With its vibrant street atmosphere, buskers and lively pavement cafés, Paris holds an immediate appeal for many
children
. The most popular tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and boat trips on the Seine are also sure to delight the young. Don't necessarily rule out museums - some, such as the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Pompidou Centre and Parc de la Villette, have interactive displays and hands-on activities, designed to appeal to all ages. When your children get fed up of trawling the streets you can recharge batteries in one of the city's many parks and gardens. And if you really want to give the kiddies a treat, Disneyland Paris is just outside the city, and there's also the home-grown theme park to the north, Parc Astérix.
The French are extremely welcoming to children on the whole. Many
restaurants
and cafés offer a special menu
enfant
or are willing to cook simpler food on request.
Hotels
tack on only a small supplement to the regular room rate for an additional bed or cot.
Parks and gardens
Children are well catered for by the
parks and gardens
within the city. There's even a park designed especially for kids, the
Jardin d'Acclimatation
, in the Bois de Boulogne, with an impressive array of activities and attractions....
read more >>
Funfairs
Three big
funfairs
(
fête foraines
) take place in Paris each year. The season kicks off in late March with the Fête du Trône in the Bois de Vincennes (running until late May), followed by the funfair in the Tuileries gardens in...
read more >>
Circuses
Circuses
(
cirques
) are taken seriously in France and come under the heading of culture as performance art (and there are no qualms about performing animals). As circuses tend to travel, you'll find details of the seasonal ones under...
read more >>
Museums
One of the city's best treats for children of every age from three upwards is the
Cité des Sciences
in the Parc de la Villette. A number of other museums may also appeal to children, for example the under-touristed
Musée des Arts...
read more >>
Shops
The fact that Paris is filled with beautiful, enticing, delicious and expensive things all artfully displayed is not lost on most modern youngsters. Toys, gadgets and clothing are all bright, colourful and very appealing, while the sheer amount of ice...
read more >>
Theme parks
Disneyland Paris
has put all Paris's other
theme parks
in the shade and is one of the country's top visitor attractions. The enchanted kingdom certainly works its magic on most children, though if you're prepared to make the effort to...
read more >>
