Activities in Paris
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FEATURED
Paris Chocolate and Pastry Food Tour
3 hours (Departs Paris, France)
by Viator
Combine your love of chocolate and cakes with your passion for Paris! The Paris Chocolate and Pastry Food Tour combines French gourmet specialities with an…Not LP reviewed
from USD$120.67 - All activities
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Disneyland Resort Paris
Visitors (mostly families) pour into this park to scare themselves silly in the bloodcurdling Tower of Terror, dance in a High School Musical, dive with Nemo, hit 70km/h in a Space Mountain rocket, shake Winnie the Pooh’s paw and share a fiesta of other magical moments with Mickey and his Disney mates. And the kids can’t seem to get enough. As its marketing bumph boasts, at Disneyland ‘the party never stops’.
One-day admission fees at Disneyland Resort Paris include unlimited access to all rides and activities in either Disneyland Park or Walt Disney Studios Park. Those who opt for the latter can enter Disneyland Park three hours before it closes. Multiple-day…
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Hammam de la Mosquée de Paris
Massages at this atmospheric hammam cost €1 a minute and come in 10-, 20- or 30-minute packages. Should you fancy an exfoliating body scrub and mint tea, get the 10-/30-minute massage formule (€38/58). There are also lunch deals at La Mosquée de Paris. Bring a swimsuit but hire a towel/dressing gown (€4/5). No kids under 12.
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Bowling Mouffetard
Intimate, friendly alley with eight lanes and two entrances.
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Ô Chateau
Ô Chateau is a young fun-charged company run by bilingual sommelier Olivier Magny that offers the full range of tastings and experiences in a 17th-century vaulted stone cellar near the Louvre: wine-tasting over dinner (€130) or a cheese lunch (€75), with chocolate (€65), grands crus master classes (€95) and so on. It also organises day trips to Champagne to taste you know what (€150), Champagne-fuelled river cruises (€45) and, by night, Champagne bus parties (€60) with music which include, hmm, learning how to open a bottle of champers with a sword in front of the Eiffel Tower.
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Harnn & Thann
This relaxing ‘natural home spa’ in a secret courtyard is a heady one for the senses. Masseuses soothe muscles with traditional Thai massage techniques and an aromatic mix of herbs and essential oils. Particularly inventive are its Wednesday Les Petit Duos (€50) – a 30-minute massage for one worn-out mum or dad plus kid (aged six to 12 years) – and its after-work bien-être (well-being; €250) deal for couples, which includes a foot bath, massage en duo and dinner at a neighbouring Thai restaurant. A 20-minute lounge in the peacock-blue hammam costs €20.
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Cours de Cuisine Olivier Berté
What better place to discover the secrets of la cuisine française than in Paris, the capital of gastronomy? One of the most popular – and affordable – courses for beginners is the Les Coulisses du Chef Cours de Cuisine Olivier Berté, which offers three-hour courses (adult/child €100/30) at 10.30am from Wednesday to Saturday with an additional class from 6pm to 9pm on Friday. ‘Carnets’ of five/20 courses cost €440/1500. Children’s classes (ages seven and up) are on Wednesday at 3pm.
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Canauxrama
Canauxrama has barges that run from the Bastille to Parc de la Villette along the Canal St-Martin and Canal de l’Ourcq. Departures are at 9.45am and 2.30pm from the Port de l’Arsenal at the Bastille and Parc de la Villette. Note that the boat goes at a very leisurely pace (2½ hours total) as it passes through four double locks. There is also an underground section (with an art installation) and evening cruises on Fridays and Saturdays in July and August.
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Alliance Française
French courses (minimum two weeks) for all levels begin every two weeks; registration (€57) takes place five days before. Intensif courses meet for four hours a day five days a week, start at 9am and 1.30pm, and cost from €420/736 for two weeks/one month; extensif courses involve three hours of class for three days a week, start at the same two times and cost from €184/348.
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Spa Nuxe
A regular in Elle and other French glossies, this recently overhauled spa lounging in a medieval wine cellar with old stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings is where stars and supermodels find peace. Spa Nuxe offers an orgy of 45-minute massages (Thai, ayurvedic, Californian, shiatsu), including rhythmic ones to music; skin treatments; French pedicures and manicures; and so on.
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Maison Roue Libre
RATP-sponsored Maison Roue Libre has as many as 15 different themed bike tours from 12km to 26km lasting from three to eight hours. Tours operate on certain weekend days throughout the year starting at 10am, 2pm or 8pm. Consult the website for exact details. The Bastille branch keeps the same hours but shuts Wednesday and Thursday in winter.
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Piscine Roger Le Gall
With its grassy lawns to lounge about on and twin-set of pools, indoor and out, many reckon this is Paris’ best (blvd Périphérique is a tad close for our comfort). It is notably the only public naturiste pool in Paris where you can swim nude at selected times on certain days. In July and August admission costs more; open extended hours during school holidays.
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Ballon Air de Paris
Hot-air balloon Ballon Air de Paris, in the Parc André Citroën in south-western Paris, lifts you 150m off the ground and offers fabulous views of Paris and the Seine. Don’t expect to get very far though; the helium-filled balloon remains firmly tethered to the ground. Be sure to call in advance as the balloon does not ascend in windy conditions.
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Vélo Cito
The pedal-weary can opt for extra power with a smart electric bicycle to cruise around the city from this outlet located between Bastille and République; rental is by the day only and you need to leave your passport as a deposit. It distributes an excellent free map (1:53:000) detailing some lovely pistes cyclables starting at RER stations around Paris.
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Bateaux-Mouches
On the Right Bank just east of Pont de l’Alma, Bateaux-Mouches runs nine 1000-seat glassed-in tour boats, the largest on the Seine and a favourite with tour groups. Cruises (70 minutes) run regularly from 10.15am to 11pm April to September and 13 times a day between 11am and 9pm the rest of the year. Commentary is in French and English.
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Club Med Gym
In addition to 17 gyms (one day pass €26) in greater Paris, Club Med runs Club Med Waou (basically, ‘Club Med Wow’; €35) centres offering luxurious settings and spa facilities. Club Med Gym branches include Palais Royal; République, which is entered via rue du Faubourg du Temple; and the 20e.
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Maison Roue Libre Bastille
Sponsored by the city’s public transport system, this is the place to rent a bike – pedal powered or electric (with which you can rent a €32 audioguide). Seniors, students and under-26s get a 10% discount. Insurance, helmet and baby seat are included. The deposit is €150, and you need some form of ID.
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Hammam Medina
The rythmic release of eucalyptus-scented steam into this wonderful hammam will set mind and body at ease in minutes. Also included is an excruciating (but effective) exfoliation rubdown. The almond-oil massage and mint tea are extra, but an indulgent way to end any session. Saturdays are mixed (men and women), otherwise it’s women only.
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Paris Story
Although it’s not exactly a tour, Paris Story offers a one-hour audio-visual romp through Paris’ 2000-year history on the hour, with headset commentary in 14 languages; an interactive model of Paris called Paris Miniature; and Paris Experience, a gallery of five themed video clips.
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Paris Cooking Classes With Patricia Wells
An expensive cooking course is the Paris Cooking Classes with Patricia Wells led by the incomparable American food critic and author at her cooking studio in rue Jacob, 6e. The class runs from Monday to Friday, is limited to seven participants and includes market visits, tastings, local transport and daily lunch.
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Vélib
A runaway success since its launch in 2007, Vélib’ has revolutionised how Parisians get around. Its 1451 stations Vélib’ across the city – one every 300m – sport 20-odd bike stands a head (at the last count there were 20,600 bicycles in all flitting around Paris) and are accessible around the clock.
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Les Bains du Marais
Luxury personified, this hammam combines the classical with modern – mint tea and Levantine decor with as many pampering treatments as you’d care to name. The hammam is reserved for men and for women on certain days; ‘mixed days’, when bathing suits are obligatory, are Wednesday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday.
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Hôtel de Ville Ice-Skating Rink
From December to early March, an ice-skating rink sets up outside the beautiful Hôtel de Ville, creating something of a picture-book experience.
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Espace St-Louis
Take your pick of keep-fit courses at this fun fitness place: pilates, hatha or ashtanga yoga, qigong, salsa, samba, flamenco, modern jazz. Pay €10 to try a one-hour cour or buy a carnet. Recommended are the classes aboard a péniche (barge) on the Seine near Notre Dame or the Louvre. Details are online.
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Bike About Tours
This is an expat-run tour group, offering 3.5-hour daytime tours (adult/student €30/28). Tours begin at 10pm and run from mid-February to November, with an extra 3pm tour from mid-May to September. They leave from in front of Notre Dame; reservations are recommended. Private family and group tours are also available.
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Patinoire de Montparnasse
From December to early March, the city maintains several pretty-as-a-picture outdoor patinoires de Noël (Christmas ice-skating rinks; www.paris.fr, in French). Access is free but patins/casques (skates/safety helmets) cost €5/3 to rent. Rinks include the Patinoire de Montparnasse.
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