A balloon ride flight, an escape game in a famous monument, a detective challenge in the Palais Royal, an art workshop in a museum, a cooking class with a popular chef: these are some of the more unusual things and one-of-a-kind experiences to try out in Paris with the kids.
Paris, the City of Light, is also a great place to have some truly unique experiences. Thrill-seekers let yourself be tempted by a balloon ride 150 metres high in a hot-air balloon at the Parc André Citroën.
Fans of immersive experiences will enjoy the new 4D film 'Attention menhir' at the Parc Astérix theme park. Moving seats and physical sensations like wind and rain make viewers feel they are actually inside the little Gaulish village. And at Sherwood Park, a 260-metre-long zip wire and a night-time treetop trail will get your heart racing. Adventure lovers take note!
© OTCP
Paris’s monuments and museums are world famous. They are welcoming to children, offering exciting new ways for visitors to explore the collections.
Set off to track down the Phantom of the Opera, find clues to solve a mystery or step into the shoes of a historical figure: these are just some of the challenges set by the escape games cropping up all over Paris, inside many of the city’s landmark sights. In the Palais Garnier’s popular escape game, visitors explore the opera house in the course of an immersive detective investigation led by costumed actors and musicians. If you’re an escape game fan, you’ll find that many other places can be explored this way, including the Conciergerie (a Mystery Game), the Louvre (escape room challenges at some times of year), the Montmartre district (Myurbanexperience), the Musée de l'Armée, the Escape Game - Le Grand Rex Paris and the Manoir de Paris (Skeleton Key).
Unusual guided tours provide an opportunity to see a different side to Paris. On Visites Spectacles tours, actors tell stories or lead investigations as they take you through Montmartre, the Marais, the Palais Royal etc. using techniques like dramatization and treasure hunts. Some monuments, such as the Invalides, put on sound and light shows that bring the history of the place alive. For a more in-depth visit, you can go behind the scenes at the Palais Garnier, the Stade de France and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
What could be more unusual than an amphibious bus to explore Paris? The Canards de Paris takes you on a fun tour of the streets of the capital and plunges into the River Seine with a big splash. A memorable experience for kids and adults alike!
© Emmanuel Eyrignoux
Virtual reality (VR) is an increasingly popular leisure activity and among the most unusual experiences to try with the kids. At The Edge, we discover an unprecedented immersive experience combining virtual reality and physical sensations. There’s an immersive adventure to suit all tastes! You can also enjoy a virtual reality experience with the Viality Tour guided tour, which will take you in front of the Eiffel Tower, at the Universal Exhibition of 1889.
© Paul Teisson
Paris has some unmissable events for manga, superhero, cosplay and video game fans. Every year, fans flock to the capital and its environs for the Paris Manga & Sci Fi Show, Japan Expo, Comic-Con, and Paris Games Week. Another major event for young book lovers is the Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse in the town of Montreuil, with a vast selection of books and a number of fringe events.
© W Beaucardet
Art workshops organized by the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Pompidou Centre and the Château de Versailles give budding artists the opportunity to learn to draw, paint and sculpt inside some of the greatest museums. Some are dedicated venues for children and teenagers, like the Petite Galerie at the Louvre, the Galerie des enfants and Studio 13/16 at the Pompidou Centre, and the Musée en herbe. At the Monnaie de Paris, children are taught how to make a medal and at the Palais de Tokyo, they are initiated into contemporary art.
At the Philharmonie de Paris, parents and children can be in a participatory concert together and attend sessions in which children are introduced to music. On the visual arts front, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie organizes photography workshops for beginners, while the Cinémathèque Française has filmmaking workshops for kids.
Take advantage of the half-term holiday to enrol kids in a children’s workshop or take part in a family workshop. There is something for everybody and all ages on themes such as drawing, collage, sculpture, photography, cinema and music!
© OTCP Amélie Dupont
For budding scientists, there are the collective experiments at the Palais de la Découverte, where visitors of all ages take part in scientific demonstrations. In the spectacular Faraday cage experiment, for example, kids and grownups will be astounded to see how a high-voltage shield makes the hair of a volunteer from the audience stand on end. It will definitely make an impression on you!
Another must-see venue in Paris is the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie, where child-friendly exhibitions are organized all year round. The venue is also home to the one-of-a-kind Cité des enfants for 2-to-12-year-olds.
Le quartier de est un lieu prisé des familles pour son parc, ses boutiques, son cinéma, ses restaurants et ses animations. On y vient aussi pour découvrir , parcours immersif et innovant qui rend la science ludique et compréhensible aux petits comme aux grands grâce à de nombreuses activités.
The Bercy Village district is a popular place for families for its park, its shops, its cinema, its restaurants and its activities. People also come here to discover Science Expériences, an immersive and innovative tour that makes science fun and understandable for young and old alike, thanks to numerous activities.
Nature lovers will have an unforgettable experience at the Parc zoologique de Paris (Paris zoo) watching sea lions and lemurs being fed, and at the Aquarium de Paris, where they are allowed to feed the sharks and pet the koi carp.
© Benjamin Schmuck
Food is a big part of life in Paris and for foodies both big and small, a trip to the City of Lights is a good opportunity for the entire family to sign up for a cooking class. The eminent chef Alain Ducasse’s Ecole de Cuisine offers a range of different classes at which children accompanied by their parents can learn how to make tasty snacks, or a complete meal in the company of other kids. The Cordon Bleu cookery school teaches children the basics of cooking at workshops led by professional chefs. Other options for little foodies include learning to make chocolate at the Musée du chocolat, making pizzas at the Casa Luca restaurant, and making French macarons and viennoiserie at WeCanDoo’s workshops. At La Latteria, you can come and make your own burrata, cheese or mozzarella !
© Dav Gemini
On sunny days, the redeveloped Seine quaysides are the perfect place for a leisurely stroll with the family. Sporty kids will enjoy the one-of-a-kind offers from CN19glisse: an aquaplaning or sky ski experience on the Seine. And if you’d like to take the helm, hire a small motorboat from Marin d'eau douce to sail the Canal d’Ourcq, stopping for a snack along the way.
Save the cinema
In 50 minutes you will have to stop a strange machine that makes all the greatest movie …
Science Expériences, 850 m² devoted to Science has opened in Bercy Village.
The objective: to bring science …
