Cité des Science et de L’industrie
A brilliant space for children in Paris
The Big Picture
The Cité des Science is the largest science museum in Europe. It is truly spectacular, packed with facilities to engage and enthuse everyone who attends, young and old. It is located in the North of Paris and surrounded by the beautiful Parc Villette complete with playgrounds, restaurants, an IMAX cinema (called the Geode) and La Zenith, a theatre venue and the famous dragon slide! In addition to all of this,running adjacent to the museum is the canal, providing a stunning backdrop and plenty of fun water activities for the kids. If you are looking for things to do with kids in Paris, this is a one stop shop!
Cité de la Science
What you need to know
Believe it or not the French tend to travel to Paris, kids in tow, for weekend breaks with the sole intention of spending the weekend at the Cité des Science! That should give you some indication of how wonderful this venue is for families.
“this is easily an entire day out for the whole family”
As you would expect the museum is packed with interactive sections and exhibitions. It has 5 levels and they include the following: An Aquarium in the basement ( which is okay but not the best one in Paris), a planetarium upstairs, two special play spaces for kids, an IMAX cinema, eight permanent exhibition spaces, four temporary ones and a greenhouse.
The play spaces for kids aka Cité des enfants, are legendary. One is designed for children aged 2-7 the other for kids 5-12. These two sections provide 90 minutes of entertainment for kids. Allowing them to engage in a series of fun sessions involving, music, water, sports, the eco-system, mental challenges, biology and so much more. Each activity focuses on the senses and heightens the child’s curiosity as well as providing a great education of all things scientific, from understanding gravity to grasping the concept of speed.
Note that you have to book your session in advance – when you buy your ticket.
Food wise, there are three restaurants/cafés inside and the two of the obvious burger bars just outside the building.
Cité de la Science
What MLP thinks?
This is a fantastic venue and you have just got to take the kids. This hub of intellectual stimulation is an experience that the whole family will enjoy. It is possible to spend an entire day at this venue as well as using your time to enjoy the surroundings, especially the park, playgrounds and the canal. You and your family are guaranteed a good time at the Cité des Science as it has everything a family requires and caters for children of all ages. My family love it!
NB: Summer 2016 note – in the Cité des enfants, the “building site” and the “water games” are still temporarily closed. In exchange, your age 2-7 ticket lets you in free of charge to the Explora exhibitions (except for the optional temporary exhibitions).
Prices vary – here are all the details.
Love MLP
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Cité des Science – 30 Avenue Corentin Cariou, 75019 Paris
Tel: 01 40 05 70 00
Nearest Metro: Porte de la Villette line 7
Mama Lves Paris – Escapism for you and the kids in Paris
hi we may be visiting your museum at the end of may, how much time should we allow to visit it? thanks
You can make a day of it, to be honest especially with the canal and the playgrounds nearby.