Family travel in Paris

Absolutely! The city caters to kids in all aspects, from kids’ clubs at hotels and babysitting service to lits bébés (baby cots), children’s menus, public playgrounds, and exhibits and events at museums and cultural spaces designed to appeal to different age sets. Even if your plans get rained out, the city offers plenty of indoor activities sure to keep children and teens entertained, from indoor playgrounds to IMAX Laser cinema experiences and interactive museum moments.

Paris—and the surrounding areas—is packed with activities for families with kids and teens of all ages. Playgrounds dot many of the city’s parks, while museums capture the attention of even those who normally can’t sit still. And when the kids are craving a snack, you’re never far from a pâtisserie or street stand crafting fresh, Nutella-slathered crêpes. To help inspire a few ideas for your itinerary, we’ve narrowed down 10 of the top activities for families visiting the City of Light.

Home to Sleeping Beauty Castle, “Euro Disney,” as it was once called, features five enchanted lands: Discoveryland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Main Street, U.S.A. You may recognize a few favorites from its North American counterparts, like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride or the Big Thunder Mountain train, but this park has attractions you haven’t seen before, like Alice in Wonderland-themed maze Alice’s Curious Labyrinth and 4D Ratatouille, a ride that follows the infamous rat – Remy.

Paris may not be on the coast, but one of the best ways to see the city is on the water. Take the family on a cruise up and down the canals, where you’ll be serenaded by French classics while passing monuments like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower. Take your pick of theme, length, and price point, with options like the 2.5-hour “Old Paris” on the Canal Saint-Martin or the 2-hour “Champs-Élysées of Street-Art” tour on the Ourcq canal, which is guided by a street art specialist and could be a fun option if you’re traveling with teens.

The oldest leisure park in France, this kid-focused spot in Bois de Boulogne was created by Napoléon III and sprawls across more than 45 acres with tons of attractions, from large roller coasters to play areas, nature walks, and chair-o-planes. A one-day pass is €27 ($30) and includes access to the 40-plus rides, forest adventures, trampolines, and carnival games.

With a focus on biodiversity and conservation, the Parc Zoologique de Paris created scientific and educational programs with the help of zoo technicians and other experts. Divided into five biozones, families can watch and learn about the park’s 180 species and thousand or so animals as they roam natural environments that are replicas of their native ecosystems. You can easily spend the day here picnicking on takeaway treats like waffles and ice cream and at the children’s play area.

One of the few attractions open every day of the week, the Aquarium de Paris is located in the Trocadéro Gardens, across from the Eiffel Tower, and features one of the largest shark tanks in the country, filled with three million liters of water, plus more than 7,500 different marine life from France and its territories. Throughout the day, the aquarium puts on different shows, films, and presentations on some of its star inhabitants, like jellyfish.

Intended to appear like a “huge spaceship of glass, steel and colored tubes,” the six-story museum is the largest dedicated to modern art in Europe. The playful architecture adds to the appeal factor for families—kids can ride the series of escalators while taking in the view over Paris. What’s great about this museum is that children, adults, and even those who aren’t the biggest art fans will find something entertaining here. The Galerie des Enfants (kids gallery) is designed for ages 3 to 10 and features interactive workshop exhibitions designed by contemporary artists, while the Atelier des Enfants (kids studio) skews even younger, for babies and children up to age 10, and is meant to help develop an awareness of art and creation with workshops and circuits through the museum with actors or musicians.

The former tile factory-turned-palace (courtesy of Queen Catherine de Medici) crowns the French formal Tuileries gardens, whose current style was designed in the mid-1600s by the gardener of King Louis XIV. A favorite for strolling – especially when the tulips bloom in spring – the gardens, which form a divider between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, have a few fun attractions for families. From the two ponds to Monet-filled Musée de l’Orangerie, but the highlight is Fête des Tuileries, when the Tuileries transform into a fair from June to August, complete with rides, a Ferris wheel, and cotton candy.

From April 1 until late October, the Palace of Versailles’s 55 fountains put on magnificent shows with 600 water features creating performances choreographed to music by baroque composers like Lully and Handel. Depending on when you’re visiting Paris, you can catch one of the night fountain shows ending in fireworks.

The largest science museum in Paris, Cité des Sciences features a planetarium with 30-minute shows and astronomy specialist-led talks, plus 360-degree computer-generated images exploring the universe and how Earth was created. In addition to a mix of interactive permanent and temporary exhibits touching on everything from the brain to the story of the universe, the museum has a dedicated children’s section, Cité des Enfants, with five thematic areas for kids ages 2 to 7 to play and experiment.

After Disneyland Paris, this French comic-themed park is the second-largest in the country. Located about 40 minutes from the capital, Parc Astérix is packed with 47 attractions and shows set in six different worlds revolving around the adventures of cartoon characters Astérix and Obélix in spots like Ancient Greece and Egypt. For thrill-seekers, the Toutatis roller coaster is the fastest attraction in France, zipping at up to 68 mph.

Public transportation is the most cost-effective way to get quickly around town, but it can be tricky navigating the métro with a stroller (elevators aren’t always accessible or easy to find). The easiest option is a taxi or ride-share, and if you’re a larger group, a van can hold up to 6 people.