One of the city's best treats for children of every age from three upwards is the Cité des Sciences in the Parc de la Villette. A number of other museums may also appeal to children, for example the under-touristed Musée des Arts Africains et Océaniens , with its masks, tropical fish and live crocodiles; the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution offers a children's discovery room on the first floor with child-level microscopes, glass cases with live caterpillars and moths and a burrow of Mongolian rodents. Doll-lovers should enjoy the Musée de la Poupée . The Pompidou Centre has a children's espace , consisting of a room filled with hands-on exhibits. Paris has two excellent planetariums , in the Palais de la Découverte and the Cité des Sciences. 

For a more earthy experience, you could visit les égouts - the sewers - at place de la Résistance, in the 7e. Dank, damp, dripping, claustrophobic and filled with echoes, this is just the sort of place pre-teens love. Another underground experience popular with youngsters is the catacombs at 1 place Denfert-Rochereau, 14e.