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

This great Gothic cathedral, founded on the site of a Roman temple, was completed in 1334 and is a repository of French art and history. It also represents the geographical heart of France.

One of the most famous avenues in the world came into being when the royal gardener André Le Nôtre planted an arbour of trees beyond the border of the Jardin des Tuileries in 1667. First called the Grand Cours (Great Way), it was later renamed the Champs-Elysées (Elysian Fields). In the mid-19th century the avenue acquired pedestrian paths, fountains, gas lights and cafés, and became the fashionable place for socializing and entertainment. Since the funeral of Napoleon in 1840, this wide thoroughfare has also been the route for state processions, victory parades and other city events. The Rond Point des Champs-Elysées is the prettiest part, with chestnut trees and flower beds, but the upper end, near the Arc de Triomphe, has sadly lost its glamour with the influx of fast-food chains and tourist services. Yet a walk along the avenue is still an obligatory part of any visit to Paris.

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.