Puy du Fou, an incredible and breath taking experience
Three years ago I learned about Puy du Fou when we were on vacation close to Saint Nazaire. This park was chosen to the Best Park of Europe. So when I decided for a 2017 vacation location, I decided to pick a holiday vacation which was within car travel reach of this park Puy fu Fou. Before the vacation I called the customer service to arrange 2 days 27 and 28 July. It is really impossible to do everything in one day. The reason for selecting those dates was to attend both evening shows “Les Orgues de Feu” and “Cinéscénie” and book only 1 night locally.
Unfortunately we were not able to book a hotel location in the park. Here you can see one of the 100 royal tents from Le Camp du Drap d’Or where I would have wanted to book but everything was fully booked. So we booked a hotel reservation in the brand new Best Western Omnubo nearby. Comfortable beds and buffet breakfast.
If you go two days to a park like this, you really need to prepare your days in advance to maximize your visit. Make a schedule of all the shows you want to attend is valuable advice I can give you…
27 July
Unfortunately the morning started with rain. We arrived close to the opening hour and went first to the show Bal des Oiseaux. On the ruins of an old castle two youth friends Eloïse en Aliénor share memories and make dozens of birds come out of all corners and holes: eagles, falcons, vultures and owls dance in the air, shaking over the audience (and that’s very literal, because we had to bend our heads) and come back to the arms of their masters. The highlight of the half-hour spectacle is an impressive final with many birds flying in the air to impress the spectators.
After our first show we visited the medieval village and other parts of the park until lunch. Our first lunch was in a medieval restaurant in the village. There you can pick a medieval dish served in a special box by a servant in medieval clothing… Time to go to our second show. The sun has also arrived.
Le Signe du Triomphe
Le Signe du Triomphe is a colosseum of the 3th century. The Gallician people rebel against the Roman occupation. So the caesar decides to test the prisoners with gladiator fights, horsewagon racing and attacks of wild animals.
This is spectable full of emotions and heavy bloody fights (tell your kids it’s red paint)) and for the end you will have to go and see yourself…
Vikings
Our third spectable is scheduled perfectly after Le Signe du Triomphe. Here we are in the 5th Century. Cybèle and Aldéric celebrate their wedding party when the Vikings attack the village.
This show is full of explosions and special effects. It also shows the life of a French village with animals and contains a great story.
The kids were really impressed.
The rest of the day
The rest of the afternoon we visited Le Grand Carillon, Les Amoureux de Verdun (which simulates the circumstances of the soldiers of Verdun with real actors) and L’Odysee de Pou du Fou.
We continued with the show Le Dernier Panache that is played in Le Théâtre des Géants, a 7500 m² big high technology building with a rotating tribune. I couldn’t first believe it until kids told me..look at the ceiling. I first throught the screen in front of us was rotating but the live acts…how was this possible…I couldn’t figure it out:-))
Here about 40 actors play the story of a French marine officer from the 18th century.It is based on a true story within the French revolution. The combination of real and virtual decors give you an amazing feeling especially when you feel you are rotating to the next scene…one word from the family…wow !
Then we visited the show Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde which starts with a comedian mimicking different tourists. Very funny ! We end the evening with the show Les Orgues de Feu. A spectacle filled with music,fire and dance on the lake in the park….amazing.
Happy and impressed on what we had seen today we drove towards our hotel for a good night sleep. Kids were full of stories…
28 July
Sunny day today. After a good breakfast we headed to the park where we have planned for a more relaxed show schedule. We started the day with a visit to the Castle Rennaissance. In the castle you are exposed to the family life of a medieval royal family with real actors. You can also admire a REAL ring of Jean d’Arc there.
Then we went to the show Le Secret de la Lance. After the knights’ departure for Orléans, Marguerite, a young shepherdess, remains alone at the château. She will need to discover the secret of a lance with amazing powers so she can protect the enchanted ramparts of the château in the midst of a battle.
After the show, we visited animal park, the 18th century village, rose garden and green valley until we are hungry for lunch. We chose the restaurant Le Bistrot which is built like an old style French brasserie. Delicious meal !
After this delicious lunch we decided to take the little train that took us to the other side of the park. There we transformed with royal medieval clothing in a royal family and we did a photo shoot. Lots of fun and laughter.
Then we decided to attend the show Le Signe du Triompe again but this time we wanted to sit at the Gallician side to feel the different experience… It was fun again ! We visited everything we wanted to see and at we ended the day at the park with the show Mousquetaire de Richelieu.
We experienced an exciting adventure including sword fights, flamenco dancing and capering horses. Set in a monumental 17th century theatre, the musketeers transported us back in time for an astonishing swashbuckling show.
Around 8 pm we left the park for Cinéscénie, a night spectacle executed by volunteers. The youngest actor is 3 months old and the oldest is 90 years old. Seen by over 12 million spectators, this show involves 2,000 actors on a stage spread over 23 hectares and 24,000 costumes. Lasting for 1 hour 40 minutes, it includes many attractions.
Together with 13000 other people, we looked with amazing eyes to the live scenes played by many actors and animals….sometimes funny…sometimes sad. In a fast pace different scenes are played after one another…you simply don’t know where to look first. ..breath taking !
The world’s biggest night-time show is really an absolutely unmissable and legendary experience for every family.
The evening ends with fireworks…This concludes our amazing two days at Puy du Fou. An unforgettable experience !
We end this blog post with a quote that we love…
2 Response Comments
Looks great.
Next year we might go to the Pyrenees,so, this one could be good stop in between.
It will definitely be a visit to remember 🙂