Fraispertuis City

Jeanménil, France

“Surprisingly well themed family-style amusement park”

There’s a fair chance that you’ve never heard of a theme park called Fraispertuis City. And that’s okay, I totally understand. The park is located centrally between the cities of Nancy and Colmar, in the middle of the lush green Vosges region. Hiking in this beautiful part of France is definitely worth a try, but it’s also easy to include your visit to Fraispertuis City in a bigger theme park tour. The driving time to Europa-Park is just one hour and a half and the distance to Parc Walygator is roughly the same. Ribeauvillé (one of the villages that inspired Disney for Beauty and the Beast) is also close, so Disney fans will certainly love to pay a visit.

ROLLER COASTERS

Fraispertuis City offers a total of three roller coasters. One of them may look (very) familiar if you’ve visited Parc Astérix in the past. Ronde des Rondins is a Zierer Tivoli Small model which used to operate in the Gaul village of Parc Astérix. The coaster is right next to Timber Drop, a surprisingly well-themed El Loco, manufactured by S&S Sansei. I’ve ridden similar rides at Warner Bros Movie World Gold Coast and Las Vegas’ Adventuredome, but this is by far the most beautiful version. The ride experience is unconventional to say the least: it includes some rather bizarre elements and weird g-forces. Although it’s definitely not the most comfortable roller coaster out there, I consider it as a great thrill ride for this small-scaled theme park.

Theming is one of Fraispertuis City’s big strengths. That becomes clear while riding Grand Canyon, the park’s signature family coaster. I gladly call it a budget-friendly version of Big Thunder Mountain and that’s no exaggeration. The decoration looks very elaborate and the ride even features some special effects along the way. Don’t expect the most comfortable ride on Earth, though. Grand Canyon was designed by Soquet and this French company isn’t known for their smooth rides.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Fraispertuis City is mostly focused on families with young children, so you’ll find an enormous amount of kiddie rides and carousels. This isn’t necessarily bad, especially because these standard flat rides are all themed incredibly well. The park’s Mack Splash Battle is worth mentioning as it provides a great amount of kinetic energy to the park. Overall, I’m really really really impressed by Fraispertuis City’s eye for detail and love for theming. Awesome looking place!

WORTH A VISIT?

It really depends on what you expect. Are you a coaster junkie who doesn’t care for atmosphere or decoration? Then you probably shouldn’t travel to Fraispertuis City. The park is quite small and there’s a limited number of thrill rides. However, I’d definitely recommend a visit if you’re able to enjoy beautiful theming. I guess that the park doesn’t have huge budgets, but they do everything they can to provide an enjoyable experience. It’s not a full-day park, but (as I mentioned) the world-class Europa-Park is just around the corner.

PHOTO GALLERY

RIBEAUVILLÉ

Is this one of France’s hidden gems? What do you think of S&S Sansei’s El Loco? And don’t you think that Grand Canyon looks absolutely stunning? Share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this page.