Visiting Puy du Fou with kids - all you need to know

Tips for visiting Puy du Fou with kids

It is hard to put into words just how incredible it is at Puy du Fou. Our kids are still young and I did worry that they may be a little too young to fully appreciate the park (particularly our toddler) …. but I needn’t have worried. Puy du Fou is just out of this world. I had read quite a few Puy du Fou reviews before we headed off on our France road trip in the Campervan, and honestly? …all were fabulous, and I can see why. The shows, backdrops, stunts and special effects … well they are just out of this world, and we were all mesmerised. Puy do Fou is considered one of the best theme parks in France, only it is more than a theme park, it truly brings history alive and provides an incredible outdoor theatre experience for all of the family.

*AD press trip/ review stay

Getting to Puy du Fou

We stayed for two nights at Puy du Fou during our Summer road trip. We travelled by Brittany ferries from Portsmouth to Caen and then worked our way to the Vendée … this is about a three hour trip. Our first week was spent at Clarys Plage before heading to Puy du Fou

You can also fly to Nantes airport and it is around 1 hour from Nantes.

Free car parks are located at the entrance to the park and close to the hotels, which I think is super as lots of theme parks charge for parking for the day.

There is also free parking for camper vans during the day. Overnight parking from 1am – 7am costs €10 per night and there is electricity and water available on site.

Puy du Fou shows

If I could use one word to describe the shows it would be “incredible”. It really didn’t matter that the shows were all in French because honestly the music and the special effects were just outstanding. It’s not every day you watch a 20 metre Viking ship rise out of the water and set on fire, or 200 birds of pray take to the skies and fly so close to your head or a round table emerge from the pond and a mermaid swim by. But this is just a normal day at Puy du Fou. I can’t really put it in to words how spectacular they are. We did have a few favourites that were a hit with all members of the family….

Les Vikings

Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantomes

Le Secret de la Lance

Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde

Tips for visiting Puy du Fou with kids

Think about the Emotion Fast pass

I would definitely recommend getting the Puy du Fou Emotion pass. You can purchase an Emotion pass for an additional €15 per person per day (subject to availability). This pass gives you reserved seating in the 7 major shows up to ten minutes before the show begins. Some of the queues were massive for the major shows and not really ideal if you are visiting Puy du Fou with children, and especially toddlers!

Puy du Fou – download the app

Download the app before you go, it helps you plan your shows, gives you a reminder when the doors to the show open, and allows you to listen to the shows in your language.

Remember the head phones

Top tip – remember head phones for the kids and a device. We took an iPad out with us during the day to allow the kids to try out the app.

Wear comfortable shoes

Wear comfortable shoes and take a raincoat. we wore our comfortable sandals in the summer which to be honest was fine, but the floor was dusty. The shows generally go on whatever the weather and you will do so much walking.

Throw out the routine

There is always somewhere to eat around the show times, and we also loved the evening dinner and dance show. The kids embraced the late nights and all of the entertainment. I think a real positive to staying on site is that we had the chance to just pop back for an hour to let the children have a little downtime and recharge before we headed back out in the evening.

Don’t forget if you are staying on site you get 10% discount on your purchases at Le Bourg 1900 shops

Take the train

We walked for miles and forgot our pushchair so we often had a toddler on our shoulders. We loved taking the train (also called “Colporteuse”) and found that we could jump on outside the hotels and head to Le Bourg 1900 and then slowly make our way back.

Night shows at Puy du Fou

You can’t visit Puy du Fou without watching their spectacular night show. After a full day in the park, and an evening dinner show the kids were absolutely shattered. So hubby took them back to our lodge at Le Camp du Drap d’Or and I headed out to watch the show. I watched Les Orgues de Feu and it was breathtakingly beautiful. This show lasted about 30 minutes and featured ballerinas gliding across the water to the sound of Mozart. This show runs for 117 nights during the 2019 season.

La Cinéscénie is considered the greatest night time show in the world with its 2400 actors, 130 horseriders, and 850 fireworks do try to catch a night show if you visit Puy du Fou!!!

The Villages

We loved the villages. Le Bourg is just beautiful and probably our favourite with the shops and carousel, such an enchanting experience. I can highly recommend a dinner at Le Café de la Madelon. Taking you back to 1914, and you are invited to the wedding meal of La Madelon, where nothing will go as planned!!!

I was worried the the kids would be too young, but our youngest actually fell asleep letting us enjoy the meal and entertainment, and our girls loved every minute of the experience.

Staying at Puy du Fou with kids

There are so many different accommodation options at Puy du Fou and I would definitely recommend staying on site if you can. The hotels are a short walk to the entrance of the park, and this came in really handy with the kids. There are 5 themed hotels, each dedicated to a period of history.

We stayed at Le Camp du Drap d’Or. Here you will find yourself living in the footsteps of Francis I of France and England’s Henry VIII in one of the flamboyant ‘logeries’. These logeries have four poster beds, really grand bathrooms. TVs, and bunk beds.

You can also stay at La Citadelle, Le Logis de Lescure. La Villa Gallo-Romaine or Les Îles de Clovis.

I have linked to a number of review posts of the different accommodation options to help you to decide which one is for you.

Eating at Puy du Fou

There are so many options to dine at Puy du Fou. You can choose from the many fast food options, restaurants, and restaurants with entertainment. You can also pack a picnic as there are many places to sit down throughout the park. We can highly recommend Le Bistrot and it was really family friendly with a seperate kids menu. The evening dinner and show was brilliant at Le Café de la Madelon, and the girls in particular loved the experience. Just to note there is a set menu with no separate children menu, but the kids genuinely loved the experience, and the opportunity for a late night!

Top tips for visiting Puy du Fou with young children

Our children were 8, 5 and 2 when we visited Puy du Fou, and they all loved it although I would say the girls got more out of the visit.

There are a number of shows that are not recommended for young children including Le Dernier Panachem Le Premier Royaume, and Les Amoureux de Verdun so definitely avoid those with young children.

Visiting Puy du Fou with toddlers

Our 2 year old was unsure of the very loud noises during some of the shows and I really wished I had remembered to pack the ear defenders for him.

There are baby changing facilities around the park. I would also consider taking a stroller, as we did end up walking around the park with two little ones on our shoulders for most of the day 🙂

Another tip is to remember to take ear phones for the children to allow them to listen to the shows in their own language.

Enjoy a little down time in the beautiful gardens and the playpark. And the carousel over in Le Bourg 1900 was also a favourite with the toddler!

How much does it cost to stay at Puy du Fou?

Puy du Fou offers a 2-night B&B family stay (four sharing) in one of their five on-site hotels from €590, and this includes 2 days’ entry to the Park.

Day passes start at €36/€26 (adult/child); Emotion fast track passes €15pp per day. Pop over to Puy du Fou www.puydufou.com/en, tel. +33 (0) 820 09 1010 for more information