A POPULAR French theme park is looking to open a new park in Germany based on a famous comics character.
Parc Astérix in northern France, which is inspired by the iconic comic series of the same name, is now looking to open a new destination in Germany within the next five years.
The new park is set to be at Belantis Park near Leipzig, which is conveniently located near major cities including Dresden and Berlin.
The park currently spans across 80 hectares, 41 of which could be used for future expansion of the park.
The park would officially be rebranded to Parc Astérix Germany and is scheduled to open fully, at the earliest, in 2030.
However, Belantis has already closed for the start of the transformation.
Read more on travel inspo
And inspring next year, the first themed area, which will be dedicated to Idefix the dog, will open.
Once the park is fully complete, it is hoped to attract up to 900,000 visitors each year.
Astérix comics have been popular in Germany for a while, with the country ranking as the second-largest market worldwide for sales, according to 24 Matins.
Astérix was originally created in France, with the Astérix park in France opening in 1989, around 21.7 miles from Paris.
And it is even France’s second most visited amusement park after Disneyland Paris.
For example in 2024, the park welcomed 2.8million people.
Little details have been revealed about the German park, but Parc Astérix features a number of different attractions.
The theme park features around 50 attractions, spread across a number of themed areas like Gaul, Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece.
There is an inverted roller coaster OzIris, a wooden roller coaster called Tonnerre 2 Zeus and even the tallest and fastest roller coaster in France – Toutatis.
There are a number of attractions that are more family-friendly, such as the Pegase Express.
Visitors can also head on a log flume, that features a 13 metre drop.
The theme park also hosts a number of live shows and a 4D cinema experience as well.
From late December, the theme park also celebrates Christmas with Noël Gaulois, where the park is decked out in festive decorations, a market and shows.
What is Parc Asterix like to visit?
A SUN reporter headed to Parc Asterix and here are their thoughts…
Disney certainly has the monopoly on world-renowned characters and a blowout budget to create that real wow factor, all of which seems impossible to compete with — yet somehow Parc Astérix does.
The tickets are cheaper, the food is better, the shows are spectacular and the rides are a total revelation.
Add in a sprawling protected countryside backdrop just 30km outside Paris, with three separate hotels within the grounds at very reasonable prices, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
It’s pure escapism, based all around the cherished world of Astérix — the man who, in famous French comics, protected France from the Romans.
With more than 50 attractions, there really is a ride for everyone, regardless of age, or fear factor — you definitely need more than one day if you want to get round all of them.
And sacre bleu, the shows! Admittedly they were in French — and if Parc Asterix wants to carry on bringing across the Brits, then some sort of translation might be in order.
But this was the standard of a West End show packed into half an hour of singing, dancing and general fun, based around the wonderful world of Asterix, Obelix and the Romans.
The food was fabulous too. As always, the French understand that not everyone wants to be chowing down on bland burgers and chips.
But what really puts Parc Astérix head and shoulders above the rest is that there’s none of that feeling you are complicit in the funding of a big corporation, as with many of the global parks.
Instead there’s lovely little touches everywhere that make the whole place feel original, exciting and unique.
In other theme park news, there’s a huge Christmas theme park inside a castle that’s just a few hours from the UK.
Plus, first look at £12million Viking land opening at UK’s ‘best theme park’ with inverting rollercoaster and feasting hall.