Things to do with kids in Paris

Taking the kids to the city of lights? There are plenty of exciting activities to get up to on your holidays in Paris in order to cultivate a cosmopolitan outlook in your little one. Great food, vivid culture and an energetic atmosphere will all tire them out before you can exclaim ‘sacre bleu!’ Here are some of the top spots for kiddywinks in Paris.

To market, to market

Kindling near Notre Dame in Paris’s buzzing Latin Quarter on Sunday mornings, the flower and bird market in Square Louis-Lepine will prove much more popular than mooning around the cathedral. From prissy budgies to bright lovebirds and macaws, this beautifully feathered confection is a fun place to bring a camera, and flit away an hour or two.

History (with added colours and preservatives)

The National Museum of Natural History in Paris boasts an astounding parade of creatures, great and small, in procession through its Great Gallery of Evolution. Set amid astounding gardens, and with a lavish, Victorian architectural style, if you can, visit on a Sunday, when entry is free!

Going underground

Not for the fainthearted, the Parisian catacombs are recommended for the older kids, and boast thousands of gruesome skulls, housed in kilometres of underground vaults. A short walk away, the Cimetière du Pere Lachaise is a great place for a walk: this atmospheric graveyard houses the bodies of Oscar Wilde, George Melies, and Jim Morrison, to name but a few.

Palatial in scope

For a short trip out of the city, make for Versailles. If you’re concerned the kids might not be interested; think again. Every room of this lavish palace is like something from a fairy tale, and audio headsets are provided to elaborate on its story. After a walk around the inside, rent one of the little golf buggies provided outside and take a whirl around the UNESCO-recognised gardens; there are fountains, animal carvings and even a creperie to satisfy hungry little rascals.

Shamble along the Champs

Paris’s most exciting boulevard, the Champs Elysee yawns from the Musee de l’Orangeries (where you can view Monet’s Water Lilies) all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. If you’re planning to tackle it, it’s especially worthwhile in winter, when a giant carousel, fairy lights and fragrant Christmas stalls kindle on the stretch. Indulge in a little shopping, pop into the science museum, or just absorb the atmosphere, which is never anything short of electric.

eiffel-tower

Comments

  1. Paris Flat List says

    Excellent post, its amazing that its necessary really but it is. Paris is synonymous with all that is French. Known throughout the world as the “City of Light,” Paris is celebrated for its beautiful city plan, its architecture, museums, bridges, cathedrals, parks, shopping, flea markets, sidewalk cafés, wide and luxurious boulevards, elegant cuisine, and numerous monuments. Once confined to an island in the middle of the Seine River, the Ile de la Cité, Paris, founded more than 2,000 years ago, quickly spread to both banks of the river

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