Walking in the Zoo de Vincennes

With an aquarium, a funfair, a zoo, and boating on the lake, this outing is full of diversions.

The Palais de la Porte Dorée (1, 293 avenue Daumesnil) is home to an enormously popular aquarium and the new Musée de l’Immigration. Before entering, look at the dacade covered in reliefs of wild animals, tropical jungles, and hunters, then go to the basement to see colorful fish from the coral reef, a piranha pool, tanks of whiskery catfish, and the crocodile pit. Exit the museum to the left, crossing over boulevard Peripherique and following the avenue around to the Zoo de Vincennes (2, corner avenue Daumesnil and route de la Ceinture du Lac Daumesnil), the main Paris zoo, with its dramatic gigantic fake rocky mountain. It is currently being transformed into a series of biozones to represent different ecosystems. The acrobatic gibbons and the antics of baboons and Japanese macaques will keep most kids – and parents – amused. See the giraffe house and visit the Nocturama to watch lemurs and aye-aye in nighttime conditions. Leave by Charenton gate and enter the adjoining Bois de Vincennes. Follow the footpath around Lac Daumesnil (3), one of the nicest parts of this expanse of woodland. You can rent a rowboat or walk over the bridge to the Ile de Reuilly, home to the Chalet des Iles (4), a restaurant that is quite family oriented at Sunday brunch. Afterward, stop at the Pelouse de Reuilly (5) on the way back to the Porte Dorée, which hosts a huge funfair each summer and a circus in winter.

Metro Station  : Porte Dorée (Line 8), Liberté (Line 8)