All You Need to Know to Visit the Cité des Enfants at the Paris Science Center

Le Cité des Sciences et de L’industrie is a gigantic science center located in La Villette. The center is comprised of several areas, each with their own science-related theme. And one wing is dedicated to an interactive area for children to discover scientific concepts through play and hands-on activities.

There are two children exhibitions, one aimed at children 2 to 7 years old, and the other for ages 5 to 12.

The “Cité des Enfants 2/7” section has five areas for kids to explore, with a message encouraging you to change areas every 15 minutes. Activities are appropriate for the age range of students and often include activities specifically for toddlers. The five senses are explored, children will play with water, and air, and a small maze keeps children entertained. My children were definitely entertained and want to go back as they did not have enough time to engage with every activity during the hour-and-a-half time slot. The five themes are pictured below.

The “Cité des Enfants 5/12” section is comprised of six different areas in the same way as the 2 to 7 year old section. Yet in this exhibition, the areas focus more on scientific concepts centered around themes:

• Body
• Communication
• TV studio
• Water games
• Garden
• Factory

There are signs in both French, English, and Spanish that give instructions and information. Children on the younger end of the age range can participate without a problem but there is definitely more cranking, more instructions, and some activities that are too tall for wee ones. Some of my children’s favorite activities were discovering different ways to pump water, using a giant fan to spin a variety of windmills, the TV studio in which they used a green screen to appear that they were flying, and the butterfly house in which they saw a variety of butterflies and learned about the metamorphosis process. Unlike on the 2/7 side, there is no announcement to change areas so participants must pace themselves to get through all spaces. My kiddos definitely ran out of time in the hour and a half and would like to go back for more fun!

The gigantic Science Center also contains other exhibitions, some permanent and others on a rotating basis, as well as a planetarium. Many of these are accessible for older children, making the annual pass a great idea if you plan on coming back for multiple visits.

Other Useful Info:

For food, there is a restaurant on site and there are several restaurants in the park where the center is located, including Mcdonald’s right outside the entrance. Once you have entered, it is not a problem to enter again. So feel free to go in and out during the day.

There are also plenty of bathrooms, with baby changing stations. The kid’s area also has small toilets made for little people.

In addition, there are vending machines for quick snacks and drinks, and a gift shop to pick up games and toys.

Finally, people all around the Science Center speak English so if you are not proficient in French, this is not a problem.

Website: For more info, visit the Science Center website in either English or French.

Getting there: One may choose to arrive on public transportation. There is both a metro and tram stop near the museum entrance. If you decide to drive, there is a parking garage under the Cité de Science at a rate of about 3 euros an hour. Parking on nearby roads is limited.