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A pony ride or donkey ride is a great thrill for the young
children, yet so are the very popular merry-go-rounds and the incredible Jardin du
Luxembourg is home to the oldest merry-go-round in Paris, which was built in 1879.
But for the hard to please teenagers there are even specific areas for skating and you can
even come across other activities like table tennis at the Parc Andre-Citroen, or eating
out at one of the many family restaurants.
The summer time in Paris is incredible, with lots of
different festivals, themed fetes and shows that are held all over the city, from a puppet
show on the Champs Elysees through to
listening to jazz while you enjoy your picnic lunch at the Parc Floral in the Bois de
Vincennes area.
But how about going to the beach? Yes a beach! Every year in Paris they bring
in tonnes of sand and create what is called the Paris
Plage on the banks of the River Seine near to the
Eiffel Tower, and here amongst the beach towels and deck chairs you will find numerous
activities such as volley-ball courts. Other areas in France and around Paris have
caught on to the idea and there are now quite a few cities that put in place a temporary
beach scene for its inhabitants to enjoy over the height of summer.
Talking of the Seine, how about taking a cruise
down the Seine by boat on one of the bateau
mouches and the evening is a phenomenal experience when all the bridges are lit up
along with the famous monuments on route. Or
why not take a site seeing tour on one of the open double decker buses that goes around
the city and one particular firm called the l'Open
Tour buses have four different routes where you can even get to go out to places like
the Sacre-Coeur Basilica. These are
definitely more fun than negotiating the metro, where your children will actually
appreciate travelling, and you cannot forget going along the Champs Elysees with its
incredible and famous shops that also include the H?agen-Dazs ice cream house, which will
delight all members of the family.
Mind you, it's alright having something like an ice cream, but you do need to think about eating in Paris at places that will be
suitable for the whole family, and obviously there are the usual venues that young
children will like such as MacDonalds but there are lots of more traditional bristro's and brasseries that cater for
children along with many different restaurants
such as the Apollo that has a dedicated
children's menu and even does activities like face painting on a Sunday at lunch time.
If you feel like taking a day trip just outside of Paris, then there are some wonderful
places that you can go, that all the family can enjoy from the Safari Park at the Parc Zoologique de Thoiry, which also has a
beautiful chateau and a fantastic and unique interactive maze, or how about the Base Regionale de Loisirs de Saint Quentin en
Yvelines, where you can experience activities from fishing, golf, sailing, a wave
pool, quad biking, karting and a tree top adventure centre called the Paris Ouest Aventure.
There is also France Miniature that is
basically a map of France in miniature with all the famous monuments and landmarks throughout France or how about taking a short
trip to visit the famous Chateau de Versailles,
where you can even experience an equestrian
show or fountain show on specific days during the summer months, but you do also have
many offer castles and chateaux in Paris you
can visit.
And yes, of course you have the theme parks like Disneyland Paris and Parc Asterix, but also and the Mer de Sable, which has a wild west theme where
you can see shows and get into the real spirit of things or watch eagles in flight along
with tree top walks at the Espace Rambouillet.
But what about in bad weather, we hear you asking. Well, yet again, Paris has it all
with such a variety of entertainment and so many
different activities that are available for all ages.
So where do we start! Ok, you could think about a visit to the Cite de Sciences and experience the geode, the
different interactive experiments and even venture into L'Argonaute submarine that sits in its
permanent resting place just outside.
A circus is always a good option for all the family and there are two main circuses in
Paris, which are called the Cirque Diana Moreno
Bormann and the Cirque d'Hiver
Bouglione, however there are often temporary circuses that set up in some of the
gardens around Paris and you can even get trapeze lessons and see shows at the Club Med
World. For the older members of your family, Club
Med World also has a nightclub.
But if a circus is not really what you are looking for, perhaps the family would prefer to
see a magic show at the Double Fond or take
a trip to the theatre, and there are numerous different theatres in Paris, plus some of
these even cater for children's entertainment like the Theatre Equestre Zingaro or the Lady of Canton Pirate Cabaret.
Or maybe you enjoy sea life and would rather visit an aquarium. Well, there is the
incredible CineAqua situated at the Trocadero
that has the largest viewing screen in the world, which is also used a stage backdrop or
you have the Sea Life Val d'Europe, that is
situated in a complete shopping centre experience with plenty of good available and near
to Disneyland Paris and both of these are incredible places to visit for all the family.
PlayMobil is a great place if you have young
children and need something to do in the bad weather, where they can physically play with
all of the different PlayMobil toys of different themes, or if you have older children
then a visit to Aquaboulevard, which is
an extremely large leisure centre in the heart of Paris will keep everyone entertained
with the flumes, spas, wave pool and jacuzzi's, which may be just what is needed for those
sore feet!
There are just so many different activities on offer around Paris, that we could never
mention them all, but hope that this has given you a bit more of an insight into a City
that caters for all ages, so that you will be able to plan and get more enjoyment out of
your holiday in France.
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