Paris is a wonderful city with children, full of parks, boats, dragons and dinosaurs once you know where to look. This week the theme parks are in full swing, the science museum at La Villette has hands-on exhibitions for every age, and the parks and riverboats are at their early-summer best. Here is your guide to the best things to do with kids in Paris for the week of 1 to 7 June 2026, with live prices from our catalogue. Prices are in euros and correct at the time of writing. For the rest of the week's events across the city, see our what's on in Paris guide.
Paris with kids this week in 30 seconds. Disneyland Paris and Parc Asterix are both open for full days of rides, the Cite des Sciences at La Villette has its brilliant hands-on Cite des enfants plus exhibitions on cats and dogs and on gardening, and the Aquarium de Paris sits right under the Eiffel Tower. Add a Seine cruise, the Luxembourg gardens and, on Sunday 7 June, free entry to the national museums, and you have a full week. One note: the Cite des Sciences is closed on Monday 1 June.
Theme parks and big days out
The headline day out for most families is Disneyland Paris, a 40-minute train ride east of the city and home to two parks, from €56 for a one-day ticket. There is no special seasonal event running this particular week, with the summer programme starting later in June, but the rides, parades and evening show all run as normal, so it is a classic Disney day whatever the calendar says. For something a little different and very French, Parc Asterix, north of the city, mixes white-knuckle rollercoasters with the world of the plucky Gaulish cartoon hero, from €59, and it is usually quieter than its famous neighbour.
Disneyland Paris rewards a bit of homework. Deciding between the two parks, working out whether Premier Access is worth it, and timing the parades and the evening show can make the difference between a magical day and a frazzled one. Our guide to everything you need to know about Disneyland Paris in 2026 covers the practicalities, and our guide to creating your perfect Disneyland Paris adventure helps you plan the day around your children's ages and stamina. A little planning, and an early train out from the city, go a very long way with younger ones.
Hands-on science and sea life
For a brilliant rainy-day plan, the Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie at Parc de la Villette is the largest science museum in Europe, from €12. Its star turn for families is the Cite des enfants, a hands-on play-and-learn zone for under-tens, and this week it is joined by two temporary exhibitions children love, one all about cats and dogs and another about gardening. A couple of things to plan around: the museum is closed on Monday 1 June, the Cite des enfants runs in timed sessions with limited slots on the Sunday, and both children and adults need their own ticket. Closer to the centre, the Aquarium de Paris sits in the gardens right opposite the Eiffel Tower, from €22, with sharks, a petting pool and a daily programme of activities, and the giant Aquaboulevard water park is a sure-fire hit on a warm day, from €42.
For animal-loving families there is even more, much of it gentle on the budget. The Jardin des Plantes, the city's botanical garden, is home to the Menagerie, one of the oldest zoos in the world, and to the spectacular Grande Galerie de l'Evolution, a soaring Victorian hall where a procession of life-size animals marches through the building, a guaranteed hit with children. Out in the Bois de Vincennes, the Parc Zoologique de Paris is a modern zoo built around a great artificial rock, with lions, giraffes and a glasshouse jungle full of monkeys. And the parks hide small delights for little ones all over the city, from donkey rides and old-fashioned carousels to the model-boat ponds where generations of Parisian children have spent their Sundays. None of it is far from the centre, and most of it pairs perfectly with a picnic.
Sightseeing children actually enjoy
Plenty of the grown-up Paris works for kids too, with the right framing. A Seine river cruise is an easy, restful hour for little legs and a great way to tick off the landmarks from the water, from €20. The Eiffel Tower is a thrill at any age, from €32 with a guide, and the wonderfully kitsch Grevin wax museum, full of celebrities and film characters, is from €20. Older children with strong nerves will never forget the Catacombs, the tunnels of bones beneath the city, from €56.
Free and outdoors
Some of the best family hours in Paris are free. The Jardin du Luxembourg is a children's paradise, with a vintage carousel, a puppet theatre, pony rides and the famous pond where you can push toy sailboats with a stick. The Champ de Mars beneath the Eiffel Tower is made for running about, the Tuileries has a summer funfair, and the Jardin d'Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne is a long-standing favourite. And remember Sunday 7 June: the first-Sunday-of-the-month free museums include plenty that fascinate children, so a free morning of culture is there for the taking if you book a slot ahead. For more ideas that cost nothing, see our free things to do in Paris guide.
Know before you go
A few practical notes for a family week. Monday 1 June is a closure day at the Cite des Sciences and the Musee d'Orsay, so save those for later in the week. Disneyland Paris and Parc Asterix reward an early start and tickets booked in advance, both to skip queues and to lock in the day you want. At the Cite des enfants, remember that sessions are timed and sell out, and that every visitor needs a ticket. And whatever you plan, build in park time: a Paris afternoon spent sailing boats on the Luxembourg pond is the kind of simple thing children remember for years.
Frequently asked questions
What can families do in Paris this week?
For 1 to 7 June 2026, the best family days out are Disneyland Paris and Parc Asterix, the hands-on Cite des Sciences at La Villette, and the Aquarium de Paris under the Eiffel Tower. Sunday 7 June also brings free entry to the national museums, several of which are great with children.
Is there a special event at Disneyland Paris this week?
No headline seasonal event runs during 1 to 7 June 2026, with the summer programme starting later in the month, but all the usual rides, parades and the evening show are running. You can book Disneyland Paris tickets in advance with tickadoo.
What are the best things to do with kids in Paris when it rains?
The Cite des Sciences at La Villette, the Aquarium de Paris, the Grevin wax museum and the Aquaboulevard water park are all indoors and all big hits with children. Note the Cite des Sciences is closed on Monday 1 June.
Is anything free for kids in Paris this week?
Yes. On Sunday 7 June the national museums are free for all, and the city's parks, including the Jardin du Luxembourg with its carousel and toy sailboats and the Champ de Mars under the Eiffel Tower, are free every day.
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