Paris empties out in August, but the city puts on plenty for the kids who stay. The Seine and the canal turn into beaches, the streets fill with free music, and Bastille Day brings fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. Here's what we checked, from paddle boats on the Bassin de la Villette to the night fountains at Versailles.
Fête de la Musique turns Paris into one big free concert. Anyone can play: choirs, brass bands, rock groups on café terraces, DJs on street corners, plus bigger stages in squares and parks.
Families wander from one sound to the next and stop wherever the kids start dancing. Afternoons are calmer and easier with small children; after dark the crowds swell and the volume climbs, especially in the center.
Every summer a traditional funfair takes over part of the Jardin des Tuileries, between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. Nearly 60 attractions run from carousels and bumper cars to thrill rides, and the 60-meter Ferris wheel gives a view over the garden to the Eiffel Tower.
Churro and crepe stands line the paths, and there is no blaring sound system, so it stays calm.
Pestacles is the kids' strand of the Festivals du Parc Floral: a summer series of concerts and musical shows on an open-air stage inside the park. Each week brings a different act, from French chanson and slam to jazz, techno and Creole sounds, and many mix music with storytelling or theater.
Shows are performed in French, so it suits kids who follow French best.
Paris est Ludique is an open-air board game festival run by volunteers on the Pelouse de Reuilly in the Bois de Vincennes. Families wander between spaces: a library of 600-plus games to borrow and play, oversized XL versions of classics, beginner role-playing tables, miniature painting, tournaments and prototypes to vote on.
It suits kids who like games with rules, and parents happy to sit on grass for hours.
Every summer Paris turns the Bassin de la Villette and stretches of the Seine riverbank into a free city beach.
Kids splash in shallow paddling pools floating on the canal basin, try nautical activities and workshops, and ride a zip line over the water, while parents grab a deckchair or a game of pétanque. It suits families spending the summer in town who want water play without leaving the city.
France's national day opens with a military parade down the Champs-Élysées, from the Arc de Triomphe toward Place de la Concorde. Kids watch jets trail blue, white and red smoke overhead, then helicopters, marching troops, armored vehicles and the mounted Republican Guard.
It suits kids who can handle a long wait in a big crowd and loud flyovers. Toddlers and noise-sensitive kids may do better watching the jets from farther away.
Paris marks the Fête nationale with a fireworks show fired from the Eiffel Tower, set to music and lately joined by a drone show drawing pictures in the sky. Families watch from the lawns of the Champ-de-Mars, after a concert.
It's a late night and a big crowd, so it suits kids who can stay up and handle noise. Toddlers may do better watching at home on TV.
Every summer the Prairie du Triangle lawn in Parc de la Villette turns into the largest open-air cinema in Paris. Families spread blankets, unpack a picnic and watch on a giant screen as the light fades.
The early screenings are picked for kids, from Studio Ghibli to classic animated shorts, while the later films lean toward adults. Each edition is built around a theme, so the lineup changes every year.
The last stage of the Tour de France races into Paris and finishes on the Champs-Élysées, with the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the avenue. Kids stand at the barriers and watch the yellow jersey, the sprinters and the team cars flash past while the whole street cheers.
It suits cycling fans and kids who can wait. Toddlers may find the long stand in a dense crowd hard.
An evening walk through the gardens of Versailles after dark, with the fountains running and lit up, carrying on the night parties Louis XIV threw here more than 350 years ago. It ends with a fireworks show and more than 500 drones drawing shapes over the Grand Canal. It's a walking route with no seats, so it suits kids who can handle a late night on their feet.
A public pool built on a barge moored on the Seine, beside the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. The 25-meter pool sits under a glass roof that opens in summer, when a 500 m² sun deck with views of the river boats opens too.
It suits kids who swim confidently: there is no separate shallow pool for toddlers.
Car-free stretches of the Seine's banks, 4.5 km on the right bank and 2.5 km on the left, form a 10-hectare riverside park. Kids get a 40-meter balance trail of stumps and logs from Paris trees, and a docks-themed play corner with a pontoon, a small boat and a crate maze.
The paths double as a cycle route where walkers have priority, and about fifteen cafés and barges line the way.
Paris empties out in August, but the city puts on plenty for the kids who stay. The Seine and the canal turn into beaches, the streets fill with free music, and Bastille Day brings fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. Here's what we checked, from paddle boats on the Bassin de la Villette to the night fountains at Versailles.
Fête de la Musique turns Paris into one big free concert. Anyone can play: choirs, brass bands, rock groups on café terraces, DJs on street corners, plus bigger stages in squares and parks.
Families wander from one sound to the next and stop wherever the kids start dancing. Afternoons are calmer and easier with small children; after dark the crowds swell and the volume climbs, especially in the center.
Every summer a traditional funfair takes over part of the Jardin des Tuileries, between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. Nearly 60 attractions run from carousels and bumper cars to thrill rides, and the 60-meter Ferris wheel gives a view over the garden to the Eiffel Tower.
Churro and crepe stands line the paths, and there is no blaring sound system, so it stays calm.
Pestacles is the kids' strand of the Festivals du Parc Floral: a summer series of concerts and musical shows on an open-air stage inside the park. Each week brings a different act, from French chanson and slam to jazz, techno and Creole sounds, and many mix music with storytelling or theater.
Shows are performed in French, so it suits kids who follow French best.
Paris est Ludique is an open-air board game festival run by volunteers on the Pelouse de Reuilly in the Bois de Vincennes. Families wander between spaces: a library of 600-plus games to borrow and play, oversized XL versions of classics, beginner role-playing tables, miniature painting, tournaments and prototypes to vote on.
It suits kids who like games with rules, and parents happy to sit on grass for hours.
Every summer Paris turns the Bassin de la Villette and stretches of the Seine riverbank into a free city beach.
Kids splash in shallow paddling pools floating on the canal basin, try nautical activities and workshops, and ride a zip line over the water, while parents grab a deckchair or a game of pétanque. It suits families spending the summer in town who want water play without leaving the city.
France's national day opens with a military parade down the Champs-Élysées, from the Arc de Triomphe toward Place de la Concorde. Kids watch jets trail blue, white and red smoke overhead, then helicopters, marching troops, armored vehicles and the mounted Republican Guard.
It suits kids who can handle a long wait in a big crowd and loud flyovers. Toddlers and noise-sensitive kids may do better watching the jets from farther away.
Paris marks the Fête nationale with a fireworks show fired from the Eiffel Tower, set to music and lately joined by a drone show drawing pictures in the sky. Families watch from the lawns of the Champ-de-Mars, after a concert.
It's a late night and a big crowd, so it suits kids who can stay up and handle noise. Toddlers may do better watching at home on TV.
Every summer the Prairie du Triangle lawn in Parc de la Villette turns into the largest open-air cinema in Paris. Families spread blankets, unpack a picnic and watch on a giant screen as the light fades.
The early screenings are picked for kids, from Studio Ghibli to classic animated shorts, while the later films lean toward adults. Each edition is built around a theme, so the lineup changes every year.
The last stage of the Tour de France races into Paris and finishes on the Champs-Élysées, with the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the avenue. Kids stand at the barriers and watch the yellow jersey, the sprinters and the team cars flash past while the whole street cheers.
It suits cycling fans and kids who can wait. Toddlers may find the long stand in a dense crowd hard.
An evening walk through the gardens of Versailles after dark, with the fountains running and lit up, carrying on the night parties Louis XIV threw here more than 350 years ago. It ends with a fireworks show and more than 500 drones drawing shapes over the Grand Canal. It's a walking route with no seats, so it suits kids who can handle a late night on their feet.
A public pool built on a barge moored on the Seine, beside the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. The 25-meter pool sits under a glass roof that opens in summer, when a 500 m² sun deck with views of the river boats opens too.
It suits kids who swim confidently: there is no separate shallow pool for toddlers.
Car-free stretches of the Seine's banks, 4.5 km on the right bank and 2.5 km on the left, form a 10-hectare riverside park. Kids get a 40-meter balance trail of stumps and logs from Paris trees, and a docks-themed play corner with a pontoon, a small boat and a crate maze.
The paths double as a cycle route where walkers have priority, and about fifteen cafés and barges line the way.
