Paris La Villette

The realization of a successful urban renewal project, La Villette’s 20-year metamorphosis proves you can’t rush a good thing. Once a meat-packing district that provided Paris with much of its beef, the area became outmoded after the refrigerated truck’s advent. In 1979, the slaughterhouses were replaced with an artistic park, and voilà: architect Bernard Tschumi’s three-part vision took 461 teams from 41 difference countries to complete.

Parc De La Villette. Cut in the middle by Canal de l’Ourcq and Canal St-Denis, Parc de la Villette separates the Cité des Sciences from the Cité de la Musique. Dominating the park, the steel-and-glass Grande Halle features concerts, films, and plays. The architecture fuses traditional Haussmann style and uber-modern glass facades. Twenty-six funny-shaped red buildings called folies dot the park at regular 120m intervals. Sharing a similar cube design, they serve numerous purposes from First Aid center to Le Quick hamburger stand. Before the Grande Halle, the information Villette folie distributes free maps and brochures.

During July and August, La Villette hosts a free open-air film festival with an international program. The Zénith concert hall welcomes rock and pop artists while the Trabendo jazz and modern music club—located in yet another folie —attracts new-wave and rock groups. Every September, an extremely popular, month-long jazz festival takes over La Villette (see Life and Times, ).

Finally, the Promenade des Jardins links several thematic gardens, including the Garden of Dunes and Wind, reminiscent of a seashore; the Garden of Childhood Fears, which winds through a wooded grove resonant with spooky sounds; and the roller coaster Dragon Garden. If you can bypass the height requirement and pass yourself off as under 12, then you too can join the gaggle of kids leaping on trampolines, racing up hills, and zooming down slides. (211 avenue Jean Jaurès, 19 ème . Porte de Pantin. General info ☎01 40 03 75 75, Trabendo 01 42 01 12 12, Zénith 01 42 08 60 00; www.villette.com. Buy tickets online at www.fnac.com. Info office open M-Sa 9:30am-6:30pm. Promenade des Jardins open 24hr. Free.)

Cité Des Sciences Et De L’Industrie. The Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie houses the fabulous Explora Science Museum (see Museums), arguably the best destination for kids in Paris. The enormous Géode outside the Cité, a mirrored sphere mounted on a flower bed, looks like a gigantic disco ball thanks to the 6433 polished stainless steel triangles coating its exterior. Inside, Omnimax movies on deep sea creatures, glaciers, and other natural phenomena play on a 1000 sq. m hemispheric screen. To the right of the Géode, the Argonaute submarine details the history of submersibles from Jules Verne to present-day nuclear-powered subs. This 400-ton, 50m fighter submarine first served the French Navy in 1958, clocking more than 32,000hr. underwater during its 24-year tenure. Between the Canal St-Denis and the Cité, Cinaxe features innovative movies filmed from the first-person perspective; hydraulic pumps simulate every bump and curve as you explore the world in Formula One cars, low-flying planes, and Mars land rovers. Have lunch beforehand at your own risk. (19 ème . Porte de la Villette. ☎01 40 05 80 00; www.cite-sciences.fr. Géode: ☎01 40 05 12 12. Open M generally 10:30am-7:30pm, Tu-Su 10:30am-9:30pm; hours may vary. Shows hourly. Tickets €10.50, under 25 M-F except holidays €9, 2 films €15. Argonaute open Tu-Sa 10am-5:30pm, Su 10am-6:30pm. Admission €3; includes English- or French-languge audioguide. Cinaxe: ☎01 40 05 12 12. Open Tu-Su 11am-1pm and 2-5pm; shows every 15min. Admission €4.80.)

Cité De La Musique. At the opposite end of La Villette from the Cité des Sciences, the Cité de la Musique opened in 1995. Christian de Pefrzamparc and Franck Hamoutène collaborated over this stunning complex’s design, accentuating its glass ceilings and curving walls. For classical music lovers, the Musée de la Musique presents a rare treat. Visitors don headphones that tune in to musical excerpts and describe the pieces comprising the museum’s vast collection of over 900 antique instruments, sculptures, and paintings. The Cité de la Musique’s two performance spaces—the 900-seat Salle des Concerts and the 230-seat Amphithéâtre —host an eclectic range of concerts and shows year-round (see Entertainment). The Cité de la Musique also houses the music info center and the Médiathèque Pédagogique, with 70,000 books, documents, music journals, and photographs. (19 ème . Porte de Pantin. ☎01 44 84 44 84, médiathèque 01 44 84 89 45; www.cite-musique.fr. Info center open Tu-Sa noon-6pm, Su 10-6pm. Musée de la Musique open Tu-Sa noon-6pm, Su 10am-6pm; last entry 5:15pm. Admission €6.50, under 18 €5.20. 1hr. French-language tour €10, under 18 €8. Extra charge for temporary exhibits. Médiathèque open Tu-Sa noon-6pm, Su 1-6pm. Free.)