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Quote: Originally posted by Floydfan on 05/2/2006

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If anyone's thinking of booking the evening show at Puy du Fou and you're coming before June 16th, forget it. It's sold out! If you're coming after June 16th and want to see the evening spectacular, get it booked quick!

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Hi

La Yole sounds like a nice campsite ! We're planning to travel over to France this year with a 5 yr old and a baby. Does it have a website ??

Thanks

Jen 

Hi Jen

it's http://www.la-yole.com/

Vic,

It's great - take our word for it.  Do a search on this forum as it is mentioned several times.   Here's the website:-

http://www.puydufou.com/uk/

Hi

Thanks for that, it looks great !! It's always nice to recommendations !! We've got the Alan Rogers guide but there are so many and not alot of info, takes so much time to check them out !!

Thanks

Jen

We`ve gone to the Puy de Fou twice, in 2002 and 2004...and we`ll definately go back there again next time we`re in the area. Once the small one (currently four) gets to be about seven or so we`ll go to the evening.

Incidentally if anyone is booking their campsites etc through the C&CC Carefree brochure they can book their Puy de Fou tickets at the same time. It`s not any cheaper, but it`s easy. Also if you keep your eyes open in French supermarkets there are quite a lot of offers for childrens Puy de Fou tickets on the back of mineral water etc..."Free child ticket for every paying adult" sort of thing.

If anyone's thinking of booking the evening show at Puy du Fou ...forget it. It's sold out! If...

Forgive my ignorance but this Puy do Fou sounds good but what is it eaxctly and where?
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 Puy du Fou (near Les Herbiers) has two distinct sides to it (not very well explained in their marketing).

The daytime thing is a huge "historical theme park" - in fact there are so many things to see, and magnificent set-piece shows to sit through, that a day is not really enough to get round it all. No advance booking required. Just turn up on the day and buy tickets at the gate. Sunhats definitely essential, as there is no shade at the various arenas where you see the fantastic battles, falconry etc. Also pleasant woodland and gardens; incredibly genuine-looking 19thC, 18thC and medieval villages to look round. And lots more. Great fun for all ages. (NB No theme-park-style rides though.)

The night-time show, called the Cinescenie, is an enormous sound-and-light show. Starts around 10pm (cos it's not dark till then). And it does indeed get booked up very quickly. However don't despair if you find it's allegedly already booked up. Often when you are on the spot in the summer you can sign up with an all-in coach excursion via the local tourist office. This saves you doing the driving - though can take a long time to get home afterwards as the coach has to wander about to different towns dropping people off.
I wanted tickets at the last minute for friends who turned up unexpectedly, and was told to turn up on spec. Apparently you are almost guaranteed to get in. They tell you to go to the Cinescenie ticket office *at the start time* of the show. (All the ticketholders have to get there 1 hour early, so they are all seated by then.) Then they squeeze you in wherever there might be a space.  No refunds are given, so you also usually get group organisers trying to sell off one or two tickets that their group hasn't used. This seems to be quite kosher, as they are offering them openly, alongside the ticket office. Best if you take cash with which to buy your tickets if you do this last-minute option.  Take warm, windproof clothes, especially to cover your legs; a cushion is a good idea too, as the seats are fairly hard.

The Cinescenie is a hugely spectacular show - a sort of pageant of Vendee history acted by hundreds of locals. The commentary is all in French (though frankly this hardly matters, as the spectacle is the thing). You can rent headphones, which give a potted version of the commentary in English, but not always synchronised with the action. It's not ideal for small children, as it doesn't finish till after midnight.

Angela

Been to Vendee 3 times, kids keep wanting to go back!

Safari park Planet Sauvage is well worth a day trip, take picnic with you, its a wildlife park, has pet zoo, bird show and seal show, well worth the cost.

Best arrive early as whole lot takes best part of day to see everything.

Its on the road to Nantes near Macheouil I think.

Theres plenty to do at night too in St Jean De Monts, amusements etc at far end of prom, Northern end I think, also amusement park near St Hillaire.

Oceanile in Ile de Normontier is also worth a visit, its a water park, another place to bring lunch and spend the day there.

If you happen to be there for 15th August, there are usually firework displays on the beaches once its dark. Prom in St Jean de Monts is good place to view them.

Joe

We went along to the Cinescenie Show at Puy de Fou a few years back.  We booked coach & show/tickets at the local tourist office whilst we were on holiday in St Jean de Monts.

It proved a very interesting outing, including a rather bizarre journey break at a cake shop (patisserie) along the way, which all the French coach passengers seemed to be 'au-fait' with - but we were totally confused as to what was happening.

There was a further problem with our family's tickets, which a kind lady in the coach seat in front tried to explain (without success). This involved us having to be taken by the coach driver to the ticket booth at the entry to resolve the discrepancy (whatever it was!).

Don't go thinking that your ticket books you a seat - instead everyone perches on little wooden benches and the amount of room you get to squeeze on really depends on how accommodating your (mostly French) audience are.  In our case, the lady seated next to us insisted to those further along that they 'shift up' a bit to allow us to sit down!

Nevertheless, it was a truly special evening and we can thoroughly recommend it.  I can't say I remember much of the dialogue - 'Je suis Jacques Maupier' is about all - plus a lot of people seemed to be 'mort' (dead).  Despite what others have said, we took our two lads along, the youngest being only 4 or 5 - and even he loved it!!  The most amazing effects ever!

hiya everyone.....im going to be working at le bois masson (st jean de monts) this year...was just wondering if any of you who've been have any pics of the site or area?????

claire

QUOTE
.... a rather bizarre journey break at a cake shop (patisserie) along the way, which all the French coach passengers seemed to be 'au-fait' with - but we were totally confused as to what was happening....

Ah, that'll be the brioche shop at Vendrennes!  The Vendee is known for its fluffy brioche loaves (which are delicious). At Vendrennes there is a large bakery turning out these things by the thousand. Any coach driver worth his salt will stop there, and any passenger worth their sel knows what they must get out and buy!  (A friend of mine who lives in the Vendee says that when his table-tennis team travels to matches, the coach stops there on the way back for them all to buy brioche !)

Just be careful crossing that main road that runs past the brioche-ery though.

Angela