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Formerly known as EuroDisneyland, the French offspring of America’s favourite theme park is a clone of its parent, and has now been joined by the Walt Disney Studios complex. Both have big queues, so arrive early. There are rides for children of all ages and most adults are equally enchanted.

Visitors with children will probably have no choice about whether they visit the Paris branch of Disneyland or not. However, any parents who are sceptical might be pleasantly surprised, as the hi-tech workings and imagination behind such attractions as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Haunted House” are extremely impressive. The new Walt Disney Studios involve visitors interactively through film, with a professional stunt show at the end.

At the urging of his mistress Madame Pompadour, Louis XV approved the building of the Royal Military Academy in 1751. Although its purpose was to educate the sons of impoverished officers, a grand edifice was designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel, architect of the place de la Concorde and the Petit Trianon at Versailles, and completed in 1773. The central pavilion with its quadrangular dome and Corinthian pillars is a splendid example of the French Classical style.

Formerly the parish church of the Lombard moneylenders, St-Merry was built between 1520 and 1612, and reflects the Flamboyant Gothic style. Its name is a corruption of St-Médéric, who was buried on this site in the early 8th century. The bell in the church’s northwest turret, thought to be the oldest in Paris, dates from 1331 and hung in a chapel which once stood on the site. Other highlights include the decorative west front, the 17th-century organ loft, beautiful stained glass and carved wood panelling.

A trip to the top is one of the most memorable activities for children in Paris.

The Square des Innocents is a Les Halles crossroads and a hang-out for street performers and students. It was built atop a cemetery in the 18th century, and two million remains were transferred to the Catacombs at Denfert-Rochereau. The splendid Renaissance fountain, the last of its era built in the city, was designed by Pierre Lescot and carved by sculptor Jean Goujon in 1547. It originally stood against a wall on rue St-Denis, and was later moved to the new square, when the fourth side was added.

Ten years after the original market was demolished, the so-called “largest urban hole in Europe” was filled with this con- troversial shopping complex. This largely underground maze caters to the young, with music shops and boutiques selling trendy fashions. Outside, buskers, students and tourists mill about the steps and gardens. Separate metal and glass buildings house the Pavillion des Arts and the Maison de la Poésie, cultural centres for art and poetry respectively. Today, it’s more of a sore spot than a hotspot and French architect David Mangin has been brought in to revamp the area during 2007–8.

This immense belle époque exhibition hall was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900. Its splendid glass roof, visible from all over Paris, is a landmark of the Champs-Elysées. The façade, the work of three architects, is an eclectic mix of Art Nouveau ironwork, Classical stone columns and a mosaic frieze, with bronze horses and chariots at the four corners of the roof. The Galleries du Grand Palais host temporary art exhibitions.