Disneyland Paris/Parc Asterix (and potentially Plopsaland?) - any tips?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. Having travelled to Europa Park and PortAventura in terms of major European theme parks in recent years, me and my parents have decided on a trip to Disneyland Paris and Parc Asterix for our next potential European theme park adventure in 2025. I always find these forums a useful resource for trip planning advice, and I’m aware that many have been to these two parks, so as I often do before visiting somewhere new, I was just wondering; does anyone have any tips for either of Disneyland Paris or Parc Asterix? Is there anything pressing I need to know as a first time visitor to either of these two parks? Are there any hidden gems or anything that needs to be prioritised in either place aside from non-kiddie coasters and obvious non-coaster headline attractions (e.g. Tower of Terror in Walt Disney Studios)? I’ve never visited Asterix before, and while I have been to Disneyland Paris before, my visit was in March 2011 and I was not quite 8 years old, so my memories of the finer detail are quite vague. I’m also sensing that it will have changed an awful lot in the time since my last visit. As such, I’m effectively asking about DLP as a first time visitor as well, because any knowledge me or my parents vaguely remember from 2011 likely isn’t as relevant now nearly 15 years on.

You’ll probably notice that I put “and potentially Plopsaland?” in the topic title as well, and you’re probably wondering why. Well, my mum and dad have the idea that we’re going to drive to Paris from the UK and situate ourselves in an Airbnb or similar based somewhere in the Greater Paris area for a few nights to be well situated for both DLP and Asterix. With us driving, we’re inevitably going to be taking either the EuroTunnel or the ferry from Dover to Calais. I’m aware that Plopsaland is quite close to Calais (only around 45 minutes?), so I thought that it might potentially be another nice park with another brilliant-looking headline coaster to bolt on to the trip and break up the drive down to Paris. I have not broached this idea with my parents yet, so I don’t know whether they’ll even agree with my suggestion, but I’d appreciate any Plopsaland tips or suggestions regardless. I’ll ask them about it and see what they say.

I do have a few more specific questions, if people wouldn’t mind answering them. These are:

1. Due to my own personal commitments this year, the whole period between June-August is a definite no go, with at least a large part of September likely also ruled out. I will have a block of unoccupied time available from April-June, but my parents are going to Paris in May for my mum’s 50th birthday, so I doubt they’ll want to go in that period. As such, I think October or the very, very latter part of September is likely to be the only feasible period for us to do this trip for both parks to be open. In the UK, October is absolute peak season for parks due to Halloween events, so I was just wondering; if we can only go to these parks in October, is it still worth going in 2025, or should we leave it until a different time of year in 2026? I’m not talking exclusively about half term (I know the period around half term/Halloween will likely be busy), I’m talking about the whole month, so including early to mid October as well. I know Halloween likely isn’t as big of a thing at Disney due to their more family-focused audience (or Plopsa, if we did end up going there), and I’m not aware of any notable Halloween event at Asterix either (and again, I’d imagine that the theme of Asterix doesn’t lend itself to a big scare event), so I did wonder if October might not be the absolute peak period for the two French parks that it is in Britain.
2. What’s the situation with FastPass at DLP? Do they still have free FastPasses, or have they followed the Orlando parks and scrapped them? I seem to vaguely remember free paper FastPasses at DLP in 2011, but this of course predated the advent of things like the MagicBand, let alone the introduction of things like Genie in Orlando. I last went to the Florida Disney parks in 2019, so I’ll confess that I’m not even particularly clued up on the FastPass situation in Orlando since they scrapped the free FastPasses there.
3. Can Parc Asterix realistically be done in a day, or is a 2-day visit recommended? I know the park has quite a considerable coaster selection, so I wondered whether it might require 2 days. We’re thinking we probably won’t need any more than 2 days for DLP, but seeing as there are 2 parks, I imagine 2 days is probably necessary there.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I’m looking forward to seeing Parc Asterix for the first time and getting on the likes of Toutatis, as well as going back to DLP for the first time in almost 15 years and getting on some of the rides I was unable to get on when I went as a child, as well as revisiting some of the ones that I did go on after an incredibly long time!

 

[Bowser]

I’m aware that Plopsaland is quite close to Calais (only around 45 minutes?), so I thought that it might potentially be another nice park with another brilliant-looking headline coaster to bolt on to the trip and break up the drive down to Paris. I have not broached this idea with my parents yet, so I don’t know whether they’ll even agree with my suggestion, but I’d appreciate any Plopsaland tips or suggestions regardless. I’ll ask them about it and see what they say.

For what I anticipate you’re interested in Plopsaland is very doable in a day. In fact I think if you’re visiting off peak you could likely fit it in on the drive home before getting an evening train/ferry (though I vaguely recall you live near Wales so might be a very long day).

Alternatively you could take your time, drive to the park and stay in a hotel, do the park the following day then drive a few hours to Paris afterwards.

There is a fast pass but if you’re off peak you won’t need it as the main rides tend to be 5-10 min queues at most.

. I know Halloween likely isn’t as big of a thing at Disney due to their more family-focused audience

I got the impression Halloween was very much a thing at DLP! Admittedly that’s based on their social media content rather than personal experience.

 

[Plastic Person]

Halloween is DLP's second biggest 'season', after Christmas, but it's not scary. Parc Asterix has a Halloween event that is ongoing throughout October. Still, it involves mazes adjacent to normal operations, rather than the gangs of chainsaw-wielding maniacs that Matt is historically keen to avoid. If you visit either in late September, you will avoid all ghoulishness, and probably get some good weather and low crowds, too.

Both these parks are really easy access from Paris via public transport, which would always be my choice after a trip on the Eurostar, but different strokes for different folks.

 

[AT86]

Early October in the week should be fine crowd wise for DLP, avoid the weekends and school holidays and you should have no bother.

No free Fastpass anymore, it’s paid (and expensive). Plan accordingly and you absolutely don’t need it.

 

[RicketyCricket]

Best bet is probably to nip into Plopsaland on your way to Paris. 40 minutes from Calais and you won't need a full day there. You'll have had multiple rides on RTH by 6pm close and can head a couple of hours down the road to Asterix or DLP after.

 

[Matt N]

My mum and dad didn’t emphatically veto Plopsaland when I broached it with them last night, but I think it seems unlikely, as they didn’t seem the most enthusiastic about bolting it on.

They said “maybe”, but I think it’s quite unlikely that we’ll end up going, in reality, as they seemed keener to just press on down to Paris rather than detour to Plopsa on the way there or the way back, which is understandable.

 

[Leigh]

Halloween is DLP's second biggest 'season', after Christmas, but it's not scary. Parc Asterix has a Halloween event that is ongoing throughout October. Still, it involves mazes adjacent to normal operations, rather than the gangs of chainsaw-wielding maniacs that Matt is historically keen to avoid. If you visit either in late September, you will avoid all ghoulishness, and probably get some good weather and low crowds, too.

From what I remember when I went in 2023 there was a chainsaw-wielding maniac who burst out occasionally from a door opposite Cirque Restaurant and chased people (which is unsigned), but generally the scare areas are pretty well signposted.

On the subject of DLP and Astérix - my suggestion would be to fly from Bristol to CDG (EasyJet fly that route multiple times a day), then it’s very easy on public transport to either park. DLP is simple on the RER from CDG, and Astérix has a direct shuttle from CDG T3 bus station. Plenty of cheap hotels around there - I stayed in the easyHotel which was well priced, has a bus to and from the airport and is also quite nice despite brand!

Oh, and plopsa really isn’t that much of a detour. In fact if you’re getting the ferry to Dunkerque it’s a whole 10 minutes out of your way

 

[Poisson]

I'd avoid actually going in to Paris itself as it's an awful place. Stay on the outskirts would be my advice. We stayed in Ibis Senlis which is about 10 mins from Asterix. We then did Bobbejaan/Antwerp Sinksenfoor and Plopsa so unsure on DLP, but maps reckons 50 mins with no traffic from hotel to DLP.

 

[AT86]

I'd avoid actually going in to Paris itself as it's an awful place.

 

[NuttySquirrel]

@Poisson is right, it's pretty grim. Everything is grey, everywhere is dirty and everyone is rude.

If you must do Paris, spend half a day ticking off the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame and GTFO.

 

[Poisson]

@Poisson is right, it's pretty grim. Everything is grey, everywhere is dirty and everyone is rude.

If you must do Paris, spend half a day ticking off the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame and GTFO.

Or do Jardin d'Acclimatation and run away.

 

[Matt N]

My mum and dad are going to Paris in May anyway for my mum’s 50th birthday, so I don’t think they’ll be too concerned about going back into the centre of Paris itself less than 6 months later seeing as they’ll already have seen all the main sights in May.

Unless, of course, they’re so enamoured by what they see in May that they want to go back in September/October!

 

[NuttySquirrel]

My mum and dad are going to Paris in May anyway for my mum’s 50th birthday, so I don’t think they’ll be too concerned about going back into the centre of Paris itself less than 6 months later seeing as they’ll already have seen all the main sights in May.

Unless, of course, they’re so enamoured by what they see in May that they want to go back in September/October!

Well it is the city of romance! If romance involves wall-to-wall graffiti on public transport, dingy subway stations, tourist tat, endless rain and dog turds all over your shoes.

 

[Matt N]

Well it is the city of romance! If romance involves wall-to-wall graffiti on public transport, dingy subway stations, tourist tat, endless rain and dog turds all over your shoes.

I didn’t expect Paris to be like that, for some reason, so it’s a shame that you (and @Poisson, by the sounds of things) don’t seem to like it…

My mum and dad have well and truly caught the city break travel bug in the last year or so, so my mum wanted to go to Paris for her 50th birthday this year anyway (before we even conceived our idea of going to Asterix/DLP together as a trio). They went to New York for my dad’s 50th birthday in January 2024 and absolutely loved it, and they went to Bruges together in December and absolutely loved it, so I think they’re hoping that Paris will be the next place they go together and love!

 

[Bowser]

Well it is the city of romance! If romance involves wall-to-wall graffiti on public transport, dingy subway stations, tourist tat, endless rain and dog turds all over your shoes.

You could apply that to basically any European capital city and beyond if you're strictly visiting tourist destinations, which to a degree is all these cities are now.

Equally it's a city full of wonderful history, architecture and culture. The main reason not to stay there (besides proximity to said theme parks) is the expense.

We're booked into what will hopefully be a delightful large apartment within walking distance of Disneyland Paris for a fraction of the cost of a hotel. Plenty of options on AirBnb (including free parking) so could be a potential alternative for @Matt N

 

[Plastic Person]

Well it is the city of romance! If romance involves wall-to-wall graffiti on public transport, dingy subway stations, tourist tat, endless rain and dog turds all over your shoes.

Do yourself a favour and never visit Berlin.

Paris can be stressful as a tourist, but it’s slowly become my favourite European city for culture, history, art and food combined. There’s nowhere else like it. It’s also so architecturally fascinating and occasionally bizarre that it’s probably still the least suitable region for a Disneyland or any theme park. Yet somehow, both the park and the city are beautiful in their own way, whereas Asterix remains unique and very French in its own lane.

 

[Leigh]

Paris IMO is particularly bad even by European capital city standards. Give me London any day.

Berlin is fantastic.

 

[Lurker]

I'd recommend to watch some of the old asterix cartoons when you are due to go, they are available on YouTube and give the park context.

La cité suspendu was a lovely place to stay. We had a huge balcony which was lovely in the evening as not a lot else, and it was a good buffet for food too.

For Disneyland be super aware of when you can book from and jump on it especially for restaurants. We did Walts which we enjoyed as a quieter sit down option.