Essential Puy du Fou tips for families visiting in 2022

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Puy du Fou is a must if you are staying in The Vendée in France. It’s the type of place that will change the way you think about French history, theatre and theme parks. If you are visiting Puy du Fou with kids in 2022, here are my top tips for making the most of your experience.

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I visited Puy du Fou in June 2019 as part of a press trip. Read more about my visit and what I think are Puy du Fou’s best shows for families.

Here are my top tips for visiting Puy du Fou with kids as well as prices and a link for booking Puy du Fou tickets in 2022:

How many days should you allow for Puy du Fou?

I visited for two full days and was able to see all of the main shows, plus the three walk-through experiences and pop into each of the period villages. Read more about the shows and things to do at Puy du Fou.

The days were long and busy, and there were still some areas we didn’t explore. I also had the benefit of a Emotion Pass which gives you fast track entry to the main shows. 

I’d recommend no less than two days at Puy du Fou otherwise you will leave without seeing the best of it.

Download the Puy du Fou app

Before you visit Puy du Fou download the app. You can plan your day using the app, which is updated with show times a day in advance. Show times do vary each day, so it is worth setting aside some time to plan before you arrive. 

Puy du Fou: where to stay

There are plenty of Puy du Fou accommodation options, whether you want to stay onsite or within the Vendée region.

I stayed in the amazing Les Îles de Clovis in Puy du Fou’s La Cité Nocturne. This is a Middle Ages-style village with huts on stilts in a purpose built lake. Everything from the accommodation to the costumes the staff wore transported you back in time.

Check out my Puy du Fou accommodation round up of hotels, places to stay close by and campsites near to Puy du Fou. 

Puy du Fou – what’s the minimum age for visiting with kids

Your kids definitely need to be above a certain age to appreciate all of Puy du Fou’s shows. I’d say five is a good minimum age to get the most out of your visit but there are shows that are great for the whole family.

Take a look at my guide to the best Puy du Fou shows for families.

Other things to consider when visiting Puy du Fou with kids is that the queues for some shows can get very busy. Take a look at my reasons for investing in Emotion Passes below.

The Grand Parc is also very big – you are going to do a lot of walking. If you are visiting with a toddler bring a pushchair or child carrier for when they get tired.

However, be aware that pushchairs cannot be brought into the shows and experiences, but you can get around all the period villages with them.

There are a few excellent play parks around Puy du Fou. If you are visiting with toddlers and young children you may want to hang out at these and take turns with other adults in your group to see some of the shows less suitable for young kids.

There are also rare breeds animals to see in some of the period villages.

Is the Puy du Fou Emotion Pass worth it?

If you are limited on time at Puy du Fou and even if you’re not, I’d recommend paying a bit extra for the Emotion Pass. This allows you to skip the lines and get the best seats for each of the Grand Shows. 

This is essential if you want to see more than two or three shows in a day. Some queues also get very busy with lots of people grouping at the entrances. Do yourselves a favour and avoid this as it may be uncomfortable for kids. 

You can also plan your day easier around meal times, especially if you have booked a restaurant for lunch or dinner.

Fast track works once per show but you can return and see each show as many times as you want in the normal queue. 

In 2019 Emotion Passes cost €15 per person per day on top of your park ticket. See more on ticket prices below.

Can you get an English translation?

You can get an English translation for all the main shows and some of the walk-through experiences through the Puy du Fou app.

WiFi is available across the park. Remember to bring headphones for each mobile device or splitters so more than one person can listen.

Tips for visiting Puy du Fou in wet weather

Most of the entertainment at Puy du Fou is outdoors so if you are unlucky to visit on a wet day then make sure you come prepared. Rain coats, water-proof trousers and shoes or boots are a must.

You can also buy Puy du Fou ponchos in adult and children’s sizes. These are great as they are long enough to tuck under your legs when you are sitting on benches during the outdoor shows.

If you are visiting Puy du Fou on a day when showers are forecast you might want to plan to see the shows Mousquetaire De Richelieu and Le Dernier Panache when the rain is predicted. The walk-through experiences are also undercover.

Where to eat

If you want to use the onsite restaurants then you need to book these online in advance. You are less likely to get a table somewhere you’d like to eat if you just walk up.

If you are booked into a Puy du Fou hotel you will be able to find space for breakfast and dinner in one of the accommodation restaurants regardless of whether you have a booking.

Breakfast is included in the price of your stay. You can get a discount on dinner if you reserve a table in advance. You can also secure your restaurant of choice this way.

I ate in the buffets at Les Îles de Clovis and La Citadelle, and both were excellent.

In the Grand Parc you have even more choice of places and time periods in which to eat. I ate at and can recommend:

Le Bistrot

Le Bistrot brasserie is in the 19th Century French town Bourg 1900. This serves traditional French cuisine. You can also get the most delicious hot chocolates here.

La Mijoterie du Roy Henry

La Mijoterie du Roy Henry is a Renaissance-themed self-service restaurant where you pick up pre-preprepared dishes of your choice from the counter.

Le Café de la Madelon

Le Café de la Madelon is no ordinary restaurant. It is a wedding venue and you are invited to the nuptials. In between and during each course there is a performance that even the waiting staff are involved in.

It’s brilliant entertainment but maybe not the most family-friendly of experiences as it does start quite late for young kids. Mine would have been well past dinner time by the time the show started at gone 8.30pm. It is greta fun though. Here’s a taster: