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“Cite de la Science”, home to the famous “Geode” is also worth a detour. The interactive
museum really makes for a fascinating visit. Situated in the north east of Paris
, it is generally a great bet if you are going to Paris with Children. If
you are up in Monmartre but cannot be asked to visit the Sacree-Coeur you can
always visit the last surviving Windmill of Paris the “Moulin de la Galette”,
made immortal by Renoir's painting the “Bal Populaire”. It was also the haunt
of another famous French painter, Toulouse-Lautrec who used to start his evenings
there with a jug of spiced red wine. If
you are in the 16 th area I suggest visiting the “Villa Montmorency” and/or the
“Villa Beausejour” as they both provide great insight into Parisian life of days
gone by. In the 15 th I would strongly
suggest the parc “George Brassens” as well as the “Ruche” which was built by Gustave
Eiffel for the World Exposition at the turn of the 20 th century. The intricate
gardens are peppered with sculptures and provides for a cosy and intimate getaway
from the busy city. In the 13 th you
will find the Parisian Chinatown and overall a very eclectic and friendly atmosphere,
whether you chose to walk around “place d'Italie” or “Les Goblins”. A lovely place
to visit would be the “Cite Fleurie”, which is right by the Metro stop “Glaciere”.
It is a beautiful set of Turn of the century workshops amidst a garden of flowers
and greenery. Once again this will be a very refreshing visit as it gets you away
from busy thoroughfares. If you are
traveling as a family and want to give the kids a break but are not to keen on
EuroDisney, you can always take them to the “Parc Asterix” which is about 40 minutes
North of Paris. This Theme parc is based around the adventures of the famous French
cartoon characters Asterix and Obelix. This is the only parc of its kind in the
world so it is well worth the trip. If
you would like a nice outing outside of Paris and have already been to Versailles
and do not feel like going to an amusement park, I strongly suggest making a 40
minutes trip north to the town of Chantilly which is the heart and Soul of the
French Equestrian World. It is also home to one of the most Beautiful Chateaux'
in France . The Chateau of Chantilly
is much smaller than Versailles but it is still breathtaking and can be only the
first step of a lovely and memorable day trip. The
Prince of Conde who lived in this chateau believed he would reincarnate as a horse
and in consequence, he built fabulous stables so as to be fit for a Prince and
called them the “Grandes Ecuries”. These extravagant stables are as big as the
chateau, and in the summer, the French Equestrian association put on a spectacular
Horse Ballet in an arena within the stables. This area also has many fantastic
golf courses as well as a polo club, lots of woodland, and has managed to keep
all of its charm in spite of its proximity to Paris . Chantilly
is not the only attraction of the area as a mere 15 minutes away you will find
the old medieval town of Senlis . Here you will be able to visit one of the oldest
cathedrals in France and wonder through narrow and winding old cobbled stone streets,
full of history and suffused with silent poetry. oth
Chantilly and Senlis could be visited in a day but ideally you should rent a car
for the day even though you can reach Chantilly by train. <<--Back | 
