Paris is decidedly not the most kid-friendly place when it comes to dining out (they take eating seriously and leave the kids at home, which is not usually an option for us when we’re on vacation). Restaurants with high chairs and booster seats are few and far between, so temper your expectations when dining.

But regardless of their attitude toward kids at restaurants, the French love to let kids be kids outdoors, and Paris has the most beautiful pubic parks and playground equipment for little ones. 

Best yet? They’re free, you can find them all over Paris, and they are well-maintained and well-loved.

Here are three perfect Paris playgrounds to check out the next time you’re in the City of Light. Let me know in the comments if you know of any others we should check out!

(1) Jardin des Plantes Playground

Jules loved this playground at the Jardin des Plantes — home to a botanical garden, the Natural History Museum, and a little “menagerie” (zoo). Fun and nerdy fact: the Jardin des Plantes menagerie is one of the oldest zoos in the world, and its first animals were taken from Versailles after the French revolution.

The play equipment is all labeled with age recommendations. The side she’s on in the photo in the header was labeled for for ages 2-6, but at 18 months old, Jules is pretty adept at climbing. Plus, one of us is always hovering right nearby (something very American-first-time parent and un-French, lol) so we just let her go for it.

(2) Jardin des Tuileries Playground

The playground at the Jardin des Tuileries near Le Louvre is just a few blocks from where we love to stay at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, so we took Jules there one afternoon after a nap. School had already let out, so there were tons of other kids on the playground, with nannies watching from benches on the side.