Autopia at Disneyland Paris

Aimed squarely at younger Disneyland Paris guests, Autopia offers kids the chance to jump behind the wheel of a miniature, gasoline-guzzling Astrocoupé 9000 car. While based on the Disneyland original, the ride features a 1950s “vision of the future” theme in order to fit in with Discoveryland’s collection of retro-futuristic attractions.

The named “Autopia” is derived from “automobile utopia”, and kids can indeed drive around the circuit free of traffic jams and other inconveniences (although they may still face a lengthy queue before boarding). A number of tunnels and bridges feature on the miniature “freeways”, which take around 4 minutes to traverse.

Although the cars travel along a guide rail, drivers can control both acceleration and (to a very limited extent) steering. Although children are the target audience, adults can also drive the vehicles.