Paris in August: Things to Do and See with Kids

Paris in August with kids means school’s still out and many Parisians have vanished to the coast for les grandes vacances. It’s the height of summer, so head outdoors – parks, playgrounds, and the city hosts a fresh wave of family events. Pop-up beaches line the Seine, fountains double as splash pads, and Paris’s gardens feel wonderfully spacious. Below are my top picks for enjoying Paris with kids this month.

1. Family activities at Bassin de la Villette

Each summer the Bassin de la Villette transforms into a waterside playground, and from 5 July to 31 August 2025 the canal is yours to enjoy, free of charge.

• Families can borrow kayaks or canoes every afternoon (1pm–7pm); anyone 14 and over who can swim may paddle the calm canal.
• Stand‑up paddleboards are on hand for those who want a gentle balance challenge.
• Pedal‑boats let parents, children and friends cruise together at a leisurely pace past houseboats and outdoor cafés.
• Inflatable walking spheres invite younger visitors to “run” across the water’s surface under watchful staff supervision.
• A 100‑metre floating pool complex—two shallow splash zones, a 1.20 m learner pool and a 2 m lap lane—offers safe swimming Monday–Saturday 11am–9pm and Sunday until 6pm.
• Shore‑side extras include trampolines for six‑ to twelve‑year‑olds, a 20‑metre zip‑line for adventurous teens, plus table football, a vintage carousel and balance games dotted along the quays.

Bring swimwear, sunscreen and a towel; all equipment is provided, lifeguards are on duty, and every activity is completely free.

Address: La Villette Basin, 40 Quai de la Loire 75019 Paris

Tickets: Free

2. Check out “Transparency” exhibition at the Palais de la Découverte

Freshly reopened after an extensive makeover, the Palais de la Découverte now hosts the new Palais des Enfants and its debut exhibition, “Transparency.” From a luminous ice palace and mysterious forest to a mineral‑rich cave, a sunny sky and a sparkling ocean, the show explores transparency as a property of matter found in both nature and everyday objects.

Families wander freely through these shimmering settings interacting with light, shadow and touch‑friendly artworks by Dan Graham, Soo Sunny Park and others. Child‑height installations, sculptures, prints and photographs sit alongside experimentation areas, games and other hands‑on stations, inviting kids to marvel at transparency’s subtleties, test its optical effects and challenge their perceptions, learning a dash of science and art while simply having fun.

Address: 17 avenue du Général‑Eisenhower, 75008 Paris

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 9.30am-5pm; weekends and Paris school holidays 9.30am-7pm.

Tickets: €13 per person, free for children under the age of 2. Buy tickets here.

3. Watch movies under the stars at La Villette’s open-air cinema

This summer, Parc de la Villette spreads a giant screen across the Prairie du Triangle and invites cinephiles to sprawl on blankets, unfold deckchairs and picnic under the dusk sky. New for 2025, the programme splits into two daily sessions. There are family-friendly films screen at 6pm, while the main feature now starts at 9pm. This is a free event, subject to capacity limits. This year’s line-up spins around dance and music and the full program is available here.

Bring a blanket or your own chairs. Food trucks line the grass, but picnics are welcome. Even in August, the temperature can drop fast after sunset, so pack jumpers. Deckchairs can be rented for €6 and must be booked online on the same day. The deckchair ticketing opens at 4pm and closes at 10pm. Deckchairs are not issued for the 6pm children’s sessions, only for the later 9pm screenings.

August line-up

• Fri 1 Aug: Mars Attacks!
• Sat 2 Aug: Wallace & Gromit
• Fri 3 Aug: Jean de la lune
• Wed 6 Aug: Calamity, une enfance de Martha Jane Cannary
• Thu 7 Aug: Fourmiz
• Fri 8 Aug: Chicken Run
• Sat 9 Aug: Ma Vie de Courgette
• Sun 10 Aug: Chantons sous la pluie
• Wed 13 Aug: Stuart Little
• Thu 14 Aug: Le Chant de la Mer
• Fri 15 Aug: Madagascar
• Sat 16 Aug: Un Monstre à Paris 
• Sun 17 Aug: Tous en scène

Address: Prairie du Triangle, Parc de la Villette, 75019 Paris

Dates: 23 July – 17 August 2025

Tickets: Free

4. Nature Rendezvous at the Jardin des Plantes

Stretching along the Left Bank of the Seine, the Jardin des Plantes has been Paris’s botanical heart since the 17th century. The 28-hectare estate, part of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, combines grand tree-lined promenades, themed flower beds, historic glasshouses, an Alpine and rose garden, and the Ménagerie zoo.

“Rendez-vous nature” — daily family activities

Now through 31 August 2025, the garden’s scientists, gardeners, keepers and artists run a packed family summer programme. Most sessions are in French, but one family tour is offered in English. The full program can be found by clicking here.

Pick-and-choose highlights by age:

• Ages 3 – 5
  • Short guided strolls where little ones spot trees, scented herbs and seasonal blooms
  • Story-time breaks and first encounters with friendly zoo residents
• Ages 6 +
  • Mini-tours of the rose and Alpine gardens
  • Keeper meet-and-greets to learn how animals are cared for
  • Hands-on botanical and science workshops
  • Family escape games
• Ages 12 +
  • Guided visits of the gardens
  • “Meet the gardener” sessions covering propagation, pruning and soil care behind the scenes

Address: Jardin des Plantes, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris

Dates: Until 31 August 2025

Tickets: Some activities are free and others are free if purchasing the tickets to the zoo. Check out the official website for more detail.

5. Free Summer Club at La Villette

Inside the vast entrance hall of the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in the Parc de la Villette, families can drop in for a full menu of sports and maker workshops. Everything is free, open 10am-6pm daily (closed Mondays), until 31 August 2025, and no booking is required.

What you can try (ages 6 +)

• Chess corner
  Learn the basics, challenge friends or join quick tournaments. Runs 15 July-15 August, 11am-6pm
• Skate & roller initiation
  Coaches teach balance, braking, turning and first tricks on skateboards or inline skates. 15 July-31 August.
• Build your own kite
  Craft a traditional paper-and-bamboo kite, then decorate it. 15 July-14 August, 2pm-6pm
• Make a Japanese catapult plane
  Fold, assemble and launch a rubber-band glider—precision meets paper craft. 15 July-14 August, 11am-6pm.
• Polarising-art postcard
  Create dazzling colour patterns with transparent films and polarised light (drop-in sessions throughout summer).
• Boccia introduction
  Inclusive seated sport similar to pétanque, using soft leather balls. Runs 15 July-31 August, 10am-1pm.
• Boxing fundamentals (ages 9 +)
  Gloves on: warm-up, learn jab, cross, hook, uppercut, then light sparring in a supervised ring. 15 July-31 August, 10am-2pm.

Equipment and instructors are provided, and the whole programme is designed so families can dip in for ten minutes or stay the entire day.

Address: Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, 30 avenue Corentin Cariou, 75019, Paris

Dates: until 31 August 2025

Tickets: Free

6. Children’s workshop at the The Musée Rodin

From 5 April to 31 August, 2025, the Atelier Rodin is back with a brand-new edition, offering playful and creative ways for children to discover the art of sculpture. While designed with toddlers in mind, the workshop is open to all ages. It’s free for children and doesn’t require a reservation. Adults who want to accompany their children need to have an admission ticket to the Rodin museum.

Created for kids as young as 6 months, the Atelier invites little ones to explore the world of Auguste Rodin through touch, movement, and imagination. A new immersive space for ages 6 to 24 months focuses on sensory experiences to spark early artistic curiosity. Children can shape and create using sculptor’s materials, draw freely on a giant chalkboard, or curl up in a cozy reading nook. It’s a gentle, hands-on introduction to one of France’s greatest artists – no shushing required.

Address: 77 rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris

Dates: Until 31 August 2025

Tickets: €15 per ticket to the museum (required for accompanying parent), free access for under 26. Buy your ticket here.

7. Catch free concerts at Parc Floral

Tucked inside the leafy Parc Floral de Paris (Bois de Vincennes), Classique au Vert hosts free afternoon concerts, set amid the park’s lush summer greenery. From 25 June to 7 September 2025 you can spread a blanket, unpack a picnic and hear top soloists and rising ensembles. It’s all free, with no booking required (a small park entry fee applies on concert days).

August concert dates:

Sunday 17 August, 4pm

• Smoking Joséphine
• “Amours Toujours”: Geneviève Laurenceau & Fanny Robilliard (violins), Léa Hennino (viola), Hermine Horiot (cello), Jeanne Bonnet (double-bass).

Saturday 23 August

• 3pm Quatuor Agate (Brahms, Ravel)
• 5pm Emile Parisien et Roberto Negro – ‘Les Métanuits’ 

Sunday 31 August

• “The Concert of My 40th Birthday”: the globe-trotting guitarist Thibault Cauvin revisits crowd favourites and new pieces.

Address: Parc Floral, Esplanade Saint-Louis devant le Château de Vincennes or Route de la Pyramide access gates, 75012 Paris

Dates: Until 7 September 2025

Tickets: €2.70 park entry fee gives access to the free concerts. Free park access for children under 7.

8. Explore La Maison des Histoires

La Maison des Histoires, the immersive museum dreamed up by Chantelivre (Paris’s oldest children’s bookshop) and publisher L’École des Loisirs, hides behind the shop’s rear “cabin” doors and now also brightens a second site near Bastille. Inside the 130 m² space, shoes come off and imaginations switch on as children aged 0 – 6 step straight into nine interactive sets.

Creative workshops, author meet-ups, film-readings and musical story sessions run throughout the day, while cosy reading corners let families snuggle up with École des Loisirs favourites between adventures. Both venues are indoor, stroller-friendly havens perfect for hot or rainy days. They’re also extremely popular, so secure a timed slot online before you go. The magical décor and delighted faces make the little bit of planning well worth it.

Addresses:

• Original address: Chantelivre, 13 rue de Sèvres, Paris, 75006
• New location opened in summer 2025: 7 cité de la Roquette, Paris, 75011

Opening hours: Chantelivre (Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am-6.30pm), Bastille (Wednesday to Sunday, 9.30am-6.30pm)

Tickets: Book your 2hr session online here. Tickets cost €21-25 for one child and one parent, depending on location.

9. Explore Euphoria Exhibition at the Grand Palais

From 6 June to 7 September 2025, the freshly restored Grand Palais fills 4,000 m² with “Euphoria: Art Is in the Air,” a riot of monumental inflatables conceived by the Balloon Museum team. Oversized, touch-friendly sculptures transform one vaulted room after another, inviting visitors to squeeze giant balloons, bounce across springy floors and wade through clouds of colour, sound and texture.

It is irresistible sensory play for anyone from steady-on-their-feet toddlers to thrill-seeking teens—though babies and very young toddlers are better left for a calmer outing. As you make your way through the circuit you can dive into a bubble pool, pop water-filled spheres and watch mirrored orbs drift overhead, all under the Grand Palais’ legendary glass roof. Expect 90 giddy minutes of bouncing, laughing and selfie stops, and book a timed ticket before you go: the joy of inflatable art is proving wildly popular this summer.

Address: Grand Palais, 1 avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris

Dates: until 7 September 2025

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10am-8.30pm, weekends 9am-8.30pm.

Tickets: €29 adults, €27 for ages 12-25, €24 for ages 4-11, free for under 4. Buy your tickets here.

10. Go behind the scenes at the Grand Rex Studios

The Grand Rex opened in 1932 with a bold Art-Deco façade and inside sits Europe’s largest cinema auditorium. Slip through the stage door of the Grand Rex and step into Rex Studios, an interactive, audio-guided journey that lets visitors aged 6 and up play filmmaker for 50 minutes. Beginning every five minutes, the tour threads past the director’s office, the stars’ tunnel (overheard snippets from cinema legends still echo here), a projection booth rarely shown to the public, a special-effects set and a dubbing studio where you record a line or two yourself. Each room re-creates a phase in making a movie, so by the time you reach the surprise finale you will have “shot” an entire short film. This unusual experience is a unique way to discover the backstage of the largest cinema in Europe.

Address: 1 Boulevard Poissonnière, 75002 Paris

Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am to 12pm and 1.30pm to 7pm; Weekends 1.30pm-7pm; Monday and Friday open only during Paris school holidays.

Tickets: €12 adult, €10 for those under 26. Book your tickets here.

What’s your favourite thing to do in Paris?

August is such a beautiful time of year to be in Paris. I hope these ideas inspire you to explore the city as a family. Share your favourite places and activities to discover in Paris this August in the comments below!

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If you’re looking for Paris itineraries with kids, then check out my free Paris Itineraries with Kids. My Ultimate Guide to Paris with Kids is also packed with family-friendly tips and recommendations on things to see and do in Paris.

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