EllaViv

We will be in Paris for 3 full days and nights - our daughters are 15 & 12 years of age and we are hoping to create a magical experience for their first time to Paris.

Our eldest daughter is very keen on dance (taking several classes at home each week) and we would like to take her to the ballet and possibly Moulin Rouge? She's indicated that Moulin Rouge would be a key highlight of this trip.

Hoping fellow fodorites might be able to suggest some great ideas to fill our time whilst in this beautiful city?

I've read in other posts that ML is expensive and for some . . . disapointing. Are there any alternate suggestions for this type of show?

Any suggestions for ballet in the new year (we'll be in paris on 5, 6 & 7th of January.

Any other suggestions for a first time trip to paris? . . . . must see the Mona Lisa but apart form that - we are not overly fussy on mueusums or art . . . . just really want to create a memorable experience for our daughters.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Byrd

Hi Ella,

Wd took our 18-year-old granddaughter to Paris for Thanksgiving week last year and it was a wonderful experience for all of us.

If I am reading the schedule correctly, it appears that the Royal Ballet of Denmark will be performing at the Opera Garnier during your time in Paris. The Opera building is magnificent, and well worth a visit even if there is no performance scheduled

http://www.operadeparis.fr/cns11/liv...20120101000000.

(This happened to us. Our granddaughter is a singer and we were hoping to attend an opera, but nothing was scheduled while we were there.)

Let me recommend a day with guide Michael Osman. He is a delightful person, and will arrange your tour around your interests. We have used him twice, and very much enjoyed both times.

He can be reached at [email protected]

I know you will have a wonderful trip with your girls!

Byrd

qwovadis

parisvoice.com for what's happening...

eurocheapo.com Paris budet guides

virtualtourist.com Paris insider tips from locals.

Careful research pare back for better expereince.

Christina

There is no substitute for a cancan tourist show, Moulin Rouge is as good or better than any. They are all expensive anyway, and there are only a couple that even do that (the rest are more sex shows, Las Vegas-y, or things that have nothing to do with that historical Paris cancan show thing). The only ones I would even consider in your case are Moulin Rouge or Folies Bergere, at least there is some history to those venues. They are all expensive. I'd go with Moulin Rouge if I were you.

denisea

Do make it a point to get ballet tix to Opera Garnier...it is an exquisite building. You will need to set up an account online to get tickets but I got mine mailed to me before we left. I think tickets go on sale 90 or 60 days out. You can find the info on the site by a previous poster and can translate into English, so it's no trouble at all to use.

Cafe de la Paix has a beautiful Belle Epoque dining room across from Opera Garnier, part of the Le Grand Hotel-Intercontinental. I also think that Les Ambassadeurs at Hotel Crillon is decadent and beautiful.

I would not go to Moulin Rouge, but that's just me.

If the girls like to shop, the Galleries Lafayette and Le Bon Marche are great! I don't know if the store windows will still be decorated from Christmas...I hope they are.

If you always wanted a souffle in Paris, then Le Souffle is a great little place. It's near Chanel (rue Cambon location, where Coco's apartment is next to the store). Open for lunch and dinner. Yummy!

Southam

If your elder teen is genuinely smitten with theatre, there are plenty more opportunities than Opera Garnier to whet her appetite. Check out Theatre du Chatelet, a grand old theatre, beautifully renovated, with a mixed agenda ranging from pop concerts through classical music to dance. http://www.chatelet-theatre.com/2011-2012/
Garnier and Bastille operas sell out fast for the classics, whether musical or dance. It's easier to get tickets at Chatelet. One time I scored a seat for an opera with Placido Domingo which my opera-nut friends living in Paris hadn't heard about.
Visiting any of the old theatres will also let your youngsters see how terrible the sight-lines can be in these classic locations (a real knock against using Garnier for ballet, by the way.)
You and the 15-year-old should get on the Internet and shop around. Paris swarms with theatrical, musical and dance events, and plenty of sites to research them. Be brave about the more offbeat offerings. Seeing something in the intimate surroundings of a hole-in-the-wall venue could be eye-opening for everyone.
If all else fails, look for tours of the grand theatres. Garnier is always worth a look-around and sometimes there are backstage tours at Bastille, a modern facility so vast that its backstage areas run like an assembly line for jet airliners -- another revealing aspect of the theatrical arts. The tour may be in French but the intricacies of putting on a show speak for themselves.
I suspect your teen has seen the Moulin Rouge movie. Real life is rarely so splendid or romantic, although a visit could be a consumer introduction (in the negative sense) to one of Paris' most enduring tourist lures.