to consider a number of factors including ride system, theme, plot, uniqueness, and queue.

Disneyland is unique when ranking because of the heaps of nostalgia involved. Nearly every major attraction in the classic park has some folklore to it. That only makes the love for these rides stronger, like a historic piece of art. It’s no wonder that California Adventure has a tough time keeping up in this list, since everything there is much newer.

Before we get to the top ten, I added an extra 5 that I’ll give much less of an explanation on. Yes, that does make this a top 15 list but everyone knows that doesn’t sound as good. With apologies to the Disneyland Railroad and the Mark Twain Riverboat (there’s 17!), let’s get to the list!

15. Alice in Wonderland (DL) – The most underrated dark ride of all time!
14. Grizzly River Run (DCA) – California Adventure’s river rapids ride is a blast. Add a bear animatronic somewhere along the way and it might make the top ten!
13. it’s a small world (DL) – A stone cold classic that means more and more to me over time.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! (DCA) – Others would easily have this in the top ten and it is one of the most fun attractions in Disneyland Resort.
11. Peter Pan’s Flight (DL) – This is the hallmark of the classic dark rides that Disneyland does so well.

10. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (DL)

If I was a tad more objective then Peter Pan and Mr. Toad would probably flip spots on this list. But I love Mr. Toad just a little bit more and think it’s representative of something Disneyland has in spades – character! Another word might be weird. Not to sound like an old man telling you to get off my lawn but Disneyland has plenty of attractions that invoke a “they don’t make them like they used to” feeling. In Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride’s case, that means you go to hell and back. It’s strange and incredible.

9. Matterhorn Bobsleds (DL)

Speaking of history, you can tell the Matterhorn is old just by riding it. You’ll feel old too because your back might need an adjustment after! This makes the top ten thanks to the sense of scale it adds to the park, the storytelling done throughout the attraction despite it being a brand new ride technology back in 1959, and because of how good it looks all these years later.

8. Incredicoaster (DCA)

This one moves a little faster than the Matterhorn! I’ve come around fully on Incredicoaster over the years, as it’s one of the integral and iconic parts of California Adventure. Despite loving The Incredibles, I can take or leave the storytelling elements here. Instead, I enjoy the coaster for being an elevated take on a classic pier ride. Going really fast is also fun!

7. Indiana Jones Adventure (DL)

I take for granted how much Indiana Jones Adventure feels like the source material. Everything from the queue to the ride’s dialogue feels as if you’re inside the movie with Indy. The actual on ride experience is innovative and exhilerating, featuring one of the most jaw dropping visual scenes in Disneyland as guests round the corner and see the rickety bridge for the first time. Hearing the John Williams score heightens the moment even more!

6. Space Mountain (DL)

While we’re on the subject of great scores, Disneyland’s version of Space Mountain excels because of the music blasting. Pulling it back around to Incredicoaster, Michael Giacchino (the Academy Award winning composer, who did the score The Incredibles) updated Space Mountain’s music back in 2005. On top of that, the concept of a ride through outer space in the dark seems simple but works amazingly well. The iconic facade deserves a shoutout too!

5. Haunted Mansion (DL)

We’re really into the heavy hitters now! Haunted Mansion plays uses every trick in the book – innovative visuals, an amazing original song, memorable scenes, and original characters. The facade is instantly recognizable and somehow everything inside of it matches that level. Bonus points to the ride for having an amazing holiday overlay version!

4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (DL)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted Mansion share some similarities. On first blush, this is an extremely fun family coaster set to the wild west. As you dig deeper, the story becomes clearer and is expertly told. The coaster’s effects push this up the list, as do all of the fun animals throughout.

3. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA)

The lone California Adventure attraction in the top 5, Radiator Springs Racers has now stood the test of time. Part of that is because of how much the attraction contains. Starting off with a simple joy ride, before turning into a dark ride, and ending with a thrilling race keeps the ride fresh. On top of that, the story is told concisely while being easily understood. Racers is still one of the greatest feats in modern Imagineering.

2. Rise of the Resistance (DL)

We’ll hop over to the other modern masterpiece at Disneyland Resort. Rise of the Resistance has a scale and immersion that few attractions will ever top. The experience is long and the ride, like Radiator Springs Racers, has a number of elements to add thrill, story, and excitement. There are multiple wow moments on Rise, making your first ever ride on this one of the most memorable experiences in all of Disneyland Resort.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean (DL)

If you’ve followed this website, you knew what would take the top spot on the list. Pirates of the Caribbean is my favorite ride in the world and I still believe it’s the best too. Despite a questionable addition lately, the storytelling on this attraction is spectacular and a higher concept than almost any theme park attraction ever made. Even though it opened back in 1967, the scale here is unparalleled. Pirates wraps up everything I love about theme parks into one ride and shows it off brilliantly.

What do you think of our top 10 Disneyland Resort attractions? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Interested in a trip to Disneyland? Check out our Planning Guide to help you along the way! Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!