Museum of Fairground Arts (Musée des Arts Forains), Pavillons de Bercy

The Musée des Arts Forains is a private museum of antique fairground rides and games in the Pavillons de Bercy, at 53 avenue des Terroirs de France in Paris's 12th arrondissement. Visitors can ride century-old carousels on guided visits, which run by advance reservation only. It suits families and anyone who enjoys automata, theatre and Belle Époque decoration.

The pavilions were once part of the Bercy wine warehouses. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the district was a huge wine market, where barrels arrived by river and were stored in long stone halls. Jean Paul Favand, an actor and antiques dealer, created the museum from his private collection, and it opened in 1996. The brick and stone halls suit the old-fashioned decoration of the objects.

The collection covers fairground art from about 1850 to 1950. There are working carousels with carved and painted horses, a bicycle carousel that riders pedal themselves, fairground games, automata and decorative pieces from travelling fairs. Themed spaces include a Venetian salon and a Théâtre du Merveilleux.

Guides, often actors, tell the history of the objects and set the rides running, and guests can climb aboard several of the attractions. The four halls and outdoor spaces are also hired for events of 40 to 4,000 guests, and public visits run on set dates.

Dates, times and prices vary through the year and are released on the official website. The Festival du Merveilleux opens on 26 December for the year-end holidays, and the museum also opens on the third weekend of September for the European Heritage Days. These dates fill first, so book as early as your plans allow. A guided visit lasts about 90 minutes. The halls are on the ground floor; ask about access when booking, along with age rules for children.

Cour Saint-Émilion on metro line 14 is about 300 metres away. Bercy Village, with its restaurants and shops in former wine stores, is next to the station. Parc de Bercy is about 400 metres away, and the Cinémathèque française and the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge across the Seine are each about a kilometre away.