Futuroscope Travel Tips: How to Spend a Day at France’s 2nd Largest Theme Park

Kids are always looking for the next big adventure.  If you’re visiting the west coast of France, stop by Futuroscope, France’s 2nd largest theme park.  Kids can dance with a robot, go on a 4D adventure with Arthur and laugh at the antics of the Raving Rabbids.  We’ve put together some Futuroscope travel tips to help you prepare for a visit.

Just be aware that this is not a traditional theme park with roller coasters and thrill rides. At Futuroscope, you’ll experience multimedia attractions with 3D and 4D shows, watch educational videos on massive domed screens and even learn about water pollution through a laser game in the 8th Continent.

After entering the park and having your tickets scanned, go to the services center to the right of the entrance. You’ll see the British and Spanish flags above the doorway. Trade an ID card for free translator headsets. These will allow you to follow along with the shows in English or Spanish. All films are in French, but 9 shows can be translated. You’ll also want to grab an English map before starting your day.

Once equipped with your translator, head to Danse with les robots and Arthur, the 4D Adventure. They are 2 of the most popular rides in the park, so make these your first or last stops of the day.

 

Kids favorite rides:

1. Dances with Robots (Danse avec les Robots) – Dance party strapped into 23ft high robots
2. Raving Rabbids Time Machine (La Machine à Voyager dans le Temps) – Take a trip through time with the Raving Rabbids.
3. Arthur, the 4D Adventure (Arthur, l’aventura 4D) – 4D adventure through the world of Minimoys.
4. Ice Age (L’Âge de Glace) –  A 4D experience with the nutty squirrel, Scrat and other Ice Age friends.
5. La Gyrotour – Get 360º views of the park from 150ft in the air.
6. The Little Prince in Studio 16 – Embark on a 3D adventure with Le Petit Prince.
7. The Arena (L’Arena fun Xperiences)- The kids loved the slides so grab a mat and zip along.

The kids favorite ride (okay and mine, as well) was Dances with Robots. While waiting, music videos play on a large screen. The songs were mostly American but we also heard one French song during the wait. There are 2 options for this ride.  Choose to just watch others participate by getting in the je regarde (I watch) line to the left or get in on the action with the je fait (I do) line to the right. You won’t wait nearly as long just to watch, but it’s not nearly as fun!

Make sure to put up long hair (not just in a ponytail, but in a bun.) Take off caps, glasses and dangly earrings.   Put all belongings, including anything in your pockets, into the bucket in front of your robot.   Once seated, pull your harness down and someone will check that it’s secure. They will also ask the level you want for the dance – 1, 2 or 3.  The kids chose level 3 while Derrick & I were admittedly chicken and went with level 2.

We also particularly enjoyed the shows La Loi du Plus Fort (Tiny Giants), L’Explorarium (The Explorarium) and Le Monde de l’Invisible (Mysteries of the Unseen World).   We followed the trials and tribulations of a chipmunk and grasshopper mouse, examined all the things that are too small, fast or slow for us to see with the naked eye and dove down to the ocean depths of the Bahamas and Fiji.

 

Futuroscope Travel Tips:

– Bring your own headphones!! The translator headset is free, but the earbuds are 3€ each.

– Return your translator before the evening show to avoid a wait at the end of the day.

– If going outside of the park, get your hand stamped to allow for re-entry.

– You should be able to get free parking by the hotels. We saw people parked all over the dirt areas. Parking was full at our hotel, so we ended up in the dirt even though we were paying guests. The walk was only 15 minutes from the Plaza Hotel to the park entrance.

– Arrive at the park early and head to Danse avec les robots, then go to Arthur.  This was to the back right of the park.

– Bring water bottles to stay hydrated.

– Download the Futuroscope app. It will continuously update with current show and wait times. Show times will also be on displayed on boards throughout the park.

– Bring a pen or highlighter to mark off which attractions you have visited. You don’t want to miss any of the shows!

– There are plenty of food options within the park. La Table d’Arthur is a good choice for a full meal, but  is pricey. The price for a family of 4 with 1 plate (entree/meat) and 1 dessert with buffet style sides, was 66€. During our visit, the sides were risotto, string beans, mixed veggies and fries. Juice and coffee are included.  Wine and bottled water were also available as part of the purchase from a cabinet near the buffet, but the red wine wasn’t great.  Or maybe I’m just becoming a wine snob after having lived in France for so long.

Comptoirs du Monde is less expensive locale for a meal, serving  a variety of food from all over the world. The price was much more reasonable  and has my vote for best choice among dining options. Crêpes are also an inexpensive alternative for a quick bite.  Additionally, a grocery is located next to the park where you can pick up food.

– If traveling with little ones, parents can take turns on the dynamic attractions that have minimum size requirements.

 

We were able to see almost all the attractions and shows in one day as we had minimal wait times.  We arrived when the park opened at 8:30am and stayed through the water and fire display’s of the Cirque du Soleil Aquatic Show at 9:30pm.  We missed out on the last magic show of IllusiO, un destin magique. We also didn’t have time for Le Mode des Enfants (Children’s World) or the Energy Gardens.

Overall, it was a fun day at Futuroscope. The kids would have preferred to go on Dances with Robots and Raving Rabbids Time Machine multiple times. I would have preferred to have time to lay around on one of the large bean bag type chairs located throughout the park.

By following these Futuroscope travel tips, you should be able to have a fun filled day of unique multimedia experiences.   Kids won’t want to miss being flipped and spun around to music while strapped into a robot , the antics of the Raving Rabbids or laying back and meeting some of the tiniest organisms in the sea.

Disclosure: We were provided with tickets to Futuroscope to facilitate this article. All opinions are 100% my own and may differ from others.