Situated in one of the most important culture areas of Paris (you can indeed find several concert halls, a school of music, exposition halls, etc. in La Villette), the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie is the museum you’ve dreamt of: a place where you can learn and have fun at the same time, where you’re both a spectator and an actor.
Since the museum is split into different parts (cinema, permanent expositions, kids), we will do the same with our information, for the sake of clarity:
CITE DES ENFANTS – CHILDREN CORNER
The Cité des enfants is also split in two, one dedicated to children aged 2-7, the other to those aged 5-12. If you manage to forget about all the noise and the excitation of hundreds of kids, then you will notice that you’re in a unique place that is all made for children. The writer of this article having visited this place (and being over 12 years old), suffered for that matter of having to look at all these kids trying all kinds of machines without ever trying them himself, afraid of what the parents would say. You will indeed see, going there with your child, that it is very hard to resist…
For the younger ones, the exposition is organised around five different themes, all of them focusing on child development. As for the older ones, the six thematic areas still mostly focus on personal development, but in a more autonomous way. A place for all curious children you just cannot miss!
PERMANENT EXPOSITIONS – EXPLORA
If your children still haven’t got enough, then you should head towards the 2nd and 3rd floor to visit the permanent expositions. Some galleries are open to children over 6/7, others to children over 9/11. But don’t worry: adults will be amazed too…
The Explora expositions are based on scientific and technologic themes, mixing permanent and temporary expositions. The most important current topics like technological innovations, the earth and conquest of space, human genes are dealt with in a playful way, accessible to anyone and highlighted by numerous media (films, games, photos) in order to better understand them.
You will walk around the expositions halls, learning a lot of things in a very simple way. Sometimes you will even feel like going back to high school and you will maybe regret that you didn’t listen well enough at that time.
So see you in this unique and eccentric museum, for the visit of which you should plan 2 to 3 hours if you want to see everything. With a special mention to all the videos, that are of very good quality.