Paris for children
 

My wife and I plan to go to Paris and possibly Provence next summer with our two boys, who will be 5 and 8. We know they won't be as interested in the history and culture as we. Any suggestions on Parisian activities for children?
Thanks

I just saw this article that had some good ideas:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...051200562.html

I loved Paris as a child and yet I can't remember a single child activity that I did at age 2, 6, 11, 14 and 17. For example, I never sailed one of those little boats at the Luxembourg or went to see "Guignol."

I remember loving the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Sacré Coeur, the Musée Grevin, the Louvre and Notre Dame (especially the towers). Now that I live in Paris, I know that I would have also loved the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution, the Cité des Sciences and the Géode, and the boat rides on both the Seine and the Canal Saint Martin.

I remember that I hated sitting in restaurants and cafés too long and wanted to get moving again as soon as possible.

Simple things work very well: Jardin d´Acclimation, Bateaux Mouches, sailing boats at either Luxembourg or Tuileries.

Restaurants can be a drag for some, our 8 year old daughter loves to eat, particularly something new and different (yea, she is probably not typical). She has no problem with any 3 course menu and we always include her in what can be lengthy conversations at dinner so hopefully she has no memories of boringly long meals. Still, you will probably want to avoid restaurants and stick with cafés or brasseries. Admittedly the lines of distinction have blurred but generally, restaurants do not open until 19h30, probably too late to start eating for your children.

However here are several suggestions for places that kids will love (and are not known particularly as fine dinning):

http://www.nosancetreslesgaulois.com/
http://www.lesergentrecruteur.com/

I was in Paris in April with my grandchildren, ages 5 and 8, and their parents. They liked the "biggees" like the ET, Notre Dame, Montmartre/Sacre-Coeur, etc., but also loved just "hanging out" at the parks, taking the Metro (putting their own ticket in the turnstile), sitting at outdoor cafes for short periods of time, chocolat chaud at Angelina. My granddaughter, at 8, was able to enjoy the Orangerie while her dad took her 5 yr old brother to the museum at Les Invalides to see suits of armor, etc. A one hour cruise on the Seine was a big hit too, timed to be at the ET when it was twinkling. www.vedettesdupontneuf.com

They both loved the playgrounds at the Tuileries and the Luxembourg. Renting a sailboat to push around the pond was fun. The gardens at the Rodin Museum are lovely, also and provide an opportunity for kids to run about.

We rented an apartment, and that was great for giving everyone some space, allowed for kids' earlier bedtimes (in theory!), and it was good to have someone run out every morning for the requisite pain au chocolat for breakfast. We did not eat at restaurants that are known to be kids' places, but found all places that we went just fine for the kids. A favorite is Le Petit St. Benoit on street of same name in the 6th, when it opens at 7:00.

The Jardin d'Acclimatation is a great park, too, but it's off the beaten path, and if your time is limited, I'd just stick to the Tuileries and Luxembourg.

Happy planning and have fun!

Visit the Musee Grevin...fun for persons 5 to 75+.

Include them in the trip planning process. Get them their own cameras (disposable or otherwise).

With our young daughter, we would have one or two sightseeing "missions" in a morning, and leave the rest of the day free. We also did our restaurants for lunch and picnicked for dinner. This plan still works well even though she's 8 now.

Yes, the metro was indeed the highlight of my childhood trips to Paris. We could have stayed down there all day!

One thing my son, who was six at the time, really enjoyed was the merry-go-round in the park by the Marmottan Museum: the kids are given sticks as they ride, with which they try to hook brass rings from a board. He thought it was like jousting, and would have done this all day long. Nice for you would be the possibility of each parent have a turn to tour the museum alone, while the boys play. The park has a really nice playground, too.

Other highlights were climbing the tower at Notre Dame, having miniature cakes from a vendor at the Saxe-Breteuil market, and of course, the Army museum.

Have fun planning. There's a book I found helpful, published by Cadogan guides, called Take the Kids: Paris (or something like that).