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HAVING A GAUL
The little-known French theme park that my kids prefer to Disneyland – and it’s £400 cheaper
MY boys aren't the biggest fans of Disney, so it seemed unlikely to me that we'd ever be riding rollercoasters near Paris any time soon.
But then I heard about another, lesser-known French theme park that's a favourite with the locals, who apparently prefer it to the magic kingdom.
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This spring, Parc Asterix, which is just north of the French capital,
has launched a new zone featuring France's highest, fastest
rollercoaster, named after the Celtic god Toutatis - and my two little
daredevils aged eight and ten couldn't wait to give it a go.
Although I kept my feet firmly on the ground, my heart was in my mouth as I watched them dangle high above me on a huge vertical
drop before plummeting to Earth.
We had arrived the night before at and stayed at one of the park's three themed hotels, la Cité Suspendue, where the boys slept in an alcove with bunkbeds off a large room, with a balcony for the adults.
In the morning, we enjoyed a huge buffet breakfast with eggs, bacon,
yoghurts, fruit, cereal and, of course, croissants and pain au
chocolat to fill us up, ready for a day of fun.
Read More on Theme Parks
Hotel guests get half an hour early access via their own entrance, so we made our way to the new Festival Toutatis zone before it filled up with day visitors.
After giving the main attraction a big thumbs-up, it was time to check out the brand-new Sanglier d'Or playground nearby, which my wannabe warriors made sure was worthy of their favourite comic book characters.
As regular visitors to Alton Towers and Legoland in the UK, we know
what we like at theme parks, and Parc Asterix certainly didn't
disappoint.
With guests meeting and greeting the gallant Gauls around
the site, it's very well themed and thought out.
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All the water rides are in one area near the main entrance, so the boys could spend the afternoon wandering between Le Grand Splatch boat ride, the Menhir Express log flume and Romus and Rapidus rapids getting thoroughly drenched, before getting changed quickly when it was time to go.
The park had only just opened for the season when we visited, but it was very clean and well maintained, with all the rides available.
It was busy with French children on their school holidays so we made good use of the Filotomatrix fast track system to jump the queues.
As I couldn't get the Parc Asterix app to open on my phone, the helpful folk at the Point Pass office near the entrance showed me how to use a QR code to access my fast track passes.
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It did drain my mobile's battery very quickly, but there are free phone-charging points around the park, so I was soon up and running again.
My favourite moment was watching the boys get into the
Gaulois-Romains: Le Match show.
We couldn't always follow the French commentary, but we certainly knew which side to cheer for as the Romans took on the Gauls in a circus ring, with aerial stunts, breakdancing and even clever tricks on hoverboards giving a modern twist to an ancient rivalry.
However you arrive in France, it's easy to get to Parc Asterix too.
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A shuttle bus from Charles de Gaulle airport costs €10 per adult and €9 per child return, while Eurostar passengers at Gare du Nord could make their way to the airport for the shuttle, they could also head to Bercy coach station for a Blablacar or Flixbus connection.
They could also travel north on the TER train to Orry-la-Ville-Coye and then take an Uber for the 20-min ride to the theme park.
The coach station at Bercy was gloomy, grim and difficult to spot, but the park it opens onto is lovely, with a small carousel and a stall
selling delicious crepes and waffles.
There's even some Frank Gehry architecture to admire while waiting for your transfer.
Getting an Uber at the end of our day at Parc Asterix couldn't have been easier and trains run back into Paris every hour.
I've always been a bit sad that none of my boys are interested in
Disney and so the chance of us ever visiting the Paris theme park is
slim.
But now we've found Parc Asterix and had an absolute ball with
the Gauls, I'm happy that we still get to have our cartoon theme park fix.
A stay at Parc Asterix at la Cité Suspendue is available from £269 per room, including breakfast and tickets to the park for a family of four
(under 12s) via .
Sun Online Travel compared that to a one-night stay at Disneyland Paris, where a room for a parent and two kids this spring, including two days' park started from £678.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Meanwhile, a new Jumanji-themed theme park world is set to open in the UK next month.
And this mum revealed how to get cheap meals while visiting theme parks.
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