Our Week at Les Villages Nature, Paris

It was a holiday that was supposed to happen in 2020, then 2021 and so we approached the lead up this year cautiously, hoping that it would go ahead but not getting the children too excited just in case things changed.  As May approached everything starting looking positive and thankfully by the time we made it over to France last month, there were very few restrictions and we could enjoy a week away with my extended family.

It was our second time visiting Les Villages Nature, the French Centre Parcs on the outskirts of Paris and there is something lovely that comes from that familiarity, of not needing to spend too long finding your bearings.  The bigger boys have some memories from our last trip here 3 years ago and the younger two had been looking at our photo scrapbook from our last trip so they came with a good idea of where we were headed.  Rex of course was oblivious to it all, but it was his first time in a new country and I think he had a great time!

I have written before about what there is to do at Les Villages Nature and this year we spent just as much time in the huge pool complex, but the children were even more confident on the slides (and tall enough to do more of them).  We went back to the amazing playground, petted the goats in the onsite farm and tried out some of the activities including the escape room, climbing walls and pony riding.  

The parc has changed slightly since our last visit, there is a lunchtime burger restaurant and a creperie, although we didn't get enough time to try either.  We took lots of photos with the goats again and barely any elsewhere but I wanted to save it all on this blog as something to look back on.  This year we decided to do a day trip into Paris mid week as some of us had never seen the city centre before and I have written about what we got up to there seperately.  Les Villages Nature is perfectly positioned to visit Disney and it was easy enough to get to the centre of Paris via a short bus ride and then a train.

We had a fantastic week away and made wonderful memories with our family.

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Paris in a Day, with Kids

We recently spent a week at Villages Nature, a Centre Parcs resort on the outskirts of Paris and decided to do a day trip into the city.  I have been to France countless times but have never made it to the centre of Paris so I was excited to see all the famous sites and nervous of how child friendly the centre would be with our five children aged 10 and under.

            

Villages Nature is a 35 minute drive to the centre of Paris, but we decided to use public transport which meant a bus ride to Disneyland (10 minutes) and then the train in from there to Chatelet Les Halles (44 minutes).  It was the children's first double decker train which they all loved.   We had already planned our first stop and so we walked slowly towards the River Seine and over the bridge to embark on a boat tour.  You can buy tickets there but we had pre-booked them online (with flexible timing) and thought it would be a great way to orientate ourselves with the city before exploring further on foot.

The river cruise was on an open top boat and we sat at the front of the top deck ready to take it all in.  The live commentary was in both English and French.  In hindsight I would have done this slightly later in the day when the children were getting tired and needed to sit down, but I loved getting to know some of the history of Paris and getting a feel for how spread out the city is. It started and ended at Pont Neuf and once we had finished we went off in search of food.

I grabbed a burger meal from Naked Vegan Burger which was delicious. I was nervous about being vegan in France but I could always eat something. After lunch I was keen to find the Louvre because I wanted to see the pyramid up close.  I hadn't taken in quite how huge this famous art museum is and with all the children in tow we decided to keep the inside for another trip.  We marvelled at the beautiful buildings and the modern pyramid in the centre of the courtyard and then found the row of souvenir shops selling model versions of the Eiffel Tower and postcards of the iconic views.

We were keen to give the children some space to run around by this point so we headed into the Jardin les Tuileries, watched children sailing miniature boats with little sticks and then found the playground.  It wasn't huge but there was plenty of seating for parents and it gave the children some time to free play in the middle of a busy day.

             

From the park we walked up to Place de la Concorde which I was fascinated to see after the boat tour commentary.  By this point the sun was strong and we were tiring so we walked up the Rue Royale and found a restaurant with shady outdoor seating for some much needed crepes (and sorbet for me) and to play some card games.  Cora (aged 5) had a nap in the buggy as her little legs were tired, and the baby had a rest in the sling, making me very glad I had packed both!  Everywhere we visited was stroller friendly and if you have a child who still fits in a stroller then I would recommend bringing one to let you explore for longer.

When we were rested and ready to return, we walked back to Concorde Place as we had spotted the TukTuks there.  Being a family of 7, we needed two taxis, but we could fit in one TukTuk (which was roughly the price of two taxis) so we had an open air ride over to the Eiffel Tower.  We decided not to go up it on this occasion as most of us were more interested in seeing it rather than the views from the top, and there were big grass areas in front perfect for a picnic or just to sit and enjoy the views.  There were also plenty of street stalls selling keyrings of the Eiffel Tower in all colours at 5 for 1 Euro and we left with pockets full of them! If you want to go up you can choose to pre-book or queue on the day and you can go either to the 2nd floor or the top.

By the time we were finished admiring the view, everyone was tired and hungry so we decided to get a taxi over to the Arc De Triomphe as we could get the train home from here.  We walked down the Champs Elysees to find food, but the prices in restaurants were just too much for us (30-50 Euros minimum for a main course) so we ended up in McDonalds (which was still 12 Euros for a Cheeseburger meal) and I bought a vegan meal from a shop. 

We caught the train back from here and arrived home close to midnight and utterly exhausted! Paris is beautiful, dusty, expensive and definitely worth a visit.  I would love to go back and take it in slower but we managed to catch many iconic sights on our one day trip! If we didn't have the children with us then I would have walked the two taxi rides (or used the Metro) but with children this gave us a rest and a chance to see more in our one day.

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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.

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A big family holiday to Villages Nature Centre Parcs in Paris

 For the first time last week we went on a big family holiday, travelling not just the six of us but also with my parents, my sister, my brother and his family.  13 of us got into cars and caught the ferry to Calais before driving to Villages Nature, a French Centre Parcs site just outside Paris. We had three cottages which were all attached and a private garden at the back.

Ours had 3 bedrooms, free wifi and a lovely communal area as well as two bathrooms and a seperate toilet. It was a fantastic space for the six of us and the children loved having their family next door too! The parc is big and green and everywhere you look there are trees, flowers and lakes. There were several playgrounds including a huge one in the enchanted forest, a giant pool complex with indoor and outdoor pools and plenty of slides for big and little people and there was an onsite farm with a cafe and soft play.   It had all the usual Centre Parcs activities from tree tops trekking to escape rooms, to den building and climbing walls and we loved trying new things. 

What we loved most though was spending time together. The children got so much one on one time thanks to lovely family who would take them off on little adventures, water slides and for visits to the bakery. It meant we got to spend dedicated one on one time with them as well as them having it with other family members and it made it really special.  

The parc is situated about 10 minutes drive from Disneyland Paris and there is a bus that runs between the two. We couldn't resist a day trip there and ended up staying until midnight so that we could watch the Illuminations show which is just beautiful and lights up the castle.  Finn's highlight was definitely being tall enough for Big Thunder Mountain and he couldn't get enough of the wild rollercoaster.  

Cora loved seeing all the animals in the parc's onsite farm, stroking the goats, cows and horses and planning which ones she wanted to smuggle out with her and keep.  She loved the play area in the farm too and I think she would love to try out the pony rides if we visit again as she was just a little bit too small.

Archie loved the waterslides and there were quite a few he could do. There was a fast one in a rubber ring which was my favourite and the two big boys loved the outdoors one in the middle of the rapids that never had a queue. I think all four children would have spent the whole week in the pools given the choice!

Dylan loved the big adventure playground set in the woodlands and playing games in  it. It was the perfect place for hide and seek, tag or any other game they could make up and it was a shame we didn't have longer to spend there as there was so much more to explore.

The parc had something for all of us and was a great family place. We loved spending time as an extended family and it is definitely somewhere we would love to visit again! 

I have plenty of photos I want to share, so here are a few

Our Accomodation

We stayed in a 3 bed Country Premium Cottage and each rooms was decorated with a different nature based theme.

The Playgrounds

The photos of the big enchanted forest one are in another post, these are just from other playgrounds around the parc.

The Farm

The farm was really interactive with lots of animals that were happy to be touched but they all had plenty of space to get away from humans too.  There were big fields for the horses and cows around the outskirts of the main farm areas.

Hiring a Jeep

This was a big hit with the three boys (Cora had a nap) as we hired two jeeps that they could drive around the park.  Ed and I had a remote control for them both that switched off the engine with one touch just incase!

The Parc in general.

It had an easy layout with the big swimming complex easy to spot! There was so much green.

Our day at Disney

My four children and I all wore our Disney gear for a lovely day on the rides, watching the parade and the illuminations

 The Activity Centre

The big boys had a go on the climbing wall whilst the adults did a ninja warrior course. There were other games and activities and everything was pretty reasonable (2 euros each for the ninja course, 6 euros each for the climbing wall). It was located next door to the pool.

 And finally a picture from the ferry ride home

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