An Autumnal Night Overstay at The Parc Astérix

Bonjour lecteurs! It’s now back to routines after 2 weeks off. What was your highlight of the holiday with your children? We had many aventures locales and we even managed to go to France to see my famille. Such an exciting time! Especially when we stopped by one of the most famous French theme parks! Do you like amusement parks that go big on the spooky stuff for Halloween? Then you will love the Parc Astérix! Even better, you can even stay in one of its hotels. Here is for you our Autumnal Night Overstay at The Parc Astérix. Bienvenue au pays des Gaulois, or welcome to world of the Gaul!

Le Parc Astérix

Le Parc Astérix is 40 minutes from Paris, so an easy stop on your way home if you are visiting la capitale.

I used to go every year with my family to the classic French amusement park based on the famous Gaulish characters Astérix and Obélix and I have so many fond memories. Back then, we would go on all the classiques rides based on the comic book series and we would watch the dolphin show.

Today, the theme park offers about 50 attractions and live shows to discover with your children.

And there is something for people of all ages thanks to its 6 universes. From big rollercoasters to smaller rides for kids like Stanley, we had a fun day out!

A Fun Family Day Out

My brother and niece joined us pour l’occasion and we did so much in one day!

Bear in mind we visited in October, so it’s obviously less busy, the longest queue was only 35min.

Grumpy Boyfriend and my family had a blast on all the big roller-coasters, while I took it slowly with Stanley with the easier rides.

It was especially less busy at lunchtime, so we even did some of the rides twice.

The big boys LOVED Tonnerre 2 Zeus and the most recent ride Toutatis but also the classique Romus et Rapidus, the river rafting ride. I used to go on this as a little girl!

The Spooky Stuff

Since 2021, the park has put a huge focus on rides and other live shows. They closed its dolphin and sea lion enclosure par exemple.

So there are way more rides for big boys than Disneyland Paris in my opinion.

Also, as it was Halloween, there was a big focus on spooky things.

The entire park, especially the Haunted House and its area was super scary with live actors spooking you while you walked around!

En plus, with Peur Sur Le Parc (Fear on the Parc), there were many shows around monsters and terrifying creatures.

So if you are a big child and have no little ones like us, it’s also THE cool place to check out in France ??

Gaule World

Personnellement, I really enjoyed the Egyptian World as well as the Empire Roman. We went on the spies ride 3 times with Stanley!

You basically go in a carriage up in the air so that you can get a really nice view of this part of Parc Astérix and the Epidmais Cruise ride.

It’s super fun and relaxing, especially after a long day of walking!

Stanley absolutely LOVED  the Gaule World section with its rides for younger children.

It’s very green and you can even walk around the Village Gaulois and meet & greet the main characters of the comic strips.

It’s beautiful and truly magical. I think his face says it all! He had such a blast!

Super Family-Friendly!

En plus, the Parc Astérix is super family-friendly!

In pretty much all of the 6 zones of the park, you have nice play areas for little ones.

It’s so handy if you need to rest or if you have a group of big and little children like we did.

I could stay with Stanley in the playground while my brother and my niece joined Grumpy Boyfriend on the scarier rides.

It’s super clean and super spacious with a très bonne variété of slides, all themed around the comic strips. It’s so well done!

You also have many restaurants and places to grab some food. We stopped by the Restaurant du Lac and both the food and service were impeccable!

You can’t miss it, it’s the one decorated with giant fruit and veg ?Stanley’s had the kids’ menu and it was équilibré with a spooky snake sweet but also a compote and some grapes! Classique French!

La Cité Suspendue Hotel

And to complete our fabulous day out at the Parc Astérix, we also stayed at the beautiful newly opened hotel La Cité Suspendue.

It’s absolutely gorgeous and so well done!

Perched between heaven and earth, you are in the heart of the forest and you experience what it was like to live in Celtic times.

As soon as we arrived, the tone was set at la réception with a Gaulish decore. It’s like you are staying in the house of the Chef!

As for our room, it was spacious and clean. We also had a balcon on top of the main room and bunked beds. So you can easily fit a family of 4.

J’ai adoré le décor and all the les petites touches to make it look historically right.

The Parc Astérix has many options for hotels, so you can stay wherever your budget allows it and your personal taste.

You can also check out:

• The Quays of Lutèce, which is the old Paris from the Gaulish times
• L’hôtel Des Trois Hiboux, a more family-friendly budget hotel

Food At the Table Des Druides

As we stayed at La Cité Suspendue, we also had dinner at the Table Des Druides.

For 35,50 euros per adult and 17 euros per child, you get to enjoy a large Gaulish buffet made of all the food you can dream of!

From starters to mains, you have a large choice of food to enjoy as well as lots of cheese and desserts! And we eat le fromage before le dessert in France.

It was so good to try some nice charcuterie (delicatessen) and Stanley loved the ice cream machine.

We also had le petit-déjeuner there the day after and it was another sweet and savoury feast with brioches, croissants, eggs, and even some spécial Parc Astérix chocolate spread!

Heaven for a 7-year-old and for his maman too! ?

Parc Astérix or Disneyland?

And now for the question everyone will ask… Is it better than Disneyland Paris?

C’est différent! We were lucky to experience both parks within the same week. I feel that the Halloween decor was better at Parc Astérix.

We also thought that there were more big roller-coasters. So if you like a bit of thrill, then the Parc Astérix is definitely your place!

And last but not least, it’s also cheaper. Depending on how early you book, tickets to Parc Astérix can be half the price of Disneyland Paris.

As for children aged 3-10, it has many play areas and rides so I reckon it would be as magical as the other amusement park.

Parc Astérix – Le Verdict

Le Parc Astérix based on the comic book series Asterix is THE place you need to see next time you travel to France!

Originally opened in 1989, it has changed so much since I came there with my parents as a little girl! Some classic rides remain but it’s clear that there has been a big focus on live shows and rides for bigger children.

It’s a lovely family day out with thrilling roller coasters, water attractions, and great themed areas to experience the world of the Gaul.

No wonder the Parc Astérix has been voted the best amusement park in Europe! Last year only, nearly 3 million people checked it out!

We had a brilliant autumnal Night Overstay at The Parc Astérix. I really recommend you stay at one of the hotels. We were so impressed with our stay at the beautiful Cité Suspendue. It gives you a really great experience and you can enjoy fully the park.

I had not been to the Parc Astérix for over 25 years and I must say we all had a blast! My very own little Gaul (after all he is half French?) LOVED Parc Astérix and he could not wait to tell his friends about it. I think it says it all…

To say how much he loved it, we are now catching up on all the animated films on Netflix.

Don’t bother with the 2023 movie, it’s pretty rubbish ? Mon préféré? Astérix and Cléopatra from 1968.

Et voilà for another beautiful French adventure done with my boys.

See more now on my Instagram @thefrenchiemummy.

Have you ever been to Parc Astérix? What is your fave ride there?

Prices for an overnight stay at La Cité Suspendue start from £100 per person.

 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Parc Astérix. We were invited to write an honest review. All opinions are my own.