We recently headed to Paris with kids - we took Tully to celebrate her 12th birthday, along with her older sister. My SIL and her family joined as well, and we had the BEST time! We were in Paris for four days and I'm going to run you through everything we did while we were there. For reference we travelled with five adults, a 12 year old girl and two 10 year girls.
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Paris with Kids - what you need to know
How did we get to Paris?
We were in London beforehand so we took the Eurostar from St Pancras International. The train took about 3 hours, but you are only in the tunnel for less than 30 minutes (if you feel a bit weird about travelling under the water!) the rest of the time is French countryside.
What area of Paris did we stay in?
We chose to stay in the Marais district, also known as the 4th arrondissement. It's centrally located and one of the most popular districts in Paris. The Marais district in Paris is a mix of old and new. It has narrow streets with old buildings, trendy shops, art galleries, and cafes. It used to be where rich people lived, so there are fancy houses and historical sites like Place des Vosges. There are also Jewish places and museums like the Picasso Museum. The Marais is lively, with markets and nightlife that attract both locals and tourists.
It feels very safe and it's very easy to navigate to locations like the Eiffel Tower by Metro. Our apartment was a 25 minute walk to the Louvre and to Notre Dame, so we were perfectly positioned to see the key sites of Paris.
What to do in Paris with kids?
We all know Paris with kids means lots of walking (and therefore lots of whinging!). Here are our top locations that we visited:
The Eiffel Tower
This was the number one thing on Tully's list. However, getting tickets to the Eiffel Tower through the official website is like getting Taylor Swift tickets! They release exactly the month before, and every time I tried I couldn't get online. They do sell them at the tower on the day as well, but the line is really long. To avoid the line I ended up booking with a tour, which I don't recommend. You pay twice as much and you still stay in the line. So, my recommendation is get there 30 minutes before the tower opens and wait in line. We got there at 8:30am and there was no one there. If you do that, you'll get in quick!
Also, be aware that you may not to get to go all the way to the top, as it's weather dependent. The day we went was torrential rain (until the moment we exited the lift after being up there!) and the top was closed.
One of the things we loved most at the Eiffel Tower was taking a dinner picnic to eat in the park, and watching the lights come on. It was magical, such a Parisian experience that will never be forgotten!
The Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees
When you take three girls to Paris, one thing they want to do is SHOP! So, make sure you head to the Arc de Triomphe and then walk all the way along the Champs Elysees down to the Louvre. Some of the girls' favourite shopping spots were Pandora, Zara, and looking in the windows of the very expensive designer stores!
Notre Dame and Surrounds
This area was one of my favourite parts of Paris. We walked from the Marais district (which was about 25-30 minutes). Notre Dame is very much still wrapped in scaffolding after its catastrophic fire, but there is a viewing area where you can see some of it.
However, if you walk across to the other side of the river you'll find the world famous bookshop Shakespeare and Company, as well as head into the Latin Quarter. There are so many amazing laneways to explore, and you'll find amazing eclairs at Odette, in the lane next to Shakespeare and Company. Make sure you line up to go inside Shakespeare and Company if you are a book lover, it's absolutely worth it. And make sure you buy a book and have it stamped with their world famous stamp!
The Louvre and Angelina's
The Louvre is a must do and the kids had this really high on the list. They desperately wanted to see the Mona Lisa, plus my BIL loves Egyptian history so he was thrilled with it. We spent a few hours there (although I'll confess to spending some of my time in the Starbucks there on a comfy lounge!) I've been to the Louvre before and museums aren't really my thing. To avoid the lines make sure you book a set time in advance because otherwise you'll queuing for hours outside.
Once you've seen the Louvre, take a walk through the gardens and head to Angelina Patisserie, one of the most famous patisseries in Paris! Once you get there, make sure you order the hot chocolate, it's to die for. You'll find several locations for Angelina, such as in the Louvre, and at the Palace of Versailles, but the Rue Di Rivoli location is the original tea room, and is absolutely worth visiting for all the old world splendor.
Have a photo shoot at the Eiffel Tower
If you want a lasting memory of your trip to Paris, book a photo shoot at the Eiffel Tower! We booked one for Tully's 12th birthday and it was such a fun way to celebrate it. We used Abi from MaxPixels Photography. It was fantastic to get photos with my SIL and BIL and their daughters as well, because we don't see them often (they live in the UK).
The Palace of Versailles
While this is a bit out of Paris, doing a day trip to the Palace of Versailles is absolutely worth it. The Palace of Versailles was the home of Marie Antoinette, and it is spectacular. Get tickets for the palace and the gardens, they are both amazing! We took the trolley around the gardens (to hear less whinging about the walking!) and got off at the grand canal, where we had lunch, relaxed on the grass and used the row boats. It's such a beautiful spot to spend time. Make sure you book your tickets online before you go.
Disneyland Paris
You can't go to Paris with kids without visiting Disneyland Paris! It's about an hour train ride from central Paris, but I recommend staying out near the park. We stayed at B&B HOTEL près de Disneyland® Paris, which has a free shuttle to the parks. It wasn't anything flash but it was cheap and came with breakfast and we weren't really spending any time there.
There are two parks, Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland Paris. We did both in a very long, 14 hour day, but if you have younger kids I'd recommend a day per park. You don't really need more than that. I have a full review of the parks here.
Also, eat at the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney while you are there. Its such a fun dining experience. The kids loved it so much that we had dinner there two nights in a row. It's up the back near the big hot air balloon.
I hope all this helps plan your trip to Paris with kids. We had such a fantastic time and we can't wait to go back!
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