Attractions and distractions for kids

Opened in 1996, the new national library was the last and costliest of Mitterrand's grands projets. Its architect, Dominique Perrault, was criticised for his dated design, which hides readers underground and stores the books in four L-shaped glass towers.He also forgot to specify blinds to protect books from sunlight; they had to be added afterwards. In the central void is a garden (filled with 140 trees, which were transported from Fontainebleau at enormous expense). The library houses over ten million volumes and can accommodate 3,000 readers.The research section, just below the public reading rooms, opened in 1998. Much of the library is open to the public: books, newspapers and periodicals are accessible to anyone over 18, and you can browse through photographic, film and sound archives in the audio-visual section.

Is it a museum? Or a shop? All the animals and birds are stuffed, labelled and for sale. But you can wander as you please, getting up close and personal with a gigantic brown bear or a taxidermy unicorn (seriously). Established at 46 rue du Bac since 1888, Maison Deyrolle knows how to combine serious natural science with fantasy. Specialising in taxidermy and entomology, it’s the eccentric staging of these fabulous beasts that makes it so original. Not only is it a mecca for enthusiasts and collectors, but also an unforgettable attraction for intrigued beginners. Expect to brush shoulders with exotic animals (a giraffe, pink flamingo, zebra, toucan, lion) and domestic pets (a fox, chicken, pig, peacock and a small white rabbit). There’s also mounting boards pinned with butterflies, insects, shells, giant clams and skeletons of small animals. And for anyone who finds this mad scientist’s den cruel, keep in mind that none of these animals were killed to be stuffed. According to the Washington Convention, all protected species come from zoos, circuses or farms where they died of old age or illness. This echanting mélange has earned the Maison Deyrolle a reputation among the greatest artists of its time, from the Dubuffet painters to Salvador Dali. Woody Allen even filmed a few scenes here for ‘Midnight in Paris’.Many famous personalities supported Deyrolle during restoration after a fire in 2008, including Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Bettina Rheims and Nicolas Darrot. And quite...

Between the Louvre and place de la Concorde, the gravelled alleyways of these gardens have been a chic promenade ever since they opened to the public in the 16th century; and the popular mood persists with the funfair that sets up along the rue de Rivoli side in summer. André Le Nôtre created the prototypical French garden with terraces and central vista running down the Grand Axe through circular and hexagonal ponds. When the Tuileries palace was burned down during the Paris Commune in 1871, the park was expanded. As part of Mitterrand's Grand Louvre project, fragile sculptures such as Coysevox's winged horses were transferred to the Louvre and replaced by copies, and the Maillol sculptures were returned to the Jardins du Carrousel; a handful of modern sculptures has been added, including bronzes by Laurens, Moore, Ernst, Giacometti, and Dubuffet's Le Bel Costumé. Replanting has restored parts of Le Nôtre's design and replaced damaged trees, and there's a gardeners' bookshop by place de la Concorde.

Paris's first planned square was commissioned in 1605 by Henri IV and inaugurated by his son Louis XIII in 1612. With harmonious red-brick and stone arcaded façades and steeply pitched slate roofs, it differs from the later pomp of the Bourbons. Laid out symmetrically with carriageways through Pavillon de la Reine on the north side and Pavillon du Roi on the south, the other lots were sold off as concessions to officials and nobles (some façades are imitation brick). It was called place Royale prior to the Napoleonic Wars, when the Vosges was the first region to pay its war taxes. Mme de Sévigné, salon hostess and letter-writer, was born at no.1bis in 1626. At that time the garden hosted duels and trysts; now it attracts children from the nearby nursery school.

Once home to the giant slaughterhouses of Paris, Parc de la Villette has kept just a few remnants of its industrial past—a hall, some old buildings—but most notably, its immense size. Spanning 35 hectares, it’s the largest park in Paris. In 1987, Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi transformed this site on the city’s northeastern edge, crossed by the Canal de l’Ourcq, into a vast contemporary park. A Garden City for Everyone Designed as a sort of “garden city,” the park connects two major landmarks: the Cité des Sciences in the north and the Grande Halle and Cité de la Musique in the south. It’s one of the few parks in Paris open all night, and that’s no accident—it’s not fenced in or closed off. Instead, it’s imagined as a space you move through as much as stay in: a place to relax, play, stroll, explore art, or just hang out. A Hub for Events, Music, and Open-Air Fun Its massive lawns regularly host public events. While the beloved Villette Sonique music festival is no longer running, the park is still buzzing with life, especially during the Open-Air Film Festival, which screens movies around a different theme each summer. The vibe is always festive—legend has it that over 2,000 people once got up to dance under the stars during the final credits of Grease. Toward the end of summer, the Jazz à la Villette festival takes over, bringing rhythm and soul to the park. And with both the Cité des Sciences and Cité de la Musique on site, you could easily spend an entire day here....

Up the slopes of the Hauts de Belleville, there are views over the city from rue Piat and rue des Envierge, but as far as panoramas go, you’ll be hard pushed to find a better skyscape than the one rolling below the Parc de Belleville.  This modern but charming common, was created in 1988 to bring a stretch of greenery to the park-deprived 20th, and from its slopes you can see as far as the Eiffel Tower in the west. Needless to say, the best time to come is at sundown when an orangey hue descends over Paris’s iconic grey rooftops. For several hundred years, the area was covered in vines: a nod to which you’ll find in the top part of the park where 140 pieds of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay vines still produce 2 to 3 kilos of grapes each year. In fact, as far as wine trivia goes, the Parc de Belleville (or at least the ground it’s sitting on) is also linked to the French word ‘piquette’, which means ‘bad wine’ - not because the piquette made here Between the 14th and 18th centuries was actually bad, but because the meaning was changed over the centuries. Piquette was originally a ‘young’ wine.  

Père-Lachaise is the celebrity cemetery - it has almost anyone French, talented and dead that you care to mention. Not even French, for that matter. Creed and nationality have never prevented entry: you just had to have lived or died in Paris or have an allotted space in a family tomb. Look at our Insiders’ Guide to Père-Lachaise for tips and ideas for enjoying a day at this iconic spot, and this handy walkers map of where to find the most famous. 

  Founded in 1860, this amusement park and garden has animals, a Normandy-style farm and an aviary, as well as boat rides, a funfair with mini rollercoasters, flying chairs, the Enchanted House for children aged two to four and two playgrounds. There's also a place to steer radio-controlled boats and mini golf. Many of the attractions cost €2.90 a go; others are free. A miniature train runs from Porte Maillot through the Bois de Boulogne to the park entrance, and has space for pushchairs (€2.70 return; €4.15-€5.60 with entry included).

Surrounded by grand hôtels particuliers and elegant Haussmannian apartments, Monceau is a favourite with well-dressed children and their nannies. It was laid out in the 18th century for the Duc de Chartres in the English style, with a lake, lawns and a variety of follies: an Egyptian pyramid, a Corinthian colonnade, Venetian bridge and sarcophagi.