One day in Paris. Will take Eurostar from London Sunday (January), stay in Left Bank hotel (Rue Jacob), and have Monday until evening Eurostar back to London. Can't work out gameplan. It's her first trip so...Eiffel Tower, Notra Dame, Bateaux Mouches, Louvre(?)..bus tour. Of course, cafes for hot chocolate and sweets, plus cafes for meals. Need suggestions!

You know your GD, but with such limited time would she really want to try to go to the Louvre? She might enjoy Monmartre. Lots of shops (touristy of course) but it's fun to watch the painters and see all the artwork and there are often street performers.

I wouldn't try for any particular cafe unless there is one you know of you especially want to take her to. Again, with limited time, I would just stop somewhere in the area you are in at the time you get hungery. It may not be gourmet but I have had some really nice meals just eating on the fly.

You might want to go to Angelinas for the hot chocolate. Do you think she might enjoy any of the markets? I'm not certain what markets are what days, but someone here will know for sure. Also, don't forget it will get dark earlier. You might save your Eiffle Tower visit for when the lights go on.

I sure wouldn't do the Louvre with a 10-year-old. Maybe the Musée d'Orsay (my daughter had a fascination with Mary Cassat that was well served there when she was young).

Also, Notre Dame is just a big boring Gothic cathedral - what would be all that interesting to a 10-year-old about that, unless she's studying medieval history, in which case it would be great.

Cripes, take her to the Paris Mosque and the Luxembourg Gardens and the rue Buci and the rue Mouffetard and Montmartre (briefly - it's mostly tourist schlock, but a look-see would be good) and a walk by the Seine and hot chocolate at Angelina and you're done. Take her to the Bois de Boulogne and the carousel there and the paddle boats. Get her a boat to float in the pond on the Tuileries.

First - I would sk her what SHE really wants to see (give her some tour brochures and guidebooks with pix to check out).

I would vote for quality rather than a blur of quantity.

Yes, see

the Eiffel Towe
a short boat ride
Notre Dame

If you have time for a museum (doubt it) I would pick something she really likes and do a brief section. (My stepdaughters loved the Musee de Cluny - since it was so different, is unified and had those great tapestries.

How about Amorino for a gelato on the Rue de Buci?

Deyrolle (upstairs) on the Rue du Bac to see the insects and taxidermy?

Laduree at Rue Jacob/Rue Bonaparte for pink macaroons?

Thin

Make sure you get her a Mont Blanc to go along with the hot chocolate at Angelinas!

The Bateaux Mouche seems a must to me.

movie for children --> Hunchback --> Notre Dame

Hi Elainee,

If you opt for a river cruise, time it to catch the sunset. I always thought that it would be more spectacular after dark, but changed my mind recently. With some free time on a late October afternoon, a friend and I hopped on one around 17.30. When the sky turned pink, we had the best seats in Paris and saw the monuments and bridges silhouetted in pink and crimson. Truly an unforgettable sight.

So, if I were you, I would find the time for sunset on your one day, and grab a cruise for that time.

Have fun!

s

I like the cruise at night idea. I think the boat trip is a must. Lunch at Altitude 95 so you have a view from the Tower, and don't use a lot of time?
If not a view from the Tower, go to the roof of Galeries Lafayette for a view.
You might think about trying to hire Michael Osman for the day. He would be absolutely TERRIFIC with a child, and could probably even make a quick Louvre or Orsay visit a treasure.
A market for sure to see the vegetables, but also the chickens and game hanging!!

When I took my daughter to Paris the first time, she was 10. I asked her where she wanted to go first and she said Sephora, flagship store on the Champs E (kinda ick, IMO). That was before we had so many Sephoras here in the US.

It so happened that there was an exhibit of the French trains running from Pl. de la Concorde to the Arc, and the boulevard was closed to traffic. We walked up the center of the C-E, surrounded by thousands of other pedestrians, while the edges of a distant thunder storm swirled the street dust around us and lightening bristled over the buildings off in the distant 9eme.

Kids were having their pictures taken, sitting cross-legged in the middle of what would normally be many lanes of speeding cars and truck and motorcycles. There was a particular place where the street has a rise and you could sit with the Arc in the background. It felt like a carnival.

I realized then, it's not where you go in Paris (there are just so damn many thing to do) but what happens on the way that makes an indelible memory. I think that just being in Paris and etching those experiences into her brain is what counts, even if you don't set foot inside one museum....until next time, when you have more time.

My daughter copied artworks from the Pompidou into her little sketchbook. She hid behind trees in the Tuilleries. She jumped on the sculpture of cylinders at the Palais Royale. She ate too many Tuc crackers and still craves them when she is in France. Little things...

Paris with a kiddo in tow is a delightful experience. Have fun!

Elainee,

Keep it simple and try not to spend too much of your day waiting in lines. Here's one idea.

Very leisurely walk from hotel to Notre Dame (there are many options, one would be via Rue Bonaparte to Blvd St. Germain (scope out cafes for later, after a day of walking) on to Rue de Buci and then to St. Michael and on to Notre Dame).

Notre Dame (NOT the tower - it will eat up any stored time/energy), see the park in back and move on to Ile St. Louis. There you can have a nice rest (lunch?) and maybe little shopping somewhere on Ile St. Louis.

Walk to Louvre, see courtyard. There is a shopping area underneath.

Metro or taxi to Trocadero - take in best view of Eiffel Tower. Walk to Eiffel tower (how's is your time? decide whether to go up?).

How are you doing? Here I would play it by ear. If you still feel energetic, you might want to walk through Parc du Champs de Mars to Rue de Genelle to Rue Cler. Maybe rest?

Still have time and energy? - then walk to hotel. No? then taxi home.

Rest up at hotel and get ready for sunset or evening cruise.

Whew!

Also, thin had a great suggestion for going to Lauderee. It's right by your hotel. It's a great place to eat (and get a box of macarons to go).

http://www.laduree.fr/public_en/mais...te_accueil.htm

Saint Germain des Prés, Notre Dame, l'ile saint louis and maybe hotel de ville (in january there is an ice rink). This is a nice walk. And from there you can take the subway (line 1) and go to the champs Elysées if you have some stamina left or take a taxi if you really want to see the eiffel tower.

I'm not sure about Eiffel Tower and Bateaux Mouches, you've just got one day in paris.

Nicolas
http://visitparisiphone.blogspot.com/

I don't think 10 year olds want to spend a lot of time in any eating place.

Our daughter was 10 when we first took the kids to France. Things she enjoyed then, and on several return trips, that would still be good for a child that age include:
Eiffel Tower
Arc d Triumph
Notre Dame
Vedettes cruise on the Seine
Laduree
Sacre Couer
Louvre, even if just seeing the Pyramid
Shopping at Pylones...that is a must for a girl this age!
Crepes, anywhere

I don't think 10 year olds want to spend a lot of time in any eating place.

That's the daftest thing I have ever seen written here in Fodorville.

I don't know one kid (and I am a volunteer ESL tutor for students ages 10-20 in Philadelphia as a part of my M.Ed. program) who wouldn't want to go to TGI Friday's, Olive Garden, McDonald's, or Baskin- Robbins, Chuck E Cheese, etc.)

My husband, Keith, is a middle school principal.

Thin

We took our then 10yo son to Paris several years ago, and recently returned from taking our 10yo daughter to Italy.

Not all kids are the same - my kids eat at a variety of restauurants, but are no more likely to go to chain restaurants than we are (except for ice cream).

But I do agree that most kids wouldn't look forward to having a leisurely lunch with only one day in Paris. A crepe from a stand would probably be fun.

The OP hasn't responded, but she needs to talk to her grandaughter. Both of our kids would feel cheated if they were in Paris for one day and didn't get to see at least SOME of the art. Hers might be the same, but she'll only know if she asks.

Take the Batobus. You can pick it up at any of the major sites in Paris. Its inexpensive and will take you by boat to all the destinations on your list. I found it to be very relaxing and a great way to get around. Its a hop on, hop off boat so you can just do what you want, when you want and get back on. This was probably the best tip I can give, much nicer than taking a bus and easier than trying to walk. The crepes are great from the stands like someone else mentioned. http://batobus.com/

When do you get in on Sunday? You could do a nighttime Seine cruise from Vedettes du Pont Neuf, which is very near Notre Dame.

The Cluny (Musee du Moyen Age) might be the one museum I'd recommend...small, close to your hotel, and it mixes artifacts and architecture.

Also close to your hotel.. a walk on the Rue de Buci/Rue Ancienne Comedie (right near Place St Germain des Pres): market, cobblestone pedestrian street, Le Procope (one of othe oldest restaurants in Paris, Ben Franklin ate there). There are also some nice cafes around here. I like Le Bonaparte and their Croque Monsieur. The Luxembourg Gardens, another possibility. Also on Left Bank Arene de Lutece (roman arena), right near Jardin des Plantes with its zoo and museum of natural history.

I like idea of approaching Eiffel from Trocadero..magnificent view from that side of the river.

Trying to remember if ferris wheel outside Louvre is there year round. Could do that and see outside of Louvre.