Are you looking for an idea of educational and recreational outing in Paris? Visit the Parc de la Villette to visit the City of Science and Industry.
We often go to Paris for its festive atmosphere, gastronomy, art museums and monuments. But the French capital also offers great playful and educational spaces. Among them, in the heart of Parc de la Villette, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, on the former slaughterhouse site, is the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, a green space of fifty-five hectares, entirely dedicated to science and technology. It is one of the first scientific museums in Europe. With nearly ninety million visitors in thirty years, the City of Science has nothing envied at the largest museums in Paris. With its success with the public and especially families, the City of Science and Industry has become a must-see in Paris.
Want to discover, learn and have fun? Here is a complete guide to visit the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie de Paris, with family or friends.
History of the City of Science and Industry
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Christian Mueller
La Villette was a small agricultural village on the outskirts of Paris for a long time. In 1812 Napoleon diged a basin to feed the capital into water. Haussmann settled there a few years later, in 1867, the Paris slaughterhouses, as well as a bestial market. The latter will only close in 1974, leaving an immense space for abandonment at the gates of the capital.
As early as 1977, Valérie Giscard d’Estaing, then President of the Republic, decided to launch a mission to reconversion and develop the former slaughterhouses and the Villette area as a whole. In 1979, Maurice Lévy was responsible for defining the contours of the future Science, Technology and Industry Museum. The aim is to make the sciences accessible to as many as possible in a playful and educational space. The architectural design is entrusted to it Adrien Fainsilber . In March 1986, Cité des sciences et de l’industrie opened its doors at a inauguration conducted by Francois Mitterrand on the very day of the Haley comet. The City of Children will open its doors a few years later in 1992 and will experience several adaptations over the years.
The architecture of the buildings of the City of Science and Industry reflects the desire for modernism and the boldness of its creator. The City is, in fact, constituted by a gigantic parallelepiped of two hundred and fifty meters long, one hundred and fifty meters wide and fifty meters high. It is complemented by one of the symbols of the City, the Géode, a huge concrete sphere of thirty-six meters in diameter, with glittering facets.
In 2016, the City of Science celebrates its thirty years and has a phenomenal success with more than two million two hundred and six thousand visitors, not counting the entrances to the geode. A sure value to visit in Paris!
What to see and do at the City of Science and Industry?
Photo credit: Facebook – Cité des sciences et de l’industrie
The City of Science and Industry is actually composed of three distinct spaces: Explora, the City of Children and Geodes. You may need much more than a day to visit the City of Science and Industry as the number of exhibitions and activities proposed is important.
Explora space
This space offers permanent exhibitions, but also temporary exhibitions that regularly renew.
Throughout the year, you can explore the secrets of science and technology, but also participate in surprising experiences . Discover or sharpen your knowledge of the brain, energy, mathematics, space and satellites, sound and light, transport or innovations that have changed our daily lives. Take a tour of the exciting exhibition Space debris: orbiting or discover them Cognitive sciences in a playful way through the exhibition C3rv34u . Visiting the City of Science and Industry is a great way to learn while having fun!
Also note that since July 2019, the Explora space offers Lab de la Cité des Babies a free eco-responsible space for children from zero to two years old. A fun and warm place where your toddlers will be able to participate in several workshops (teacher reading, sign language, etc.) and develop their motor and cognitive skills through the various awakening carpets, books and toys offered. Remember to book your sessions on the official website of the City of Science and Industry!
The City of Children
Here, your children between two and twelve years will spend a day rich in discovery, playful and interactive games and experiences. Two. specific areas renovated in 2005 and 2009 are dedicated to them.
The first is reserved for the smallest between 2 and 7 years. It consists of five thematic areas (I discover myself, I know how to do, I spot, I experience, All together) spread over a thousand seven hundred square meters. Manipulation of objects, exploration of space, construction of identity, open-mindedness, everything is done so that the smaller ones learn, enjoy and flourish.
The second space is for children between 5 and 12 years of age and is divided into six areas of activity :the body, communicate, the Studio TV, the water games, the garden and the factory. In total autonomy, your children will discover science and develop their curiosity through many technical, creative and cultural activities.
Visiting the City of Science and Industry, this is a great way to take care of your children intelligently during the holidays!
The Geodes
Finish your visit with one cinema session unique to the world in the Géode. This gigantic dome offers IMAX 3D relief films on a hemispheric screen of a thousand square meters, inclined to thirty degrees. You will watch very diverse and exciting films, quietly installed in tilted seats at twenty-seven degrees. Sensations guaranteed!
How do I go to the City of Science and Industry in Paris?
By public transport
- Metro : borrow Line 7, Porte de la Villette station
- Bus : lines 139, 150, 152, station Porte de la Villette
- Tramway : 3b tram (sens Porte de Vincennes – Porte de la Chapelle) station Porte de la Villette
By car
Take it exit Porte de la Villette on the North Peripheral. Once on site, pay parking (about ten euros per three hours) is located on the outskirts of Charente and Macdonald Boulevard.
Bike
Then the center of Paris, you can borrow the cycle path. Bike parking is available on the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, at the level of theHotel Forest Hill. Otherwise, you can drop your bike in one of the Vélib’ stations around the City.
By boat
Yes, you can also take the water path! Several cruises are provided between the Villette basin and the Port of Arsenal or between the Parc de la Villette and the Musée d’Orsay.
Schedules and Rates of the City of Science and Industry
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Christian Mueller
HORARI
- From Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
RATES
- Billet exploded
Rate : 12€ / Reduced price : 9€
- Children's City Bill
Rate : 12€ / Reduced price : 9€
- Post for the Geode
Single rate : 6€
BON A LEARN
– Book your tickets online to avoid waiting threads and access different spaces.
- To learn how to visit the City of Science and Industry, think about consulting on the agenda from the site.
- On November 30, 2018, the Géode closed its doors for work. Reopening planned 2020.
- Until January 5, 2020, the Explora space offers exciting temporary exhibitions on body and sport themes and on huts.
– Several supports (guides, panels, documentation) are translated into English.
- Several restaurants and fast food are at your disposal, as well as picnic tables.
- If it’s beautiful, don’t hesitate to enjoy the immense Parc de la Villette.
- Turn around Planetarium for an exceptional space trip or visit the Argonaute, a hunting submarine of the 1950s.
- Most areas are accessible to people with reduced mobility (except underwater, too high).
- A dressing room is available at the lobby, level 0.
– Children and adults wheelchairs and wheelchairs can be borrowed from the dressing room in exchange for an identity document.
- Others spaces are available on the Parc de la Villette : Cité des métiers, Cité de la Santé or the library of science and industry.
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