Second only to Disneyland Paris in popularity, this 12-hectare park doesn’t have rides but amazing recreations of historical events on enormous sets.

You can also walk through a medieval village, a 1900 market town, a Renaissance castle and more. As well as recreated villages, there are also a number of spectacular shows, including one at night.

On top of this, the remains of a 14th century village called Bérard were unearthed during routine archaeological searches carried out before the construction of a new show arena at the park.

There is lots to see and do – aim for one very long day (you probably won’t be able to do the night-time show as well with small children as they will be too tired) or do it over two days. If you buy a two day ticket, the second day is heavily discounted. Tickets for the night-time show are sold as extra – it is possible to just see the show.

The major shows

Le Signe de Triumph (Triumph’s sign)

In a recreated Gallo-Roman amphitheatre, watch recreation of Roman games including gladiators in combat with each other and against lions and tigers and chariot-racing.

Les Vikings (The Vikings)

A longboat emerging from the water is among the special effects that are used to show a Viking invasion of a French village.

Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantomes (The Phantom Birds’ Dance)

An elaborate display of falconry (which may sound tame but is definitely not to be missed) with kites, pelicans, storks and marbous, set against the ruins of a 13th century castle.

Le Secret de la Lance (The Secret of the Lance)

An amazing displays of horsemanship as the chevaliers battle. Mousquetaire de Richelieu (Richelieu’s Musketeer): a swashbuckling show of musketeers on horseback, flamenco dancers and acrobatics set against a 17th century theatre.

Various smaller shows

As well as these must-see shows, are a number of smaller ones with a variety of themes:

Les Amoureux de Verdun (The Lovers of Verdun) is based on love letters between a soldier and his sweetheart and is set in 1916.

Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde (The Knights at the Round-Table) follows Arthur at an enchanted lake

Les Grandes Eaux (The Great Waters) features fountains ‘performing’ to music.

A show particularly for children

Le Monde Imaginaire de la Fontaine (The Imaginary World of La Fontaine), a park with talking animals and trees; and the puppets of La Legende de Martin (St Martin’s Legend).

The spectacular night-time shows

Cinéscénie

This is billed as the world’s largest night-time show with 1200 costumed actors and dancers (that’s 24,000 costumes!) performing for one hour, 40 minutes, over a 23 hectare stage. There are fireworks and also lots of special effects. It is only on Friday and Saturday nights June-September, and the ticket price is extra.

Les Orgues de Feu (the Organs of Fire)

This show is set on and around a lake, nymphs and sprites dance to music with fire effects as well. It is not on every night but the ticket price includes this show.

Other Things to Do and See

As well as shows, there are a number of enjoyable areas to see such as La Roseraie (Rose Garden), La Clairiere aux Daims (Deer Glade) and La Vallee des Voliers (Aviary Walk) with 550 birds of prey, the largest falconry centre in Europe.

Where to Eat

There are a number of restaurants, from fast food to sit-down, but they’re not cheap and in peak season there are long queues so you may prefer to take a picnic. There are designated picnic areas in the park itself as well as in the car park.

There is no English-language audio-guide, but the programme for the day is printed in English. The vast majority of the shows are in the open-air so do remember to take a hat and sunscreen and on hot days have a small bottle of water to hand.

Le Puy de Fou is open from April – September. For ticket prices and more information see the English-language website.

You can also stay on site:

Address and Contact Information

Puy de Fou
CS 70 025
85590 Les Epesses

Tel: +33 (0) 820 09 10 10

Photo 1 & Photo 4 by Christian PARREIRA / CC BY 2.0 images cropped; Photo 2 by Biosaurus / CC BY 2.0 image cropped; Photo 3 by Stéphane PERES / CC BY 2.0 image cropped