An aboslute headache getting there was followed thankfully by a great experience at the park.
Parc Asterix (4 of 5)
This park which was constructed in 1989 is based on the Asterix series that originated in France in 1959. The premise of the comic makes for the makign of a great theme park as the park is separated by different lands (Vikings, Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians) which are featured in the comics. With Disneyland just a stones throw away, you may wonder how this park survives. The best way I can describe it is comparing Legoland and Disneyland in California. They are after distinctly different crowds. Where Disney concentrates on the spectable, Parc Asterix manages to keep it simple with many rollercoasters & wet rides. The major plus is that if you have a kid between the ages of 4-8, the rides seem almost tailormade since they can basically go on 95% of the rides which make it more of a fulfilling experience. As I mentioned with Jardin du Luxembourg, Parc Asterix is VERY French and not many non-French people. So much so that many workers cannot speak English, whereas in Disney everyone is required to be bilingual. Getting there was another experience...
According to their ghetto website they have ONE shuttle bus that leaves at 0845 in the morning from the Louvre. If you miss this shuttle, you have to catch a shuttle from the airport (50 minutes away) or taxi it (a 100 Euro ride). So we got there at 0830, bought our shuttle tickets and waited for the bus. Quick math question - if there are 100 seats how many tickets should you sell? If you guessed 150, you should work for Parc Asterix! We got on one of two buses when the bus driver realized that there were not enough seats. So he made us wait for 2 hours (literally) while another bus came. I seriously thought there was going to be a riot. He locked us in the bus at onbe point without the A/C on or anything - and yes there were many kids on the bus. He switched it on only after several people started to kick the bus door. Logic would dictate to instead of making everyone suffer by waiting, that he drive the bus load to the Park while the other employees waited for another bus to organize transport. I'd recommend getting there another way (via airport shuttle) instead of using this service.
