"I love its tranquillity, its greenery, wide pavements, little shops and the family atmosphere that surrounds the place"

The 15th and me go back a long way. I ended up in this arrondissement by chance when I was a student… and never left. I love its tranquillity, its greenery, wide pavements, little shops and the family atmosphere that surrounds the place, so it was an obvious choice of area in which to bring up my two children.

Here’s one of our favourite regular circuits: it’s very easy, the kids can have fun and the whole family can enjoy it, too! We start by a long walk in the Parc Georges Brassens with its many play areas for adults and children alike. There are no arguments: everyone can find a suitable swing or sand pit. Our little ritual includes going to see the donkey, which the kids love climbing over. It isn’t far from the statue of the great French musician, who gave the park its name. We then wander around trying to avoid the joggers and visit the beehives and the vineyard!

All these activities work up an appetite! In fine weather we like to picnic on the grass and, if the worst comes to the worst and we’ve forgotten something, there’s a little supermarket close by! In the winter we prefer to stay in the warm with a nice bowl of cider, and go to the Crêperie du Parc (7-9 Place Jacques Marette) right by the park exit. It’s excellent and the children receive a friendly welcome, and can use the crayons to draw on the placemats! Clever idea!

The 15^th arrondissement is well known for its numerous squares and parks, and we visit the one closest to us, the Parc Georges Brassens. However, you mustn’t miss the Parc André Citroën. Here, you can ascend to seventh heaven in style in the ‘Paris balloon’ which allows you to rise up over the city at an altitude of 150 metres. If in doubt, I go on the Ballon de Paris website to check the weather conditions are optimal for take-off before we leave. As a good ‘eco’ family, we obviously take the tram to go from one park to the other; Brancion to Balard takes just 10 minutes.

For shopping trips, the brand new mall Beaugrenelle really satisfies consumers like us. With shops, cinemas and restaurants located on the banks of the Seine, we also enjoy emerging from our retail therapy to stroll along the quays to rediscover the famous Pont Mirabeau and hop across to visit the 16^th arrondissement on the other side of the river.

As we’re young parents, we often feel like we need a break, but that can be hard with young children, so we combine the practical and the pleasurable and head to Mombini. Located near the Vaugirard metro station, this child-friendly venue always welcomes us with open arms and we settle down in its comfortable café area. The kids rush off to play opposite the armchairs in a lovely play zone where, under our supervision of course, they play and run back and forth to steal our cakes. The café is quite simply perfect. Everything has been designed with babies in mind too; high chairs, changing space, etc. We also manage to sign up for some courses: yoga for children, for example.

We haven’t forgotten to finish off the tour of the arrondissement with some culture! Although the 15^th doesn’t have a large number of museums, there’s one I love to visit because it regularly provides tours of discovery for families: the Musée Bourdelle. Dedicated to the life and work of this fabulous sculptor, the museum is also famous for its beautiful gardens. When we come out we never fail to go and say hello to the Tour Montparnasse which is just next door… in the 14th!