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France
Paris is perfect for those with kids, and especially the park at La Villette. On the Canal de l'Ourq there is the awesome dragon slide (almost two stories high), playgrounds designed for specific age groups, a submarine my five-year-old nephew wants to return to with his big brother and cat (!) (3€ each). Just by the park bikes can be hired that take the whole family along the traffic-free canalside to the forest of Sevran, where coffee and ice cream can be had in the old poudrerie, where Nobel of the Nobel prize worked - well worth a visit. And if it rains, back at La Villette there is always the Cite des Sciences - again with exhibits tailored to tots and to slightly older kids. Further afield, there's Paris Plage for sunbathing, sandcastles, misters, boules, rock-climbing (5 years old and upwards), the fountains and concerts at Parc Andre Citroen, the fireworks on July 14, or the swimming pool on a barge by the Francois Mitterand Bibliotheque, or the fantastic mini Paris Plage at Canal St Martin where another five-year-old loved her tot-sized pedalo and the tea dances and water fountains. Paris is perfect for families, especially in the summer, and since almost everything referred to above is free or cheap, it won't break the bank. Plus - no hours spent travelling to, or queueing at, airports.
Just get on Eurostar and you are within 15-20 minutes walk of most of the above.
Les Tuileries is the most central park in Paris. It stretches its 'à la Française' alleys and lawns along the Seine river from the Louvre museum to the Concorde square. There is a large round central fountain where an ancient Parisian hires out beautiful yachts made by himself - the boats sail across the fountain and the kids are armed with long canes to push them into another direction. We grabbed a coffee and sat around the fountain watching Paris go by and the kids were entertained by the boats for an hour - what more could you ask for 15 euros!
Use les tuileries metro station on line 1
It is a sprawling park area with amazing outdoor play facilities and a huge children's museum and science museum. You could easily spend 2-3 days just exploring this area. There are theatres and restaurants as well.
Abbesses is best described as a little 'village' on the edge of central Paris, easily accessible by the metro and possibly my favorite place in the world.
When I first visited Paris I was so disappointed by what seemed to my untrained eye as just another grey city - too busy, too full and too confusing. The moment I stepped off the metro at Abbesses, I saw the Paris I had dreamed of - cobbled streets, little parks, beautiful buildings and most of all a calm yet creative and highly inspirational (to the artist in me) atmosphere.
I don't need to list off the best places to shop and eat here because it is all so compact, you can wander round for hours, without feeling exhausted, and discover the endless hidden gems of vintage stores and cafes that not only have the friendliest staff in the whole of Paris but one of which serves their coffee (or herbal tea if you prefer) in bowls! It's just the nicest, coolest place I've ever been to. Great for the young, and the young at heart.
Central Paris (Eurostar recommended, it just saves so much hassle!) Metro stop: Abbesses
If you’re heading east from Paris and you’ve got some time to kill, there’s a quiet little park hidden away about 20m from the Gare de l’Est, but not that easy to find.
Stand with your back to the station and head down the road on the left, to the corner. Look for a green metal gate down the side of the rather imposing stone building. It leads into a small ornamental park with a great kids’ playground, and public toilets and baby change on the far side of the park.
The Parc Au Citroen is a wonderful spot for a quiet break from the city, with great water features, without streams of tourists!
Check out the Tuileries Gardens - some fantastic puppet shows for kids but they are not often advertised. Gives you a chance to admire the beauty while the kids are happy.
The grounds of Parc du Chateau de Versailles are beautiful and particularly worth a visit during April through to September when they are host to different spectacles.
The events are a true feast for the senses and lie only a 20 minute RER journey off the typical tourist route. An unforgettable experience.
Promenade Plantee is a lovely park, built on an elevated disused railway line. It provides a welcome break from the traffic!
Make sure you visit the Parc de Citroen. Built on what used to be wasteland, it's a shining example of garden design in that it fuses the surrounding buildings into the planting and landscaping. Whatever the season, it's so worth a stroll - calming yet impressive.
The Buttes Chaumont park is slightly different to other parks in Paris, in that it was built on a former quarry and, as such, has some interesting hilly views across Paris, alongside an artificial cave complete with stalactites and waterfall.
It is bigger, quieter and in my opinion the most beautiful park you will find in Paris. Parisians will actually leave central Paris to go to this park in summer- that's saying something!
You cannot help but be impressed by its scale. It has the 'grand canal', fountains, a chateau and huge expanses of immaculately kept lawns. But what is also nice is that you can take smaller plane tree lined paths that guide you through a series of more secluded areas. Both elements work seamlessly together.
Undoubtedly the best place to have a picnic in summer!
Parc de seaux is approx. 15/20 minutes from zone 1 on RER line B
nearest RER stations: parc du seaux & la croix de berny
www.ratp.com
Just been to Paris for the first time in a couple of years and followed CN Travellers advice about walking around the Marais. Lovely old area of Paris. The Place des Vosges is the oldest square in Paris and is beautiful. If you walk down the Rue des Francs Bourgeois there are loads of funky shops and then the Rue des Rosiers is at the end in the Jewish area. Loads of nice delis and more cool shops. Would also mention the Ile St Louis which is next to Ile de la Cité (Notre Dame bit) and is lovely to stroll around.
3rd and 4th arondissements North of the River, East of the centre.
A beautiful ornimental park to take a run in along with many chic (and often skinny) Parisien runners, before breakfast.
A wonderful place to walk, do tai chi, sunbathe and picnic on the many metal chairs. I can spend hours in this park it's also great for children with sand pits, toy sailing boats for hire and a huge (pay-in) playground. Not to mention a couple of reasonably good cafes to take coffee or lunch.
Jardin du Luxembourg, boulevard Saint-Michel, 75006 Paris, France
Directions for Visiting: Rue de Vaugirard, Metro Luxembourg
Much more than a cemetary. This restful place has beautiful tree-lined lanes, benches on which to rest and remember the permanent guests; Simone Signoret and Yves Montand, lovers buried together, or watch the pilgrims to Jim Morrison's grave. This must be the best place to visit on a quiet winter Sunday.
Metro: Gambietta
A very relaxing place. There are Parisians who go there to take a nap, and you won't pay more than a euro to enter the garden.
77, rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris (VIIe); tel: 01 44 18 61 10;
Métro (13): Varenne, Invalides ou Saint-François-Xavier;
R.E.R (C): Invalides;
Bus: 69, 82, 87, 92;
www.musee-rodin.fr
While many parts of central Paris are exclusive, beautiful but unrepresentative of the vibrant ethnic mix of today's France - Belleville is where it's at. You can arrive here by métro at the station of the same name, but I prefer to get off at métro Pyrenées and walk along to the top of rue de Bellville. At the top of this steep hill, you can see the Eiffel Tower (time it on the hour and you will see it sparkle in the distance).
Walk down the hill and you will soon pass a house upon whose steps Edith Piaf was born. A little way farther down, make a left onto rue Piat. Fifty metres down on your left you will come to a belvedere with a great view of Paris. It overhangs the Parc de Belleville, a stretch of green in this urban area.
Go back onto rue de Belleville and keep walking down hill. You will pass an increasing number of Chinese restaurants. Continue till you reach the busy crossroads where you will find Belleville metro. Cross the boulevard de Belleville (there is a twice-weekly foodmarket here, which is worth a look at) and if you are hungry, stop off for a reasonably-priced Chinese meal at the Belleville Institution Le Président. Walk down rue du Faubourg du Temple and take in the hustle and bustle of the Chinese supermakets, cafés serving thé à la menthe where you can smoke 'la chicha' (waterpipe with flavored tobacco) and many discount fabric and clothes shops.
You can end this walk at métro Goncourt, or continue on to the picturesque and arty-trendy Canal Saint Martin.
Bonne balade.
Start from métro Pyrenées
Parks are not Paris's strongest point, but the Buttes Chaumont is a down-to-earth alternative to the altogether more bourgeois (and crowded) Luxembourg. Located on a rocky hill in the 19th arrondissement in north-east Paris, it also gives views of much of the city, including the Sacre Coeur.
Stroll around this most Parisian of Paris parks for a morning: all the city, sooner or later, will be there, from well-brought-up sixth arrondissement children in the excellent play area to starstruck lovers, elderly chess players, boulistes, nutters, book addicts, tai chi practitioners, joggers, bag ladies and model yachtsmen.
Nearest metro: Odeon
Fantastically trippy Hausmann-designed park that feels like a cross between 19th-century Bavaria and Conan Doyle's Lost World.
Metro Buttes Chamont or Botzaris, 19th arrondissement
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