Advice for paris in 2 1/2 days please!
 

Hello! I am bleary eyed from all my countless hours of internet research and would love some help from real time recent travelers. Passing through Paris with my kids and we have 2 1/2 days in early July. Specifically, our plane is scheduled to land at 10:40am on a Tuesday and leave at 11:15pm on Thursday night. This is a once in a lifetime for my kids so I want to cram as MANY sites as humanly possible! (I grew up visiting Paris but haven't been in 30 years!) First question: I endlessly researched purchasing the Paris Pass. Seems to make sense that only I purchase it as all my kids will get free admission to the places offered other than metro rail passes and a cruise on the seine and montparnasses. DOesnt seem worthwhile to go on the off and on bus as we will be hussling from one place to the next and walking and/or metro seem to be a better bet. Correct? Will they be able to enter the fast track line with me if only I have the Paris Pass? I dont know what time I would arrive in the 9th arrondisement if my plane is scheduled to land at approximately 11:00am. But I was thinking to drop the bags off at our hotel and then head to Versailles as that seemed to be the only day to squeeze that in. Does that make sense? It would be Tuesday and they have musical gardens... Then the following day we would have a full day in Paris. How many of the main sites could we manage in one day? What happens if I buy the timed entry tickets which everybody recommends but we don't arrive at the time on the ticket?? We also have Thursday until whatever time we woudl have to ehad to the airport which would probably be 7:00pm I imagine... Does anyone have an ideal itinerary that would take into account what look like insanely huge lines to get in to the Louvre and Tour Eiffel (things seem to have drastically changed in the last 30 years!!!) I want to go to the Louvre, Arc de Triumphe, Tour Eiffel, Seine River Cruise, Opera, Musee D'Orzay if possible, Montparnasse, Champs Elysee, Place Vendome and Concorde and Jardin Tuilleries walkthrough. And I'd love to walk around by Lafayette a bit and Fabourg Saint Honore. Trying to hussle but I have several kids who range from 4 - 17 and every intention to hussle my younger ones so that we can take advantage of our short tenure in Paris! All ideas and plan totally appreciated!

>>I endlessly researched purchasing the Paris Pass. <<

Haven't read the whole post yet (paragraphs would help ;) ) but the Paris Pass almost never makes sense. And you do not have 2.5 days free in Paris. With a 10:40 arrival at CDG Tuesday you will be lucky to get to your hotel by by 1:30PM. Then on Thurs you will need to leave central Paris by around 7PM. So you have 1.5 days and some jet lagged time on Tues.

In that short a visit I would not try to cram in as much as possible -- just a couple of major sites, a boat ride, and enjoying just walking around soaking in Paris.

Now . . . I'll try to get through the rest of the OP

" . . . This is a once in a lifetime for my kids so I want to cram as MANY sites as humanly possible! . . . "

I disagree with your premise, to assume your kids will never be back and that force-marching them around a city designed for strolling will be a good thing in any way. So my suggestion is general. Be a relaxed & flexible guide to ensure your children will have the best possible experience & fond memories, encouraging them to return on their own, time after time as many of us do. Include them in the planning, let them each decide where they'd most like to visit and make it their own, not a manic version devised by someone not them.

How old ARE these "kids"?


ooh,,,,I just reread the unparagraphed post......4 thru 17

the 4 year old would probably be happy watching boats at Jardin Luxembourg.
the 17 year old might want to do his OWN internet research

OMG -- 4 through 17 (!) and you want to do a week's worth of sites in 1.5 days.

Horrible idea IMO. You'll only guarantee they will hate Paris.

Your trip plans mimic your posting - all jammed together, no paragraph breaks, run-on sentences, gibberish. .That might be a lesson. It's totally unreadable! Try to start over and write something comprehensible.

I can't follow your blistering post because I'm tired here in France and it's late, BUT:

The pace of your trip sounds like Medieval torture. Can't you slow down a bit (a LOT)? Of COURSE your kids will never want to revisit Paris if this is what you throw at them.

I think it's great you have ANY time in Paris -- I LOVE Paris -- and hopefully the weather is good while you're there! Since your time is limited and you want to appeal to the childrens' interests, I would suggest first concentrating on the things within Paris you know you want to see. A side trip to Versailles is very time-consuming. A visit to the Eiffel Tower is a "must" and fortunately can be done at night after other things are closed; it's also fun to take a nighttime stroll down the Champs Elysee and end at the Arc de Triomphe, which is well lighted. Obviously you have to visit the Louvre during opening hours, but it IS possible to make a lightning-fast visit there, just to make a beeline to the Mona Lisa and back out. I hate to say that because of all of the treasures there, but on one of my visits to Paris with my then-10-year old son I agreed to his request to go to the Louvre only to see that one painting and though it "killed" me to speed past the Da Vincis, etc., I did what I had agreed to do and as a result he was very happy and when he was older we returned on a family visit and spent a day in the museum.

The kids enjoyed going to the top of Montparnasse the first evening we were there; because it was summer it stayed light late and it was fun to see the setting sun over Paris; again, that can be "after hours" when other things are closed.

I think you'll be able to see quite a lot if you don't leave Paris to go to Versailles, and if you take advantage of seeing some things at night. Have a great trip.

bakerstreet: You stressed several times about doing major sightseeing at night -- but the OP will have several children along - as young as 4 years old. Not all that practical.

That sounds exhausting. We crammed a lot in and dang... this makes us look like a bunch of loafers.
We just got back and my teens really loved walking around the city. Sitting in Cafes. Saint Chapelle. The walk along the river. The boat ride. They loved L'Orangerie and even though tired they liked Musee D'Orsay and Pompidou. But if you cram too much into a city of strolling, they will hate it. Maybe better to whet their appetite to return.

So many souls posting questions here don't like the comments they get so I'll encourage and say Go For It. You will be miserable, your kids will be miserable, you'll face miserably long lines and miserably thick crowds but heck, it's your trip. There are no fast track lines. ( Reports last weekend were of 2 to 4 hour waits for Versailles.) This is not the Paris of 30 years ago. But if this is your thing, Go For It.

Thank you all so much! Sorry for the paragraph-less post!
I guess since I haven't been back in 30 years I wasn't as hopeful that my kids -- or myslef! -- would be back sooner. Hence, me wanting to take it all in!
Definitely sounds as though things have drastically changed since my youth!
I read that there WERE fast track lines if you purchased the fast track pass. That was one of the main reasons I myself was going to purchase it. The question on that one was if my kids could join me in line as they were entering for free...
I emailed "the guide" and they said that could be done...
My 4 year old is not an average 4 year old. He rolls with the punches and we always do summer trips that cater to my older kids. The younger kids manage!
Would that line at Versailles be the same in the afternoon?
Should I anticipate those lines at the other major attractions?
If I buy tickets in advance and am tardy, what happens to my ticket?
Thank you all so much!

I honestly don't think we can help you much. That is not being snarky -- just honest. Several people have taken the time to explain that you have less time than you think, that dragging all the kids around from site to site won't be fun for anyone, that the Paris Pass is not a 'deal', and cramming in a lot is problematic . . . and your only response is how to get fast passes and avoid lines.

Sounds like your mind is made up.

I'm IN Paris now. You need to seriously re-think the whole thing and as to what your children think of this I can only imagine. Perhaps they'll actually glance away from their phones at some point.

The impossible lines have to do with the security inspections of each and every person visiting the attraction. There's no way to get around them. That's what security is all about.

I one day I would suggest the naval museum in the Trocadero. Very good for kids. Outside of it you get the best view on Eiffel Tour which is 10 minutes walk after the museum.I do recomand to visit Eiffel. After that a boat trip can be nice and relaxing.

Monmartre is one of my favorite places for a walk.

Also recomandable for kids is the Atelier des Lumieres. Currently there is a Van Gogh exhibition. Check the availability of thickets before because it's on a very high damand. https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/
Another good experience for the kids is Tutankhamun exhibition and from ther you can stroll along canal St Martin. Again Check the availability of thickets. https://lavillette.com/programmation/toutankhamon_e185

I support the idea of letting your kids choose a sight they want to visit!

I agree with everything previous posters have said here. Part of the charm of Paris is the slow pace, strolling along the Seine, exploring the neighborhoods, sipping un café, reading and people watching in the gardens. These are the experiences that will whet your children’s appetite for Paris and inspire them to return with more time to digest the true Paris later on in life – not a frenetic, mad dash from one site to another. That being said, it’s possible to experience a little bit of both – Paris wandering + Paris sites. If I were you, I’d completely nix Versailles, then choose 3-4 of the sites you listed in your original post and build two magical days around those sites.

Others on this site have more experience with Paris than I do (and they live there!), but just as an example, you could do something like this:

One possible day:
Start out at Montparnasse Tower
Wander to nearby Luxembourg Gardens, let the kids play with the boats, enjoy some crepes or ice cream
Walk to the Seine, perhaps by Notre Dame
Enjoy a leisurely stroll by the Seine, stop at cafes, etc.
POSSIBLE Museum in late afternoon, although I'd leave the afternoon free for soaking up Paris

Another possible day
Enjoy nice croissants and coffee at a café in your neighborhood
Musée D’Orsay followed by stroll/playtime in Tuileries garden
Walk to Place de la Concorde
Walk to Eiffel Tower and do an Eiffel tower tour
Rest of the afternoon for exploring

If you choose a few sites that are near each other (like in the example above) and build in lots of strolling/playtime/cafe time in between visiting these sites, then you and your kids can enjoy Paris at a nice, leisurely pace and still experience some of the great sites without feeling insanely rushed and stressed. Easier to take in the sites when you're relaxed and enjoying the slower European pace, then when you're rushing from place to place without time to catch your breath in between.

(P.S. I added the Luxembourg Gardens as one of your 3-4 sites, as I second the poster who said the little one will love playing with the boats there (and in my experience, Luxembourg is not to be missed even for adults, and is a great place for kids to run around and work off excess energy)

Hope you have an amazing time!! :)

DON'T buy the Paris Pass. It's a marketing ploy. NO ONE gets a "fast track" past security. Don't waste your money.

Forget Versailles. Why would you think it would be less crowded in the afternoon? It's not. If you want to herd your kids through endless hallways nose to nose with other people's armpits and kneecaps, go for it.


Pick a park, have an ice cream, take a boat tour. Maybe visit one museum. Have the kids pick something to do.

You only have the blink of an eye to enjoy this. Make it enjoyable, not a chore.

There is actually a way to do a major site in little time:

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/...R-TO-FALL.html

Hilarious, thanks!

My first instinct was to write that, "No, your itinerary is terrible." My second instinct, upon re-reading your post and seeing the age of your children remains, "No, your itinerary is really terrible."

We dragged our children to Paris on two occasions when they were young (Ages 2 and 7 at the time; and then again at ages 7 and 12). Following our move to Europe, the children themselves visited Paris at ages 15 and 20. Rather recently we spent Christmas 2018 in Paris (the "children" are now aged 17 and 22). On all of these visits we learned that less is more. The younger children will enjoy the simple pleasures; the older children will enjoy simple freedoms. As your initial itinerary stands, your trip will be a hot mess.

Are you coming from the US? Have you factored in possible jet lag?

So I'm breaking down your original post into paragraphs for other posters so they can help you. I did not, however, correct the spelling and punctuation:

Hello! I am bleary eyed from all my countless hours of internet research and would love some help from real time recent travelers.

Passing through Paris with my kids. We have 2 1/2 days in early July. Specifically, our plane is scheduled to land at 10:40am on a Tuesday and leave at 11:15pm on Thursday night.

This is a once in a lifetime for my kids so I want to cram as MANY sites as humanly possible! (I grew up visiting Paris but haven't been in 30 years!)

First question: I endlessly researched purchasing the Paris Pass. Seems to make sense that only I purchase it as all my kids will get free admission to the places offered other than metro rail passes and a cruise on the seine and montparnasses. DOesnt seem worthwhile to go on the off and on bus as we will be hussling from one place to the next and walking and/or metro seem to be a better bet. Correct?

Will they be able to enter the fast track line with me if only I have the Paris Pass?

I dont know what time I would arrive in the 9th arrondisement if my plane is scheduled to land at approximately 11:00am. But I was thinking to drop the bags off at our hotel and then head to Versailles as that seemed to be the only day to squeeze that in. Does that make sense? It would be Tuesday and they have musical gardens.

Then the following day we would have a full day in Paris. How many of the main sites could we manage in one day? What happens if I buy the timed entry tickets which everybody recommends but we don't arrive at the time on the ticket??

We also have Thursday until whatever time we woudl have to ehad to the airport which would probably be 7:00pm I imagine...

Does anyone have an ideal itinerary that would take into account what look like insanely huge lines to get in to the Louvre and Tour Eiffel (things seem to have drastically changed in the last 30 years!!!) I want to go to the Louvre, Arc de Triumphe, Tour Eiffel, Seine River Cruise, Opera, Musee D'Orzay if possible, Montparnasse, Champs Elysee, Place Vendome and Concorde and Jardin Tuilleries walkthrough.

And I'd love to walk around by Lafayette a bit and Fabourg Saint Honore. Trying to hussle but I have several kids who range from 4 - 17 and every intention to hussle my younger ones so that we can take advantage of our short tenure in Paris!

All ideas and plan totally appreciated!
-------
Now as to my short input, instead of creating a lifelong hate of Paris because of endless lines (Fast Track is a joke) for your children, I heartily agree with other replies that you allow them to fall in love with it. All of us are saying the same thing, but I think Fleur de Lis has expressed some great pacing and some concrete ideas.

I think your original plan is way too much. Your kids may end up hating Paris as they will be exhausted and that is not the goal. I would try to give all those places you would like to see a rating system and aim for the top favorites. If you have extra time, you can add in other places. I would skip Versailles this trip as it will take way too much of your precious time unless, for some reason, it is your top priority.

Have you asked your older kids to prioritize what they would like to see?

You must have skipped school the day they taught about paragraphs. I'm one of the oldsters that find reading solid blocks of print not worth trying to decipher. The purpose of the paragraph is to separate topics, trains of thought, or ideas in case you have wondered..

Some posts seem unnecessarily mean. Weren't some Fodorites complaining/commenting on the lessened use of this forum over the years? Shouldn't responders stick to answering the question OP asked?

Envierges--Point taken. As we all know, if you can't say anything nice, then just skip the post, These questions are not homework. We are not required to response.

But I do think that many of the posters, like me, were truly worried about the kids with the type of schedule in the OP's mind. With your comment in mind, I reviewed my response and while I was "good" at one aspect in trying to rephrase the original post for people who might want to help, I came across as snotty with my remark about the punctuation and spelling. Believe it or not, I made that remark as defense against future posters who would correct MY spelling/punctuation. So you are right. In warding off blows, I became offensive. I am sorry.

As to being worried about the kids...
We just visited Paris for the umpteenth time. Although I did not know it when we did our first trip, I think the kids may have ended up visiting Paris 10 or more times before high school graduation. They still return as adults. After this last trip, my husband and I said, "Whoa, are we lucky we took our kids here decades ago." This last trip was a pretty horrendous experience in so many ways. We encountered endless security lines, rude people in line, people blocking all paintings with selfies, and even fully videotaped bus trips.

I reached the boiling point IN COLD WEATHER (and I can only imagine what could happen in hot weather) when one of a foreign millennial set was videotaping her entourage's bus trip and blocking the exit for the elderly people exiting the bus. I stood up to say "Arrete ca. Vous n'avez pas la permission de filmer toutes ces personnes ici!!!" Her entourage only barely understood what I was saying (Egads my French is bad), but they did get the vibe from the actual French riders on the bus, who were all glaring at her in unison with a sort of "Yep, this mad American who can't speak French can be right, and you are totally wrong" Even my husband, who seeing a knife fight, would just order another beer at the bar--he never gets involved--nodded his approval.

So imagining these type of family stressors on a jam-packed day I'm sure has driven many of the remarks here. The message remains the same: There is ALWAYS a Paris with which kids can fall endlessly in love. Getting beaten up and defeated in lines is NOT it. Ice creams, parks, strolls, cafes, the sheer beauty of it all, that is Paris. If you do it right, they'll return. If you do it right, you and they will remember shared experience of joy, not exhaustion.

Again, my apologies for any snarkiness.

If this is 10:27:36 AM, this must be the Louvre.
Gee, we have to be in the Tuileries at 10:40 AM
Time to go.

We are (hopefully) speaking to an adult, not a sensitive 12 yo. If the OP can't survive an honest discussion of the issues with her plan, how could she cope herding several children around Paris? She's tougher than that. There ARE huge problems with her plans and we are trying to help her. No one has a 'mean' intent. If you think there are better things to suggest -- do so. Don't just post a "tsk tsk you mean fodorites"

" If the OP can't survive an honest discussion of the issues with her plan",

But the issues weren't all that was being discussed and critiqued.
I remain unconvinced that comments about poster's spelling, paragraph construction, run on sentences and other flaws have much to do with helpfully answering her original questions. See it your way, but I'll stick with my view that comments like these are mean.

Why would you think that because you've been to Paris several times with your kids that someone who already said that this is a once in a lifetime trip it is good advice to tell them don't do that? Why would someone who already stated what the kids can do based upon experience as a parent of those kids want to spend time in park with grass and the like? They can do that at home. What they can't do are things like spend three or four hours in the Louvre leisurely walking around, then walk through the Tuileries and across the river to the Orsay. Or maybe not go to the Orsay and instead go to the Orangerie?

My advice to the OP, first, abandon the Paris Pass research. You can, at worst, try this site instead: Price of the Paris Museum Pass and get a two day pass. You'll need to research your intended museums and their children admittance policies. As for travel/metro don't get a pass, get a couple of carnets of tickets(depends upon the total number of kids and whether they must have tickets too) per day and whirlwind all you want.

Lastly, I'd recommend that you go to a travel site that isn't frequented by retirees who have no willingness to travel the way you do, but will criticize you for doing it anyway but theirs. It isn't advice they are offering..

Whoa!!!! Apersuader65
Once in a lifetime intent does not translate to dealing with jetlag with four-yr-olds. And that person has NOT seen Paris for 30 years. This poster has no idea of how congested it all is now. We are trying our best to explain this.

Think about this. We were not retirees when we toured rather lineless Paris. WE HAD KIDS. THEY TRAVELED. THEY WERE AMAZING. But they sure could not have followed the OP's original gameplan then and they sure could not have now because the lines have tripled, quadrupled.

Again, I honestly (and stupidly) believed every place we went was "once in a lifetime" for eons. Heck, we even went to Versailles right from landing at the airport our first 3-3.5 days in Paris, and when we returned to the US, the kids softly said, "You do know it was all a blur. We were SO TIRED." What's wrong with sharing that concern?

Believe me, there is kind intent involved here, so don't beat us up. Quite frankly, with that short of time, I would never do the Louvre. 3-4 hours? OMG. Even without lines, two hours in the Louvre can be exhausting on little legs. It would be last on the list of museums for a little one.

Have a heart. Think of those dears.
AZ

You don’t want to wait around for it, and you are right that walking or taking the metro between sights is a better alternative.>

But RATP city buses can be more convenient than going deep down into the metro - easy boarding right near your hotel and you can see the Paris in between sights. Walking is great in Paris too.

I wish people in this forum will reply ad rem and stop comenting ad hominem.

Hello all!
First and foremost, I want to extend a huge thanks to each and every one of you who took the time to reply to my post. Even the "snarky" comments :) ! I truly had no idea I would get such a huge response!
Second, I apologize for the stream of consciousness post. I truly was bleary eyed from the countless hours of research that didn't seem to be getting me anywhere.
I have to say that apersuader65 was right on target. I most certainly know that my and my kids travels sound nuts to most, but it works for us! Won't even scare you with the number of said children :) !!!
And the rest of you are correct that in my youth to 18 year old brain, I am seeing a VERY DIFFERENT PARIS! I am actually so sad that my kids cannot see the Paris I grew up with! Sounds like a huge bazaar with thousands and thousands of people fighting for a place on the sidewalk. Certainly wasn't like that in the visits of my youth!
Thank you for the advice not to purchase the Paris Pass! Wish I had asked that before I spent hours on that issue. I went and looked back it does indeed seem that the best thing to do is purchase the museum pass. Despite the hefty delivery fee!
OK, on to brass tacks here as you are all so knowledgeable and helpful!:
1. I did discuss Versailles with my older boys and they would love to get a "taste" of Versailles. As for my little ones, they'd at the very least adore the train ride! And anyway, since all would be so tired I wouldn't want to catch the big sites on the first afternoon/eve.
So...if I do arrive at my hotel in the 9th arrondisement at 1:30pm (post a 10:40am expected arrival at CDG), if we drop off our luggage and then head to a train to Versailles, what time - with cushion, should I expect to get there. And if I have the Paris Museum Pass, I would only have to wait in the security line, correct? It will be a Tuesday so they have the musical gardens as well.
2. I started to make an itinerary for my full day (Wednesday) in Paris and was getting a bit stuck with what time I should purchase the Eiffel Tower pass as it makes most sense to walk (20 or so minute walk) to the Louvre, Orangerie, Tuileries, continue along Champs Elysee, Place Concorde and make it to the Tour Eiffel. Correct that with my "Paris museum pass" I can arrive whatever time I want to the Louvre (I was originally trying to buy the timed entry ticket until I was advised to purchase the museum pass which seems to make most sense).
What time would I make it to the Eiffel Tower? How far in advance of my timed entry ticket would I need to be there? What other sites can we "stop by at" on the way?
3. For my third day, we will have to check out of the hotel and leave our bags and then make it to CDG for our 11:15pm flight.
a. What time would I have to leave my hotel to the airport?
b. Do you all recommend the hotel des invalides?
c. The tour Montparnasse (even if we already did the Eiffel tower the day prior)?
d. Would you recommend that I did the Arc de Triumphe on this day since it is not quite in the right direction of my first day?

Thank you so much for help with putting this whole puzzle together!
We may be nuts trying to cram all in, but I am similarly nuts about making a program and schedule! OBVIUOSLY we are happy to stray but we thrive when we have a plan :)

Thank you all so much!