Theme Parks in France

France is the most visited country in the world. It has everything a tourist might want: a rich history, glamorous shops, amazing monuments and delicious food. What else would anyone want? Amusement parks for the children? Well, France has many of them too. Some of the most popular amusement parks in France are internationally known such as Disneyland Paris, while others are largely well kept secrets mostly for the French Public only, such as Park Asterix whose main visitors are French and Belgian.

Most theme parks in France are easy to get too and they have hotels available on site. However, if you want to save money, you might consider exploring the area and choosing a hotel outside the Park, which is often less expensive and offers the added bonus of getting to know the country.

Visiting Paris? Be sure to include Disney magic in your plans! It is a fact; it is not only children who enjoy parades, themed restaurants, magical hotels and giant rides like the Tower of Terror which takes you plummeting down 13 floors right to the edge of reality. Adults too love giant rides and interactive discovery tours, so why not visit the Disneyland Resort Paris, where you can find all that and much more.

This year the 15^th anniversary celebrations continue throughout 2009 with new attractions and special offers like free entrance for children under 7. Just book a package to arrive from 3rd April to 8th November 2009 and all your kids under 7 years old will be offered FREE hotel accommodation and FREE entrance to both Disney® Parks.

The Park is open from 10:00 to 19:00. Once you are in the Park the easiest way to get around is taking their free buses. Travel through the 5 different imaginary countries of the Park. Do not miss Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Fantasy land and Nemo’s submarine in Discovery land.

How to get there:

There are direct and frequent trains from the centre of Paris (RER A line) to the Disney Parks taking only 35 minutes. You can buy your tickets online, in Paris hotels, tourist offices, the main metro and at the entrance to the Parks. You can also buy your tickets at the Disney Store in the Champs Elysées.

Prices: A one day/1 park pass is available from 47€ for adults and 39€ for children between 7 and 12 years old.

Puy du Fou is a historical amusement park which features an onsite 3-star hotel, a nighttime show called "Cinéscénie," and mini villages depicting various periods of French history. You will be transported back in time and plunged right into the action and the thrills: relive the circus games, the Viking attacks, the tournaments of the knights, the musketeer fights, the ancestral art of falconry.

Prices start at 26€ for adults and 16 for children

How to get there:

3 hours from Paris

2h30m from Bordeaux

A park out of the ordinary where you can spend the day watching IMAX films and spectacular 3D images. Let the children play outside in a vast, open-air world of games like the “Aces in the sky” where a seat suspended from a parachute takes kids gliding through the air along a rope. Experience the Gyrotour, a 360° observatory that gently spirals 45 metres (150 ft) up into the air for an outstanding panoramic view complete with commentary.

If you are brave you can also experience a “journey into the dark”, a journey where you will experience how life is for the visually impaired as you are led by a blind guide through a series of specially arranged zones prepared using objects, smells and sounds.

Getting there from:

London: 1h 30m by plane

Paris: 1h 20m. by TGV (high speed train)

Prices: 35€ adults and 25€ children over 5 years old.