Places to Go and Things to Do

Holidays by Destination Europe France Paris Places to Go and Things to Do 

History and Places

The Eiffel Tower (7th) (stop at the cafe). To avoid queues go in the evening (open to 11pm April to October). If you walk down from the midway stop on the lift you get a better sense of its size.

The towers of Notre Dame (4th) plus gargoyles (slightly scarey), the setting for Disney's Hunchback of course.

The escalators to the view from the top of the Beaubourg (ie Pompidou Centre) (4th).

The Conciergerie (4th) (for the less squeamish), where people including Marie Antoinette were held before being guillotined.

The Sainte Chapelle (4th) prettiest at sunset. Children could guess the bible stories in the glass.

Musee Carnavalet (3rd) covers the history of Paris while Paristoric (9th) runs a 45-minute film, available in English, giving the city's history, on the hour, hourly.

Educational but Fun

Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie (19th) a Barbican-style hotch-potch including half hour sessions at the Cite des Enfants divided 3-5 and 6-12 years, where children can experiment with water, make miniature buildings using cranes, hard hats etc, watch butterflies hatch and more. The rest of the museum includes a recommended planetarium and Techno Cite with technology for industry. There are two creches for 1-5 years and 7-10, maximum three hours. The Parc de la Villette connects and includes gardens on different themes, some specifically designed for kids, one for under 12s and accompanying adults only, one with real submarine and large dragon slide down the hill.

Musee de la Curiosite et la Magie (4th) offers conjuring shows and exhibitions of magic props and the like.

Museums

Children's activities in museums (in French) are listed in the Objectif Musee brochure available in the main museums. Places which might appeal to some children include:

Art
The Louvre (1st) where routes to the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are signposted (much quieter on late openings);
Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (16th) has special shops in children's section; Musee d'Orsay (7th) which provides worksheets (should be available in English) for children 8-12 years;
The Orangerie (1st) with fine impressionist works;
Musee des Arts Decoratifs (1st) including a fashion section;
Musee Rodin (7th) of the sculptor's works, including set in a garden;
Picasso Museum (3rd);
Musee National du Moyen-Age (5th) in a 15th century mansion with fine ancient and medieval art;
Beaubourg: Musee National d'Art Moderne (4th) with outstanding art from 1905 to present.

Natural History
Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle (5th) offers a Noah's ark of stuffed animals, a suspended whale, plus a small Espace Decouverte for under 12s;
Musee National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie (12th) includes a tropical aquarium with crocs, pirhanas etc;

Other
Musee de la Poupee (3rd) of French dolls 1860-1960;
Musee de la Marine in Palais de Chaillot (16th) has lots of intriguing model boats;
Musee National des Arts et Traditions Populaires (16th) of French pre-industrialisation traditions and skills; Musee de la Mode (1st) looks at fashion from past to present.

Activities

Boat trips on the Seine for example from Square du Vert Galant, the Eiffel Tower and Pont de l'Alma. Timetables vary with the season.
There are a number of swimming pools with adjoining children's pools, notably Jean Taris, Reuilly, Butteaux, Cailles and George Rigal. There are toddler pools at Suzanne-Berlioux, Roger LeGall and George Hermant. Aquaboulevard (15th) has flumes and pools.

Wednesday afternoons (when schools are closed), weekends and holidays there are organised activities for children in French and everywhere can be very busy.

Animals

Parc Zoologique de Paris (12th) offers monkeys, lions, tigers and rhinos. There are animal feeding times and miniature train.

Jardin des Plantes (6th) the oldest public zoo in Europe, has small mammals, insects, birds, primates, reptiles and large cats including a Chinese panther. A Micro Zoo is open only to 11+ to consider tiny organisms under microscopes. In the same park is the Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle.

Parks and Open Spaces

Keep your eyes open for smaller local parks where there may be swings and the like. Larger grounds may extend to a miniature fair, for example round Montmartre and the Pompidou Centre, these sometimes seasonal.

The "don't walk on the grass" rule it seems now applies only at Luxembourg, Tuileries, Monceau and Palais-Royal.

At the Jardins du Luxembourg (6th) only toddlers and carers can run on the grass but there is a large playground (entry fee), pony rides, toy boat rental, roller-blading rink and puppets.

The Tuileries (1st) is a formal garden but offers a roundabout and pony rides.

Jardin des Enfants aux Halles (1st) offers tunnels, ropes, swings, and ball pool for children 7-10 with organised adventure games Wednesdays, otherwise simply supervised play with some English spoken. You may have to book an hour or so ahead and opening times vary.

The Pompidou Centre's musicians, jugglers, fire eaters and conjurors offer free entertainment.

Other options, some in areas you are less likely to find yourselves include
Jardin des Plantes (5th) with play area;
Champs-de-Mars (7th) (by the Eiffel Tower);
Jardin du Ranelagh(16th) with donkey carts, puppets, pony rides, and playground;
Jardins du Trocadero (16th) with an aquarium;
Buttes-Chaumont (19th) with donkey-drawn carts, puppets, and grassy slopes;
Parc Georges-Brassens (15th) with climbing rocks, puppets, pony rides, an artificial river, playground and scented herb gardens;
Parc de Bellville (20th) on the side of a hill with slides down.

Shows

Guignol is Punch and Judy without Judy, so less domestic violence (the policeman cops it). A show is found in most large parks Weds afternoons, weekends and school holidays but not July and August.

There are a number of puppet theatres. For current details see Pariscope.

Children's magic shows include at a cafe, Le Double Fond 1 pl du Marche-Sainte-Catherine (4th) Saturdays 3.30pm. For others see Pariscope listings.

Other cafes offer children's shows which including dance and music. For details see Pariscope listings.

Theme Parks/For Children

The big one is Disneyland [see report]. Less all enveloping options are:

Jardin d'Acclimatation (16th) in the Bois de Boulogne. Small fairground rides, a miniature train, camel rides and live entertainers plus Asterix and Barbar, explaining their lifestyles. There is a F10 admission fee then some things are free, others F10, which mounts up. Games sheets are also provided (usually also in English). Babysitting is provided in summer. Theatre du Jardin pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse stages musicals and ballets. Palais de la Decouverte is smaller than the Cite des Sciences. The Musee en Herbe offers interactive educational items. Outside the Jardin is mini-golf, bowling and boating, plus bike rental.

At the Pompidou Centre there is a children's circus and mime workshop on Saturdays and Wednesdays but in French with no English.

Parc Floral (12th) in the Bois de Vincennes offers a good playground including pedal carts and adventure playground. Mini-golf, miniature train etc cost extra. It is considered prettier, lusher and less commercial than the Jardin d'Acclimatation. There is the city's largest zoo plus a miniature train.

Cirque de Paris Nanterre Offers days teaching skills like juggling and tight-rope walking to adults and children, introducing them to animals and lunching with the artists. Shows are at 3pm.

See Pariscope for listings of other circuses which, incidentally, are taken seriously.

Other

The Catacombs (14th) with dead people's bones for children with ghoulish tastes

The Sewers (egouts) (7th) not as smelly as might be feared, entry near the Quai d'Orsay.