Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie

The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in the Parc de la Villette is the largest science museum in Europe, and it's built with families at its core. The must-do for families is the Cité des Enfants — two purpose-built interactive zones (ages 2-7 and ages 5-12) where kids don't just look at exhibits, they operate them.

In the 2-7 zone, toddlers and young kids play with water channels, explore a construction site with tiny hard hats and wheelbarrows, crawl through sensory tunnels, and discover how their bodies work through mirrors and movement. Fair warning: the water play area gets kids genuinely wet, so bring spare clothes. In the 5-12 zone, older kids build structures, film a TV broadcast, experiment with optical illusions, and explore space science.

Beyond Cité des Enfants, the main Explora exhibition covers everything from mathematics to outer space across massive halls. There's a planetarium showing immersive space films, the Argonaute (a real decommissioned submarine you can explore), and a Géode IMAX theater. You could easily spend an entire day here and not see everything.

The museum sits within the Parc de la Villette, which offers wide lawns, playgrounds, and the Canal de l'Ourcq for post-museum fresh air. The on-site eating options are adequate but overpriced — bringing a packed lunch to enjoy in the park is the move. Getting here is straightforward via metro line 7 to Porte de la Villette.