Apartment in Paris
Jan 26th, 2008 | 09:12 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2008
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Apartment in Paris
I am going to Paris in May with my daughter, son-in-law and their (then) 9-month-old baby. We plan to rent an apartment for a week. What area in Paris is most baby-friendly and manageable for a stroller?
Jan 26th, 2008 | 01:09 PM
#2
Joined: Mar 2006
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Hi,
Having done the same with our own 11-month old, I think any area of Paris is pretty much the same stroller and baby-wise, with many cobblestones and the crushed composite in many of the areas you'll probably be visiting (parks, areas around museums, etc.)
That's why our stroller got virtually no use in Paris, and we used the baby backpack everywhere. Also consider that you'll be using the Metro, and going up and down lots of stairs.
So I'd say choose an area you adults want to stay in, and start practicing long walks with baby in the backpack. Have fun!
Having done the same with our own 11-month old, I think any area of Paris is pretty much the same stroller and baby-wise, with many cobblestones and the crushed composite in many of the areas you'll probably be visiting (parks, areas around museums, etc.)
That's why our stroller got virtually no use in Paris, and we used the baby backpack everywhere. Also consider that you'll be using the Metro, and going up and down lots of stairs.
So I'd say choose an area you adults want to stay in, and start practicing long walks with baby in the backpack. Have fun!
Jan 26th, 2008 | 02:22 PM
#3
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 75,049
Likes: 50
one area is pretty much like any other - convenience-wise.
laughingd2 has made some really good points re the benefits of of a baby carrier. You still might want to take a lightweight/fold-up stroller to use in airport/train stations etc. But day-to-day sightseeing will be easier if they carry their baby.
laughingd2 has made some really good points re the benefits of of a baby carrier. You still might want to take a lightweight/fold-up stroller to use in airport/train stations etc. But day-to-day sightseeing will be easier if they carry their baby.
Jan 26th, 2008 | 03:35 PM
#4
Joined: Apr 2004
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I took our (then) 16 month old to Paris (and London) a couple years ago. We usually stay in the St. Germaine des Pres because I love the easy walk to Buci Market, Musee D'Orsay, Luxembourg Gardens, and (a little farther out the Seine and Notre Dame.)... but I would think many areas are baby friendly. Parisians have babies, too.
That said, some other considerations that might be just as important are:
--What are the things you and your family want to see most? Is it your first time to Paris and you want to hit all the tourist sites? Are you just wanting to see a few museums and stroll through markets. Are you (or your kids) planning on taking in a lot of night life while baby sleeps? Your own answers might help you pick a neighborhood based on whether you need lots of metro access or want to walk everywhere, etc.
--does your apartment has a lift or only a couple flights of stairs.
--is it on a quiet street or in the heart of the action? (Or do the bedrooms face a quiet courtyard vs. a busy street.)
--is it near a metro station (prerably on a route that is a fairly direct route, i.e. no correspondances/transfers) to get to the places you all want to see.
Getting around with a stroller is not impossible, but I'd advise the most compact, lightweight one you can get because someone will inevitably be lugging it up and down stairs and through security at the airports.
Also to mention, a lot of the shops (even food, bread, and cheese shops) in Paris don't have enough room for strollers... and you might have to (or at least feel compelled to) leave the stroller out on the sidewalk or pack it up and carry it with you.
One other piece of unsolicited advice. Does your daughter use a sling or other soft carrier like a Moby Wrap or Hip Hammock? Laughingd2 recommended a backpack... and I'd just say that I found the baby backpack to be cumbersome and a bit out of place in such a big busy city. We never once used it in Paris. (Once in London, but couldn't navigate the crowds with it so it stayed in the apartment the rest of the trip.)
Sorry this is probably more answer than you wanted, but I don't think there's a particularly baby/stroller friendly neighborhood.
Good luck on your trip. That's a lovely time of the year, and a great age to travel with (9 months, I mean).
-Kat
That said, some other considerations that might be just as important are:
--What are the things you and your family want to see most? Is it your first time to Paris and you want to hit all the tourist sites? Are you just wanting to see a few museums and stroll through markets. Are you (or your kids) planning on taking in a lot of night life while baby sleeps? Your own answers might help you pick a neighborhood based on whether you need lots of metro access or want to walk everywhere, etc.
--does your apartment has a lift or only a couple flights of stairs.
--is it on a quiet street or in the heart of the action? (Or do the bedrooms face a quiet courtyard vs. a busy street.)
--is it near a metro station (prerably on a route that is a fairly direct route, i.e. no correspondances/transfers) to get to the places you all want to see.
Getting around with a stroller is not impossible, but I'd advise the most compact, lightweight one you can get because someone will inevitably be lugging it up and down stairs and through security at the airports.
Also to mention, a lot of the shops (even food, bread, and cheese shops) in Paris don't have enough room for strollers... and you might have to (or at least feel compelled to) leave the stroller out on the sidewalk or pack it up and carry it with you.
One other piece of unsolicited advice. Does your daughter use a sling or other soft carrier like a Moby Wrap or Hip Hammock? Laughingd2 recommended a backpack... and I'd just say that I found the baby backpack to be cumbersome and a bit out of place in such a big busy city. We never once used it in Paris. (Once in London, but couldn't navigate the crowds with it so it stayed in the apartment the rest of the trip.)
Sorry this is probably more answer than you wanted, but I don't think there's a particularly baby/stroller friendly neighborhood.
Good luck on your trip. That's a lovely time of the year, and a great age to travel with (9 months, I mean).
-Kat
Jan 27th, 2008 | 09:54 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 35,162
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I don't think it makes a huge difference, as you are going to be traveling around Paris, anyway. But every area in Paris is not the same, nor full of cobblestones, etc -- the newer parts of the city would be the ones that I would probably say would be more stroller-friendly. That means new relative to Paris, of course. But most tourists aren't going to want to stay in the newer areas, with flatter areas, wider streets and sidewalks, etc. But that's what I'd say. Like the 15th arrondisement, I would think would be definitely stroller-friendly in most parts -- I like the area around square St Lambert, sq Violet nad place Charles Michels, for example, but there are plenty of other areas. I'd say many parts of the 14th also would be stroller-friendly. being near Parc de Montsouris would be great, that's a really nice park.
I just don't think that question can be answered by naming one area, Paris is much too big a city to say there is this one area that is best for a baby.
I just don't think that question can be answered by naming one area, Paris is much too big a city to say there is this one area that is best for a baby.
