BTW, which airport should be used to fly into Paris. It gives me 3 options.

I think that is dictated by where your flight originates. I believe US flights arrive at CDG. Not sure about Orly. I believe limited airlines service Beauvais....maybe the budget airlines.

Beauvais is mostly Ryanair, and from there you take a coach to Porte Maillot (reserve at same time as air ticket).
Technically Beauvais is about what 50 kms from Paris ?

Lots of low cost on Orly too (Easyjet notably). I've never taken an overseas from Orly.

Long haul usually arriving at CDG.

You should definitely avoid flying into Beauvais since it takes forever and costs a lot of money to get into Paris. Orly is about a 30 EU taxi ride and CDG gives the option of RoissyBus + Metro for about 12 EU per person as opposed to 55 EU by taxi. Take a taxi if you have more than one small bag apiece because there are too many stairs to deal with in public transport.

First trip to Paris? Definitely look at apart'hotels where you will have what you need plus someone to help you with directions etc. Also no problem with storing your luggage if your room isn't ready, instead of hauling your stuff around until you can get into an apartment. Don't get too carried away about the laundry situation, since the machines here take forever to do a small load. You'd be better off using a nearby efficient coin laundry.

Hi Sheebs,

I too, am taking my family to Paris for the first time (I have been but they have not). My kids will be 9 and 11 when we go next year. I'm spending 5 days in Paris, train to the Bernese Oberland for 7 days there, then train to Munich and 3 days there. Flying into Charles de Gaulle in Paris and flying out of Munich.

I realize that you only have 9 days, but if you want to see another country, Switzerland is about 4 hours by train. If you prefer to stay in France, you could take day trips to Normandy to see the D Day memorials, or to the Loire valley to see the chateaus. Or Versaille. I'm taking my family to Normandy for a day.

You asked about where to stay. I am not an expert on Paris, but I have done a lot of research on where to stay as a family. We decided to rent an apartment in the 7th through Paris Perfect. That way we have a quiet residential area so the kids will sleep well, separate bedroom for the kids, a kitchen so we don't always have to eat out every meal, and laundry in the apartment, so we don't have to pack as many clothes. I know several members of this forum will advise against apartments, but it was a good choice for my family. The apartment I am renting is legal. I do have a hotel booked as a backup, just in case, but Paris Perfect gives you a contract stating that in the rare case of cancellation, they will either place you in a equivalent or better apartment to your liking, or refund your money. They also have an office in the 7th that is staffed and open 7 days a week where you can store luggage, and they have concierge services.

With that being said, you still may prefer a hotel? If so, I looked at Relais Christine (6th I think) as an option before I ended up choosing an apartment. They had big family sized rooms that were quiet and in a good location. I also looked at Hotel Esprit Saint Germain in the 6th. They had a few rooms that would accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids, and also had 2 bathrooms.

Good luck and happy planning! It's a lot more complicated to plan a trip for a family with young children, so I get it

Have a great trip.

Oh! We also looked at Hotel Duquesne Eiffel. They had connecting rooms in a quiet area close to the Eiffel Tower.

In Paris I strongly recommend contacting Michael Osman to be your guide for at least one day but preferably 2. He is especially good with children--even adult children. he will maximize your time and tell you more than you would get from guide books. He is an artist himself and having him guide us in the Louvre and Orsay was especially good. And I had been to Paris MANY times before.