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French Toussaint holidays with kids: which holiday park?

Two weeks of French school holidays in late October, children to keep busy and unpredictable weather. The right park must first be open, then offer somewhere to spend the afternoon under cover, and finally be close enough that the drive does not eat up the first day.

By Yourachmeholiday park comparison site

· 6 min read

The figures in this article cover our selection of parks studied in detail (activities, restaurants, recorded prices, dated ratings). The comparison site now covers 909.

Seasons

Where to go for a holiday park break with kids during the Toussaint holidays?

In a park open during the holidays, with an indoor pool and an indoor play area, less than 2h 15m away. From Paris, Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs is 2h 00m away and Le Lac d'Ailette is 2h 04m. Villages Nature, at 36 min, features an outdoor lagoon heated to 30 °C all year round instead of an indoor pool. From Lille, Le Lac d'Ailette is 1h 56m away. From Metz, Les Trois Forêts is 1h 46m away.

The Toussaint school holidays in 2026 run from Saturday 17 October to Monday 2 November, the day school restarts, across all three French school zones. On 17 October, Center Parcs still had accommodation available for these dates at Le Lac d'Ailette, Les Bois-Francs, Le Bois aux Daims and Villages Nature.

Which park to choose based on your departure city?

Center Parcs locations featured for the Toussaint 2026 holidays, driving times outside peak hours
ParkFrom ParisFrom LilleFrom MetzPools and play areas, in our park listings
Villages Nature Paris36 min2h 36m3h 01mOutdoor lagoon heated to 30 °C; indoor pool and play area not confirmed
Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs2h 00m4h 12m5h 12mAqua Mundo, indoor play area
Center Parcs Le Lac d'Ailette2h 04m1h 56m2h 44mAqua Mundo, indoor play area
Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts5h 03m5h 35m1h 46mAqua Mundo, indoor play area
Center Parcs Le Bois aux Daims3h 50m6h 05m6h 58mAqua Mundo, indoor play area

The kids' club is not confirmed in our park listings for any of these parks: you should check this with Center Parcs for your specific dates. All five accept dogs.

What each park offers children when it rains

  • Villages Nature Paris (Bailly-Romainvilliers): a geothermal outdoor lagoon heated to 30 °C all year round, with seven waterslides, a farm and gardens, plus Disneyland Paris just 14 min away for a day out. Neither an indoor pool nor an indoor play area is confirmed in our park listings: in heavy rain, this is the least sheltered park in the table.
  • Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs (Verneuil-d'Avre, Normandy): the first French Center Parcs, set in 300 hectares, featuring an Aqua Mundo with a wave pool, a children's farm and a bowling alley.
  • Center Parcs Le Lac d'Ailette (Chamouille, Aisne): an Aqua Mundo on the shores of a 140-hectare lake, a bowling alley, and Laon just 21 min away.
  • Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts (Hattigny, Moselle): an Aqua Mundo and an indoor play area deep in the forest, near the Vosges.
  • Center Parcs Le Bois aux Daims (Morton, Vienne): free-roaming fallow deer among the cottages, an Aqua Mundo with eight waterslides, and Futuroscope 1h 10m away.

For Halloween, Center Parcs has announced activities in its parks: the 'When I grow up, I'll be a Wizard/Witch' activity, a 'Carve your pumpkin' workshop, haunted trails at dusk, a sweet hunt and magic shows. The exact programme should be checked for each park. For evening events at nearby theme parks, see our article Halloween 2026 in a holiday park.

What to do around the park when the kids have finished exploring the Aqua Mundo?

Two weeks is a long time in one park. Our park listings list day trips around each park with their driving times; those listed here are not marked as seasonal unless stated otherwise.

  • Around Villages Nature: Sea Life Val d'Europe aquarium is 6 min away, Disneyland Paris is 14 min, Vaux-le-Vicomte castle is 37 min and the medieval town of Provins is 47 min.
  • Around Les Bois-Francs: the medieval town of Verneuil-sur-Avre is 26 min away, Chartres and its cathedral are 1h 21m away, and Cerza Zoo is 1h 41m away.
  • Around Le Lac d'Ailette: the Dragon's Lair (Caverne du Dragon), an underground museum of the Chemin des Dames, is 11 min away, the ruins of Vauclair Abbey are 12 min, Laon and its medieval town are 21 min, and Reims is 50 min.
  • Around Les Trois Forêts: the Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane, a boat lift open from April to October, is 44 min away; the Rocher de Dabo is 54 min and Haut-Barr Castle is 1h 00m.
  • Around Le Bois aux Daims: Fontevraud Abbey is 24 min away, the Loire troglodyte caves are 30 min, Chinon is 38 min, Saumur and its castle are 39 min, and Futuroscope is 1h 10m.

Meals and evenings: what makes two weeks with the family easier

After the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October 2026, the sun sets before 5:30 pm in Paris, making for long evenings. What matters then is no longer the waterslide, but what saves you from cooking every night and keeps the kids busy until bedtime.

  • On-site restaurants: our park listings count 6 at Villages Nature, 5 at Les Trois Forêts, 4 at Le Lac d'Ailette and Le Bois aux Daims, and 3 at Les Bois-Francs. All five parks also have a supermarket.
  • Meal packages: Center Parcs offers half-board, full-board or breakfast packages for the Toussaint holidays, which can be added to your stay.
  • Bowling: confirmed in all five parks, it is the end-of-day activity that does not depend on the weather.
  • Private sauna: Center Parcs reserves this for VIP and Exclusive cottages. Our park listings confirm this in all five parks for these accommodation categories.

How much does a night in a holiday park cost during the Toussaint holidays?

On 17 October 2026, the first day of the holidays, Center Parcs displayed prices of €204 to €511 per night across its first ten last-minute deals for the Toussaint holidays, for accommodation sleeping 4 to 6 people. The cheapest was a cottage for four at Les Bois-Francs, and the most expensive was a cottage for six at Le Bois aux Daims.

Last-minute deals displayed by Center Parcs for the Toussaint holidays, price per night, recorded on 17 October 2026
ParkAccommodationDatesCrossed-out priceDisplayed price
Les Bois-FrancsCottage for 430 October to 2 November€234€204
Les Bois-FrancsCottage for 430 October to 1 November€365€319
Le Lac d'AiletteCottage for 4, lakeside30 October to 1 November€390€341
Le Bois aux DaimsCottage for 430 October to 1 November€374€346
Le Lac d'AiletteCottage for 6, lakeside30 October to 1 November€476€416
Villages NatureAccommodation for 430 October to 1 November€487€448

Six of the ten deals recorded. These prices change from hour to hour: they show a price range for a holiday weekend, not a rate you can book today.

The last-minute discount ranged from 1% to 13%: booking late for the Toussaint holidays saves you very little. Our article when to book for the Toussaint holidays details the larger early booking discounts.

Heading to Belgium or the Netherlands from northern France?

From Lille, Belgium is often closer than the French parks. But French-speaking Belgium (the Wallonia-Brussels Federation) is on holiday from 19 October to 1 November 2026, almost exactly the same dates as France, and Belgian families target the same parks. The Central and Southern Netherlands, on holiday from 17 to 25 October, add their share of bookings during the first week.

Our comparison family Toussaint weekend reviews Benelux parks that confirm an indoor pool, kids' club and indoor play area, along with their driving times from Brussels.

Deciding based on the age of your children

  1. Under six years old: aim for the closest and most sheltered. From Paris, Villages Nature is 36 min away but its lagoon is outdoors; Les Bois-Francs, at 2h 00m, has an indoor pool and indoor play area.
  2. Six to twelve years old: a wave pool and an indoor excursion nearby. Les Bois-Francs offers the Aqua Mundo wave pool and bowling, while Le Bois aux Daims has Futuroscope 1h 10m away.
  3. With a dog: all five parks in the table accept them.
  4. For the second week, from 26 October to 1 November: schools in the Netherlands have restarted, leaving fewer families competing for the same parks.

Frequently asked questions

Which holiday park should I choose for the Toussaint holidays with kids from Paris?
A park open during the holidays with an indoor pool, less than 2h 15m away: Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs at 2h 00m and Le Lac d'Ailette at 2h 04m. Villages Nature, 36 min away, has an outdoor lagoon heated to 30 °C. On 17 October 2026, all three still had accommodation available for the Toussaint holidays.
Are Center Parcs open during the Toussaint school holidays?
Yes. On 17 October 2026, the Center Parcs Toussaint page offered accommodation at Le Lac d'Ailette, Les Bois-Francs, Le Bois aux Daims and Villages Nature, and also featured Les Trois Forêts and Les Landes de Gascogne for these holidays.
Are there Halloween activities in the parks during the Toussaint holidays?
Center Parcs is advertising a 'Carve your pumpkin' workshop, haunted trails at dusk, a sweet hunt and magic shows for Halloween. The programme varies from park to park: check before booking.
Which park is best for the Toussaint holidays with kids from Lille or Metz?
From Lille, Center Parcs Le Lac d'Ailette is a 1h 56m drive. From Metz, Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts is 1h 46m away. Both confirm an Aqua Mundo and an indoor play area in our park listings.

Sources

Public documents you can use to check the orders of magnitude in this article. The per-park amounts are our own estimates: the calculation is set out on the Methodology page.

  1. Calendrier scolaire : toutes les dates des cours et des vacances — Ministère de l'Éducation nationale. Accessed 17 October 2026.
  2. Vacances de la Toussaint 2026 — Center Parcs. Accessed 17 October 2026.

The author

Yourachme

Edits hoprat and holds editorial responsibility for it. hoprat is operated by the company Yourachme, Belgian company number BE 0771.759.318.

Driving times, facilities and public ratings come from the hoprat database and remain indicative: check them with the operator before booking. The guide explains how this data is put together.

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