It sounds unlikely. A historical theme park in the middle of the French countryside in a department you may have never even heard of. There are no rides and no roller coasters. And yet the Puy du Fou has twice been voted the best theme park in the world and gets around 3 million visitors every year.
I have been going to the Puy du Fou for 25 years. When I set up my first business in France the proximity to the park had much to do with its success. The park has grown and changed hugely over the years, but my love for it remains.
The park is based around live shows, which represent some part of France’s history, from Roman times up to the first world war. The aim here isn’t educational, the stories stretch true history beyond its bounds: entertainment is the main aim.
When I first started going you could cover the park and all the shows in one long day. Since then, the park has expanded and increased the number of shows significantly, so if you wanted to do everything you would now need at least 2 days.
There are 8 main shows, 4 immersive experiences and numerous other attractions around the park. The park itself is beautiful, with rose gardens and lakes and valleys. There are 4 fully recreated villages from different eras: a Viking village, a medieval village, an 18th century village and a village from the beginning of the 20th century. Each one is carefully laid out to represent the era. There is also a nighttime show within the park and a separate, massive, show – the Cinesine – with 2500 actors and dancers on stage and 13000 spectators.
A trip to the Puy du Fou always involves some planning to get the most out of your day. As we only ever go for a single day, because living nearby means we can always go again, discussion has to take place as to which of the shows we want to see.
The Bird show – Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes
The show we all agree on, and which is my husband’s favourite, is Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes, or Dance of the Ghostly Birds. This is a medieval show set around the ruins of the ancient castle. In essence it is an impressive display of falconry, with some music and a nice little storyline to bring it together. The show includes not just birds of prey, but also owls, secretary birds, spoonbills, and, most impressive in size, vultures. They fly across from one stand to the other, sometimes perilously close to the public. It never fails to amaze us, no matter how many times we have seen it.
The Viking show – Les Vikings
My favourite show is the Vikings. It has got it all, horses, wolves, falcons, stunt performers, sword fights, and fire. Added to that the special effects are pretty impressive. It is one of those shows where lots of things happen at once, so if you are watching the sword fighting you might miss the man jumping from the top of a burning building. There is a religious element to the show, which some people object to (see below) but it doesn’t really change the showmanship.
The Musketeers show – Mousquetaire de Richelieu
This is set inside a huge theatre with what is apparently the biggest stage curtain in the world. On the face of it this is a show about the musketeers involving a lot of sword fighting, but the true stars of the show here are the horses. Having spent many years as a horse owner, I marvel at the skill it takes to carry out this sort of precision dressage whist a bunch of dancers is splashing around in the water.
The King Arthur show – L’Épée du Roi Arthur
Smaller than most of the other shows, this nonetheless goes large on its special effects. With the medieval village of Font-Rognou as its backdrop this show is all about the technical effects. A tree, resembling Harry Potter’s whomping willow, but armed with swords, a talking castle and an island that raises into the sky. As with all the shows, the music helps to set the scene and lead the storyline.
The Gladiator show – Le Signe du Triomphe
The building of the Gallo Roman stadium 25 years ago marked the step change in the growth of the Puy du Fou. Whilst the stadium is far smaller than the colusseum in Rome which inspired it, it is nonetheless an impressive structure. It seats 7000 people and is of a similar size to the ancient stadium at Fréjus, in the south of France. A much-needed sun/rain awning was added in 2022, but depending on the time of day some of the seats are still in full sun during the show which is one reason not to arrive too late to this very popular show.
The show once featured Christians being fed to the lions, but modern sensibilities around animal welfare mean that lions and tigers are no longer part of the show. Fortunately, the chariot race is still the centre piece. Four chariots, each drawn by four horses, driving at speed around the stadium is truly a spectacular sight. The gladiator fighting may upset some younger children (at least one young child was in tears last week) as the show is fairly realistic.
The Horse Show – Le Secret de la Lance
It isn’t really called the horse show, that is just what my family call it because the best part of this show is the equestrian stunt performances. With riders standing astride two horses at once and vaulting on horseback whilst racing past the audience.
The show is based on the 100 years war between the English and the French and includes knights in shining armour and much sword fighting. Joan of Arc saves the day with her magical lance, which I don’t believe to be historically accurate but makes for some good special effects.
The Vendeen Boat show – Le Dernier Panache
This is an incredible indoor show where the whole grandstand rotates around a 360-degree stage. The story is of a French hero of the American war of independence comes back to France (on a ship which is recreated on stage – hence why we call it the boat show) to fight in the wars of the Vendée.
This is one of the shows where the storyline is important to the show. This is a very local part of French history, where royalists rose up against the revolutionary government. Given that the death toll is estimated at up to 200,000 people this is a sensitive subject to those of us who live in the Vendée. It isn’t one of our favourite shows (maybe because it is a touchy subject) so we skipped it on our latest visit.
The Black and White Mime show – Le Mime et L’Étoile
This opened in 2023 and was twice voted best show in the world. Set in 1914 at the filming of a black and white silent movie, the show takes place on a conveyor belt, with the 120 performers travelling the equivalent of nearly 2km. It is the only show in the park that doesn’t figure horses and sword-fighting, so my family vote not to see it. I shall have to take a trip by myself to experience it.
The Puy du Fou immersive Experiences
As well as the big shows there are 4 immersive experiences that have no fixed times so you can fit them in around shows.
First world war walkthough – Les Amoureux de Verdun takes you into the trenches, it is dark, noisy and a touch unsettling. It is very well done, but I struggle to call it entertainment.
Explorer ship walkthough – Le Mystère de La Pérouse takes you onto a ship at the time of the great explorations of the 18th century. This is cutting edge technology and is so realistic it gave my (adult) daughter seasickness.
The Clovis walkthrough – Le Premier Royaume visually stunning this is another walkthrough at the cutting edge of technology. The religious element is quite strong in this one.
The Chateau walkthrough – La Renaissance du Château takes you into the renovated, original 16th century chateau. This is a mix of actors telling the tales and modern technology bringing suits of armour to life. It reminds me a little of the haunted house at Disney.
How many Puy du Fou shows can you do in a day?
Our personal best, from last week, is 6 main shows and 2 immersive attractions. But it should be said that to do that many you have to be very careful with the timings and you have to be fit because the park is large and you need to be quick to get in the queues. If you visit the park off peak, it is fine to turn up to the shows 15 minutes before they start, but in peak times 45 minutes to 1 hour is needed to be sure of entry.
Puy du Fou vs Disneyland Paris
There is little in common between these two great French theme parks, but it is human nature to compare. If you a looking for thrill seeking rides, then the Puy du Fou is not for you and you would be better going to Disney. If, however, you like a spectacle, like to be surprised and amazed, then I highly recommend the Puy du Fou.
It is certainly not just for children, the shows are not particularly childish, and adults will understand more of the historical nuances. But children love the Puy du Fou. The majority of our former guests spent time at the Puy du Fou and all raved about it. I have seen many children having pretend sword fights or running around the grounds with a viking helmet on. It somehow seems to hit the imagination in a different way, perhaps because these aren’t familiar tales told in films.
It isn’t as convenient to get to as Disneyland. The nearest airport is Nantes (1 hours drive) and there is no public transport to speak of. You can get a shuttle bus from the Angers TGV station, but this must be booked in advance. It isn’t realistically something that can be done as a day trip from Paris.
Puy du Fou hotels
One of the biggest changes in the Puy du Fou in the past decade is the on-site hotels. Where once overnight visitors had to search around the area for accommodation, they can now stay on site in a range of themed hotels. Staying on-site would no doubt make a two-day trip more enjoyable.
Food at the Puy du Fou
There are numerous restaurants and snack bars across the site. Over the years we have learnt that taking a picnic is the best option. We have never found the cost to quality ratio to be very good in the park, which is surprising given the quality of everything else, including the gift shop. But the main reason we take a picnic is because of the timings of the shows. In order to make the most of the day it is best not to have to take time out to queue for food and then sit and eat it. Instead, we eat our picnic whilst in the queue for the shows or once seated but waiting for the show to start.
For our latest trip we were pleased to find the addition of a good ice-cream stand in the Bourg Bérard village which we enjoyed sitting by the lake watching the ducks.
Is the Puy du Fou in English?
All of the shows at the Puy du Fou are in French, but there is an English language audio available on their app. I recommend downloading the app before you go, which will also give you the timings of each show. Make sure you have ear buds with you.
Religious and pollical controversy around the Puy du Fou
I would be remiss if I didn’t include some discussion on this when talking about the Puy du Fou. Despite its extreme popularity, particularly in France, there are opponents to the park.
Some of this comes from the overtly religious nature of some of the shows. To put this in context it should be understood that historically the Vendée is one of the most Catholic parts of France. As the shows are said to portray the history of the Vendée it would be strange if they didn’t have a religious component. That being said, I do think that some of the shows go a little too far showing successes to be religious miracles and somewhat re-writing history.
The other opposition, and linked to the Catholic one, is the political background of the founder of the park, Philipe de Villiers. De Villiers is a self-proclaimed nationalist and traditionalist. Some label him as far right. I can understand how this can deter people from visiting the park. I do not agree with his political views, but I appreciate what he has done to develop the Puy du Fou and thus promote tourism in the Vendée which has brought jobs and money to the department.
The night time show – La Cinescene
The large nighttime show is separate from the theme park and requires separate tickets that need to be booked months in advance. It is a massive show, with 2500 performers, many of them local volunteers. The show relies much on pyro techniques and lasers so takes place late in the evening and only 2 days a week and only during the summer months.
We have only been to the Cinescene once and didn’t find it worth returning. There was a long wait on the uncomfortable stands before the show started and it was surprisingly cold even in the heart of summer. As it is such a large show the stage is a long way away, so it is difficult to see what was going on. The fireworks and pyrotechnics were impressive, but I am not a night owl, and I personally didn’t find it worth the money. This was many years ago, however, and things change a lot at the Puy du Fou so I can’t add any up-to-date opinions.
***Important note: I have no affiliation with the Puy du Fou. I have always bought my own tickets to the site and all opinions are my own***
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