| Circuses, unlike funfairs, are taken seriously in France. They come under the heading of culture as performance art (and there are no qualms about performing animals). Some circuses have permanent venues, of which the most beautiful in Paris is the nineteenth-century Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione (see below). You'll find details of the seasonal ones under "Cirques" in the "Pour les Jeunes" section of L'Officiel des Spectacles and under the same heading in the "Enfants" section of Pariscope, and there may well be visiting circuses from Warsaw or Moscow. Cirque Diana Moreno Bormann 9 bd du Bois Lepretre, 17e tel 01.47.39.44.71. A traditional circus, with lion tamers, elephants, zebras, acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists – the Lot. Performances on Wed, Sat and Sun at 3pm throughout the year. From €10, children under 4 free. M° Porte de Saint-Ouen. Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione 110 rue Amelot, 11e tel 01.47.00.12.25, www.cirquedhiver.com. Strolling players and fairy lights beneath the dome welcome circus-goers from Oct to Jan (and TV and fashion shows the rest of the year). M° Filles-du-Calvaire. Cirque de Paris Parc des Chantereines, 115 bd Charles-de-Gaulle, Villeneuve-La Garenne tel 01.47.99.40.40. This dream day out allows you to spend an entire day at the circus (Oct–June Wed, Sun & school hols 10am–5pm; €36.50–41, under-12s €29–34.50). In the morning you are initiated into the arts of juggling, walking the tightrope, clowning and make-up. You have lunch in the ring with your artist tutors, then join the spectators for the show, after which, if you're lucky, you might be taken round to meet the animals. You can, if you prefer, just attend the show at 3pm (€18–24, under-12s €12.50–14.50), but you'd better not let the kids know what they missed. RER Gennevilliers/St-Denis.
| 
