@CoasterStar
Walibi Rhône-Alpes is the third and smallest Walibi park operated by Compagnie des Alpes. It is located in Les Avénières, which is located about an hour away from Lyon. It opened in 1979 under the name Avenir Land.
We visited Walibi Rhône-Alpes as the second park on our trip. We visited the park during a late night opening, which meant that we also got the opportunity to see the park in the dark and we got to see an amazing firework spectacle.
[Coasters]
Walibi Rhône-Alpes is home to 6 roller coasters. These are:
Coccinelle, a Tivoli Zierer coaster. The Double Figure Eight layout to be exact.
Generator, the smoothest and best Vekoma boomerang I’ve ever ridden. This coaster has lap bars instead of the classic over the shoulder restraints that can be found on other Vekoma Boomerangs. These make way for a smooth and more comfortable ride experience where you can actually enjoy all the intense forces that a boomerang has to offer. Generator is the only boomerang that I have voluntarily ridden multiple rides because I enjoyed it so much.
Woodstock Express is their Wild Mouse constructed by Zamperla. This is your standard layout although I thought this one was a bit of a weaker wild mouse.
Mahuka, Mystic and Timber are their three bigger coasters. These three coasters make up for an amazing 1-2-3 punch in the park. These coasters will all get a separate review, so stay tuned for those videos coming out soon.
Even though Walibi Rhône-Alpes has fewer coasters than the other Walibi parks, which both will have 10 coasters by the end of next year, it does have a very solid and qualitative collection.
We got plenty of re-rides on all the major coasters and enjoyed them every time we rode them.
@CoasterStar
[The Park]
Walibi Rhône-Alpes is truly located in the middle of nowhere. We got to the park by car and we had difficulties finding it, although that could be more contributed to the fact that Google Maps was doing Google Maps things and led us to the back of the park, so we had to drive around it again.
When you arrive at the park you will be greeted by Mystic, which is located next to the road leading up to the park.
The parking is also free, which was again a pleasant surprise.
The first thing you will notice, when you are past the security check-point, is the spacious entry plaza located in front of the ticket booths. On this plaza you can find a big W, this makes for a great photo opportunity before entering the park.
Once you have entered the park you will walk through the gift shop and you will end up on a small plaza afterwards.
Walibi Rhône-Alpes is divided into three themed areas: Explorer Adventure, which is a massive Wild-West themed area. Exotic Island, which has the same theme as its counterpart in Walibi Belgium and lastly you have Festival City, which is themed to New-Orleans. Each of these areas has one of the bigger coasters that anchors it.
The first thing that you will have to do when entering the park is choose where you go. We decided to go left where you can find Explorer Adventure.
Explorer Adventure is themed to the Wild West. This area is home to two big thrill coasters, the Wild Mouse and a couple of flat rides. You can also find the rapids over here and a fun MonORail that travels through the area.
This area is actually really pretty. It occupies the whole left side of the park and it has its own little lake in the middle of it. It definitely is one of the better Wild West themed sections out there.
The next area that you will encounter is Exotic World. This area has the same theme as its counterpart located in Walibi Belgium. And just like Exotic World In Walibi Belgium, Walibi Rhône-Alpes’ version is anchored by an Intamin.
Mahuka is located at the very back of Exotic World and has its own little area inside of Exotic World. This area is elaborately themed and definitely sets a new standard for theming inside the park.
In Exotic World you can also find a Tea Cup Splash Battle, a water play area and a Log Flume. These are all fun and tie in the exotic world theme with its water elements.
The log flume in Walibi Rhône-Alpes, named Bambooz River, was also quite fun. It isn’t anything special and it is actually quite short but it has a unique water effect that gets you absolutely soaked.
The last area is Festival City. This area takes up most of the right side of the park. This is definitely the most unique area in the park, as I can’t think of any other European park that has a New-Orleans themed area. The biggest ride in Festival City is Mystic. This fun Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster has its own little section that is Voodoo themed.
In Festival City you can also find two bigger flat rides. These are the S&S drop tower: Le Totem and the cleverly themed Zamperla Nebulaz Airboat. These are quite standard but still a lot of fun. The area is also home to another plethora of little flat rides.
@CoasterStar
[The Food]
Walibi Rhône-Alpes has a wide variety of small snacks and bigger dishes that can be found in the park. You can find healthier options in Exotic World, in the form of chicken sandwiches and fruits. In Explorer Adventure you can find your standard theme park hamburger and chicken nuggets, which are okay-ish.
We didn’t eat anything in the festival city section of the park, but that area has some sweeter options such as pancakes and waffles. Most of the bigger sit down restaurants are also located over there.
[Thoughts and recommendations]
I had a blast visiting Walibi Rhône-Alpes. Despite its reputation as the smaller Walibi Park, even though it is still pretty big, Walibi Rhône-Alpes is still worth a full day visit. We visited the park on a Late night opening which meant that the park was open until 10pm. And we could easily amuse ourselves during our entire visit in the park.
I recommend coming early though as the park can get pretty crowded, especially during special events such as its nocturnes.
I also recommend doing the smallest coasters and Generator first, as these have the worst capacity and these tend to get some longer lines.
The staff in Walibi Rhône-Alpes was also really friendly. Most of them spoke English which was a nice surprise. My French isn’t that bad but it's still easier when the staff speaks English. When some of the operators noticed that we were coaster enthusiasts they even gave us some great tips, which is always fun.
I would also recommend visiting the park during a special event when they have a fireworks spectacle. Their Fireworks Show was amazing and also quite lengthy. We go the amazing opportunity to see the very first arrow being lit up from the drop tower.
@CoasterStar
[Overall]
Walibi Rhône-Alpes was a positive surprise. The park is beautiful and it has a great coaster collection. Mahuka, Mystic and Timber are all worth the visit. The theming throughout the park is well executed and quite immersive even. It would love to come back one day and discover new additions to the park.
Have you visited the park yet?
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