Have a Roman holiday at Parc Asterix

by Anna Selby

It was with some astonishment that I discovered the other day that Britain's top visitor attraction is not Westminster Abbey or Shakespeare's birthplace or even the Tower of London. It's a tower of quite another kind. Alton Towers.

The rise and rise of the amusement park has been relentless since the birth of Disneyland and its child appeal crosses all ages from the very young to teenagers who, though normally cultivating a look of boredom for the sake of their street cred, scream with delight at the sight of a rollercoaster. For most parents, though, the idea of theme parks seems rather more resistible. And, for me at least, the thought of spending a day in the company of human-sized mice and chipmunks or being flung around the sky at breakneck speed in an open cart holds little allure.

What I had in mind was a trip to Paris. What seven-year-old Christian had in mind was a trip to a theme park. We decided to compromise and, in a long weekend, we both achieved what we wanted with a surprising degree of success. At this point, most people will put two and two together - in the form of Paris and amusement parks - and, in the answer Disneyland, Paris, make five. We decided if we were going to Paris, we wanted to be in France, not America. So we went instead to Parc Asterix.

Asterix the Gaul is enjoying quite a revival in Britain. He has just burst back into child consciousness courtesy of the film 'Asterix and Obelix take on Caesar' and this has led in turn to Asterix books racked up on the shelves in children's stores and bookshops. Meanwhile, the Parc itself has been given a facelift to celebrate its tenth anniversary with the opening of new attractions and a new hotel.

Just 35km outside Paris, Parc Asterix delivers a uniquely Gallic twist to the theme park. There are Druid stones, medieval villages, and at the gates to Asterix's own village, Roman legionnaries on stilts warn visitors to avoid the crazy people within - Asterix, Obelix, Unhigienix, village beauty Vitalstatstix, the dog Ideefix and the memorable magician, Getafix, whose potion gives the Gauls their superhuman strength to beat the Romans every time. (One of the joys of Asterix is it offers jokes for grown-ups, undreamt of by Mickey Mouse.) Once past the legionnaries, there is a world of colour and noise - stalls and jugglers, tombolas and shows. There are workshops, too, where you can make masks (with an ancient Greek look) or bracelets and necklaces (with a Roman design).

The Romans have their own area of the park complete with a magnificent amphitheatre with great outdoor shows, and a huge pool with a dolphin and sealion show. The Roman Empire is, in fact, a good place to start as you can get an overview of the whole park on the 'Spies of Caesar' ride, a leisurely pedal around a track built high above all the attractions.

There are rides to suit all ages. Tinies have their own little fairground and gentle water rides through tableaux of Asterix stories. Slightly older children make for the bumper cars, side shows (lots of variations on the coconut shy) and the smaller rollercoasters. Christian loved the Oxygenarium. You're hoisted up a long ramp to go spinning down the 'rapids' in a circular liferaft. Getting soaking wet is definitely part of the fun. Thrill-seeking teenagers can try the Towers of Zeus, Europe's second biggest - but surely first scariest - rollercoaster.

When you want a break from the rides, there are plenty of shows. My favourite was a marvellously swashbuckling 'Three Musketeers' with sword play through the audience and daring leaps from balconies. Or you could try 'The Great Mona Lisa Caper', a stunt-filled chase featuring the theft from the Louvre of the world's most famous painting.

You can also take a break in the restaurants. We went to Archimboldo (named after the fruit-loving painter) and had a very reasonable lunch with a glass of wine for Mummy - Dutch courage was definitely needed to face the Towers of Zeus or Flight of Icarus rides! This also gave Christian the opportunity to practise his two terms' worth of French - well, OK, bonjour, merci and au revoir.