ballbuster

Has anyone here ever been to the science museum at the Parc de la villette?

Did you enjoy it? Are any of the signs in the museum in English or do they have an English pamphlet or audio guide? How close is the museum from the nearest metro stop?

Patrick

We went this summer. We found it just OK, but highly disappointing. There was actually very little in English so most exhibits meant nothing to us. We enjoyed a few of the things, but it was also far more "technical" than I expected -- more suited to true science students than the average person. In fact a number of the exhibits were closed off to particular school groups. We were also disappointed that although we found it pretty expensive, once we got inside we found our ticket didn't include a lot of things we thought we might have enjoyed. We had a difficult time trying to figure out before buying our tickets just what was included in each price, and what those things actually were. There were no audio guides, nor any pamphlet other than a map of the place.

Michael

The museum is right at one of the métro stops. It has different areas for different age groups, with lots of hands-on stuff.

StCirq

When my kids were about 8 and 11, they loved it. It was the year France won the World Cup, and the museum was featuring an international football robot tournament. I'd never seen such a thing, and my kids were mezmerized. They also loved the Odorama exhibit, the submarine, and lots of the hands-on activities.

As an adult traveling without kids, I'd probably skip it. Yes, everything is in French, and no I don't recall audiotapes - it's not that kind of museum.

JulieVikmanis

I found the park and the building and its giant rotating silver ball to be more interesting than the museum. It's another of the Mitterand projects to modernize many of the less visited areas of the city and is interesting from that perspective. The area was once a slaughterhouse and now also houses exhibit and convention centers as well as a music museum and concert hall.

JulieVikmanis

see the Eyewitness Guide to Paris for a big spread on the museums and the area.

ballbuster

What is included in the museum pass in reference to the villete park.

Is the geode or planetarium show included?

And Julie, I already have the Eyewitness Paris guide

Michael

On the other side of the park, hence a different métro line, there is a music museum that includes the appropriate music over headphones for the exhibit you are seeing: violins in the 18th century will have Vivaldi over the headphones, the piano exhibits will feature piano concerti, etc.

Underhill

my husband (a museum buff and a physicist at one time) found the parc de la vilette disappointing, especially when compared with science-oriented places in london and munich.