Puy du Fou?
If your French is not up to much, you might think that Puy du Fou was a type of lentil, but my clever clogs partner tells me it means ‘Fool’s hill’. It’s a theme park – but here’s the catch – no rides. What the hell, you might think but let me tell you that it’s the best thing ever. No rides, but short, live historical shows, and lots of them. So many in fact, you will probably run out of time and must come back. We didn’t have time for the evening show, but I’m told it’s a blinder.
In the beginning
It started in Franch – naturellment – and then opened outside Madrid, in Spain, which is where I saw it. The great news is, it’s coming to the UK. The land has been bought, near Bicester, but building work is yet to commence. A plan is being submitted to the council. https://www.puydufouconsultation.co.uk/
Where is the one in Spain?
It’s Toledo, near Madrid
It’s an hour’s drive on the motorway, or you can get a coach package. Parking is free, but there is lots of walking. I mean lots. Like 25,000 steps. My trainers fell apart in protest.
How much is it?
I was lucky, my lovely Spanish friend paid for me, but I’ve looked it up and it’s around €46 per person. If you go on a busy day like we did (Sunday), it might be an idea to get a ‘Emotion Pass’ costing €14. This enables you to skip the queues and get reserved seats.
What’s it like?
The area
There are various wooden, historical looking buildings, decorated as restaurants or bars, with plenty of open spaces. There are ample toilets, ice cream stalls etc and burger bars, drinks stalls. Staff wear costumed attire.
The shows
The shows are staged around the site. You must walk there and then queue.
The resort had recently opened for the summer season and was very busy (March 2025). Queues were long and it was over 30 degrees in the shade. We queued for over 30 minutes for most shows. However, it’s well organised, no-one pushed in and everyone was good humoured.
It’s hard to describe the shows and do them justice. It’s a question of luck whether you get a good seat: there are mainly tiered wooden benches. One show was inside.
They are all connected with Spanish history and magnificent. We had horses galloping across the stage, jousting, fighting, buildings on fire, and amazing acrobatics.
Another show had a town attacked, with explosions and buildings collapsing.
The indoor show had horses performing in a river, and then the audience was moved on a revolving platform.
It was riveting stuff. I didn’t mind that it was all in Spanish. There was lots of flag waving and singing, and it was moving to be caught up in it all.
Food
Of course, the food and drinks stalls are there to make money, so it’s quite expensive. An ice cream or two won’t break the bank, but my friends came prepared, as did lots of other guests. There is a nice, shaded picnic area with wooden tables. Javier had made a Spanish pie, and his wife brought some bread, salad and drinks. Muy bien.
A little caveat:
It’s normally dry and hot, but on rare occasions, it does rain. From reviews, it would appear the show goes on and you are not offered an alternative day. You can buy ponchos, however! I imagine heavy rain would ruin everything and perhaps not be safe. I suggest you check the weather before booking.
In summary: do go if you are in Madrid or nearby. It’s quite something.
Website: https://puydufouespana.com/espana/en