The French are extremely welcoming to children on the whole and Paris's vibrant atmosphere, with its street performers and musicians, lively pavement cafés and brightly lit carousels is certainly family-friendly. The obvious pull of Disneyland aside, there's plenty of other attractions and activities to keep kids happy from circuses to rollerblading. As you'd expect, museum-hopping with youngsters in Paris can be as tedious as any other big city, but remember that while the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay cater to more acquired tastes, the Musée des Arts et Métiers, the Pompidou Centre, Parc de la Villette and some of the other attractions listed below will interest the young and old alike. Travelling with a child also provides the perfect excuse to enjoy some of the simpler pleasures of city life – the playgrounds, ice-cream cones, toy shops and pastries that Paris seems to offer in endless abundance.In terms of practicalities, many cafés, bars or restaurants offer menus enfants or are often willing to cook simpler food on request, and hotels tack only a small supplement for an additional bed or cot on to the regular room rate. You should have no difficulty finding disposable nappies, baby foods and milk powders for infants. Throughout the city the RATP (Paris Transport) charges half-fares for 4–10s; under-4s travel free. The most useful sources of information for current shows, exhibitions and events, are the special sections in the Listings magazines: "Enfants" in Pariscope and "Pour les jeunes" in L'Officiel des Spectacles. The best place for details of organized activities, whether sports, courses or local youth clubs, is the Centre d'Information et de Documentation de la Jeunesse (CIDJ), 101 quai Branly, 15e; tel 01.43.06.15.38, www.cidj.com (M° Bir-Hakeim; Mon–Fri 9.30am–6pm & Sat 9.30am–1pm). The Mairie of Paris provides information about sports and special events at the Kiosque Paris-Jeunes, 25 bd Bourdon, 4e tel 01.42.76.22.60 (M° Bastille; Mon–Fri noon–7pm). The tourist office also publishes a free booklet in French, Paris-Île-de-France avec des Yeux d'Enfants, with lots of ideas and contacts, or you can check out the children section on its website www.paris-touristoffice.com. It's worth remembering that Wednesday afternoons, when primary school children have free time, and Saturdays are the peak times for children's activities and entertainment; Wednesdays continue to be child-centred even during the school holidays.
Pages in section ‘Kids Paris’: Babysitting, Paris with babies, Parks, gardens and zoos, Funfairs, Swimming, rollerblading and other family activities, Theme parks, Circus, theatre and cinema, Museums and sights, Shops, Food for kids.
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