firsttimefrance

Hello, we are traveling to Paris on Apr 2 with 2 kids and staying in the Montparnasse area. Would like to get advice on things to do with kids. Also, any info about kid-friendly veg restaurant is appreciated. We were thinking of spending about half a day in museums (not more) with kids. Would a trip to Versailles be feasible & enjoyable with kids?

Thanks!!

kerouac

The kids will enjoy the gardens of Versailles and also the train ride, but even the six year old will probably be fed up with the château after 3 rooms.

prolepsis

Sailing boats on the fountain of the Luxembourg garden appeals to children of all ages, including their fathers. There are also pony rides for little tykes in the garden.
The Jardin des Plantes has a nice kid-sized zoo (anyway the main Paris zoo is closed for a complete overhaul until further notice -- maybe even 10 years).

ira

Hi F,

There are carousels in Paris.

I think one is at the Eiffel tower.

Take them for a boat ride on the Seine. At night the sights are lit up.

The Parc Monceau is a nice place to visit.

Get them a crepe from a crepe stand.

Ride the funicular up to Sacre Coeur.

Watch the boats on the Seine from the Pont des Arts.

Take a walk along the Seine.

>Would a trip to Versailles be feasible & enjoyable with kids?

How long is the visit?

ira

OOPs,

With only 3 days, I wouldn't bothr with Versailles.

chicagolori

See this recent post about the same topic. Lots of good advice

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...lori&fid=2

chicagolori

Wrong post. Try this one or search on
Drdebi and read her post called "Traveling to Paris with a young boy."

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34773225

bonzhoor

There are also a lot of kid-related activities at Jardin du Tuileries - you can also rent toy sailboats there by the fountain and I also saw a pony ride if you go further towards the Place de la Concorde, it will be on the right side. There are also marionette shows in Jardin du luxembourg and at the Tuileries. You need to check the schedule since it's only showing on certain days and times.

nessundorma

I would ask you to consider whether it is appropriate to take children so small into a museum, out of consideration for other travelers, many of whom have spent thousands of dollars to be able to savor the artwork in a museum.

I say this because when I visited the Prado, a father with a young daughter managed to destroy the atmosphere in several galleries because his daughter, quite understandably, wanted to run around (actually "skate&quot across the hardwood floors. At the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Firenze, a mother with a crying babe in arms blithely walked through gallery after gallery instead of taking her child outside. I just has a similar experience at the Menil in Houston, where a woman with a fussy toddler simply tried to ignore the fact her yelling child (he loved the acoustics) was seriously disturbing the peace and concentration of a sophisticated art museum.

There is much in Paris for children and adults to enjoy together: The Jardin des Plantes, the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tour, the Batobus down the Seine, a ride up the funicular at Montmartre or the elevator at Tour Montparnasse, plus plenty of child-friendly patisseries and restaurants.

It's really not fair to other travelers, who have scrimped and saved and may never be able to return to a great museum or palace again, to take children who are obviously too young to be interested in art. Take them to the playground and parks. Paris has some of the world's best. If the "we" in your post includes an adult partner, take turns sitting with the kids OUTSIDE the museum if you really want to see specific works and artists.

Sorry to sound like a scold, but I really feel it should be said publicly and more often. A child 1.5 years doesn't belong in a museum.

To answer to one of your specific questions is that Versailles is too far -- including the long walk from the train station -- for children that small, who will quickly lose interest in everything except eating ice cream and running on the grass, and they don't belong elsewhere at the site. You can have hte same fun at the Palais Royale.

missypie

The Tuilleries and the Luxemborg Gardens both have cool playgrounds (I think you have to pay one Euro for the one at Luxemborg.) Kids can jump on trampolines at the Tuilleries for a euro. They also have a carousel.

Our (older) kids think that decorated/historical homes/rooms are a big snooze, so we skipped Versailles.

scottkriss

After spending 5 days in Paris with our 5, 3, and 10 month year old, the unabashed favorites were:
1. Jardins du Luxembourg -playground is unbelievable. My children are still talking about it.
2. Teulleries and the Louvre. The art in the Louvre really captured their attention. There is a "top 12" artwork to see on the Louvre website and I printed this off and we made a treasure hunt out of our visit.
3. Versailles- When I asked them what they liked best "The Queen's Room" was the consensus. (I have girls). Gardens are wonderful to wander from fountain to fountain.
Hope this helps!

john127

Re: children and museums, this really depends on the child. We take our 3 year old to MOMA and the MET regulary here in NYC and he loves it and is respectful - he can even identify paintings by his favorite artists - he actually knows the styles.

Maybe if more people exposed very young children to these types of "adult" experiences they would become accustomed to proper adult behavior. I find that it's the 7 or 8 year old on his first trip to the museum that tends to annoy others - they are not accustomed to that type of place.

Same goes for travel, by the way. If you're children have been used to traveling since they can remember, they'll be good travellers.

scottkriss

A nod of agreement to John. Our kids have grown up going to museums and it is always a highlight for all. Not to mention a wonderful education for all.

Christina

I think the kids would enjoy a visit to Versailles -- you have a big castle, a train ride, outdoors, gardens, that little play hamlet where Marie liked to pretend she was a peasant or something, etc. I think there are pony rides there or something, also, or something like that.

I'm sure young kids will get bored in the chateaux itself as in any place, like a museum, but I think it is actually more interesting than a regular art museum where you just look at paintings on walls or things in cases. YOu can just schedule the time you think they can stand it, I guess.

I don't like being around kids at all in restaurants, but don't mind them in museums, so this plan doesn't horrify me -- at least I don't mind babies orlittle ones who usually just sleep in the stroller or backpack. I do dislike older kids that can be noisy and obnoxious, and unsupervised or undisciplined. I think the poster may know how her kids would like it.

I don't agree at all with the idea that parents should take kids public places or restaurants in order for them to learn how to behave. They should know how to behave already in public (whether a store, restaurant, church, or museum) and learn to mind their parents who are supposed to have some control over them and have taught them how to behave in public. Any time that a kid is allowed to run wild in a museum, talk loudly, block people, etc. and the parent expects the museum experience to teach them how to behave is an example of parents who don't know their job.

john127

The teaching has to begin at a VERY young age - like 1-2. Children this small very quickly learn EVERYTHING including when and where to behave certain ways. Preperation at home is a big deal, we talk all the time about bein at restaurants, museums, and on airplanes. By the time we get to the real thing, kids are so excited to show off their new skills. We recently took our 3 year old to his first live theater experience - Peter Pan. Throughout the show, he kept looking at me and putting his finger to his lips and smiling - he was actually excited that he knew to be quiet in the theater.

(I have an MSED in Child Psychology, I'm not just making stuff up)

I find that restaurants are without a doubt the most difficult. If we take him to a nice place, we can't linger for 2 hours - he gets restless. An hour to an hour and a half and we're okay (a game of I Spy is usually needed somewhere in there though).

scottkriss

The poster asked if there are any activities her children would enjoy in Paris. It was not a question about your enjoyment on your own personal dream vacation. It may come as a surprise to some of you, but there are oodles of children who actually live in Paris. During our visits to the Uffizi, the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay, and Versaille, our 3, 5, and baby did not run aimlessly, talk loudly, or fondle the artwork. It was not a lesson in behavior. It was a lesson in ART. Who did disturb others? The oodles of local middle school children who were on field trips were the only behavior issues I noticed. Be very careful about making assumptions about age or any other discriminating factor.

nessundorma

Sorry, folks. I generally disagree, but I'm sure I've no hope of persuading you.

If you are willing to remove your children from the museum the minute they start a disturbance, I think that's acceptable. But to impose on other people who need and want to museums like libraries with a toddler is really inconsiderate.

I also very much disagree with the notion that children who are introduced to museums early turn into adults who like art or museums. Many people discover museums as adults and many children taken to museums never go to them as adults.

It's just another one of those things people believe with no evidence.

The issue is NOT whether a museum is good for kids -- nor is it whether Peter Pan is appropriate "theater" for kids. (It is.)

Perhaps it will help some of you to see the point if you aske yourself if you would take your 1 or 2 year old to a performance of Hedda Gabler. No, you wouldn't -- for the obvious reason that your child is likely to disturb a lot of people who spent an awful lot of money to see and hear the play and give their whole concentration to it.

Many of us who go to museums abroad plan our entire trips around seeing certain works of art that we have read about. We have inveeted several thousand dollars to do this.

It is NOT the same as taking a toddler to a restuarant -- and may I point out that you wouldn't take your kids to 4 star restaurants either?

Please have some consideration for other people. Most museums have programs specifically designed for children. Give them their museum experience then unless you can guarantee they will be quiet, not run around or that you will remove them if they forget (not play I Spy with them around the artwork).

I'm putting the point strongly because in hopes it will give at least some parents pause and sink in a bit.

john127

Fine art is increasingly used in children's programming because it stimulates them in a way other forms of entertainment do not. The benefits are well documented (if you're into reading case-studies, I'll point you in the right direction).

To answer you're question, would I remove my child immediately if they were causing a disturbance - absolutely!

However, would I deny my child a worthwhile experience on the off-chance that they say something loudly for a second? No way. Museums are big places. A child's voice for a second in 1 room is not ruining someone's day. Rude adults that carry on loud conversation for a few minutes, however, are a diferent story.

ira

My dear Nessun,

Have you ever been in a museum or art gallery when a our group with guide come in.

Not only do you have to put up with the loud, often incorrect, explanation by the guide, bu they seem to feel that they have the right to take over the room.

I'd rather have a little kid sliding across the floor.

bonzhoor

I just felt that I needed to put my two cents in on this one - I completely agree with john127 and also with those who advise against it but have to qualify. We have a preschooler who is now almost 5 and have been bringing her to these kinds of activities and events, nice restaurants, etc since she was just a few months old - not purely because of studies or research but more out of necessity(but have to admit the research is a contributing factor, not the main driving force). BUT we are also VERY, VERY conscious, cognizant and considerate that if she even makes any noise, we take her out right away to respect everyone else's enjoyment - whether we all leave or take turns as one of the other posters suggested. We are also of the belief that if you take the child at an early age and they are used to being in these situations, they "know" what is expected of them. Not to say that we have a "super child" or anything, but I think because we exposed her to a lot of these things at a very early age(starting at 1), even earlier, I guess she just got used to it. In the same vein, when we go to mass every week, she sits very quietly and waits(not necessarily praying : ) because that is what is expected - please don't get the impression that we are forcing her or are strict disciplinarians about it, somehow she just knows. I myself get irritated when we go to these events and the child yells and screams or basically makes a distrubance, BUT not at the child, at the parents, because it just seems to be basic courtesy, and feel that if they chose to bring their child there, it is with the awareness to be mindful of other's enjoyment and if their child is causing some disturbance, then they should rectify it. Just want to point out though, disturbance is not the sole domain of children, we've seen some pretty loud adults too...