5 Things we Loved at Villages Natures Centre Parcs in Paris

We had such an amazing week at the Villages Nature Centre Parcs in Paris and we definitely made the most of everything that was included in our stay as well as paying for a few extra experiences to make it more special. I have written about our stay there but I wanted to share 5 of our favourite activities from the week too.

1) The adventure playground set in the woodlands was just fantastic.  There was something for every age right up to mine and the wooden and natural style made it really stand out. It was huge, exciting and full of challenges, slides and climbing equipment and we could have spent much longer there. There is a little hut nearby where there is a free show some afternoons but the boys just wanted to run and climb in the playground.

2) Right next to the playground was a building where you could hire jeeps for the children to drive around and we took 2 out for half an hour one afternoon.  The children are in control of the jeeps but the adult is given a master switch where one button switches the engine off immediately so you can keep them away from  danger.  The recommended age for this was 3-12 but Dylan is a very tall 7 year old and was getting a bit big so I would say more 3-8 years really. The boys all thought it was the best thing ever and it was a reasonable price for the experience.

3) Onsite is a free farm where you can pet the goats and visit the chickens, horses and other animals.  There is a lovely cafe in the middle with the most fantastic soft play including trampolines and ball blasters with a wooden natural theme.  The farm was open every day and it felt like having a day out with no extra cost. My tiny animal lover wanted to bring all the goats back home with her!  

4) As we were away with extended family, it gave me a little freedom to do something just for me and I picked the high wires course.  I hadn't done something like this before and it was so much fun! I was fitted with a harness and taught how to work the carabiner clip system and after some practice we were sent out into the forest to try the routes we wanted to. It was terrifying at first but a great way to try something new and the courses were so extensive that after 2.5 hours in the forest I had only seen a small number of routes. There is a junior version for children from 6 upwards.

5) Centre Parcs are known for their swimming pools and this might just have been our favourite thing as a family.  The pool complex was huge with something for everyone.  There was a wave pool, a playground pool for little kids and one for bigger kids, an adventure pool, a lazy river, outdoor pools and so so many water slides.  At 1.05 metres there were quite a few slides that Finn could do even as a non-swimmer as they ended in shallow water and there were some scarier ones for the brave adults too.  We spent hours in the pools everyday and there were free float vests for the children to use.  My brother has visited the UK Centre Parcs and says Villages Nature is definitely superior in this department! 

We had such a fantastic week and lots of the best things about it were included in the price rather than being extras! If we were staying longer there were plenty of experiences we could have added on too.