To combine relaxation, education and family activities during your stay at the Hotel Interlude, why not enjoy a family outing to the Palais de la Porte Dorée Aquarium and the Vincennes Zoo? Your loved ones will have a great time learning about the wonders of nature, and it’s all within easy reach of the hotel.

 

The Porte Dorée Aquarium, where amazing aquatic life awaits you

Housed in the very heart of the Palais de la Porte Dorée, a remarkable Art Deco building listed as a historic monument, the Porte Dorée Aquarium presents an amazing collection of aquatic fauna. Embark on a fascinating journey to discover a colourful world full of mystery and wonder. This exceptional place, located on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes and originally created for the colonial exhibition of 1931, was designed to allow the public to get up close and personal with a wide range of aquatic animals from around the world, learn about their incredible biodiversity and understand how they have adapted to their various environments.

The aquarium now has about 750 species, including nearly 15,000 freshwater or seawater-dwelling animals, fish, mammals and semi-aquatic vertebrates. Here you can see some species of primitive fish. These so-called ‘living fossils’ have remained almost unchanged since the time of their ancestors many millions of years ago. There are also electric fishes (species able to use an electric current to navigate, protect themselves or communicate) as well as the aquatic marvels of Asia, India, the African lakes, South America (the formidable piranhas) and elsewhere. You and your family will also have the opportunity to get acquainted with sharks, rare white albino alligators with orange eyes, turtles, crocodiles and many more denizens of the underwater world. Don’t miss the superb crocodile pool and its various popular supervised educational activities.

The oldest in Paris, this aquarium has undergone extensive renovation yet has maintained an old-fashioned appeal that still charms visitors. The entrance fee remains very reasonable.

 

The Vincennes Zoo for a delightful family outing

A visit to the Vincennes Zoo (or, to give its proper title, the Parc Zoologique de Paris) is a must when you visit the capital with your family. This famous zoological park is divided into five biozones; Sahel-Sudan, Patagonia, Guyana, Madagascar and Europe, which you explore on a 4 km course over an area of 14.5 hectares. An emphasis on protection and conservation is the approach taken here. You will meet more than 2,000 animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, living in carefully built habitats designed to recreate those of their natural environments. Don’t miss the tropical greenhouse, the vivarium which houses more than 15 species of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, and the large aviary where visitors and birds in free flight share the same space. The Vincennes Zoo also regularly organises family activities and exciting nocturnal experiences.

 

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For more information:

- Aquarium de la Porte Dorée
- Zoo de Vincennes

Hotel L'Interlude, a 3-star hotel in the heart of the 12th arrondissement