you've gotten some great advice above. I'll chime in with thoughts... I've been to Paris with kids, although mine were younger.

Here is a trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ttle-girls.cfm

quick thoughts:
=> Eiffel Tower. I agree that it feels like a lot of time to go all the way to the top. But I know my kids wouldn't feel like they went to Paris if they didn't do it. It frequently is the one thing that people ask, "Did you go up in the Eiffel Tower ?" Let them say 'yes'!

As for pre-booking tickets... I guess it is the way to go. Obviously, you are taking a risk that you've chosen the bad weather day, but since you are on such a tight schedule, I think I'd take that risk also. What about booking them at dusk - everyone says sunset is great from up there ?

=> Musee d'Orsay. I think I read somewhere that much of the 5th floor is closed due to renovation. 5th floor is where the Impressionists are, so this may actually be skip-worthy.

ftr, I'm also a fan of 'fly by' museuming with kids. I would rather leave them wanting more and interested than the death march, too. We used the Museum Pass to great success last time and will do it again.

=> Notre Dame. One of the things my kids still talk about was climbing to the top. Downside is that lines form quickly, so this would suck quite a bit of time out of your schedule. Is very cool to be up close and personal with the gargyles and chimeras though!

=> Have you thought about a bike tour ? We did one and it was great! While I understand why you may not want the afternoon one due to your tight timing, I would consider the evening one. It is not strenuous but is a wonderful way to see Paris.

=> I also echo the need to skip Champs Elysees. I would rather go to the Marais or what about a pedestrian only street for them to explore ?

=> We have eaten at Chez Francis a few times and had good meals. While there are those that don't consider it haute cuisine, with kids it is great especially if you can get a table with a window or sit outside. It is fun to see the Eiffel Tower 'twinkle' every hour. I also found them extremely kind to my kids and very accommodating. For that, I will go back. http://www.chezfrancis-restaurant.com/

You can buy Eiffel Tower tickets online before you even leave home so no waiting for tickets. I prefer the view from the top of the Arc, but kids would probably go for the tower. It was jammed up when we went there on what must have been our 15th triop to Paris! On the Arc you can walk freely about and you don;t HAVE to climb tell them you nned to use the eloevator!

Eiffel Tower tickets site

http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

I walk between the Tour Eiffel and the Musée d'Orsay nearly every time I'm in Paris. I'm a VERY fast walker and it normally takes me at least 30 minutes.

I too would skip the Champs Elysées unless it's on your route from say the Tuileries to the Arc de Triomphe.

Some other random thoughts: The Batobus is a good way to travel between areas with major attractions and also just to get around Paris above ground (buses are also great for that). The Place Beaubourg is usually full of street performers that kids love (and the Pompidou Center is a lot of fun even if you don't want to visit the museum). The Cité de Science is a bit of a métro ride, but a great place for kids who are into science - also the nearby music museum is fun. You can go paddleboating in the Bois de Boulogne. And the Conciergerie, which doesn't seem to make it on the radar screen of many visitors to Paris (even though it's included in the ticket to Sainte-Chapelle), was always one of my kids' favorite places to visit.

hi med,

some other posters are being a bit sniffy about the vedettes, but actually, they make a very good way of getting from, say, the eiffel tower to Notre Dame - used just like a bus! that's what we did when we visited on a day when everything else was on strike, and they were a life-saver.

do try to get to the top of the eifel tower too - when we took our kids, it was one of the things they liked most. that and the lunch we had in a little restaurant near Notre Dame.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

Here are our pictures from the Seine Boat cruise

http://tinyurl.com/Cruise-on-Seine

Stu Dudley

The Vedettes du Pont Neuf are a round trip cruise on the Seine. The Batobus is a point to point service like a regular bus, only on the Seine.

The Louvre is open Monday, closed Tuesday. The Musee d'Orsay is closed Monday, open Tuesday.

The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. We took an English language tour which lasted about two hours and covered the most famous parts and was very interesting. The Louvre is so large that it is overwhelming on a first trip. Even with maps, it is hard to get where you want to go. The tour saves a lot time as you are not wasting time looking for those famous items. Then you can stay longer after the tour if there are still other must see items that weren't on the tour. According to the website, the tours are not available on Sundays, so you would need to see the Louvre on Monday if you were interested in a tour. If you are interested, do some research to see if you can book ahead. We booked at the Louvre after entering, but had to wait for the 2nd tour, as the lst was already booked. This is a real time saver if you only have a couple of hours to spend.

If you plan your time wisely, you will be able to see a lot of Paris in two days. That's all we had on our first trip, and we managed to see quite a lot. However, the crowds will be heavier in July - we were there in April.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful advice and encouragement!

As someone who has taken kids to Paris a couple of times, and who has taken kids on a port intensive Med cruise, my advise is to keep it simple. My kids did not want to visit a single musuem after the cruise, there is only so much culture kids some kids can handle, but wait and see. I would suggest something like visiting the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, walking through the latin quartier at night, eating crepes off the street, walking down the Seine, getting gelato at Amorino on the Ile Saint Louis and sitting in the park behind Notre Dame to eat it, the seine river cruise, and maybe a bike tour with www.fattirebiketours.com, and Montmatre is always fun. If the kids really would like a musuem, mine especially liked the Cluny. I would suggest to just wait and see. Have a great trip!

Where is it you are staying? You probably have a good reason for staying a 30 min train ride outside of Paris, but if you tell us where you are staying and why maybe we can make some suggestions. I can't think of anywhere in the region that wouldn't have a later train than 4pm. You must have your reasons, but staying more central would really enhance your experience. Paris is so lovely lit up at night it's too bad you'll miss it, plus all that time commuting.

re Notre Dame on a Sunday. It's still open they just ask you not walk around during services, but most of the day will be fine.

My photos of Paris are here: www.pbase.com/annforcier/paris

I would strongly second TPAYT's suggestion of the Musée Carnavalet, which is dedicated to the history of Paris, in the Marais. It is free, I have never had to queue and it doesn't just have paintings and sculpture but all sorts of objects of interest - including furniture, ceramics and models and reliefs - to interest children who have studied the history of Paris. There is a bookshop and the loo is downstairs. It's not far from the Place des Vosges and it is closed on Mondays.

We are staying near Disneyland Paris. We got a great deal on a hotel for booking four nights. Because there are five of us, it is always a challenge to find a big enough hotel room.
Our third day in Paris will be at DLP.

I'm sure the train goes much later. I'm just trying to plan on being back at the hotel around dinnertime in case we are tired. We'll have been traveling for over 2 weeks at this point. I'm just preparing myself for exhaustion! :)

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

hi again, med

as you are near DLP, would you consider a visit to parc asterix? the time we went, our kids loved it. loads of fun, and very french, even the food. [which is much better than at Disney, IMHO].

I'm pretty sure both the Louvre and the Orsay are closed on Monday, so you might have to just chose one of them.

Also, I think that if you are prepared to walk up the Eiffel Tower then you don't have to wait in the same line. You can't go to the very top, but I have read the views are better this way anyway.

I haven't been to Paris, yet, just doing my own research for a trip in May. :)

Two hours in a museum is more than enough with children. If they are young enough, a puppet show would be fun in the Bois de Bologne.

Orsay is closed Mondays
Louvre is closed Tuesdays

Stu Dudley

Isabel - your photos were wonderful. I think they illustrate exactly why everyone recommends that you allow time each day to just walk around and explore. Paris is just so much more than the sum of its must see sights. The street scenes in your photos show that so well, and all the little detail photos are great. I particularly enjoyed your wonderful night scenes. Will make a point to take more night time photos when I'm there next. Thanks for sharing.

I wouldn't recommend walking up the Eiffel Tower. It's crowded and cramped and will take up a LOT of your time. Sure, it's cheaper, but the views aren't any better (how could they be, unless you think a different view every ten steps is something special?).

Two hours in a museum is enough for me, too.

Stu's right about the opening/closing days.

Don't think anyone has mentioned the Jardin d'Acclimatation, which has been entertaining French children (and adults who never grew up, like me)since 1860. There is a mini train, an archery range, a miniature-golf course, a house of mirrors, pony rides and a puppet theater. There are shooting galleries, a miniature farm, cafes and restaurants, a great playground, a miniature road system for children operated by the Paris police (week days only I suspect) and the Musée en Herbe, which is an art museum for kids, etc. Rarely seem to be tourists at the Jardin. The French site - with English option - is at http://www.jardindacclimatation.fr/ and you need flash player. A real treat for the kids and another side to life in Paris. Sadly the Museum of Folk Arts, which was wonderful, has now moved from this site.

I most definitely recommend taking a guided tour of the Louvre also if you chose that museum - I had a very difficult time finding some of my personal 'must sees' and wish I had taken such a tour.