Paris is far more child-friendly than its grand reputation suggests. Between the big monuments you'll find Europe's largest science museum with hands-on zones for under-12s, gentle old-fashioned amusement parks, one of the world's oldest zoos in a botanical garden, an aquarium opposite the Eiffel Tower, toy boats to sail on the Tuileries ponds and a magical museum of antique fairground rides. Here are the outings that keep families happy, with age guidance, prices and Métro directions — Disneyland Paris features in our day-trips guide.
€13Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
Area
19th · La Villette
Ages
All ages
“The under-12 'Cité des Enfants' hands-on zones are brilliant — book a timed session for your child's age group.”
€7Jardin d'Acclimatation
Area
16th · Bois de Boulogne
Ages
Under-12s
“Pay per ride or buy a wristband; combine it with the neighbouring Fondation Louis Vuitton for a mixed family day.”
€13Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes
Area
5th · Latin Quarter
Ages
All ages
“One of the world's oldest zoos, set in a botanical garden — pair it with the free Grande Galerie de l'Évolution nearby.”
€23Aquarium de Paris
Area
16th · Trocadéro
Ages
All ages
“Right opposite the Eiffel Tower — a handy, weatherproof pairing with a tower visit, with daily kids' activities.”
€26Musée Grévin
Area
9th · Grands Boulevards
Ages
All ages
“Book online for a discount; the dazzling Hall of Mirrors and celebrity waxworks are a hit with older kids and teens.”
FreeJardin des Tuileries
Area
1st · Between Louvre & Concorde
Ages
All ages
“Free year-round; in summer a funfair with a big wheel sets up, and kids can sail toy boats on the round ponds.”
€18Musée des Arts Forains
Area
12th · Bercy
Ages
All ages
“This private fairground museum is normally by appointment or open days — book ahead; kids can ride the antique carousels.”
Paris with kids in detail
1.Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, in the Parc de la Villette on the city's north-east edge, is the largest science museum in Europe and a superb rainy-day or any-day family destination. Its stars for children are the two 'Cité des Enfants' areas — one for ages 2–7, another for 5–12 — packed with brilliantly designed hands-on exhibits where kids can build, experiment, play with water, construct and explore in timed sessions (book ahead, as they sell out). Older visitors get vast permanent and temporary exhibitions on space, biology, the environment and technology, a planetarium, a real retired submarine (the Argonaute) to walk through, and the spherical Géode IMAX cinema outside. Everything is interactive and engaging rather than static, and there's enough to fill half a day or more. The surrounding Parc de la Villette adds playgrounds, lawns and space to run around. Adult entry starts around €13 with children's sessions extra and under-2s free, making it good value. Reach it easily on métro line 7. For curious kids and families, it's one of the best value, most absorbing outings in Paris.
Hours
Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun to 19:00; closed Mon
Price
From ~€13 adult; Cité des Enfants sessions extra; under-2s free
Getting there
Métro L7 to Porte de la Villette
Insider tip: The under-12 'Cité des Enfants' hands-on zones are brilliant — book a timed session for your child's age group.
2.Jardin d'Acclimatation
The Jardin d'Acclimatation is a much-loved children's amusement park and garden on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, first opened in 1860 and recently refreshed with new attractions. It's aimed squarely at younger children and families, blending a leafy garden setting with about forty gentle rides — a vintage carousel, small roller coasters, boats, a little train, a hall of mirrors — alongside farm animals, playgrounds, a small zoo area, water games and green space for picnics. The pace is relaxed and old-fashioned in the best way, a world away from a high-adrenaline theme park, which makes it ideal for toddlers and primary-age kids. You can pay per ride or buy a wristband for unlimited access, and general garden entry is cheap at around €7. It sits right beside the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton art museum, so families can combine the two, and the vast Bois de Boulogne offers boating lakes and cycling nearby. Easy to reach on métro line 1, it's a charming, low-stress day out for young families looking for fresh air, gentle fun and space to roam without the intensity of a big attraction.
Hours
Daily ~10:00/11:00–18:00/19:00 (seasonal)
Price
Entry ~€7; rides extra or wristband ~€40
Getting there
Métro L1 to Les Sablons, then a short walk into the Bois de Boulogne
Insider tip: Pay per ride or buy a wristband; combine it with the neighbouring Fondation Louis Vuitton for a mixed family day.
3.Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes
The Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes is one of the oldest zoos in the world, founded in 1794 during the Revolution, and it occupies a wonderfully atmospheric corner of the botanical gardens in the Latin Quarter. It's a small, historic zoo rather than a modern safari park, focusing on smaller and endangered species — red pandas (a firm favourite), snow leopards, orangutans, small primates, reptiles, big cats, flamingos and a reptile house — housed among nineteenth-century pavilions and mature trees. Its scale and setting make it manageable and pleasant for families with younger children, easily combined with the surrounding Jardin des Plantes, a lovely free botanical garden with alpine and rose gardens, greenhouses and space to picnic. Also on site is the excellent Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, a spectacular natural-history hall with a parade of taxidermy animals that children adore (ticketed separately). Adult zoo entry is around €13 with child discounts. Central and easy to reach, the whole complex offers a gentle, educational half-day mixing animals, gardens and natural history, right in the heart of the Left Bank. Come on a fine day to enjoy the gardens fully.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–18:00 (to 17:00 winter)
Price
From ~€13 adult; child discounts
Getting there
Métro L5/L10 to Gare d'Austerlitz or L7 to Censier–Daubenton
Insider tip: One of the world's oldest zoos, set in a botanical garden — pair it with the free Grande Galerie de l'Évolution nearby.
4.Aquarium de Paris
The Aquarium de Paris sits in the Trocadéro gardens directly opposite the Eiffel Tower, which makes it a genuinely handy, weatherproof family stop to pair with a tower visit. Built into the hillside, it houses thousands of fish and invertebrates across dozens of tanks, with a focus on the marine life of France's coasts and overseas territories, plus a shark tank, a large ray and shark basin, a mesmerising jellyfish display and a Koi carp pool. For younger children the big draws are the touch pool where they can stroke rays and small fish, daily feeding sessions, hands-on workshops and activities, and even a small cinema and play areas, all designed to keep families engaged. It's more compact than some European mega-aquariums, so a visit takes one to two hours, ideal for filling a rainy morning or resting little legs between sights. Adult entry is around €23 with cheaper children's tickets and under-3s free, so it's not the cheapest option, but its unbeatable location beside the Eiffel Tower and its child-focused activities make it a convenient, reliable pick for families exploring this part of Paris.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–19:00 (seasonal)
Price
From ~€23 adult; children ~€16; under-3s free
Getting there
Métro L6/L9 to Trocadéro
Insider tip: Right opposite the Eiffel Tower — a handy, weatherproof pairing with a tower visit, with daily kids' activities.
5.Musée Grévin
The Musée Grévin is Paris's famous wax museum, open since 1882 and set inside a beautiful building on the Grands Boulevards, reached through the historic Passage Jouffroy arcade. It's the Parisian equivalent of Madame Tussauds, with more than 200 astonishingly lifelike wax figures of French and international celebrities, historical figures, sports stars, musicians and film characters arranged in elaborate themed sets that kids and teens love posing alongside. Beyond the waxworks, the building itself is a draw: the dazzling Belle Époque Hall of Mirrors (Palais des Mirages), a magical mirrored light-and-sound illusion left from the 1900 World's Fair, and the ornate original theatre and marble staircase add real period grandeur. Interactive areas and photo opportunities keep families entertained for a couple of hours, making it a good indoor option in bad weather. Adult entry is around €26, noticeably cheaper if booked online in advance, with reductions for children. Its central location by the department stores and covered passages means it combines easily with shopping or a wander through the atmospheric arcades. For a fun, sheltered outing that appeals across ages — especially to older children and teenagers — it's a reliable crowd-pleaser.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–18:00/19:00 (later some days)
Price
From ~€26 adult online; child discounts
Getting there
Métro L8/L9 to Grands Boulevards
Insider tip: Book online for a discount; the dazzling Hall of Mirrors and celebrity waxworks are a hit with older kids and teens.
6.Jardin des Tuileries
The Jardin des Tuileries is the elegant, wide-open formal garden stretching between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, laid out by André Le Nôtre in the seventeenth century and now a free and central spot for families to rest and play between the big sights. Its gravel paths, clipped trees, lawns, statues and two large octagonal ponds create a classic Parisian setting, and the ponds are perfect for the timeless pleasure of pushing a rented toy sailboat across the water. Green metal chairs let everyone flop down for a picnic or an ice cream, and there's a playground for younger children. The garden's biggest family draw comes in summer, when the Fête des Tuileries funfair sets up along one side with a giant Ferris wheel, carousel, rides and stalls (rides paid separately). Bordered by the Orangerie and Jeu de Paume museums and steps from the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay across the river, it's superbly placed to break up a day of culture. Free, central, pretty and pram-friendly, it's an easy, restful outing that suits all ages, especially with the boats and, in season, the funfair.
Hours
Daily ~07:00–19:00/21:00 (seasonal)
Price
Free (summer funfair rides extra)
Getting there
Métro L1 to Tuileries or L1/L8/L12 to Concorde
Insider tip: Free year-round; in summer a funfair with a big wheel sets up, and kids can sail toy boats on the round ponds.
7.Musée des Arts Forains
The Musée des Arts Forains is one of Paris's most enchanting and lesser-known attractions, a private museum of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century fairground art hidden in the atmospheric former wine warehouses of Bercy. Rather than a look-but-don't-touch collection, it's a living, magical world: beautifully restored antique carousels, swings, carnival games, automatons and theatrical fairground decor that visitors can often ride and play on during the guided visit, all set to period music and lighting that transport you to a Belle Époque fair. Children (and adults) can spin on a bicycle-powered carousel, play vintage games and marvel at the ornate horses and painted panels, making it a genuinely wonder-filled, screen-free outing. Because it's a private venue, access is usually by pre-booked guided visit, with more open access during the Christmas and school-holiday 'Festival du Merveilleux' — so it's essential to check the schedule and book ahead rather than just turning up. Adult tickets are around €18 with child reductions. Set in the pleasant Bercy Village district with its shops and restaurants, it's a unique, memorable and slightly secret family experience, quite unlike anything else in the city.
Hours
By guided visit / booking; open days in school holidays
Price
From ~€18 adult; child discounts (book ahead)
Getting there
Métro L14 to Cour Saint-Émilion, in Bercy Village
Insider tip: This private fairground museum is normally by appointment or open days — book ahead; kids can ride the antique carousels.