Paris · With kids

Push a rented wooden sailboat round the pond, then the puppet theatre, carousel and a fenced playground. Two to ten, all afternoon.

The children's wing of the science museum at La Villette runs timed sessions split by age band. Book ahead; two hours, hands on everything.

Forty minutes east on the RER A, two parks, and prices that reward booking ahead and going midweek outside French school holidays.

A menagerie, a hothouse and the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution's parade of stuffed animals — the reliable rainy afternoon, from about four.

Most metro stations have no lift; buses have ramps and are the better bet with wheels. Under-fours travel free, older children at reduced fares.