Puy du Fou – The World’s Best Theme Park  

Puy du Fou is, according to many (and to myself), quite simply, the world’s best theme park. It’s a romp through French history, a spectacular dip into the Viking raids, Roman chariot races, gladiators, young maidens defending France – against the English of course, and Verdun. Puy du Fou showcases birds of prey, introduces you to those famous Muskateers and a whole cast of other swashbuckling characters of the past.

The park is huge, with medieval cities and villages, forests, a fort and a town. Then there are separate shows, each of which run for around 40 minutes (well, who could compete all day long in chariot races or persuade vultures to do their elegant swoops and circles?).

Oh boy, forget Disney, this is something else.

But take note, there are no rollercoasters, rides or neon flashing lights. This is a trip into French history, particularly of the Vendée region.

Puy du Fou opens on April 5 and closes on Nov 2, 2025.

Outdoor Shows at Puy du Fou

Four outdoor shows take you at a gallop through the story it is telling. Each show lasts around 40 minutes and takes place 3 or 4 times a day. All put you in a swashbuckling mood – and from the way I have written this, you’ll see how swashbuckling I found Puy du Fou.  

And don’t worry – no animals are hurt in these shows.

Please Note: All these shows are very popular; at busy times in high season you need to get to them at least 30 minutes before to ensure entry.

La Signe du Triomphe

Being Puy du Fou, La Signe du Triomphe (Sign of Triumph) takes place in a 7,000-seat Roman Coliseum. The 35-minute show depicts the dastardly Romans forcing the heroic French Gauls to fight what seems to be a pre-destined Roman victory. But no! The chariots, each pulled by four horses, thunder around the ring, narrowly missing each other, spurred on by the excited onlookers (that’s us, the audience). And guess what, yes, the valiant hero wins!

Les Vikings

Sit in tiered seats facing a lake at 9^th-century Saint-Philbert-le-Vieil. A wedding is about to take place on an island full of houses, a tall tower, and jolly, peaceful people, The couple ride in…but…wait for it! A Viking longship descends down a waterway to the left. Peace become chaos; the villagers retaliate, and then sacré bleu! A second Viking ship appears, rising out of the deep waters, its crew leaping off and joining the fray. And what a fray – buildings are pulled down; people are dragged behind galloping horses; fires break out. But don’t worry, the appearance of Saint Philbert himself puts a peaceful, and of course, happy, end to the story.

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

More dastardly doings…by the English of course, during the Hundred Years War, a particular event which the French even today remember with gusto. Joan of Arc has left for Orleans; a young shepherdess is left to defend the castle. What could go wrong? I’ll leave the story for you to find out, but that’s irrelevant. What’s great is the horse riding, the charging with lances at wooden staves; the leaping on and off galloping horses by young riders. Quite turns your head, it does!

Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantomes (The Dance of the Phantom Birds)

A large amphitheater surrounds a ruined castle, a pond and stones in the sandy centre. Around the top of the seating, large wooden boards are painted with coats of arms around the circular walkway. The story is told in the centre, but as so often with Puy du Fou, that’s not the point of this show. Birds of prey, around 330 of them, are the real stars. Owls, vultures, eagles, kites, spoonbills, a huge, bizarre secretary bird and more (some launched from a hot air balloon high in the sky), circle around the amphitheatre, controlled by a series of 36 professional falconers who stand at the top of the walkway. It’s an extraordinary show.

And…More Puy du Fou Shows

The four immersive experiences are amongst the best I have ever seen. Each one is dramatically different; each has both live performers and models.

Le Premier Royaume (The First Kingdom)

This delves into the 5th-century past, the time of Clovis, the first King of the Franks. It then takes you into Norse mythology.

Le Dernier Panache (The Last Plume)

The Last Plume tells the story of François-Athanase Charette de la Contrie, luckily for us just known as “Charette”, a hero of the American War of Independence. It’s set in 1793, is told through a series of 20 scenes on six stages and is performed in a 360° theatre. The stages are static; it’s the 2,400-seat auditorium that moves. It’s spectacular.

Le Mystère de La Pérouse (The Mystery of La Pérouse)

Go on board La Pérouse’s ship, La Boussole, to follow Lieutenant Augustin de Mont who set off in 1785 from Brest to explore the high seas. It was a heroic venture. But the maritime expedition led by Jean-François de La Pérouse was ill-fated .

This was one of my favourites; it was both entertaining and gave a very real sense of being on board. You walk through the ship, past the cabin where an office plays a violin (remember Master and Commander?); experience terrifying storms while the ship rocks back and forth (I didn’t see anyone being seasick; it’s a moderately gentle rock!). You see how the cooks worked, look at some of the discoveries the crew made; witness how the ship was navigated, and end up…with a ship of ghosts. The ship just disappeared; it has remained a very real mystery.

Les Amoureux de Verdun (The Lovers of Verdun)

The World War I story brings home the horrors of trench warfare. In the winter of 1916 a soldier writes to his wife about his experiences, based on over one hundred actual letters soldiers wrote to their families. The soldier’s letters describe queuing up for soup, seeing the wounded in the medical bay, and freezing from the cold air blowing through gaping holes. But happily, being Puy du Fou, you’re spared…It ends with a (fictional) Christmas truce.

Le Mime et l’Étoile (The Mime and the Star)

This was another of my favourites. You walk into a film set built for a black-and-white movie in 1914. Technicians work the machines, sometimes with disastrous results, while the lovers, the mime artist and movie star, are introduced. The story is told with a moving black-and-white backdrop that sets the scene while a travelator on the floor takes the actors along past the shifting scenes. It’s technical wizardry and fascinating.  

Apart from the shows what else does Puy du Fou offer?

Four Villages

The park is designed to take you into four different villages. They range from Font-Rognou where in the medieval streets you can see stonemasons and wood turners at work in their shops, to 18^th-century Chasseloup with more shops, places to sit and gardens, all centered around the 16-metre-high Carillon that towers over the village and plays to you.

Night time and the Blockbuster Shows at Puy du Fou

Les Noces de Feu (The Fire Wedding)

As night falls, a love story takes place on the old lake of Puy du Fou. The water is still…then at one end, the Pianist Virtuoso (complete with piano), and the Muse Violinist rise up out of the limpid waters. It’s magical, with romantic music to stir the heart and a series of small spectacles rising up before you to enchant. All the magic is reflected in the lake: a bandstand; a coach pulled by swans; tall columns with divers; dancers.  It lasts just half an hour, and is free with the entry ticket, and is not to be missed.

La Cinéscénie

This is what many people regard as the greatest show on earth; it’s certainly the biggest night show in the world.

Get there as early as you can to choose your seat in the 13,000-capacity panoramic grandstand, looking out over the lake to the Puy du Fou castle.

Various warm-up acts keep your attention before the 90-minute show begins. It tells the very French story of the Maupillier family from the Middle Ages to World War II. The story is confusing to anyone who isn’t French, so concentrate on the spectacle which really will take your breath away. Taking part are hundreds of animals (many of which you’ll recognise from the day shows), and 2,550 actors as well as autonomous drones. They perform on a stage that spreads over 23 hectares…and in the sky above. There’s 3D video mapping, a 360° sound system and fantastic fireworks. I guarantee you will never have seen anything quite like this.

Where to Stay at Puy du Fou

Which particular era of the past would you prefer to experience? You could go for the Gallo-Roman Villa, or perhaps one of the marquees of the Field of the Cloth of Gold (Le Camp du Drap d’Or) and live out your fantasy of being King Henry VIII of England or François I of France. Otherwise it’s the classical Le Grand Siècle, the castle-like La Citadelle, or one of the four suites in Le Logis de Lescure.

You may be living the past but rest assured, all modern comforts are built in.

Or Les Îles de Clovis, a delightful medieval-style hotel where we stayed. Small houses have two apartments, all with balconies looking out onto the calm waters at the back. Well at least mainly calm; one night we were woken by a terrific banging, and decided in the end that it was a large fish who was flailing around the water under the house.

But don’t worry, these splendidly medieval-looking cottages come with great showers, tv, comfortable beds, and a delightful balcony overlooking the small lake.

A self-serve breakfast is in a large dining room and is good as long as you got there fairly early.

Book your hotel directly on the Puy du Fou site. Prices vary according to the season, but here’s an idea of rates. All the main hotels have rates from one to four nights, and each hotel room can take up to four people which is great for families.
Rates depend on the number of days you stay (rooms take up up to 4 people). The price includes 1 night in the hotel and breakfast and 1 entrance to the Park. When the Noces du Feu or Cinéscénie are on, that is included as well.
Les Îles de Clovis
£144.79 to £354.12
La Villa Gallo-Romaine
£130.99 to £317.54
La Citadelle
£145.09 to 4 £354.84
Le Camp du Drap d’Or
£106.73 to £311.10
Le Grand Siècle
£167.13 to £406.25
Le Logis de Lescure
Takes up to 3 people. From £220.09 to £398.80

Where to Eat in Puy du Fou

Apart from the restaurants in each hotel, there are two main restaurants (don’t worry about getting a table, both are huge). Le Café de la Madelon provides a meal and theatre show; Le Relais de Poste offers more drama in an informal inn-like setting.

Plenty of good fast-food outlets are dotted around the park.

New for 2025

L’Épee du roi – The King’s Sword. This new show is appearing in 2025; it’a rip roaring tale about the Knights of the Round Table.

Practical Information

Park Tickets per Day per Adult:
1 day from £32.75
2 days from £38.14
3 days from £24.60
4 days from £19.69

Child ticket per day age 3 to 13
1 day from £27.36
2 days from £22.80
3 days from £17.13
4 days from £13.89
Pass Emotion: £24.91. Reserved seats in the stands at the 7 major shows per day

Puy du Fou Map

The map is essential as it has all the details you need from show schedules to where to eat. Printed daily and freely available the map shows what you can enjoy that day. There’s also a smaller amount of information on the following day’s events.

Puy du Fou App

If you possibly can, download the app which is even more useful. It has the same information as the paper map but follows you in time so will tell you when the next shows are, which ones have closed their entry gates, how long it takes you to get there, and which direction to walk in.

It also has a live translation so you can follow the shows in English, Spanish, German or Dutch. Essential as this very French park’s shows are only in French.

A Bit of Vendean history to help with the very Vendean shows!

You might now know much Vendée history (don’t worry – not many outside France do, nor do some in France), but here are a few things to take note of. This was a region with a substantial number of influential Protestants in the 16^th century, including Jeanne d’Albret – the mother of Henry IV of France. Many Protestants fled after the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and the Catholic church came down hard on the Vendeans.

A century later in 1793, the Vendeans revolted against the new Revolutionary government after military conscription was imposed. A massacre of Vendean republicans led to full-scale guerrilla warfare. It ended in 1796 and cost more than 240,000 lives. The Vendeans continued to support the monarchy and in 1815 when Napoleon escaped from Elba for his Hundred Days, the Vendée refused to recognise him and stayed loyal to King Louis XVIII. The Vendée still has a fierce sense of independence, though it’s less revolting than in the past.

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