 PARIS
It goes without saying that sights such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame cathedral and the banks of the Seine are the top drawcards of the city, along with the Impressionist paintings at the Musée d'Orsay (which offers children's activity sheets) and just about everything at the Louvre. That said, kids might well tire quickly of cultural and historic sights. The Louvre especially is somewhat overwhelming; with kids in tow, it's best to focus on the ancient Egypt displays, since everyone loves their mummy. Paris Muse (www.parismuse.com) offers 3-hour family tours of the museum that includes a treasure hunt and is designed to highlight art history in a way that will entertain children ages 6-12.
There are so many museums in Paris that you couldn't possibly see them all in a lifetime, but several are especially good for kids. The Musée National des Techniques (Rue Réaumur) isn’t so much a museum as a magnificent jumble of dilapidated, dusty, rusty, outmoded scientific junk that you could spend several hours happily rummaging through, always uncovering some fascinating surprise. Marvel at the first ever calculator designed by Blaise Pascal, ancient astrolabes, weights and measures through the ages, cars, aircraft, model trains, pumps and a great deal more that seems to defy description. If all that’s too scientific, head for the superlative collection of eighteenth-century clocks, old barrel organs, clockwork dolls and various musical instruments. The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (30 Avenue Corentin Cariou, La Vilette; www.cite-science.fr) is a science museum set in a sprawling park with twenty themed exhibitions that range from water to the universe, an IMAX, a real submarine and a giant dragon whose tongue acts as a huge slide. The Cité des Enfants is a science village for children 3-12. The Musée de l'Armé (Esplanade des Invalides) has ancient Greek weapons, medieval suits of armour, Japanese samurai swords. Kids will love the parts of the museum that deal with the two World Wars and include odd items such as explosives in the shape of rats and pieces of coal used by the Secret Service for sabotage operations. Other options are the Musée de la Poupée (Impasse Berthaud) with its doll collection and guided tours for children, and the Musée de la Curiosité et de la Magie (11 Rue Saint-Paul), which entrance the magician in everyone with its illusions and magic.
One of the world's most bizarre "museums" must be the Egouts de Paris (Pont de l'Alma, Place de la Résistance) – nothing more than the sewers of the city, which run for hundreds of kilometres in tunnels. The section you visit has labelled "streets" showing you just where you'd be if you were above ground; there's also a film and a small museum. You need to have a fairly strong stomach, but kids are just thrilled by the stench, and the visit is actually quite a fascinating glimpse into something in our daily lives we rarely pay attention to.
In a whirl of urban culture, kids will appreciate time out in the parks and gardens of the city. The Jardin des Tuileries starts on the doorstep of the Louvre and has great views of Paris. It's a formal garden in the French style, complete with statues, fountains and clipped hedges, but the star attraction is the series of round ponds where local kids sail their model boats, which you can also rent. You can also have a donkey ride or watch the puppet shows. Even better puppet shows can be seen in the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Champs du Mars, which stretch around the Eiffel Tower. On Sundays, Butte Montmartre comes to life as French families have picnics, listen to live bands, have their children's portraits sketched by street artists and enjoy the views. The northern section of the vast Bois de Boulogne hosts the Jardin d'Acclimatation, firmly on the family trail for its combination of kids' theatres, a small zoo, a puppet theatre, playgrounds and even a hall of mirrors. The park offers sports activities, babysitting and even an art museum for children. Lastly, the Parc Floral de Paris is a wonderful botanic garden with a butterfly garden that kids love. You can ride a mini-train or quadricycle around the park and enjoy children's shows at the theatre.
Circuses have always been popuar in France, and there are several in Paris that will delight kids of all ages. The Cirque de Paris (115 Boulevard Charles de Gaulle) is perhaps the best, since kids can attend workshops in the morning, have lunch with circus staff and then watch a show in he afternoon. Others include the Cirque Alexis Gruss (Allée de la Reine Marguerite) for horse shows and traditional circus acts, and Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione (110 Rue Amelot) for acrobats, jugglers, snake charmers and trapeze artists.
AROUND PARIS
The biggest attraction for kids near Paris must be Disneyland Paris, situated in Marne-la-Vallée some 30 km out of the city. With 50 million visitors a year, this is France's number one tourist attraction, beating even the Eiffel Tower. It's better than the Disney parks in California or Hong Kong and probably second only to Disneyland in Florida, and you need at least a full day, and ideally two, for a visit. Start off at Main Street U.S.A. with its old-fashioned American shops and horse-drawn carriages, then head on to Frontierland, where you'll find paddleboats, a petting zoo and a saloon with cancan-dancing showgirls. Adventureland reenacts the exploits of the Arabian Nights, Swiss Family Robinson and Caribbean pirates. You'll find the iconic Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Fantasyland, as well as the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, Sir Lancelot's Magic Carousel and favourite figures such as Peter Pan, Dumbo and Snow White. Discoveryland is all about the future, from visions of Jules Vernes and H.G. Wells to Star Wars.
Staff are multi-lingual, so your kids shouldn't have any commuication problems. The park also has a dozen hotels, a golf course, a whole host of restaurants, shops, dance clubs and bars for adults. To get Disneyland Paris, take Line A of the RER (subway) to the last stop, Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy (45 mins) a short walk from the entrance. Trains run every twenty minutes or so from 5:30 a.m. to midnight and tickets cost €12 return. Shuttle buses also connect Paris’ two airports to the park's hotels every half hour or so at a cost of €14 one way or €12 for children 3-11yrs. The park is open 9:00-22:00 daily in summer, 10:00-18:00 weekdays and 9:00-20:00 weekends in winter. Opening times sometimes change. Admission also changes slightly with the season but is approximately €39 for adults, €29 for children 3-12yrs for one day, €69/€49 for two days and €105/€78 for three days. Children under 3yrs enter free. See www.disneylandparis.com for more.
Disneyland isn't the only theme park near Paris. The Miniature Park of France (25 Route du Mesnil, Elancourt) is open from April to November and has 12 acres of France in miniature, with all its most famous landmarks represented; you can get there by taking RER C line to St-Quentin-en-Yvelines and then bus 420. Safari Park of Thoiry (Thoiry-en-Yvelines; www.thoiry.tm.fr) is a terrific African reserve with free-roaming lions, elephants, monkeys and other animals in the grounds of a chateau. You can tour by little train or in your own car; it's open all year. Parc Astérix (Plailly; www.parcasterix.com) is excellently presented and based around the Gaulish theme of France's famous cartoon strip. It's open from April to mid-October and can be reached by taking RER B line to Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle, followed by a bus. Water rides, dolphin and sealion shows, rides and other attractions will keep the kids busy all day.
If you don't have the time or energy to venture to far regions of France, there are numerous day trips in the surrounding Ile de France region surrounding Paris that will give you a taste. The Palace of Versailles is the most famous of these, although its baroque rooms and endless gardens will probably be more tiring than entertaining to most kids. The forests of Fontainebleau and Rambouillet are charming and surprisingly rural, and favorite destinations for cycling, horse-riding, walking and picnicking Parisians. If that isn’t enough, Fontainebleau’s gorges make it the place for rock climbing and it also has a vast royal palace. There are dozens of chateaux around Paris, but another particularly worth visiting is at Vaux-le-Vicomte. The architecture here is truly stunning and during the summer you can tour the chateau in the evening, when it’s lit by candles to spectacular effect. Even better are the gardens, with their French formality, ornamental canals and dancing fountains. Chartres Cathedral, with its stunning stained glass and Gothic architecture, and Monet's former house at Giverny, are other popular destinations, though perhaps with limited appeal to children.
 TOP TEN things to do
1. Climb the Eiffel Tower to see all Paris spread out in front of you.
2. Spend couple of days of fun at Disneyland Paris.
3. Relax in the Jardin des Tuileries gardens as your kids sail toy boats on in the fountains with local children.
4. Explore a few of Paris' best museums, which range from art to science and warfare, depending on your family's tastes.
5. Hold your nose and climb into the Paris sewers for one of the oddest urban tours in the world.
6. Go picnicing in the woods at Fontainebleau outside Paris before inspecting the dazzling royal palace of the same same.
7. Find a local food market: one of the quintessential French weekend experiences that will delight your eyes and tastebuds.
8. Drive for a few days through the landscapes and chateaux of the Loire Valley.
9. Explore the famously chic resorts of the French Riviera along the Mediterranean coast.
10. Head to the French Alps in winter for a spot of skiing.
Events
France has numerous public holidays during which most businesses and many restaurants close. Apart from the Christmas and Easter periods, these include Victory in Europe Day (8 May), Bastille Day (14 July), All Saints' Day (Nov 1) and Armistice Day (Nov 11).
In Paris, there are festivals and events throughout the year, starting with a New Year's Day Parade (www.parisparade.com) through the streets with floats and dancing, followed by Chinese New Year around Avenue d'Ivry for Paris' large Chinese and Vietnamese community. The end of February sees the opeing of the Salon de l'Agriculture at the exhibition centre in the Porte de Versailles; this is the world's biggest agricultural show and a must for kids interested in animals and farm life. The French Soccer Championship has its final at the Stade de France in May and is followed by the French Tennis Open at Roland Garros. The highlight of the French year is Bastille Day on 14 July. This is French national day and is marked by a military parade down the Champs-Élysées, followed by bands, fireworks and general celebrations.
From mid-July to mid-August, Paris has its own beach as tons of sand are spread along the banks of the Seine and transformed into beaches complete with palm trees. Winter can be just as fun with an ice-rink set up outside the town hall, which is free – although you do have to pay for skate rental. The Christmas illuminations and New Year's fireworks along the Champs-Élysées are also wonderful.
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