Parc Astérix
Plailly·France·Europe
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Visit
Breakdown
Introduction
We visited Parc Astérix for two consecutive days on August 24th and 25th, spending a total of 18 hours in the park. Having just come from three days at Disney, we were ready for lower crowd levels and shorter queues. However, as we joined the queue for Goudurix, which ended up taking roughly 90 minutes, we realized that we were not going to be so lucky. Thankfully, despite the crowds, there is so much to do and so much fun to be had at this park. After 18 hours, we were convinced that this is one of the best parks in Europe. Let's dive in!
Parc Astérix Review
Best Coaster
11
Picking the best coaster at Parc Astérix was not hard; deciding on its score was another story.
Is Toutatis up there with the giants of Europe like Voltron, Zadra, and Kärnan? Yes, yes it is.
Toutatis delivers in every aspect from start to finish. The swing launch sequence - propelling you up the vertical spike and then down into a forward launch over the top hat - is absolutely magical and unlike any coaster we've done so far. It really is no surprise that Intamin has incorporated this element into several of their new LSM coasters. The most impressive thing, however, is the fact that even after that, the ride just continues to be brilliant, offering an aggressive, fast-paced layout filled with airtime, hangtime, and whip. Toutatis is also super smooth and great in all rows (the top hat is incredible in the front), though the spike in the back row simply must be experienced!
After our first ride, it became quite clear to us: we had found another European masterpiece at Parc Astérix.
Is Toutatis up there with the giants of Europe like Voltron, Zadra, and Kärnan? Yes, yes it is.
Toutatis delivers in every aspect from start to finish. The swing launch sequence - propelling you up the vertical spike and then down into a forward launch over the top hat - is absolutely magical and unlike any coaster we've done so far. It really is no surprise that Intamin has incorporated this element into several of their new LSM coasters. The most impressive thing, however, is the fact that even after that, the ride just continues to be brilliant, offering an aggressive, fast-paced layout filled with airtime, hangtime, and whip. Toutatis is also super smooth and great in all rows (the top hat is incredible in the front), though the spike in the back row simply must be experienced!
After our first ride, it became quite clear to us: we had found another European masterpiece at Parc Astérix.
Coaster Depth
8
Coaster Depth:Parc Astérix is a great place for coaster enthusiasts and has a deep line-up of supporting coasters with plenty of quality.
OzIris - A great B&M invert, powerful yet graceful. Also extremely picturesque.
Goudurix - A huge Vekoma looper that, despite its roughness, was still fun and somewhat saved by the new restraints.
Tonnerre 2 Zeus - One of the wildest woodies, but also undoubtedly the roughest we've done. Can't wait to see how this one might improve with the RMC retrack.
Cétautomatix - The latest addition to the park and a great one. It is very well-themed and has a super fun and fluid layout with some wacky banking and solid spinning.
Pégase Express - A long, smooth, and dynamic Gerstlauer family coaster which takes you on an out-and-back journey over the parking lot.
Trace du Hourra - A fun Mack Rides bobsled coaster that travels over the Festival Toutatis area. It vibrates a lot, but just lean forward and it's no problem.
Le Vol D'Icare and SOS Tournevis round out this quality line-up.
OzIris - A great B&M invert, powerful yet graceful. Also extremely picturesque.
Goudurix - A huge Vekoma looper that, despite its roughness, was still fun and somewhat saved by the new restraints.
Tonnerre 2 Zeus - One of the wildest woodies, but also undoubtedly the roughest we've done. Can't wait to see how this one might improve with the RMC retrack.
Cétautomatix - The latest addition to the park and a great one. It is very well-themed and has a super fun and fluid layout with some wacky banking and solid spinning.
Pégase Express - A long, smooth, and dynamic Gerstlauer family coaster which takes you on an out-and-back journey over the parking lot.
Trace du Hourra - A fun Mack Rides bobsled coaster that travels over the Festival Toutatis area. It vibrates a lot, but just lean forward and it's no problem.
Le Vol D'Icare and SOS Tournevis round out this quality line-up.
Water Rides
9.5
We expect two water rides for a park of this size, so when they give us four, it's hard to contain our excitement.
Starting off, Le Grand Splatch is their Intamin shoot-the-chute featuring a long ride duration and some great theming throughout, but who are we kidding, that is not why we ride water rides. The final sequence leading up to and including the final drop absolutely soaks the front rows, and we are here for it.
Menhir Express is a Hopkins log flume, the first one we have done, and it did not disappoint! Great theming, a water-fountain tunnel, and two great drops - one even with an airtime hill - landing it as one of the best log flumes we have tried.
La Descente du Nil is a much better spinning raft ride than the other one we have tried (Störtebekers Kaperfahrt at Hansa-Park), as this one actually delivered on both speed and spinning, and even gave us some splashes.
Rounding off the lineup is Romus et Rapidus, a somewhat short but fast Intamin rapids ride that also had some water effects that could get you quite wet.
Every single one of these four rides delivered in its own way, and it is therefore no wonder we landed at such a respectable score. If you ask us, water rides are meant to get you wet, period, and the water rides at Parc Astérix very much did just that.
Starting off, Le Grand Splatch is their Intamin shoot-the-chute featuring a long ride duration and some great theming throughout, but who are we kidding, that is not why we ride water rides. The final sequence leading up to and including the final drop absolutely soaks the front rows, and we are here for it.
Menhir Express is a Hopkins log flume, the first one we have done, and it did not disappoint! Great theming, a water-fountain tunnel, and two great drops - one even with an airtime hill - landing it as one of the best log flumes we have tried.
La Descente du Nil is a much better spinning raft ride than the other one we have tried (Störtebekers Kaperfahrt at Hansa-Park), as this one actually delivered on both speed and spinning, and even gave us some splashes.
Rounding off the lineup is Romus et Rapidus, a somewhat short but fast Intamin rapids ride that also had some water effects that could get you quite wet.
Every single one of these four rides delivered in its own way, and it is therefore no wonder we landed at such a respectable score. If you ask us, water rides are meant to get you wet, period, and the water rides at Parc Astérix very much did just that.
Flatrides And Darkrides
6
This one is a bit bittersweet to write, as there is so much potential for some incredible thrill flat rides in this park, yet there are almost none. La Tour de Numérobis, the park's Zamperla Star Flyer, is the closest we get to any thrill, and that alone simply does not tick the boxes.
They do have Discobélix, a beautiful Disk'O Coaster, and a Nebulaz called Chez Gyrofolix, but that is about it.
When it comes to dark rides, the story is the same, albeit with a small twist. We visited after the closure of Le Défi de César, a Mack Rides Madhouse, but before the new Londinium dark ride opened, which left us with a boat ride and a 4D cinema. The boat ride, Épidemaïs Croisière, was quite boring, to be honest, and barely counts as a dark ride.
But to our biggest surprise, Attention Menhir! turned out to be an absolutely incredible 4D cinema with a gigantic room, a massive screen, and by far the best movement and sound we have experienced. The story was also very fun and easy to follow, despite it only being in French with no subtitles. A proper hidden gem, this is.
They do have Discobélix, a beautiful Disk'O Coaster, and a Nebulaz called Chez Gyrofolix, but that is about it.
When it comes to dark rides, the story is the same, albeit with a small twist. We visited after the closure of Le Défi de César, a Mack Rides Madhouse, but before the new Londinium dark ride opened, which left us with a boat ride and a 4D cinema. The boat ride, Épidemaïs Croisière, was quite boring, to be honest, and barely counts as a dark ride.
But to our biggest surprise, Attention Menhir! turned out to be an absolutely incredible 4D cinema with a gigantic room, a massive screen, and by far the best movement and sound we have experienced. The story was also very fun and easy to follow, despite it only being in French with no subtitles. A proper hidden gem, this is.
Park Appearance
9.5
Coming straight from 3 days at Disney Resort, there is no denying Parc Astérix had some big shoes to fill, but as the score shows, it sure managed to do so.
Any park with a consistent IP is set up for a home run when it's executed well, and Parc Astérix does just that. The theming is consistent throughout the park, creating an immensely immersive vibe with each area being its own "world" while still feeling connected to the rest of the park, something that on paper might sound easy, but from experience and having visited numerous parks, it is definitely not.
Rounding out the score is a state-of-the-art nighttime show featuring fireworks, drones, lights and projections in perfect unison, and just managing to create a park where the late hours are not an afterthought, but actively something that is invested in, with areas and paths lit up, another park comes to life at night, one we absolutely adore. Anyone who has ridden a major coaster at night knows exactly the feeling we are referring to here, and rest assured, Toutatis at night is one of those experiences.
Any park with a consistent IP is set up for a home run when it's executed well, and Parc Astérix does just that. The theming is consistent throughout the park, creating an immensely immersive vibe with each area being its own "world" while still feeling connected to the rest of the park, something that on paper might sound easy, but from experience and having visited numerous parks, it is definitely not.
Rounding out the score is a state-of-the-art nighttime show featuring fireworks, drones, lights and projections in perfect unison, and just managing to create a park where the late hours are not an afterthought, but actively something that is invested in, with areas and paths lit up, another park comes to life at night, one we absolutely adore. Anyone who has ridden a major coaster at night knows exactly the feeling we are referring to here, and rest assured, Toutatis at night is one of those experiences.
Video
Park Practicality
9.5
Parc Astérix is very practical. It's a decently large park, but the general flow was good, and this was despite the new Londinium area being under construction during our visit. Only the small Gallic Village in the Gaul-themed area felt a bit confusing.
The app was incredible, the best we have tried, packed with features ranging from spot-on navigation and discounts to small quality-of-life features like setting up queue time notifications for when they hit a certain threshold.
Just like at Disney, we did at times experience some posted queue times being incorrect, which is why we always appreciate physical queue markers, as they tend to be highly accurate.
Overall, the park layout was solid, navigation was good, the app was amazing, and the placement of rides and amenities was logical, making our visit nice and relaxed.
The app was incredible, the best we have tried, packed with features ranging from spot-on navigation and discounts to small quality-of-life features like setting up queue time notifications for when they hit a certain threshold.
Just like at Disney, we did at times experience some posted queue times being incorrect, which is why we always appreciate physical queue markers, as they tend to be highly accurate.
Overall, the park layout was solid, navigation was good, the app was amazing, and the placement of rides and amenities was logical, making our visit nice and relaxed.
Food
6.5
The food we got at Parc Astérix wasn't too exciting and was fairly average in quality. We had an above-average (by theme park standards) pepper burger, which was decent, but on the second day, we grabbed the Poulet Mozza sandwich, which was unfortunately dry and disappointing.
When the quality isn't quite there, we sometimes award a few redemption points for variety. The park does have some variety, including Greek options as well as a proper sit-down location in Restaurant du Lac, which looked quite interesting. We would have loved to see Parc Astérix use its IP more heavily across the quick-service menus to create themed food offerings - though they do have some fun themed items, like the Idéfix sundae at Restaurant du Lac - but most of all, they need to increase the overall quality of their main staples.
Still, a dry sandwich isn't exactly the worst thing in the world, and the burger we got was completely fine. We have definitely tried much worse (but also much better), landing this category at an above-average score of 6.5.
When the quality isn't quite there, we sometimes award a few redemption points for variety. The park does have some variety, including Greek options as well as a proper sit-down location in Restaurant du Lac, which looked quite interesting. We would have loved to see Parc Astérix use its IP more heavily across the quick-service menus to create themed food offerings - though they do have some fun themed items, like the Idéfix sundae at Restaurant du Lac - but most of all, they need to increase the overall quality of their main staples.
Still, a dry sandwich isn't exactly the worst thing in the world, and the burger we got was completely fine. We have definitely tried much worse (but also much better), landing this category at an above-average score of 6.5.
Snacks And Drinks
7.5
The snack game at Parc Astérix is definitely a step up from their food game, and overall, we enjoyed the treats we got at the park.
We had a nice caramel-filled muffin accompanied by some somewhat bland beignets, and later on, we tried the Idéfix-themed ice cream. While the presentation felt a bit half-hearted, the taste was decent. We also did enjoy the frozen sodas, especially during our second day, which got very hot.
Selection was okay, and the quality was more than acceptable, but we do - and this may come from having just spent three days at Disney - feel like a park of this magnitude and general quality could have done more, especially when it comes to themed snacks.
We would have loved to see, for example, Getafix's magic potion (perhaps served in a small cauldron?) or similar snacks themed to the immense IP they have.
But make no mistake, there are plenty of enjoyable snacks to be found at Parc Astérix.
We had a nice caramel-filled muffin accompanied by some somewhat bland beignets, and later on, we tried the Idéfix-themed ice cream. While the presentation felt a bit half-hearted, the taste was decent. We also did enjoy the frozen sodas, especially during our second day, which got very hot.
Selection was okay, and the quality was more than acceptable, but we do - and this may come from having just spent three days at Disney - feel like a park of this magnitude and general quality could have done more, especially when it comes to themed snacks.
We would have loved to see, for example, Getafix's magic potion (perhaps served in a small cauldron?) or similar snacks themed to the immense IP they have.
But make no mistake, there are plenty of enjoyable snacks to be found at Parc Astérix.
Ride Operations
8.5
We'll start with the lows and transition into the highs.
Goudurix, Goudurix, Goudurix.We know you are old, but what is actually happening?
During our visit, 11 seats - yes, 11 seats - were locked on BOTH trains, including the entire back car. This hit to capacity was felt as the queue went way past the entrance to the ride and out into the pathways (with plenty of queue area remaining unused within the queue itself). This was a constant on both days of our visit and is the main reason why we only got one single ride on this classic Vekoma looper, despite having two days at the park. Admittedly, it was quite funny watching the poor employee who ran around with a piece of paper in hand, trying his best to allocate passengers to the many rows with only a single seat available.
This gave us a very bad first impression, but luckily, this was an outlier and not the standard. The crews running the bigger coasters did so to absolute perfection, with great dispatches throughout the day, efficiently managing a packed Parc Astérix. (A minor note of confusion: baggage seems to have been an afterthought, as their only baggage system was the crew pushing manual carts in and out of the station).
Last but not least, Pégase Express was running four trains in perfect unison, which was a beautiful sight to behold as they navigated through switch tracks and backward and forward launches, weaving past each other.
Goudurix, Goudurix, Goudurix.We know you are old, but what is actually happening?
During our visit, 11 seats - yes, 11 seats - were locked on BOTH trains, including the entire back car. This hit to capacity was felt as the queue went way past the entrance to the ride and out into the pathways (with plenty of queue area remaining unused within the queue itself). This was a constant on both days of our visit and is the main reason why we only got one single ride on this classic Vekoma looper, despite having two days at the park. Admittedly, it was quite funny watching the poor employee who ran around with a piece of paper in hand, trying his best to allocate passengers to the many rows with only a single seat available.
This gave us a very bad first impression, but luckily, this was an outlier and not the standard. The crews running the bigger coasters did so to absolute perfection, with great dispatches throughout the day, efficiently managing a packed Parc Astérix. (A minor note of confusion: baggage seems to have been an afterthought, as their only baggage system was the crew pushing manual carts in and out of the station).
Last but not least, Pégase Express was running four trains in perfect unison, which was a beautiful sight to behold as they navigated through switch tracks and backward and forward launches, weaving past each other.
Park Management
9.5
After two full days at Parc Astérix, where do we stand? Well, at the time of writing, Parc Astérix has found its way into our all-time top three.
It's a very well-run park through and through that more than lives up to high European standards, with zero facility or ride closures throughout our entire visit. Every delayed opening (or closure) was clearly marked in the app, and it just led to a visit where we could enjoy every incredible thing this park has to offer without running into any frustrating policies or disruptions. The merch game was also very good, and we didn't really have anything major to complain about.
We cannot wait to return. Parc Astérix has shown it is one of the very best parks that Europe has to offer.
It's a very well-run park through and through that more than lives up to high European standards, with zero facility or ride closures throughout our entire visit. Every delayed opening (or closure) was clearly marked in the app, and it just led to a visit where we could enjoy every incredible thing this park has to offer without running into any frustrating policies or disruptions. The merch game was also very good, and we didn't really have anything major to complain about.
We cannot wait to return. Parc Astérix has shown it is one of the very best parks that Europe has to offer.
Roller Coasters (9)
Main Coasters (8)
Name
Year
Manufacturer
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Optional Coasters (1)
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