France’s second most visited theme park doesn’t possess a single roller coaster or ride, instead visitors get their thrills watching theatrical extravaganzas based on moments in European history.
And big, spectacular, blockbuster shows are Puy Du Fou’s trademark.
Puy Du Fou stages 19 mind boggling shows filled with acrobatics, pyrotechnics and stunts to rival any Hollywood film set. Each show lasts between 26 and 40 minutes and performances are staged up to seven times a day.
They are all impressive but these eight Puy du Fou shows are definitely the best!
How many shows you see depends on how long you have at Puy du Fou. It’s definitely worth spending two or three days here as there are so many adventures to experience. This post details some things that might surprise you about Puy du Fou.
Whatever you do, however, don’t miss the following shows!
This post has more ideas on where to visit in France for families and this post shares other fun theme parks in Europe that kids will love.
Disclosure: I was a guest of Puy du Fou with Britmums for the purpose of this review. For more information see our disclosure policy.
Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes
Puy du Fou boasts a wealth of shows but the Dance of the Ghost Birds is one of the most popular.
This thrilling show involves hundreds of live birds. By the finale, some 330 eagles, falcons, vultures, kites, owls and more are flying through the sky, circling the stadium and swooping inches above the crowd’s heads.
Meanwhile Caracara birds play a bird-friendly version of the shell game, wild boars run through the grounds and maidens dance and float magically above the ground.
Puy Du Fou has its own Falconry Academy where 40 falconers look after 530 birds of 73 different species. After the show, you can organise to visit and see the birds and how they are cared for; workshops (1.5 hours) are held daily during high season.
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Les Vikings
One moment you’re watching a merry maypole dance in a simple village and the next minute a 20-metre longship has risen from the lake, complete with Vikings on board.
“How did they do that?” asked just about everyone in the audience.
This was one of my favourite shows. We saw it on the first day of our Puy du Fou experience and it gave us a great insight into what was to come.
Performing pigs did tricks, stuntmen were dragged along the ground by horses, towers tumbled, a saint disappeared in a puff of smoke and almost everything caught on fire.
It’s a huge spectacle based on a legend from the nearby Island Noirmoutier, that was the first French Island to be attached by Vikings in 799. I can guaranteed that it will have you on the edge of your seat.
Le Secret de la Lance
Another one of my favourite shows is this Le Secret de la Lance, set in the Hundred Years’ War.
The spectacle begins with a young shepherdess who discovers the secrets of a lance that has powers to protect the castle. Cue lots of jaw-dropping stunts performed at high speed on horseback. Men are dragged along the ground by seemingly invisible forces and ramparts suddenly disappear from view.
You’ll also see knights walking up and down vertical castle walls, plenty of things catching on fire (a lot of things catch on fire at Puy Du Fou!) and dramatic sword fights.
As well as being full of theatrics, the Secrets of the Lance is incredibly colourful with horses wearing bright caparisons and dozens of colourful flags everywhere. Watching the Secrets of the Lance is like being on a Hollywood movie set, only better.
Mousquetaire de Richelieu
This indoor show is based on the tale of the Three Musketeers and is held in a theatre that boasts the largest stage curtain in the world.
There’s so much going on in this performance, however, that you’ll be forgiven if you don’t register the curtain’s size!
Expect dancing horses, high octane sword fights, flamenco dancing and plenty of dramatic stunts as the musketeers battle the baddies.
No matter how impressive the show is however, nothing can quite prepare you for the finale which is simply magnificent. I won’t give the game away but I will say that it involves a lot of water.
Le Mystère de La Pérouse
This incredible immersive show and adventure is based on the final voyage of La Boussole. The ship set sail from Brest in 1785, led by Jean-François de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse. The expedition mysteriously vanished in 1788, however, and no-one knew what had happened. That is, until a shipwreck off the island of Vanikoro, in the Solomon Islands, was discovered in 2005 and confirmed as belonging to La Pérouse.
The show sees visitors enter a ship as novice sailors and walk from room to room experiencing life on board La Boussole. It’s incredibly realistic as you roll from side to side as if at sea, passing through cabins where plants, stuffed birds, animal pelts and even a Komodo dragon have been collected during the expedition.
Real life actors mingle with the animatronic figures and they gave us a fright more than once! Towards the end of the show the ship starts to roll more violently in the stormy seas and the special effects marking the ship’s end are just spectacular.
Le Ballet des Sapeurs
Contrary to most of the other shows at Le Puy du Fou, Le Ballet des Sapeurs, doesn’t involve fire or explosions or wild animals. Instead, this charming show is performed by children from the Puy Du Fou Academy.
It takes place on a bridge in the “Bourg 1900”, a recreation of a French town from the 1900s, and pays homage to the “années folles” (the “crazy years” of 1920s France). There’s a lot of slapstick, dancing and humour and I loved it.
This is a great show for kids in particular, especially if they have an interest in art and the theatre. All the performers in Le Ballet des Sapeurs are students at the L’Académie Junior, which trains Puy Du Fou’s future managers, performers and technicians. Today, some 600 young “Puyfolais” are enrolled in one of the 30 schools at the academy studying everything from costume design and dance to lighting, sets and props, horse riding and more.
Le Ballet des Sapeurs only takes place on Thursdays and Fridays at 4.15pm and 4.45pm.
La Cinéscénie
The Cinéscénie at Puy du Fou is the show that started it all.
In 1978 the founder, Phillippe de Villiers, discovered the Puy du Fou Chateau and decided to stage a show in its grounds. Today, this nighttime production is performed on 23 hectares and involves 4,000 volunteer actors, 130 horse riders, 80 technicians, 30 free-flying drones, 850 fireworks and some 28,000 costumes to create a spectacle like no other.
La Cinéscénie takes all the highlights from the daytime shows and then adds more incredible stunts and special effects to tell the story of the Vendee family, from the Middle Ages to WWII. It is, quite simply, astounding.
Le Signe du Triomphe
You’ll be forgiven for thinking that you had stepped back in time to ancient Rome when you enter the 6,000-seater Gallo-Roman stadium. Cheer for the Galles or the Romans, depending on which side of the theatre you sit on (audience participation is enthusiastic!) and watch as the gladiators do bloody battle and recreate an impressive, high-speed chariot race.
Next come the lions and tigers, who are trained and cared for by the team who oversaw the animal training for films including Gladiator and Life of Pi.
I do have ethical questions over the use of these big cats in the shows and personally, I don’t believe the animals are necessary. However, I’ve included this show here as it’s one of the park’s most popular and it’s important to note that animals are used. French law still allows wild animals to take part in theatre and circus performances. If this make you uncomfortable, however, then I recommend that you spend your time enjoying one of the other many shows instead.
Puy Du Fou show tips
- Shows take place no matter the weather so dress accordingly; sun cream and hats for sunny days and waterproofs and an umbrella for when it’s raining.
- Once a show starts you can’t really get up and leave so make sure everyone has visited the bathroom beforehand!
- The Puy Du Fou app is really very good and allows you to easily plan your day.
- There are no age restrictions on any of the shows but I would recommend 5yrs and up.
- The park is big! If visiting with younger children, consider a stroller or pushchair.
- Make sure you check for deals at Puy du Fou when booking your tickets
Getting to Puy Du Fou
Puy Du Fou is located near Nantes in Western France and is best enjoyed over a two night, three-day stay.
If you want to combine it with a longer holiday then there are some great ideas on visiting nearby Normandy from Suitcases and Sandcastles and exploring William the Conqueror’s Castle from Taking 5. This post has more ideas on where else to visit in France for families.
Great informative recap of the shows. Such an incredible range of experiences and each one feels so surprising and different
I know, just when you think they can’t do anything else to surprise you, they do!
The shows at Puy du Fou are incredible! My favourites were Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes – those gorgeous birds! Plus La Cinéscénie – that one was spectacular! They really have to be seen to be believed. The place was magical.
Yes, La Cinescenie was just out of this world wasn’t it?! The sheer scale of it all was mind-boggling!
We’re visiting next month and I honestly don’t know which show I’m looking forward to the most! They all look absolutely incredible!
Oh, you’ll have the best time! Definitely download the Puy Du Fou app, it’ll make planning your days much easier.
This does look like the most amazing spectacle, the detail that goes into it is astonishing- and with so much to see, this is really helpful for anyone visiting (hopefully me one day!)
I hope you get to visit, too! The sheer scale and technicality of the shows is just mind blowing.
I have only recently heard of Puy du Fou and it sounds like they go all out on these shows, they look incredible! I think my older two would love most of them actually! 🙂
They really don’t hold back and every show you see seems to go one bigger and one better than the show before!
The scale and the energy of these show is incredible. Those actors must be so fit tackling all the stunts and regular performances. What a spectacle!
I know, especially given that they can perform the show up to 7 times a day!
It looks absolutely fantastic! I love this sort of thing – and each show looks so different! My littlest girl is very nervous about fireworks and fire so it might not be appropriate for her – maybe she’ll feel better about those things as she gets older and we’ll be able to go.
I think it’s definitely better for slightly older kids. My youngest is 3 and I think he’s too little right now but hopefully in a few years time he’ll be ready.
It’s a couple of years since our visit to Puy du Fou, but it’s still so vivid. We watched the Vikings first – that ship, rising from the water! And all the birds at the end of Phantomes – they must be so well trained, to not start pecking the audience. I did have to duck a few times!
Haha, I know what you mean about the birds! And yes, that Viking ship rising from the water was one of my favourite things about the park. I’m still trying to work out how they did it!
I adored all the shows but my stand out favourites were Le Mystère de La Pérouse, La Cinéscénie and the night-time on the lake show. Te creative genius behind the shows astounded me what an incredible place to visit x
I totally agree! I’m still wondering how they did it all but I guess that’s all part of the magic.
I just adore that picture of the bird coming into land – stunning. I cannot wait to take the kids back to see it for themselves
This looks incredible! I had never heard of it before but would love to check these out
Oh wow all of these shows sound amazing!! I would particularly like to see the Viking ship and the children’s ballet sounds very cute!
This theme pack just spells all round family entertainment to me. I think we would enjoy each and every one of these shows. They sounds jaw dropping from start to finish
I think you would! Every one of them is unique and every one is incredibly impressive!
Thank you for your fabulous descriptions. I have a 3 year old, so I may wait a couple of years. However, is understanding French necessary to enjoy the shows? I speak it, but my husband and kids don’t. I imagine shows like the bird one are still very enjoyable even if you don’t understand the dialogue?
Thank you so much! You don’t have to speak French to enjoy the shows at all, they really are visual spectacles that everyone can enjoy. Obviously speaking French you’ll understand more of what’s happening but it’s not a prerequisite for enjoying the shows at all. I hope you get to visit soon!