Manège Au Volant du 66, Square des Batignolles

Square Des Batignolles, Place Charles Fillion, rue Cardinet, Paris,
75017. Nearest metro Brochant.

This really is one of the most charming and quaint carousels in Paris. Placed in the corner of the parc, next to table tennis and swings, this was created in 1950 by Henri Devos, hence the rides with Donal Duck and Pluto. It also features the 66 bus, which runs from Batignolles to Opera, as a ride. What is also of note, is how small it actually is. From Disney, to the 66 bus, it is a mixture of very different elements, which seem to compliment each other. It is decorated with flowers, butterflies and birds on higher panels and has tableaux of 50’s style children below, who look frighteningly man-like.

 

Inside, the carousal operator stands, in the middle of the machine, looking grumpy while the kids spin round him. Often, if he sees a small child cry on one of the moving rides, he is brilliant at running out, grabbing them and placing them onto something calmer.

Distinguishing Feature: What makes this so special are the wooden rides and the different themes. There is the bus, of course, incredibly small for even a three year old to get in to. There are horses, cars, a swan to sit inside.

Moving pigs, deers, cows and a boat that rocks. Two aeroplanes, that have wooden steps for the children to climb to get in. Even small bicycles, real ones that go nowhere, which my daughter loved when she was small.

Music: French nursery rhymes – normally on a busy afternoon, you can’t hear this at all due to screams of delight. A bell rings to start the rides.