Puy du Fou: 5 ways to travel back in time

The park puts on six major shows each day. Among them, Le Dernier Panache recounts the glorious destiny of a French naval officer, hero of the American war of independence, whose life is set to change in 1793 with the ultimate fight for freedom.

Entirely conceived and produced by the Puy du Fou, the show is performed on an impressive 360-degree stage in a 7,500-m² hall, the Théâtre des Géants. In 2017 the park received the Thea Award, for the best creation in the world, for this particular show.

Cinéscénie is a blockbuster show of nearly two hours’ duration that tells the symbolic story of the Maupillier family, from the Middle Ages all the way to the Second World War. Each scene involves 2,400 actors, 130 riders and 80 technicians, plus a further 500 people in charge of audience meet-and-greet and safety.

The show requires extraordinary visual and technical resources: 28,000 costumes, 850 fireworks per night, 20 autonomous drones, 150 water jets, video projections in 3D mapping and more than 3,000 projectors.

As you walk through the park you can watch dozens of craftsmen at work, all specialists in 22 different trades including leather, upholstery, illumination, wood carving and barrel-making.

To ensure maximum authenticity, the Puy du Fou surrounds itself with the best specialists, artisans and historians. It’s a unique opportunity for them to share their passion and knowledge, and continue to maintain the craft tradition.

With the detours into ‘villages’ and its ancient forest, the Puy du Fou boasts a beautifully preserved natural environment, with 25 kilometers of walkable paths. A total of 45 gardeners and landscapers work on planting, pruning and maintenance of the outside space, where there are 150 species of tree, 5,500 plant varieties (of which 60 are aromatic or medicinal), and a staggering 5,000 feet of climbing roses, with 95 species.

Visitors will also come across some rarer wild or domestic plants, or varieties of ‘forgotten’ vegetables, in the gardens of the 18th-century village and medieval city.

Visitors choosing to stay overnight at the Puy du Fou have the choice of different periods of history, each with its own themed hotel: the atmosphere of ancient Rome at the Gallo-Roman Villa, where guests are welcomed by teams in togas and period costumes; an immersion into the Middle Ages at the Îles de Clovis or at the majestic Citadelle; the Logis de Lescure, an authentic Vendéen building from the 18th century; and finally the Camp Drap d'Or, where you follow in the footsteps of Francis I and Henry VIII of England.