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.
· 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.
On this page
- Where to go for a holiday park break with kids during the Toussaint holidays?
- Which park to choose based on your departure city?
- What each park offers children when it rains
- What to do around the park when the kids have finished exploring the Aqua Mundo?
- Meals and evenings: what makes two weeks with the family easier
- How much does a night in a holiday park cost during the Toussaint holidays?
- Heading to Belgium or the Netherlands from northern France?
- Deciding based on the age of your children
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
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?
| Park | From Paris | From Lille | From Metz | Pools and play areas, in our park listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villages Nature Paris | 36 min | 2h 36m | 3h 01m | Outdoor lagoon heated to 30 °C; indoor pool and play area not confirmed |
| Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs | 2h 00m | 4h 12m | 5h 12m | Aqua Mundo, indoor play area |
| Center Parcs Le Lac d'Ailette | 2h 04m | 1h 56m | 2h 44m | Aqua Mundo, indoor play area |
| Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts | 5h 03m | 5h 35m | 1h 46m | Aqua Mundo, indoor play area |
| Center Parcs Le Bois aux Daims | 3h 50m | 6h 05m | 6h 58m | Aqua 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.
Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs
Normandy (Verneuil-d'Avre)
5h 13m from Brussels · public rating not confirmed
Center Parcs Le Lac d'Ailette
Picardy (Chamouille)
2h 49m from Brussels · public rating not confirmed
Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts
Lorraine (Hattigny)
4h 45m from Brussels · public rating not confirmed
The closest park for a family departing from Paris, Lille and Metz.
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.
| Park | Accommodation | Dates | Crossed-out price | Displayed price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Les Bois-Francs | Cottage for 4 | 30 October to 2 November | €234 | €204 |
| Les Bois-Francs | Cottage for 4 | 30 October to 1 November | €365 | €319 |
| Le Lac d'Ailette | Cottage for 4, lakeside | 30 October to 1 November | €390 | €341 |
| Le Bois aux Daims | Cottage for 4 | 30 October to 1 November | €374 | €346 |
| Le Lac d'Ailette | Cottage for 6, lakeside | 30 October to 1 November | €476 | €416 |
| Villages Nature | Accommodation for 4 | 30 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
- 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.
- 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.
- With a dog: all five parks in the table accept them.
- 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.
- Calendrier scolaire : toutes les dates des cours et des vacances — Ministère de l'Éducation nationale. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- Vacances de la Toussaint 2026 — Center Parcs. Accessed 17 October 2026.
The author
Edits hoprat and holds editorial responsibility for it. hoprat is operated by the company Yourachme, Belgian company number BE 0771.759.318.