Ranked: The Top 7 Roller Coasters at Parc Asterix

Welcome back to another “Ranked” article here on Laughing Place. I recently had the incredible opportunity to visit France, mainly for a few days at Disneyland Paris. However, as I was nearby, I wanted to visit Parc Asterix, which is located just a few miles north of Charles de Gaulle Airport. Opening in 1989, Parc Asterix is based entirely around the popular French comic book series, Asterix. Admittedly, I’m completely unfamiliar with the theme, but that really didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the park. Parc Asterix is a beautifully themed park with a small, but excellent collection of roller coasters. I’m sure knowledge of the Asterix comics only bolsters that enjoyment.

While at Parc Asterix, I did experience a few non-coaster rides, but for this “Ranked,” we’ll just focus on the Top 7 coasters at the park. I didn’t experience SOS Numérobis, their smallest coaster, but it’s safe to say it would probably be at the bottom of the list. So without any further ado, let’s countdown the Top 7 roller coasters at Parc Asterix!

7. Goudurix

We’re going to get the negatives right out of the way: Goudurix is one of the worst coasters I’ve ever had the misfortune to ride. Opening with the park in 1989, this Vekoma creation needs to be put out of its misery. It has a lot of inversions and it's intense, but it is unbearably rough and there’s no avoiding head-banging. You are guaranteed to come off in pain. Tear this out, or at least give it better trains, please!

6. Vol D’Icare

Vol D’ICare, which translates to Flight of Icarus, is a unique family coaster with an interesting bobsled style seating arrangement. I don’t really have all that much to say about this ride. It has a fun, almost maze-like queue. The ride itself is enjoyable, if a bit meandering. The end especially feels like a number of unnecessary turns just to get you back to the starting point.

5. Trace Du Hourra

Speaking of bobsled coasters, they are kind of a dying breed, especially in America. I had never had the chance to experience one before, so I was excited to take a ride on Trace Du Hourra (or Trail of Hurray). The exciting thing about these types of coasters is that they are not attached to a track, but rather use a trough much like actual bobsleds. This creates a more out of control experience, making the 37 mph speed feel all that much faster. Add to it the height of this attraction, along with the interactions with the park’s newest coaster, Toutatis, and you have a fun, increasingly rare experience.

4. Pegase Express

My immediate thought with Pegase Express was that it was essentially a Greek Firechaser Express, a coaster at Dollywood. The ride begins with a launch out of the station, into a lift hill followed by a lengthy hillside and water adjacent section. You then enter a show scene featuring Medusa, which leads into a backwards launch and the last section of the ride. While Firechaser Express does have a different layout, the sequence of elements is the same, and it is from the same manufacturer, Gerstlauer. I enjoyed Pegase Express just as much as its US counterpart. A fun family coaster that thrill seekers can also get immense enjoyment out of.

3. Tonnerre 2 Zeus

Tonnerre 2 Zeus, given the “2″ as it is a re-tracked and plussed version of the original Tonnerre de Zeus (Thunder of Zeus), is the park’s lone wooden coaster. Last year, the re-tracking was completed along with the addition of comfortable new trains. This was a really fun ride, with great pacing, lots of fun pops of airtime, and some good theming, including a drop into a cave and a tunnel of lightning. What makes this ride extra crazy is the very last row, which is turned backwards! Riding a wooden coaster backwards is one of the most ridiculously bizarre experiences I’ve ever had, and I’d absolutely recommend giving it a shot!

2. OzIris

OzIris absolutely takes the win for best theming and presentation at Parc Asterix. You walk upon this Egyptian temple, with the large B&M-created track surrounding you. The coaster weaves in and out of the area, including a drop into a tunnel with wonderful fountain effects visible on and off ride. Thematically, OzIris is very similar to Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, but everything is done just that much better here. The ride itself is fast paced and fun, just as inverts like this always are. But what really makes this experience so great is the completeness of the presentation.

1. Toutatis

And we arrive at #1, my main reason for wanting to visit Parc Asterix – Toutatis! Timing wise, I was very lucky, as Toutatis only opened last month! This brand-new Intamin creation bears some resemblance to Jurassic World Velocicoaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Toutatis features much of the same incredible airtime, but has one thing Velicoaster doesn’t, that being a backwards section. Feeling that same kind of airtime going backwards is truly phenomenal. The theming here is also pretty fantastic, with some great rockwork and impressive lighting in the loading area. Toutatis made the price of admission to Parc Asterix alone worth it, and I can’t wait to experience more coasters like this in the future!

I hope you all enjoyed this ranking of my Top 7 roller coasters at Parc Asterix. If you want to see some more theme park rankings, feel free to check out some of my other “Ranked” articles listed below: