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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 🏄♂️
Wave Island is Provence’s big water park, in Monteux, 15 minutes from Avignon 🌊. It’s right next to Parc Spirou, which bought it in 2024: since then, the park has been themed around the Marsupilami, and most of the attractions have been renamed. You’ll find about twenty slides and attractions, a 650 m (2,130-foot) lazy river, a wave pool and one of the biggest artificial surf waves in the world.
The park is close to home for us, so we go almost every year, with friends or family, most recently in 2025. In this article, we give you our honest review of Wave Island, the 2027 prices, the real parking rates, the height requirements for each attraction, the park map, and our tips to avoid lines and not pay more than planned.
While you’re in the area, don’t miss the river hike in the Toulourenc gorges and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. And if you love theme parks, also read our guides to PortAventura and Europa-Park, or all our articles about France.
Article updated in November 2026.
OUR WAVE ISLAND REVIEW IN BRIEF ⭐
Wave Island is a great park for thrill seekers. We go back every summer and always have a good time. But it’s not a perfect park, and it’s better to know that before you go.
- 👍 The highlights: the Chute Palombienne (33 m / 108 ft), the thrill slides, the tropical lazy river to unwind, and being close to Avignon.
- 👎 The downsides: the price, which climbs fast with extras, the lines in peak summer, cleanliness in some areas, seasonal staff who aren’t always great, and the padlock you absolutely mustn’t forget.
- 👨👩👧 Who’s it for? Ideal from 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) and 50 kg (110 lb). Below that, a good share of the slides are off-limits, and you’ll quickly run out of things to do.
Come in the afternoon, like us: we arrive around 2 p.m. and leave around 5 or 6 p.m. It's very hot, the water is perfect, and you avoid some of the morning crowds.
WAVE ISLAND PRICES IN 2027 💶
Wave Island hasn’t published its 2027 prices yet. In the meantime, here are the official 2026 season prices, which should stay close:
| Ticket | 2026 price |
|---|---|
| Adult and child 11 and up | €33 |
| Child under 11 | €26 |
| Child under 1 m | Free |
| Senior (60+), student | €30 |
| Pregnant woman | €25 |
| 2-park ticket Wave Island + Parc Spirou | €59 |
| Season pass | €250 |
| Pass Rapid (skip the line) | €33 extra |
The ticket is valid for the day: there’s no half-day rate. We’ve never paid full price: in 2025, we paid about €25 thanks to the discount from our company’s works council (CE). Prices have gone up since, but if your employer offers perks like this, always check whether Wave Island is included.
IS THE PASS RAPID WORTH IT?
At €33, the Pass Rapid costs as much as entry. We’ve never bought it. It becomes worthwhile on a Thursday or Sunday during school vacation, the busiest days, if you’re only coming for one day and want to hit slide after slide. For a weekday afternoon, it’s not necessary.
- Payment by card, cash or paper chèques-vacances. There's no ATM in the park.
- Surfing (Houba Wave and My Surf) is not included in the ticket: €8 or €10 for 10 minutes.
- All prices on the official website's prices page.
WAVE ISLAND PARKING: PRICES AND WHERE TO PARK 🅿️
This is important to know: the parking lot doesn’t belong to Wave Island. The Lac de Monteux parking lots (P1 to P4, about 2,700 spaces) are run by the town and the local authority, and also serve Parc Spirou. They’re paid and monitored day and night.
Wave Island’s parking lot is P2, at 663 impasse de la Traverse du Ventoux, in Monteux. That’s where we park every time, right next to the entrance.
| Duration | Price (2025 rate) |
|---|---|
| First 15 minutes | Free |
| 1 hour | €2 |
| 2 hours | €4 |
| 3 hours | €6 |
| Over 3 hrs 15 min (full day) | €7 maximum |
For a full day or a long afternoon, plan on €7 at most. You pay at the automatic machines, by card or cash. RVs aren’t allowed, because of the solar canopies.
Hang on to your parking ticket: if you lose it, you'll be charged the maximum rate. And don't park outside the lots, it's not allowed.
WAVE ISLAND: HEIGHT REQUIREMENT FOR EACH ATTRACTION 📏
That’s the question to ask before buying tickets, especially with kids. The basic rule: 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) minimum for almost all the slides, and often 50 kg (110 lb) minimum for the fastest ones. Heads up, the child price depends on age, not height or weight: a child who’s 1.20 m but under 50 kg won’t be able to do the biggest attractions.
| Attraction | Minimum height | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Chute Palombienne (formerly Géant) | 1.20 m | 50 to 120 kg |
| Le Monte Urticando | 1.20 m | 50 to 120 kg |
| Blue Cyclone | 1.20 m | 50 to 120 kg |
| Marsu Racing | 1.20 m | under 120 kg |
| Happy Rafting, Rainbobow | 1.20 m | under 100 kg |
| Tourbillons, Anaconda, Tortuga, Défilé du Jaguar | 1.20 m | 200 kg max for two |
| Le Funambule | 1.10 m | – |
| Houba Wave (surf) | 1.30 m (1 m bodyboarding with an instructor) | – |
| Château des Aventuriers | 1 m for 2 slides, 1.20 m for the other 6 | under 120 kg |
| Kids Island | Under 5 | under 50 kg |
Armbands are mandatory for kids under 1.20 m and non-swimmers in the three pools (lazy river, Lagoon and Lac Tapahpié).
THE ATTRACTIONS AT WAVE ISLAND 🎢
OUR FAVORITES: THE THRILL RIDES
We love thrill rides, and we’ve done every attraction in the park. Our favorite is hands down the Chute Palombienne, formerly the “Géant”: a 33 m (108-foot) near-vertical drop, up to 80 km/h (50 mph). The park bills it as the tallest free-fall slide in Europe. At the top, it feels like jumping from 50 m (164 feet) 😱.
We also love Marsu Racing, in the middle of the park: you slide down headfirst on a small mat, racing your friends, on 8 side-by-side lanes. Guaranteed laughs. For thrill fans, there’s also the Monte Urticando, the Blue Cyclone, and tube slides for two like the Tourbillons and the Anaconda.
FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
- 🌴 El Rio Soupopoaro: the 650 m (2,130-foot) tropical lazy river, about a 25-minute tube ride. Perfect for catching your breath between slides.
- 🌊 The Lagoon: the wave pool, with waves every fifteen minutes.
- 🧗 Lac Tapahpié: a 700 m² (7,500 sq ft) pool with a climbing wall.
- 🏄 Le Funambule: Europe’s first slide you ride standing up, from 1.10 m.
- 🎈 Marsu Gliss: a big inflatable slide.
THE SURF WAVES (EXTRA CHARGE)
Houba Wave is billed as the biggest artificial wave in the world, up to 3.50 m (11.5 feet), and My Surf is a heated indoor wave. Both cost extra on top of your ticket (€8 and €10 for 10 minutes): we haven’t tried them, but they’re great fun to watch from the terrace.
FOR LITTLE ONES
Kids under 5 have Kids Island, and slightly older kids have the Château des Aventuriers (8 slides) and the Tiki Slide. Honestly, for under-6s, the choice is limited, and you’ll quickly run out of things to do.
WAVE ISLAND MAP 🗺️
The official park map is up to date with the new attraction names. Here’s how the park is laid out, to help you find your way when you arrive:
- 🚪 By the entrance: the welcome area, ticket booths, lockers, the two surf waves, the Lagoon, the Château des Aventuriers, Kids Island and most of the restaurants.
- 🌴 In the middle: the El Rio Soupopoaro lazy river and the private beaches (loungers, Balinese beds, cabanas).
- 🎢 At the back of the park: the big slides, Lac Tapahpié, the picnic area and the Wave Village.
Our tip: head straight to the back of the park when you arrive to do the big slides, while everyone else settles in near the entrance.
HOURS, CROWDS AND WAIT TIMES ⏳
In 2026, the park was open from June 13 to September 6, every day from June 17 to August 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on some days). Attractions close 30 minutes before the park. The 2027 dates aren’t known yet: they’ll be on the official calendar, and should be very similar.
Wait times depend on the day and the weather. In our experience, during school vacations, you can wait 5 to 10 minutes for a slide and 40 to 50 minutes at the same spot an hour later. The busiest days are Thursdays and Sundays during school vacations, and heat-wave days.
Our formula is the afternoon: we arrive around 2 p.m. and leave around 5 or 6 p.m. In three or four hours, we do everything we want, and enjoy the park when it’s hottest.
If you want the full day, arrive 20 to 30 minutes before opening to be among the first at the big slides. And go on a weekday, but not a Thursday.
WHERE TO EAT AT WAVE ISLAND? 🍔
The park has several places to eat: the Repaire des Chahutas (air-conditioned brasserie facing Houba Wave), the Houburger, the Jungle Snack, the Kiosque Outahpié, Marsu Délices for crêpes and ice cream, and the Bar des Chahutas for cocktails.
Price-wise, it’s a theme park: at the Repaire des Chahutas, expect €19 for a burger, €13.50 to €18 for a pinsa, €7.90 for a kids’ meal, €5.50 for fries and €3.90 for a soda (2026 prices). At peak times, the wait can be long.
WHAT ABOUT A PICNIC?
It’s allowed, but only in the picnic area, behind Lac Tapahpié. You can’t eat on the beaches, the loungers or by the pools. Honestly, it’s not ideal: you have to deal with the cooler (45 x 35 x 25 cm / 18 x 14 x 10 in max), there aren’t many tables, and you can’t eat where and when you want.
Since we come in the afternoon, we eat beforehand. If you’re staying all day, we’d rather recommend eating on site, shifting your mealtime a little (before noon or after 2 p.m.) to avoid the crowds.
LOUNGERS, BALINESE BEDS AND CABANAS: WORTH IT? 🏖️
Wave Island offers several paid options to get a spot in the shade:
- 🪑 Loungers: from €8 (Outahpié) to €14 (Lagoon, front row), for 1 adult and 1 child.
- 🛏️ Balinese bed (Chiquito Paradiso): €50 for 2 adults and 2 children.
- 🛖 Private cabanas (Oasis Palombienne): 30 m² (320 sq ft) for 6 people. The price isn’t listed on the website; you have to book via the experiences page.
We’ve never booked one: we find it way too expensive on top of the entry ticket. A towel in the shade does the job just fine, especially if you’re only coming in the afternoon.
THE RULES TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ⚠️
DON’T FORGET THE PADLOCK
The lockers are free, just past the entrance, but you have to bring your own padlock. If you forget it, the shop sells one for €9. It’s our pet peeve: you really need to remember to bring it, and plan one per locker.
SWIMWEAR
Allowed: one- or two-piece swimsuits, swim shorts or briefs ending above the knee, and UV shirts. Not allowed in the pools: burkinis, long or loose outfits (dresses, sarongs, harem pants) and street clothes. Water shoes are fine.
BANNED ITEMS
No glass, knives, alcohol, umbrellas, tents, folding chairs, balls or inflatables (except kids’ floats), or sprays. On the slides, phones, GoPros and unsecured glasses are not allowed.
KIDS
Under-15s must be accompanied by an adult, who also pays for entry, with a maximum of 4 kids per adult.
- You can leave and come back the same day, by letting them know at the entrance (stamp or wristband).
- Pets are not allowed.
- Everything is detailed in the park rules.
HOW TO GET TO WAVE ISLAND? 🚗
- 🚗 By car: 10 minutes from the Avignon Nord exit on the A7, and 15 to 20 minutes from downtown Avignon. Allow about 1 to 1.5 hours from Marseille, Aix-en-Provence or Montpellier. Park in the P2 lot (see above).
- 🚆 By train: from Avignon TGV or Avignon Centre station, take the Avignon-Carpentras TER regional train to Monteux station.
- 🚌 By bus: line 5 of the Zou! network (Avignon-Carpentras) stops at “Lac de Monteux,” which serves Wave Island and Parc Spirou.
OUR VERDICT: IS WAVE ISLAND WORTH IT? 💭
For us, yes, especially if you love thrills. We go back almost every year, with friends or family, and never get tired of it. The Chute Palombienne and Marsu Racing alone are worth the trip, and the tropical lazy river is perfect for catching your breath.
But let’s be honest, there are downsides too:
- 💸 The price: €33 entry, plus parking, the padlock, meals and extras, and the day adds up fast. That said, running a park like this is expensive (water, electricity, staff).
- 🧹 Cleanliness: it’s a very busy park, and depending on the area, it isn’t always very clean.
- 👕 The staff: mostly seasonal workers, often young. Don’t expect high-end service.
- ⏳ The wait: from a few minutes to almost an hour depending on the day.
- 🔐 The padlock: it’s a small thing, but forgetting it costs you €9.
Our tip: come on a weekday, in the afternoon, with your padlock, a works council discount if you have one, and without the paid extras. You’ll enjoy the best of the park for a reasonable price. The neighboring Parc Spirou is easy to do on another day, like we did. And you, have you been yet? Tell us what you thought in the comments!
WHERE TO STAY NEAR WAVE ISLAND? 🏡
The most convenient option is to stay in Avignon, 15 minutes away: you also get to enjoy the city, the Palais des Papes and the Pont d’Avignon. Monteux, Carpentras and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue are also good options for visiting Fontaine-de-Vaucluse or Mont Ventoux.
On site, the Wave Village offers mobile homes between Wave Island and Parc Spirou, with park tickets, breakfast and parking included, and 10% off the Pass Rapid. It only operates during the season: availability and prices are on the Wave Village page. We’ve never stayed there, since we live nearby.
Here’s our map of places to stay around Avignon:
FAQ: WAVE ISLAND ❓
The questions we’re asked most often about Wave Island. Another question? Ask it in the comments 💬.
In 2026: €33 from age 11, €26 for under-11s, and free for kids under 1 m. The 2-park ticket with Parc Spirou costs €59. 2027 prices haven’t been published yet.
The parking lots belong to the town of Monteux: €2 an hour, €6 for 3 hours, and €7 max for the day (2025 rate). The first 15 minutes are free.
In the P2 lot, 663 impasse de la Traverse du Ventoux, in Monteux, right next to the entrance. The lots are shared with Parc Spirou.
1.20 m (3 ft 11 in) for almost all slides, often with a minimum weight of 50 kg (110 lb) for the fastest ones like the Chute Palombienne. Le Funambule is open from 1.10 m, and the Château des Aventuriers has two slides from 1 m.
Yes, the up-to-date map is on the official website, on the “park map” page. The big slides are at the back of the park, the waves and kids’ play areas near the entrance.
The 2027 dates haven’t been announced yet. In 2026, the park was open from June 13 to September 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Yes, but only in the picnic area behind Lac Tapahpié, with a cooler of 45 x 35 x 25 cm (18 x 14 x 10 in) max. You can’t eat on the beaches or by the pools.
Yes. The lockers are free, but you have to bring your own padlock. Otherwise, the shop sells one for €9.
At €33, it’s only worth it on very busy days, like Thursdays and Sundays during school vacations. We’ve never bought it.
No. Burkinis and long outfits are not allowed in the pools. UV shirts and swim shorts above the knee are allowed.
No, the ticket is the same for the day, whether you come in the morning or the afternoon.
No, under-15s must be accompanied by an adult, with a maximum of 4 kids per adult.
No. Houba Wave and My Surf cost extra: €8 and €10 for a 10-minute session.
An afternoon of 3 to 4 hours is enough to do the main attractions. To do everything at a relaxed pace with kids, plan the whole day.
For us, yes, especially for thrill seekers. Come on a weekday, in the afternoon, with your padlock and without the paid extras to keep your budget reasonable.
MY MUST-HAVE ACCESSORIES FOR WAVE ISLAND 🧳
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