Situated on a large urban renewal site devoted to culture and leisure, Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie was completed in 1986 with a mandate to educate visitors about science and technology. Designed by the architect Adrien Fainsilber and based on five themes, water and earth, the universe, industry, communication, and man and health, the Cité has welcomed just about 40 million visitors since it first opened its doors to the public on 13 March 1986, coinciding with the arrival of Halley’s Comet. Located in the Parc de la Villette, which was formerly a enormous abattoir, covering an area of 55 hectares, this highly-innovative complex is one of the biggest scientific and cultural centers in the world and is made up of several individual sites.



Explora offers visitors activities such as piloting an aero plane or traveling through the human body; the Géode is a large geodesic dome containing a 1000 sq metre screen and Cinaxe is a simulator fitted with equipment used to train airline pilots. For children, the Cité des Enfants teaches them how to make a TV show, whilst the Exposition Électricité offers them a chance to learn how electricity is supplied. One can find a 400-tonne submarine in the Submarine Argonaute area, which was the pride of the French Navy during the 1950s and was installed at the Cité in 1989. New exhibitions include L’homme et les Gènes show, it is an introduction to the world of genes. Poussieres d’Étoiles tells the story of the birth of the Universe through giant laser shows and musical creations.

It is located on an impressive modern site in northeastern Paris called the Parc de la Villette. The ‘Parc’ is a unique area of culture and leisure in Paris. Offering a wide variety of exhibitions and shows, this cultural crossroads is also a lovely park, with gardens surrounding the Ourcq canal. La cites des Sciences et de l'Industrie is located at the top of the park, and is a masterpiece of modern architecture.

Parc de la Villette is the setting for this huge science museum best known for its Géode dome and impressive 180-degree cinema. Natural and scientific phenomena are explained with the help of exhibitions in an area specially designed with kids in mind. Children aged three and over can visit a real submarine, the Argonaute, and find out how it works; temporary exhibitions are organized in Espace Explora. Admission to La Cité des Métiers resource centre and the children's multimedia library is free.

The space section is also well worth visiting, with its scale models of the Ariane space launchers, where one can experience weightlessness at first hand. There is even a real submarine in the grounds - the 400-tonne Argonaute came to rest at La Cité des Sciences in 1989 and has been restored to its former glory on dry land. The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is one of the largest science museums in the world, visited by many every year.

All the conveniences are nearby; with playgrounds for children, la grande halle - a giant hall for exhibitions and shows, the national conservatory of music and dance, and the “folies" - small red buildings housing mini-exhibits and snack bars.