Paris with kids
Travelling with children? Paris has more for kids than you might think. Here are 10 family favourites, with ages, prices and opening hours, plus ideas for a rainy day and practical tips.
Jardin du Luxembourg (playground, carousel, puppets, sailboats) Outdoor
The classic Paris family garden: a playground (Ludo-Jardin), a carousel, a puppet theatre, toy sailboats on the basin and ponies.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: Garden free; playground, carousel, puppet show, sailboats and pony rides are paid separately (prices not found)
- 🕗 Hours: Garden free through 10 gates; opening hours change on the 1st and 16th of each month
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: Metro Odéon (lines 4, 10), Mabillon (10) or RER B Luxembourg. The Soufflot–Panthéon car park is 2 minutes away. Check the activity pages for times, which vary.
- 📍 15 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Jardin du Luxembourg: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Jardin des Tuileries (play area, carousel, trampolines, boats) Outdoor
A play area with a slide, swings and a rope bridge, a Perrault-themed carousel, trampolines and boats on the Grand Bassin, right by the Louvre.
- 👧 Ages: all ages (trampolines from 2)
- 🎟️ Price: Garden and play area free; carousel €3, trampolines €3, little boats €6
- 🕗 Hours: September and October daily 07:00–21:00 (leave 30 min before closing)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: The play area is near the Castiglione entrance on the Rue de Rivoli side; two free toilets are open during garden hours.
- 📍 Jardin des Tuileries, 75001 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Jardin des Tuileries: 🚶 0.2 km · 3 min walk
Jardin d'Acclimatation Outdoor
A children's amusement park in the Bois de Boulogne with rides, a petting zoo and play areas, for a full family day.
- 👧 Ages: all ages (rides from 80 cm)
- 🕗 Hours: Open in October (see the calendar on the site); some rides rest on school days
- ⏱️ Visit: ~4 h
- 💡 Tip: Metro line 1 to Les Sablons, or the little train from Porte Maillot. Tickets are a dated pass or a flexible 'Liberty Pass'; children under 80 cm do not need a ticket.
- 📍 Carrefour des Sablons, Bois de Boulogne, 75116 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Jardin d'Acclimatation: 🚶 0.8 km · 10 min walk
Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes Outdoor
One of the oldest zoos in the world, a calm, small-scale zoo in the Jardin des Plantes with a good size for small children.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: €10–€13 depending on the rate (see the ticket shop)
- 🕗 Hours: Open every day of the year
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: Combine it with the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution next door (closed Tuesday) and the garden's playground.
- 📍 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Grande Galerie de l'Évolution: 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk
Grande Galerie de l'Évolution Indoor
A natural history hall full of stuffed animals in a grand iron building, a good rainy-day plan for children who like animals.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: €10–€16 depending on the ticket
- 🕗 Hours: Open every day except Tuesday
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: The Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy gallery is closed for renovation until 2027. The exhibition 'Artists at the Museum' runs until 7 March 2027.
- 📍 36 Rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Grande Galerie de l'Évolution: 🚶 0.2 km · 2 min walk
Cité des sciences et de l'industrie (Cité des enfants) Indoor
Europe's biggest science museum has hands-on spaces made for children, from babies to ten-year-olds, plus a planetarium. A solid wet-weather day.
- 👧 Ages: Cité des enfants for ages 2–6 and 5–10; Cité des bébés for 0–23 months
- 🕗 Hours: Closed on Mondays; open the other days (see the site for times)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~3 h
- 💡 Tip: Book a time slot for the Cité des enfants. The Parc de la Villette next door has free playgrounds and a dragon slide.
- 📍 30 Avenue Corentin Cariou, 75019 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: 🚶 0.1 km · 1 min walk
Aquarium de Paris Indoor
More than 13,000 marine animals, a large jellyfish collection and a touch pool, in the Trocadéro gardens opposite the Eiffel Tower.
- 👧 Ages: all ages
- 🎟️ Price: Adults €27.50 (flexible ticket) or from €22 online; children's rates not shown on the page
- 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:30–19:00 (last entry 18:00); Saturday until 21:00 (last entry 20:00)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: The Liberty ticket is valid for a year. Pair it with the Trocadéro gardens and the Eiffel Tower.
- 📍 5 Avenue Albert de Mun, 75016 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Trocadéro: 🚶 0.4 km · 5 min walk
Parc zoologique de Paris (Vincennes) Outdoor
A 14-hectare zoo with 272 species and more than 3,000 animals, laid out as a world tour of biodiversity.
Parc de la Villette (Dragon garden and Winds and Dunes garden) Outdoor
Free playgrounds in a big park: a dragon with a slide tongue, and a secure garden of wind and air games for ages 0 to 13.
- 👧 Ages: 0–13 years (Winds and Dunes); dragon slide 8–12 years
- 🎟️ Price: Free
- 🕗 Hours: Winds and Dunes garden daily 10:00–20:00; Dragon garden daily from 09:00 until dusk (may close in heavy rain or heat)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: Next to the Cité des sciences; skip these gardens after heavy rain, when surfaces are slippery.
- 📍 211 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: 🚶 0.5 km · 7 min walk
Palais des enfants (Palais de la Découverte) Indoor
An art and science space for children aged 2 to 10, run by the Palais de la Découverte while its historic building is being renovated.
- 👧 Ages: ages 2–10
- 🕗 Hours: Check the site: closed on some days (it showed 'closed today' on Monday 5 October)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: The historic Palais de la Découverte building is under renovation; the 'Étincelles' site in the 15th has demonstrations in French only.
- 📍 Grand Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Grand Palais: 🚶 0.2 km · 3 min walk
Rainy day? Go indoors
Tips for families
Free under 4 on public transport
On the metro, RER, bus and tram, children under 4 travel free as long as they do not take a seat, and ages 4 to 9 pay a reduced fare. A single t+ ticket costs €2.50 in 2026.
Strollers on the metro
Strollers are allowed on RATP vehicles: keep the child strapped in and the brakes on, fold the stroller at busy times, and give way to wheelchair users. People with a child under 4 can use the priority seats. Many metro stations have many stairs and few lifts.
Check closing days
The Cité des sciences is closed on Mondays and the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution on Tuesdays. The Ménagerie is open every day.
Free playgrounds
The Tuileries play area and the playgrounds of the Parc de la Villette are free; at the Luxembourg Garden the garden is free but the playground, carousel and puppets are paid.
Plan around mealtimes
Many restaurants serve lunch from about 12:00 to 14:00 and dinner from about 19:30, and some close on Sunday or Monday. With small children, pick a park for a picnic or book ahead.
Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.
More guides
- Free things to do in Paris
- Hidden gems in Paris
- Delicatessen in Paris
- Paris on a rainy day
- Which museums are open today in Paris?
- Paris on a Sunday
- Opening hours of the sights in Paris
- Which clubs are open tonight in Paris?
- Parking in Paris
- Where to eat near the Eiffel Tower
- Where to eat near the Louvre
- Where to eat near Notre-Dame
- Where to eat near Sacré-Cœur
Checked: 5 October 2026. Prices and hours can change; check the official site before you go.