Any reccs would be amazing! Thank you x
HĂ´tel de Crillon for somewhere luxe, Mob Hotel (from the same team behind Mama Shelter) for something more affordable. I would also suggest an evening boat tour and visiting The Centre Georges Pompidou for a culture hit.
1 Like
I love Paris with kids - such a great trip!
A boat trip allows you to explore the city without tiring little legs
Obviously the Eiffel Tower is a must-do but you’ll need to book well in advance.
The Smallable concept store is worth a trip and in a great neighbourhood
The newly refurbished Samaritaine is lovely to visit too
There are some lovely out door spaces if the weather is good - Jardin Du Luxembourg and Places Des Vogues - and the Jardin des Tuileries has a ferris wheel in summer
There are lots of museums to explore and the Louvre is clearly amazing, with a lovely cafe under the arches over looking the pyramid - but I like the Orangerie as it’s a bit smaller and has Monet’s waterlilies
Musée de l'Orangerie. You could even see that and then come to London and compare with Ai Wei Wei’s Lego version! Ai Weiwei's largest-ever Lego work revealed at Design Museum | Wallpaper
In terms of food, I fnd most cafes have a menu du jour with the usual family-friendly staples. Just grab a table on a sunny pavement and watch the world go by…
We did 3 nights with a 7, 5 and 4 year old this time last year. One of those days was at Disney and not sure if that is a consideration?
We stayed slightly out so would get the metro in to slightly more central and then walked everywhere.
Highlights we Tuilerie gardens, eiffel tower, ice cream by notre dame, watching the artists as we walked along the seine…
We would have loved to have done this boat trip but didn’t get around to it:
A Parisian friend also very kindly sent me the below which was a huge help!
Versailles:
Versailles garden: if it’s sunny you can walk around and have lunch there ( you will find a nice café in the park). The garden entrance is free and you can reach Versailles with the RER C / train. If you want to visit the Chateau you will need to book tickets online, if you think the Chateau is too big and too crowed with the kids I recommend a tour of the Trianon in the garden (Marie-Antoinette’s castle) that is less crowded( book tickets online).
Eiffel Tower
The train/ RER C will also take you to the Eiffel Tower which is always nice to visit with the kids. You can have an early dinner in the area. I recommend going near rue Cler where you will find a lot of cafés and restaurant. It’s a 10 min walks from the Eiffel Tower.
If you want a typical French heavy diner/ lunch I recommend L’auberge Bressane in la Tour Eiffel area. You might need to book a table in advance.
La Seine:
I also recommend a tour on the Seine with the kids. The best way to do it is to take the boat bus on the river.
https://www.batobus.com/fr/parcours
You can book tickets online, the boat goes from la Tour Eiffel to Jardin des plantes. You can do as many stops as you want and will allow you to get a good idea of the city by the river. It’s quite small as a boat so it will be nicer and cheaper than the big very touristic boat that you can find.
In the 05th:
I recommend making a stop at the Jardin des plantes again if it’s sunny it’s a very nice place to hang with kids. You can find their the Museum of natural history very nice with kids and then you can walk or take a bus to l’île de la cité from their to get an ice cream at Bertillon+ take a look at Notre Dame.
For lunch if you want you can stop at any Boulangerie in Paris that smells good from the outside and take a jambon fromage sandwich with an Ă©clair au chocolat as a dessert or a financier and have a pic nic in a park.
On L’ Île de la cité, you will find La Chapelle Sainte it’s a hidden gem with unbelievable glass work. You need to book tickets if you want to go there. It’s small and very visual for the kids it’s nice to do. It’s close to the river and you can then have a walk in le marais.
In the 06th/07th area:
Jardin du Luxembourg
For lunch: Pizza Chic close to Jardin du Luxembourg or Coffe parisien rue Princesse.
Musée Rodin ( need to book tickets) you will find a cafe in the garden of the museum- or you can have lunch at Le bon Marché at Rose Bakery café if you want to do some shopping. You can walk around Rue du Bac where you will find le Passage for a good café outside and amazing bakery. You will also find in this street nice place to have an ice cream with the kids and every best Pâtissier in Paris.
In the 01st area:
of course the Louvre and the Tuilerie but I prefer going to Jardin du Palais Royal it’s a hidden gem where you can have lunch outside. Go to Villalys restaurant they have tables in the garden, food is good and the kids can play in the garden while you are having lunch. Otherwise at the back of the garden you will find all the best Japanese restaurant in town in rue Saint Anne, if you are in the mood. You can then walk to Opera Garnier to see it or even visit it. You will need to book tickets online.
Fondation Louis Vuitton at Bois de Boulogne.
The area should reminds you London, it’s more airy than the rest of the city. The museum is unbelievable to my point of view and from the museum you will get access to the Jardin d’acclimatation which is a attraction parc for kids owned by LVMH. It’s my absolute best with the kids. If you go during the week you will have the parc for yourself it’s a must.
I recommend booking tickets for the museum in advance if you want to go or you can skip the museum and go to the parc and buy tickets at the gate.
I recommend taking the kids scooters for them to walk around the city otherwise you can take Paris’s subway or bus. Download the app : RATP to find your way or Ubers of course.
1 Like