When you travel with children you do things that you wouldn't normally do on an adult holiday. Left to my own devices I wouldn't normally visit Aquaboulevard, a rather large water slide park on the outer edges of Paris. But I've now spent the day at Aquaboulevard twice, first in 2010, and then again on our recent trip. It's a great place to take the kids, and fun for adults too. Although it's quite expensive, 28 euros for adults and kids 12 and over (15 euros for those 3-11 years, no admission for children under 3).
It's easy to get there. Take the Metro, line 8 to Balard. Walk under the Periphery and you'll find Aquaboulevard.
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| It's a bit odd peering in at all the people having fun from within the office building |
There are some unusual rules for those of us who are sadly non-French.
But you can buy some new swimmers if you need them.
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| Or there's a big sports shop as you enter the building |
After navigating the compulsory shower most people visit Jonas the whale first.
You walk up into the whale's rear end and slide out the side.
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| There's replica whale innards on the inside! The main pool has a wave machine and a great rope swing too |
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| There's lots of water cannon action |
There are internal and external slides.
The internal slides use tubes. Two of the slides have two and three person tubes, they're great fun.
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| Master Wicker loving it back in 2010 |
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| Lots of slides end up outside |
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| The end of the Aquamikaze an 80m drop that gave Master Wicker a near death experience everyone was shrieking as they came off this one better for older teenagers I think wiser adults avoided it.... |
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| The dryer room on the way back to the change rooms |
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| Sparkly purple toenails! |
They have a great change room system, but it is a bit confusing the first time to us poor Anglophones. The change rooms are walk through cubicles, that you enter from the outside when you are going to the pool, and then from the inside/locker room when you're leaving. The cubicle doors lock at knee height. The lockers use 1 euro coins, but you get it back at the end.
You're not meant to take picnics in which is a bit of a shame. The cafe is reasonable value though. They have formule meals (baguette, chips and a drink) for around 7 or 8 euros. Master Wicker and I shared one on our second visit.
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| Our 2010 lunch Not the best lunch you'll have in Paris, but better than you'd get at a water park here |
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| Dreaming of France is a wonderful Monday meme from Paulita at An Accidental Blog |
6 comments:
This amused me because you're so right. When you travel with children, what you would do sometimes differs from what you end up doing. Still, sounds like fun was had and isn't that the point of traveling?
Love the no board short sign-speedos only.
I wonder why the French don't count board shorts as swim trunks. You have to have a certain amount of thigh showing? When the kids were little, we went to a lot of zoos and ended our visit with Disneyland Paris. Thanks for playing along. Here’s my Dreaming of France meme
I think I won't be allowed on this resort with my usual swimming wear...
Looks like a fun time!
My son would love this. It certainly puts some of our swimming pools to shame, even the ones that do have slides and things.
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