There's not a single rollercoaster at Puy du Fou, the award-winning park in rural Vendée, western France. No rides at all, in fact. Instead you get gladiators, chariot races, Viking raids, Musketeers and a bird-of-prey ballet featuring more than 330 raptors flying over castle ruins — and it works so well that the place keeps collecting international tourism awards.
The story began in 1978, when politician Philippe de Villiers launched Cinéscénie, an open-air night show telling the history of the Vendée. Its popularity led to a full theme park in 1989, built around a ruined castle. Today the park runs eight 'must-see' shows, each 22–35 minutes long, mixing stunt riders, pyrotechnics, combat sequences and period music. A ninth show is due to open next summer. Highlights include a 7,000-seat Roman arena for the gladiator spectacle, a medieval village fending off Vikings, and shows built around King Arthur, the 1793 Vendée uprising and the birth of colour cinema. Three of the big productions run inside vast theatres; the rest are outdoors, staged between 9am and 9pm. Doors close promptly half an hour before each show — latecomers are turned away — so a fast-track Pass Emotion, with priority queuing and better seats, is worth the money.
One day won't cover it. A two-day visit lets you tick off all the headline shows plus the four continuously running Immersive Experiences — dim, loud, sensory affairs including a 1916 love story set during the Battle of Verdun and a mystery about La Pérouse, an 18th-century expedition ship that vanished without trace. Everything is announced and signposted in French, but the free Puy du Fou app gives English explanations of each show's plot and historical context, and a multilingual leaflet carries the map and daily timetable.
Food ranges from themed fast-food kiosks to table-service restaurants. Two venues pair a set dinner with a show — one featuring a wedding that spirals into chaos — and there are shaded picnic spots in the gardens if you'd rather keep it simple. For the full immersion, stay in one of six themed hotels at the Cité Nocturne, such as the Roman-styled Villa Gallo-Romain, or pitch up in the on-site caravan and motorhome area.
The real showpiece is Cinéscénie itself: the world's largest outdoor night show, staged on selected nights from June to early September in front of 17,000 spectators. A cast of 2,600 volunteers performs 16 sequences spanning 1,000 years of French history around a shallow lake, ending in a fireworks finale. Tickets cost 32 euros and must be booked ahead. On other evenings, the park's included 30-minute Noces de Feu night show fills the gap.
Practically speaking: Nantes airport is just over an hour away by car, the season traditionally runs early April to late October, and — new this year — the park opens over Christmas and New Year too. Pair a visit with the Vendée's Atlantic beaches; Les Sables d'Olonne, with its sweeping bay and famous Vendée Globe yacht race start line, makes an easy add-on. Full details and bookings at puydufou.com. — via The Travel Magazine