Like each other metropolis, too, has Paris an indeed large number of theme parks and zoos in the closer vicinity. We would like to introduce to you a selection of these leisure institutions – just for the case that you want to escape from the large city bustle and swop your métro seat for one in the rollercoaster...
 Aquaboulevard The «Aquaboulevard» is the largest water park of Europe: In an area of more than 7'000 sqm sand, waves and palms care for recreation, alternation and entertainment in South Seas atmosphere. And this right in the French capital. All-the-year there are temperatures of 29° C in the glass pavillon. Ten huge slides, wave pools, jacuzzis, outside beach, reverse flow rivers and much more will be at your disposal.
► Opening hours: Mondays to thursdays daily 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., fridays 9:00 a.m. until 0:00 a.m., saturdays 8:00 a.m. until 0:00 a.m., sundays 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. Admission charges: € 20,00 to 25,00, children € 10,00. Address: 4, rue Louis Armand · F 75015 Paris (15th arrondissement) · Internet:  |
 Cité des Sciences with Parc de la Villette  Instead of the old, collapsed slaughter-house exists today a futuristic, scientific leisure park full of geomatric figures. The architect Adrien Fainsilber conceived the «Géode» as centre of his 55 ha large Cité des Sciences («city of sciences»). The «Géode» (q.v. Nightlife) is a hollow, 6'000 t heavy mirror ball with a cinema inside. Due to the amazing, vaulted 1'000-sqm-panorama-screen the spectacors thinks to be a part of the film. As it is pointed out on the website it is urgently recommendet to reserve in advance by phone for a visit of a performance(phone 01.40.05.79.99).
The Parc de la Villette itself measures a size of 35 ha. The canal de l'Ourcq flows through it. His look designed the Swiss Bernard Tschumi. ► Opening hours: Tuesdays to saturdays daily 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., sundays until 7:00 p.m. Admission charges: Unknown. Address: 30, avenue Corentin-Cariou • F 75019 Paris (19th arrondissement) • http://www.villette.com, www.cite-sciences.fr and www.lageode.fr • Phone 01.40.05.80.00 • Métro: Porte de la Villette |
 Disneyland Resort Paris  The «Disneyland Resort Paris», as the «Euro-Disney» is called today, was opened in 1992 in Marne-la-Vallée, 32 km north-easterly from Paris. It is the first European dependance of the U.S. entertainment machinery and was created corresponding to the older parks in Orlando (U.S.A.), Anaheim (U.S.A.) and Urayasu (Japan). The park's landmark is the centrally situated «Castle of the Sleeping Beauty». Besides the Disney-typical theme districts («Main Street, U.S.A.», «Adventureland», «Discoveryland», «Fantasyland», «Walt Disney Film Studios» and «Frontierland») the park offers for entertainment several street parades and changing shows which refer mostly on the actual cinema stripes of the company. After paying the price of entrance the use of all institutions except the restaurants and snack bars is included. Free is for everybody the visit of the «Disney Village», a gastronomic mile outside the park itself. Here are meanwhile also 13 hotels at the guests' disposal.
► ► Review:  «Buffalo hunting in the wild, wild east» (2008). Opening hours and admission charges depend strongly on the season, the number of persons and the stay duration; with various short-term actions the parks offers special conditions. For detailled informations please visit the Disneyland homepage. Address: F 77700 Marne-la-Vallée · www.disneylandparis.com · Phone 01.60.30.60.30 · RER: A from Paris to «Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy» (duration approx. 35 minutes) · Car: Motorway A4 («Autoroute de l’Est») from Paris direction Metz/Strasbourg, exit «Parc Disney»
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 France Miniature Open air the park offers on 5 ha a scaled-down map of France with small modells of the most important memorials of the nation. On an over-roofed area the inside of the sights is shown in detail. ► Opening hours: From April to September daily 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., in July and August until 7:00 p.m. Ticket offices close one hour before closure. Admission charges: € 14,50, reduced € 9,50 for children between 4 and 14 years. Combi-tickets for public transport from/to Paris and park entrance at all larger métro stations available. Address: 25, route de Mésnil (boulevard André Malraux) · F 78990 Élancourt-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines · www.franceminiature.com · Phone 08.26.30.20.40 (€ 0,15 pro Min.) · Train/bus: Train «La Verrière» from La Défense or Montparnasse, than bus 411 to «France Miniature» · Car: A13 from Paris, exit on A12 in direction «Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines-Dreux», N12 to «France Miniature» |
 Jardin d’Acclimatation A leisure time and game park especially for children. The Jardin d'Acclimatation was inducted on October 6th, 1860, by Napoléon, III., and stretches across 19 ha in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, the biggest forest of the city in the Parisian west. The attractions are the fairground rides, a true circus (the enterprices change yearly), an animal farm and the animal enclosures et al. with brown bears. Unfortunately not all establishments are included in the admission charge. ► Opening hours: October to May daily 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., June to September until 7:00 p.m. Admission charges 2005: € 2,70, children until three years free. Address: Bois de Boulogne · F 75116 Paris (16th arrondissement) · www.jardindacclimatation.fr · Phone 01.40.67.90.82 · Fax 01.40.67.98.73 · Métro: Les Sablons |
 Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes  The Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes is so to speak a child of the French Revolution: On December 11th, 1794, the zoo opened and is beside Schönbrunn in Vienna the oldest still existing animal park of the world. The population consists of approximately 350 mammalians, 480 birds and 70 reptiles, which live in an area of 5 ha right in the heart of Paris. Special attractions are the «Micro Zoo», the vivarium and the big aviery. In the all in all a little bit antiquared set also Rainer-Maria Rilke found the inspiration for its poem «The Panther».
Notice: Pay attention to the admission charges before your visit! The ticket offices made mistakes repeatedly and accepted them, too, but rejected reclamations without statement of reasons! Please find informations on the Jardin des Plantes, in which this zoo is located, at «Sights». ► Opening hours: Daily 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., on sundays until 5:30 p.m. Admission charges: € 7,–, reduced for children (4-13 years) 5,–. Address: Rue Cuvier/rue Buffon/rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire/place Valhubert · F 75005 Paris (5th arrondissement) · Phone 01.40.79.37.94 · Fax 01.40.79.37.93 · www.mnhn.fr · Métro: (Gare d') Austerlitz, Jussieudes Barres • F 75004 Paris (4. Arrondissement) • www.mije.com • Phone 01.42.74.23.45 • Fax 01.40.27.81.64 • Métro: Hôtel de Ville |
 Parc Astérix A lovely, funny and with much green arranged, classic-European theme park in honour to Asterix and his Gauls, approximately 30 km northly from Paris. Many imaginative fairground rides, above all water attractions of different kinds (do not forget in any weather your raincoat, you get partially really wet!). In the extra constructed Gaulish village are some of the comic heroes on the road and are always gamed for a laugh – but photos with Asterix and Obelix are available only for a consideration. The park has different, changing shows, e.g. with delphines in the «Théâtre Poseidon». The «Parc Astérix» offers good but indeed also relative expensive entertainment for young and old. ► Opening hours and entrance rates depends on the season. For detailed information please visit the homepage of the park. Address: F 68128 Plailly · www.parcasterix.com · Phone 08.91.67.67.11 (€ 0,15/Min.) · RER/Bus: B3 from Châtelet or Gare du Nord to «Roissy-Charles de Gaulle 1», from here regular bus shuttle to the park (tickets 2005: € 8,–, children under 18 years free) · Car: Motorway A1 from Paris direction Lille, exit «Parc Astérix» (between exits «N°7» and «N°8») |
 Parc Zoologique de Paris (Zoo de Vincennes) 1'200 animals are living here in the 15 ha large, man-made world of the Parisian zoo. Among them you find Lions, tigers, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, camels as well as polar, brown and black bears, several monkeys, kangaroos, zebras, wapitis, okapis, different antelopes and gazelles. The zoo is developed by Carl Hagenbeck who created here sensations with his peoples' shows at the beginning of the 20th century. The in 1934 inaugaurated park is modelled on the world-famous Hagenbeck animal park in Hamburg, Germany.
One is particularly proud on the successful girafe breed which had to consequence over 160 births over the years. In the plant you can see at present a 17 animal herd.  Note! This institution is momentarily reconditioned. For this reason ranges of topics can be totally or partly closed.
► Opening hours: From April to September daily 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., from October to March daily 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Ticket offices close 15 minutes before closure. No entrance for dogs! Admission charge 2005: 8,– €, for children (4-16 years) € 5,–, persons under 4 years free. 53, avenue de St-Maurice · F 75012 Paris (12th arrondissement) · www.mnhn.fr · Phone 01.44.75.20.00 · Métro: Porte Dorée |
 Parc Zoologique de Thoiry (Parc et Château de Thoiry)  The safari park of Thoiry lays by car 35 minutes away from Paris in the east. You experience there the big, species-rich theme landscape of the African savannah, et al. with elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos, rhinos and zebras, which is cruised in your own (!) car. Alongside you find also big enclosures for wolfs and tigers. The institution's figurehead is the breeding of Comodo monitor lizards (s. photo) – the animals are notedly rare in European zoos. Alltogether the park accommodates about 1'000 Tiere on 150 ha.
Besides the animals the area (which is arranged like a palace garden around the Thoiry castle) offers a big labyrinth and some playing grounds. A car is absolutely necessary – also because the next station is located 6 km away and no buses cruise between station and zoo! ► Opening hours: From the beginning of February to the middle of November daily 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., during the summer months until 6:00 p.m. Admission charges: € 21,50 (annuitants/students 19,50, children 14,80, handicapped persons 10,70). Address: F 78770 Thoiry-en-Yvelines · Phone 01.34.87.40.67 · Fax 01.34.87.54.12 · www.thoiry.net · Approach by car: A13 from Paris-Porte d'Auteuil, than A12 and N12 both in direction Dreux until exit Thoiry, than D76 and D11 both in direction Thoiry |
 Sea Life Centre More than 50 water basins with native and exotic animals live here – among them also big sharks, moray eels, turtles and a seahorse breed. Of course, the Sea Life of the British Merlin Entertainment is located a little bit outside of Paris. But the trip by RER A is worthwhile for everyone who would like to discover the fauna of our oceans very closely – and without getting wet... ► Opening times: Daily from 10:00 a.m. Closed from December 24 to 26. Admission rates: Adults € 13,00, children € 9,00. Adsress: Centre Commercial Val d’Europe · 14, cours du Danube · F 77111 Serris · Internet: www.sealifeeurope.com · Phone: 01.60.42.33.66 · Fax 01.60.42.33.55 · RER: Val d’Europe
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