I was wondering if anyone could help me here. I will be travelling to France as a part of an organised tour. But afterwards will be meeting up with my husband and children (ages 8 and 11) and returning to France for three days. My husband will be taking a tour to the landing beaches by himself. So what do I do with the kids? Our Hotel will be the Holiday Inn Bussy St Georges in Marne-la Vallee.
We will do Paris as a family when we first get there, then my husband will be tripping off on his own. Are there any places i could take the kids appropriate to their ages. (that won’t cost me a fortune?)
No, we are not interested in disneyland.
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6 Comments On First time France Sought of
Hello,
Paris is a very nice place for families.
I have 2 kids : 8 and 11 years old, and they love spend time in Paris.
For a first trip, you can try :
– Eiffel Tower
– Chateau and Park of Versailles (very nice for Kids)
– A boat tour on the seine river
– Notre Dame Cathedrale
РPalais de la D̩couverte technical and science museuum with nice science experience for kids : try electrostatic experience)
– Asterix Parc (north of Paris – like Disney but with French caracteres).
Have a nice trip, Jean Pierre from Lille, north of France
Hi. I’ll second Parc Asterix but it’s on the expensive side. You can check their rates and offerings at: http://www.parcasterix.fr/v2/default.asp (It’s a theme park based on some French cartoon characters and is not only fun; it’s educational.)
For less expensive entertainment, the Museum of Science and Industry in the Parc de la Villette is really fun. There are free parks with lots of "kid" things to do, like Luxembourg Gardens and my favorite, the Tuileries Gardens near the Louvre. The kids can rent little boats to sail on the fountains in the gardens. In summer, Tuileries also has a carnival set up on the grounds.
The Jardin des Plantes has a menagerie or small zoo and they would probably enjoy that too. Along the Seine below the Jardin des Plantes and heading toward Notre Dame, there is a sculpture garden that is free. There are also neat sculptures in the gardens of the Palais Royal that kids love to climb on and no one seems to object. They look like striped pillars and are of varying heights.
You’ll find a lot to do and the French love children so they’ll give you even more suggestions. Lots of parents take their kids to Places des Vosges for green-grass playtime and that might be fun too.
Hope you enjoy yourselves.
Thank you very kindly for your response it is much appreciated.
I’ve been reading Axterix since i was little in school and my children read the comics at their school and have seen the movie, so they will be delighted to go to where it all began. (I didn’t even think of that.) My boys have read your replys and they are very excited. The trip means something familiar to them now.
My boys are delighted about the Zoo concept. As would any child I suppose. They are unfamiliar with European animals as any french child would be with Australian animals.
The Tuileries Gardens sounds like just the thing.
Sorry to be such a pain in the butt, but my children want to learn French. I’ve suggested to them that maybe thay learn important words as regards to manners. ie. thankyou, please, etc( manners in any language gets you a long way ). Could you recommend a simple dialogue for them to remember?
thankyou you’ve been a great help
gosh! even I feel welcome to France now!
Hi. Glad the boys are excited. They have a wonderful opportunity.
Question: Do you have Border’s Bookstores in Australia? If so, go to your nearest Borders and check the children’s book section. Ours has a place where there are tapes, CDs and DVDs for kids with stories, songs and lessons in French. These are very useful.
There is also a "French in 10 Minutes a Day" that you could use to pick out words and phrases.
Linguafun has card games with tapes or DVDs that are lots of fun for both you and the kids. The tapes are much better than the DVDs or CDs because the tapes have a neat game on the reverse. You do have to order two different sets with the tap es, but you also get twice as much. I hope theyare still available.
If you don’t have a Borders, try http://www.pentonoverseas.com/linguafun.htm or order through Amazon.com, Borders.com or Barnes & Noble.com. We got ours through the Borders.com. They’re great for adults too if you don’t speak comfortable French.
There are some cute kid-style cartoon characters that teach via songs. They may be okay but I never liked them because the songs are definitely not my style. We really liked the Linguafun card games and you get into it with the kids . . . educational family fun!
Good luck.
thanks for your help. Will look into it.
Near Marne you have also the Bois de Vincennes with its Flower gardens, park and Zoological gardens and several lakes (Daumesnil, de Gravelle) with the possibilité of canoeing, kayak.
Phil