The weather's getting hot here on the French Riviera. Anyone longing for a change from the beach?
Here's an idea. Twirl and splash on the water-spouting toboggans, cork screw twisters, white water raft rides and gentle pools of Aqualand.
On the Côte d'Azur, you'll find Aqualand water adventure parks in Fréjus and in Sainte-Maxime.
They don't come cheap (24.50€ per adult in 2009). Find ways to cheaper tickets in our Tips section below.
The Fréjus water park is the largest, with an advertised 8 hectares of land filled with water rides.
To fully explore it, start with the maps given at the entrance and posted all around the park. Rides come in three flavors: green (easy for all kids), red (some for kids 9 and up) and black (white knuckles here).
What's the scoop on Aqualand?
From my own personal testing, it's all thumbs up from the kids.
The younger kids (under 6) loved the Pirate Boat at the end of the park and the shallow Mini Park Jungle with the elephants spouting water and the easy slides.
Even though a number of rides were marked as "9 y.o. and above", in our experience, the security guard assigned to each ride allowed younger kids on these when accompanied by an adult. Favorites for the braver among younger (6-9 years): Black Hole, White Hole and the short but very fast Free Fall.
Older kids & teenagers have a blast too across all of the rides. The twisted Anaconda toboggan was a big among teenagers.
For parents? Whatever you fancy. And when you want a rest, park under a parasol on a lounge chair by the surf beach that beeps before it starts to pulsate with gentle waves. Beware, the few lounge chairs go fast (see Tips below).
The Pros
- Lots of rides for all levels of courage from white-knuckle rides for big kids to waddle pools with gentle slides. You'll find maps of the park at the entrance.
- Clean and well-maintained.
- Each ride has a watch person keeping an eye out for safety.
- Like EuroDisney, it's a whole different world in Aqualand.
- Kids come back elated.
Tips
- For kids, Aqualand makes most sense for ages 6 and above. Not that younger ones can't enjoy the shallow pools, but they're limited. A number of splash rides are for 9 years and above.
- To really soak in the fun, plan for a full-day visit. Bring a snack and plenty of water or get your goodies at the cafés on site.
- Bring lots of sunscreen, hat, sun glasses. The sun reverberates against the pool waters. If your kids are fair skinned, consider lycra rash guard tops. For those who love the faster rides, keep in mind that a wet rash guard will slow you down...our kids took them off after the first ride :)
- For discounts, reserve your tickets online. A family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 kids can purchase a "family pack" off the internet for 74€. Online again, you'll get more than 10% off on Adult tix (22 instead of 24.5 in 2009). Click on their web site http://www.aqualand.fr and go to "Promo Internet, Reservez vos billets).
Looking for more info? Check out the Aqualand web site for current opening days and fares.
Where is Aqualand Fréjus?
See the Google map below. Aqualand has a large (mostly unshaded) parking area.
View AzurAlive.com: Aqualand Fréjus in a larger map
