On April 30, 1989 the gates of Parc Asterix opened. A themepark completely themed after Asterix and his friends. Today the park is the second most visited themepark in France (after Disneyland Paris) and number eight in Europe. I visited the park on October 29, 2024. It was the 65th birthday of Asterix.
The rides
The park is in France well-known for its roller coasters. The rides are all themed after ancient cultures and styled like you would come across them in the albums. When we were there a new roller coaster was announced that will be added to the park in 2025. If you are a themepark and roller coaster enthusiast, this park is for you. And let’s be honest, most visitors come here for the thrill that these rides offer and the Asterix theme is just an added bonus for them. Who can blame them? The Goudurix ride loops you seven times (I counted) and all the other roller coasters offer the thrills young people are after. Other rides you will be familiar with from other themeparks (like the Menhir Express), but the Asterix theme adds a nice touch.
For Asterix fans
The park has something to offer for Asterix fans as well of course. After you have entered the park you will first go to a street with lots of souvenir shops. If you are a sucker for Asterix merch (like I am), this part of the park is for you. I bought a few French albums, mugs, plates and keychains. You can’t pay with Amex at the park, so make sure you bring either Visa, Mastercard or cash.
The ride for fans
The Epidemais tour is there for the fans of Asterix. The tour takes you to several scenes from the albums. Nice to see your favorite characters up-close, but to be honest … it could use some paint, reperation and an overall upgrade. It just feels a bit old and you can see when the ride was build, because there is no reference to the newer albums. I am sure this ride has been here since the opening of the parc and not much has changed since then I guess.
Visit the Gauls
The Asterix village is nice to visit as well. You can have a look inside the homes of several characters, stand on the Chieftan’s shield and you might come across the villagers. During the day several performances take place in the village. These are probably really entertaining for French kids. They can hunt (I think they can) a wild boar and Cacofonix gives performances in his theatre. Everything is in French.
Especially Obelix’ home and that of chief Vitalstatistix and the shop of Unhygienix stand out. In front of Asterix’ home is possible to get your photo taken with Asterix, Obelix and probably other villagers as well. They aren’t there are the time. Check the information sign. You might have to stand in line for a bit, they are quite popular. You can buy a professional photo as a souvenir or just be content with you own.
This part of the park is skipped by the teenagers so you will be there with kids, their parents and some diehard Asterix fans. Near the park is a Idefix themed playground for the younger visitors with miniature rides, slides and overall just a lot of fun things to do for the younglings.
Museum
For Asterix fans there is also a small museum where you can learn more about Asterix, his friends, the albums, movies and of course the creators Goscinny and Uderzo. Most of it will be familiar to fans already, but overall it is a very nice place to walk thru and learn more about the Gauls.
French
The park is very French. Let’s be honest, you are in France, you can’t expect everyone to speak English. It also does add to the charm of the park in certain way. However, the park doesn’t seem to cater to foreign visitors at all … while I came across quite a few German, English, Dutch and Spanish speaking people. There are Asterix fans in other countries. All signage is in French, menus are in French, staff only speaks French (kudos to the lady in the bookshop who really tried to speak English) a very big contrast when you compare to Disneyland Paris.
The park can really do with a lick of paint here and there, a clean up and modernization of the Asterix themed elements of the park and just a few sign here and there in English would go a long way. The park is a must-visit for Asterix fans, and I would go back just for the souvenirs.
