Parc Astérix with kids - the park that beat Disneyland

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Parc Astérix or Disneyland? During our May holiday in 2019 we visited both theme parks near Paris, and the smaller Astérix park gave us much better memories. It was less crowded, cheaper, and in one day we went on many more rides than at Disneyland.

We went to Parc Astérix on Friday, 3 May 2019, after two days of rest at the Le Chêne Gris campsite. A few days earlier we had spent a whole day at Disneyland, so the comparison was still fresh. The full day-by-day plan of the trip is in our post May holiday in France with kids.

Where is Parc Astérix

The park is in Plailly, about 35 km north of Paris, right next to the A1 motorway. From our campsite it was 67 km, about 1 hour 15 minutes by car.

Parc Astérix opened on 30 April 1989, so when we were there, the park was just celebrating its 30th birthday. It is the second most visited theme park in France, after Disneyland. In 2025 it had about 2.9 million visitors, several times fewer than Disneyland, and you can feel it in the queues.

The world of the Gauls and the Romans

Everything in the park is based on the Astérix and Obélix comics. The themed areas take you to the Gaulish village, the Roman Empire, Ancient Greece, Egypt and the Vikings. The roller coasters, merry-go-rounds and other rides are similar to those in other parks, but each one has its own story from the comics.

The Roman legionaries show

What we remember best is the soldiers' show. Four Roman legionaries in helmets and armour, led by a female centurion, marched, drilled and fought in the square. It was a walking show called "La Patrouille Romaine", the Roman patrol, which moves around the park and stops in different places. They spoke French, but even without knowing the language we could understand the whole show.

The rides we liked

During the day we managed to go on many rides. Our favourites were:

• Discobélix: a big spinning disc that rides back and forth on a curved track and turns around at the same time,
• Tonnerre 2 Zeus: a wooden roller coaster from 1997, 30 m high, with a track more than 1.2 km long,
• water rides: a round raft ride and a boat ride down a water chute,
• other roller coasters for older kids,
• a merry-go-round with horses and calm rides for the youngest.

In the end a heavy downpour stopped the fun. At the very end, already in the rain, we took a photo by the giant shield made for the park's 30th birthday, and we left the park soaking wet but very happy.

You can see our day at Parc Astérix in our video:

More videos from this trip are on our France 2019 playlist.

Good to know: since 2023 the park has Toutatis, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in France. When we were there in 2019, it did not exist yet.

The way home

The next day, Saturday 4 May, we started our way home. First we drove 14 km to a bakery for French baguettes for the road, then 339 km to Glanbrücken in Germany, where we had booked an apartment for one night through Booking.com. It was in the middle of the village, in a very quiet place.

Fun fact: Glanbrücken got its name from the bridge over the river Glan. A stone bridge was built here in 1752, and today a golden bridge is on the village's coat of arms.

On Sunday, 5 May, we drove the last 904 km and were back home. All the theme parks we have visited with our kids, from Legoland to Gardaland, are in our guide to theme parks with kids.

Practical info

Tickets

• Children under 3 go in free, and the child ticket is for ages 3 to 11 (as of November 2026).
• The cheapest tickets are bought online in advance for a specific day (as of November 2026).
• The park is not open all year and is mostly closed in winter. The opening calendar is on the park's official website.

Minimum height

• Discobélix and Tonnerre 2 Zeus: 1.20 m,
• Toutatis: 1.30 m.

Getting there and parking

• By car on the A1 motorway from Paris towards Lille, with an exit straight to the park.
• Parking costs about 25 EUR per day (as of November 2026).

Parc Astérix or Disneyland with kids?

In our experience, Disneyland has more beautiful decorations and cartoon characters, but on a long weekend the queues take most of the day. Parc Astérix is smaller, cheaper and calmer, and with older kids you can go on many more rides. If we had to choose one park for one day on a holiday weekend, we would choose Astérix.