IT’S fair to say the French are pretty proud traditionalists when it comes to their country’s culture. In fact, there’s even a well-established government department designed to push back against too much “westernisation”. 4 Staff dressed as Asterix and Obelix in the French theme park Credit: Handout 4 The traditional swing chair ride was 40m high Credit: Handout 4 Our favourite rollercoaster reaches speeds of 110km per hour Credit: Handout So when EuroDisney — now Disneyland — arrived to take on France’s beloved Asterix theme park back in 1992, they had a huge battle on their hands.
And, in all honesty, I couldn’t see how the French would win. But unlike in many other countries, Parc Asterix might just have pipped Mickey Mouse to the post in France. Disney certainly has the monopoly on world-renowned characters and a blow-out budget to create that real wow factor, all of which seems impossible to compete with — yet somehow Parc Asterix does.
The tickets are cheaper, the food is better, the shows are spectacular and the rides are a total revelation. Add in a sprawling protected countryside backdrop just 30km outside Paris, with three separate hotels within the grounds at very reasonable prices, and you’ve got yourself a winner. It’s pure escapism, based all around the cherished world of Asterix — the man who, in famous French comics, protected France from the Romans.
And what better way to embrace your inner Gaul than by screaming your head off on a .
