10 refreshing spots for kids

Wow, that heat! I am writing this blog while the temperature is rising towards the 40 degrees. With summer holidays coming up you will have your kids at home and bouncing off the walls in this heat. Or you are happily celebrating your holidays in the Provence. You will probably be searching for some refreshing spots to cool down kids. Here I have some kid-friendly cool spots for you, all written in a hurry now, but hopefully this is a very usefull list!

Parc Gilbert Vilers, Aix-en-Provence

During summer this parc is perfect for the little ones. There is a big water play area where the kids can run around and cool down. Fun guaranteed! The parc is situated in Jas de Bouffan, on the Avenue Saint-John Perse Aix-en-Provence.

Village des Automates, Saint-Cannat

The wonderful Village des Automates is a cute playground for kids from 2 until about 10, 12 years old. It’s very close to Aix-en-Provence. Besides that there are some fun attractions over her, like riding in a Jeep or sliding the impressive slide, it has a good place to cool down kids. There is a water play area where your kid can take a refreshing run around. And you as well!

La Grotte Cosquer, Marseille

When living in or visiting the Provence, you cannot miss La Grotte Cosquer in Marseille this summer. This cave was discovered in 1985 by Henri Cosquer and is located 37 meters under the Mediterranean sea level. In June 2022 the replica of this cave with prehistorical wall art opened its doors to give the public an experience as if visiting the real cave. You can even go on a underground boat with an audioguide. So I hear underground and cave, so this must be one refreshing place. We have our tickets for the first week of our holidays, it’s wise to book them here upfront and online.

Lac de Peyrolles, Peyrolles

Lac de Peyrolles is a great kid-friendly place to spend your entire day. Only from July to August you pay a fee to park your car, besides these months this even is a free escape! And what do you get? An azur blue lake with swimming zones (baywatch only in summertime), a sandy beach, 4 playgrounds. You can find a huge castle with long slides, but also interesting play areas for the smaller kids. There is also a big playground with water activities to do some more cooling, you find sports courts, fitness, jeu de boule…. For the bigger swimmers who aren’t completely fulfilled by all this, there is also an aqua park with inflatables for which you pay an extra fee. Find more info on the website of Pays d’Aix.

Beach Plage de Sainte-Croix

Most beautiful beach around with perfect turquoise water and white sand. After handling traffic and parking, you will find yourself sitting in paradise. This beach has a large paid parking, on 5 minutes walking distance of the beach. More beautiful beaches to cool down and info on Plage de Sainte-Croix to be found in this article on my website.

Swimming pool Venelles

In Venelles you find the Centre Aquatique, a modern swimming pool with an outside area with water play for kids. Find the location and opening hours here.

Le Kabanon, Saint-Marc-Jaumegarde

I haven’t tried this spot yet, but it is located in a beautiful area and according to several moms and dads, this is a nice place to go out for a day at the pool with kids, including great food. Le Kabanon is situated between Aix-en-Provence and the Barrage du Bimont direction Sainte-Victoire. Wise to call Le Kabanon before to check if they have a spot for you.

Riverside of Aquaduc de Roquefavour

Underneath the magnificent Aquaduc de Roquefavour in Ventabren, close to Aix-en-Provence, flows the river l’Arc. This is a great place full of shadow where kids can refresh in the water. To acces the riverside, you would have to navigate towards the Route du Petit Moulin and Route de Roquefavour. It is also a wonderful place to hike, like I wrote here.

Gorges du Verdon

The largest lake to be found around the beautiful area of Gorges du Verdon, is Lac de Sainte-Croix. The turquoise colored water invites you to do some water activities. It is a great place to rent a water bike or an electric boat. When your kids have the right age, you could go stand up paddle boarding or go for a canoe adventure.

Go indoors

Of course it is also an idea to go indoors and enjoy the airconditioning! Just some ideas to guide you to the right spot for you to cool down kids.

• The kids area of the MUCEM in Marseille, Île aux enfants
• Watch a movie in the Pathé cinema at Plan de Campagne
• Visit the exhibitions of Musée Granet or Hotel de Caumont in Aix-en-Provence
• Admire the projection shows in the mines of Carrières des Lumière in Les Baux-de-Provence.

I wish you all the luck and fun bien sûr!