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Jardin d’Acclimatation

Amusement park in the Bois de Boulogne with carousels, small rollercoasters, farm animals and water play. The little train from Porte Maillot is an adventure in itself.

🕘 Best time

Weekday mornings; in summer go early for the water play.

📍 Where

Bois de Boulogne, metro line one to Les Sablons or Porte Maillot

💡 Tip

A rides pass pays off from about three rides per child. The Fondation Louis Vuitton is right next door if the grown-ups want some art.

half to full dayage two and up€€pushchair okSource

Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie

Huge hands-on museum for science and nature, with the Cité des enfants for little explorers. Outside are the silver sphere La Géode and the submarine Argonaute.

🕘 Best time

Ideal on rainy days; the Cité des enfants runs in time slots, so book the first one.

📍 Where

Parc de la Villette in the north-east, metro Porte de la Villette

💡 Tip

Reserve the Cité des enfants online, it often sells out. Afterwards let off steam on the big playgrounds of the Parc de la Villette.

half dayage two and up€€book aheadSource

Aquarium de Paris

Aquarium in old stone quarries beneath the Trocadéro, with sharks, jellyfish and a pool where you can touch fish.

🕘 Best time

In the morning, then straight on to the Eiffel Tower across the Seine.

📍 Where

Trocadéro, metro Trocadéro or Iéna

💡 Tip

Combine it with the Eiffel Tower: from the Trocadéro you see the whole tower, perfect for the family photo.

two hoursall ages€€rainy daySource

Jardin du Luxembourg

The favourite park of Parisian families: wooden sailboats on the big pool, ponies, a large playground and the puppet theatre.

🕘 Best time

Sunday afternoon with the Parisian families, or mornings when it is quieter. Boats usually in good weather.

📍 Where

Sixth arrondissement, RER B Luxembourg

💡 Tip

Push the boat off with a stick, then run round the pool to send it back from the other side. Anyone can take the green metal chairs.

two hoursall agesfree entrypushchair okSource

Eiffel Tower

By lift or stairs to the second floor and on to the top. The first floor has a glass floor.

🕘 Best time

First entry in the morning or at sunset; after dark it sparkles on the hour.

📍 Where

Champ de Mars, metro Bir-Hakeim or Trocadéro

💡 Tip

Book tickets online as soon as they are released. With kids from about eight, the stairs to the second floor are often quicker than the lift.

two to three hoursall ages€€book aheadSource

Louvre

The world's largest art museum, in the old royal palace. With kids pick three goals: the Mona Lisa, the mummies and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

🕘 Best time

First time slot in the morning or on a late-opening evening; usually closed on Tuesdays.

📍 Where

Rue de Rivoli, metro Palais Royal Musée du Louvre

💡 Tip

Buy timed tickets online. The underground Carrousel entrance is often calmer than the pyramid.

two hoursage six and up€€book aheadSource

Notre-Dame de Paris

The famous cathedral on the Île de la Cité has reopened after the fire. Inside, the stone is brighter than it has been for centuries.

🕘 Best time

Early morning or late afternoon; entry is free.

📍 Where

Île de la Cité, metro Cité or RER Saint-Michel Notre-Dame

💡 Tip

Reserve a free time slot to skip the long queue. Then cross the bridge to the Île Saint-Louis for ice cream.

one hourall agesfreereserveSource

Arc de Triomphe

Up a spiral staircase to the roof of the triumphal arch, with a view of the twelve avenues that radiate from the square like a star.

🕘 Best time

At sunset; every evening the flame on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is rekindled beneath the arch.

📍 Where

Place Charles de Gaulle, at the top of the Champs-Élysées, metro Charles de Gaulle Étoile

💡 Tip

Never cross the roundabout: the entrance is through a tunnel under the road. Under-eighteens from the EU usually get in free.

one hourage six and up€€many stepsSource

Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre

The white church on the city's highest hill, next to the painters' square Place du Tertre and little lanes with steps.

🕘 Best time

Early morning while Montmartre is still asleep, or at sunset on the steps.

📍 Where

Eighteenth arrondissement, metro Anvers, then up by funicular

💡 Tip

If you are fit, climb the dome: the view is even higher than from the square. The funicular takes a normal metro ticket.

two hoursview€many stepsSource

Bateaux-Mouches

Cruise on the Seine under many bridges, past the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre-Dame.

🕘 Best time

In the evening, when the bridges are lit and the Eiffel Tower sparkles.

📍 Where

Pier at Pont de l’Alma, metro Alma-Marceau

💡 Tip

Sit on the open top deck and bring a warm jacket. At Pont de l’Alma stands the Zouave statue, which Parisians use to judge how high the Seine is rising.

one hourall ages€€eveningSource

Canal Saint-Martin

Green canal with locks, iron footbridges and plane trees. Parisians sit on the banks and watch boats pass through the locks.

🕘 Best time

On Sundays, when the canal-side streets are often closed to cars, or on a summer evening.

📍 Where

Tenth arrondissement, metro République or Jacques Bonsergent

💡 Tip

Get a picnic from the bakery and eat it on the quay wall. A canal boat trip even goes through a tunnel under the city.

two hoursrelaxed€picnicSource

Place des Vosges

The oldest planned square in Paris, with red-brick houses, arcades and a park in the middle. Victor Hugo lived in one corner.

🕘 Best time

In the afternoon under the arcades, then dinner in the Marais.

📍 Where

Marais, metro Saint-Paul or Bastille

💡 Tip

Victor Hugo's house on the square is usually free to visit. In summer you may sit on the lawn in the middle.

one hourromanticfreeSource

Marché d’Aligre

Lively market with fruit and veg in the street, an old market hall with cheese and bread, and a small flea market.

🕘 Best time

Saturday or Sunday morning; usually closed on Mondays.

📍 Where

Twelfth arrondissement, metro Ledru-Rollin

💡 Tip

Shop for a picnic: baguette, cheese, fruit. Late in the morning the traders often call out lower prices.

one hourall ages€picnicSource

Angelina

Elegant tea room on the Rue de Rivoli, famous for its very thick hot chocolate and the Mont-Blanc pastry with chestnut cream.

🕘 Best time

Weekday mornings when the queue is shorter; after the Louvre or the Tuileries.

📍 Where

Rue de Rivoli, opposite the Tuileries Garden, metro Tuileries

💡 Tip

One hot chocolate often does for two kids, it is very rich. If you do not want to wait, take it away from the shop counter.

one hourall ages€€€queueSource

Berthillon

Famous ice-cream maker on the Île Saint-Louis, in the middle of the Seine. Parisians have queued here for sorbets and ice cream for decades.

🕘 Best time

In the afternoon after Notre-Dame; in high summer the original shop often closes for holidays.

📍 Where

Rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, metro Pont Marie

💡 Tip

When the shop is closed, many cafés on the island also sell Berthillon ice cream. Take your cone down to the Seine.

shortall ages€summer breakSource

Bouillon Chartier

Huge dining hall from around nineteen hundred with mirrors and brass. Simple French food, quick and cheap.

🕘 Best time

Early for lunch or dinner, just after opening; reservations are usually not possible.

📍 Where

Grands Boulevards, Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, metro Grands Boulevards

💡 Tip

The waiters write your bill straight onto the paper tablecloth. For kids, sausages with fries or chicken work well.

one hourall ages€queueSource