Paris - Sightseeing with Toddlers
Nov 28th, 2004, 11:34 AM
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Paris - Sightseeing with Toddlers
We are travelling to Paris from Australia and will be staying 7 nights. We would like to see the all the major attractions but add some fun for the kids - 7yrs and 4yrs - any sgguestions.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Nov 28th, 2004, 05:38 PM
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Hi mackenzie!
We are also from Australia and were planning on taking our 6 and 4 yr olds to europe,including Paris.We have since decided to take this trip on our own, though I don't know if I can be without them for so long.
Anyway,I don't know if your kids are boys or girls or one of each,and I am not an expert as I haven't even been to Paris,but I got some ideas of things my children may have liked.
There are plenty of good books on taking kids to Paris, like the fodor's "around Paris with kids: 68 great things to do together".
Here's a quick list off the top of my head:
*disneyland paris
*parc asterix
*france miniature (out near versailles?)
*puppet shows in lots of the gardens around paris
*jardin d'acclimatation
*parc de la villette
*maybe the bird market on the I'le de la Cite (on sundays?)just for a look
*try the famous berthillon ice cream
*I think the centre pompidou has children's workshops where they can try their hand at modern art and performance
(children's gallery wed and sat pm ?)
*parc andre citroen has a hot air balloon you can go up in(not sure if it's still there)
*a walk along the promenade plantee and viaduc des arts
*If you're game, join the sunday roller rally (thousands of rollerbladers with police escort) starting from bastille area around 2pm
*buy picnic food at one of the street markets and head to one of the many great picnic spots for lunch ie:
champ de mars
arenes de lutece(old roman arena)
place des vosges
parc monceau
gardens at musee rodin
too many to name, and they are only ones I've read about. I'm sure people here on the forum have many more ideas from firsthand experience.
*museum of curiosity and magic?
I could go on and on, but I am only going by what I've read. Hopefully you'll get lots of other good advice from people who've actually taken their kids there.
Have a great trip. If we don't change our minds and take the kids this trip, maybe you could give me some advice for when we take the kids next time.
We are also from Australia and were planning on taking our 6 and 4 yr olds to europe,including Paris.We have since decided to take this trip on our own, though I don't know if I can be without them for so long.
Anyway,I don't know if your kids are boys or girls or one of each,and I am not an expert as I haven't even been to Paris,but I got some ideas of things my children may have liked.
There are plenty of good books on taking kids to Paris, like the fodor's "around Paris with kids: 68 great things to do together".
Here's a quick list off the top of my head:
*disneyland paris
*parc asterix
*france miniature (out near versailles?)
*puppet shows in lots of the gardens around paris
*jardin d'acclimatation
*parc de la villette
*maybe the bird market on the I'le de la Cite (on sundays?)just for a look
*try the famous berthillon ice cream
*I think the centre pompidou has children's workshops where they can try their hand at modern art and performance
(children's gallery wed and sat pm ?)
*parc andre citroen has a hot air balloon you can go up in(not sure if it's still there)
*a walk along the promenade plantee and viaduc des arts
*If you're game, join the sunday roller rally (thousands of rollerbladers with police escort) starting from bastille area around 2pm
*buy picnic food at one of the street markets and head to one of the many great picnic spots for lunch ie:
champ de mars
arenes de lutece(old roman arena)
place des vosges
parc monceau
gardens at musee rodin
too many to name, and they are only ones I've read about. I'm sure people here on the forum have many more ideas from firsthand experience.
*museum of curiosity and magic?
I could go on and on, but I am only going by what I've read. Hopefully you'll get lots of other good advice from people who've actually taken their kids there.
Have a great trip. If we don't change our minds and take the kids this trip, maybe you could give me some advice for when we take the kids next time.
Nov 28th, 2004, 07:52 PM
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I just found this post but don't know how to link to it(sorry I'm a 'newbie' and haven't figured out how to do this yet).Just search 'paris with kids' on this site and you'll find some good info.
Paris--what not to miss with kids?
Paris--what not to miss with kids?
Nov 28th, 2004, 08:59 PM
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Hi mackenzie,
I am also an aussie! We took our daughter to Paris when she was three and again when she was five, and are taking her again this year when she is seven. We always go in the middle of winter, which has quite an impact on my suggestions.
When she was three she loved the children's playground in the Luxembourg gardens. You have to pay to get in (but not heaps), and in winter it was quite cold and wet, but there are lots of climbing things and several hours of burning off excess energy kind of stuff. You need to hunt around a bit to find it, as the gardens are not well signposted. The jardin d'aclimitation (spelling?) in the Bois de Bologne is quite tacky and the rides are VERY expensive for little sit-on-and-go-in-a-circle-ones. With two kids you won't get change out of AUS$100 for a day's amusement. A better option is the big carousel on the river side of the Eiffel tower. There are also quite a few play things in the Champs de Mars.
When she was five her all time favorite was a trip up the Eiffel tower. By that age she had watched 'Madeline' and 'Rugrats in Paris' and was able to identify some of the landmarks. She also loved a river trip on a Bateaux Parisienne. I would recommend you rent some Paris type videos before you go so your kids get the thrill of recognition.
This year, she has put in a special request to see the impressionists, as they have been studying them at school. We will therefore take her to Gare D'Orsey and probably the Pompidou.
Disneyland Paris gets panned a bit on this site by the purists, but to be honest, you can guarantee a full ten hours of complaint-free bliss, which, when travelling with small kids, is pure gold.
If you have any questions, please ask!
Nicy
I am also an aussie! We took our daughter to Paris when she was three and again when she was five, and are taking her again this year when she is seven. We always go in the middle of winter, which has quite an impact on my suggestions.
When she was three she loved the children's playground in the Luxembourg gardens. You have to pay to get in (but not heaps), and in winter it was quite cold and wet, but there are lots of climbing things and several hours of burning off excess energy kind of stuff. You need to hunt around a bit to find it, as the gardens are not well signposted. The jardin d'aclimitation (spelling?) in the Bois de Bologne is quite tacky and the rides are VERY expensive for little sit-on-and-go-in-a-circle-ones. With two kids you won't get change out of AUS$100 for a day's amusement. A better option is the big carousel on the river side of the Eiffel tower. There are also quite a few play things in the Champs de Mars.
When she was five her all time favorite was a trip up the Eiffel tower. By that age she had watched 'Madeline' and 'Rugrats in Paris' and was able to identify some of the landmarks. She also loved a river trip on a Bateaux Parisienne. I would recommend you rent some Paris type videos before you go so your kids get the thrill of recognition.
This year, she has put in a special request to see the impressionists, as they have been studying them at school. We will therefore take her to Gare D'Orsey and probably the Pompidou.
Disneyland Paris gets panned a bit on this site by the purists, but to be honest, you can guarantee a full ten hours of complaint-free bliss, which, when travelling with small kids, is pure gold.
If you have any questions, please ask!
Nicy
Nov 30th, 2004, 01:18 PM
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I just got back from Paris after spending 4 days there with my 10-year-old son. His favorite things were: Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's Tomb, Army Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Tour 59. He liked climbing/going to the tops of things and looking down. The Tour 59 is a trip to the top of the skyscraper at Montparnasse (I think) -- it's taller than the Eiffel Tower and gives a great 360 degree view of Paris if you climb the final three flights of stairs to the roof. You do pay an admission charge. Be sure to go on a day that's not fogged in.
We ate at the Jules Verne, the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, which not only was a great meal and a fun event, but it got us up to the second level in a private elevator so we didn't have to wait in the long line at the bottom.
He really enjoyed eating at Hippopotamus Grill, a French chain restaurant that is very family-friendly. The food is nothing spectacular, but the prices are OK and it made him happy so at his request we ate at two different Hippo Grills -- one near the Tour 59 skyscraper, and one near la Villette -- the Science and Industry museum.
We also ate at Brasserie Lipp, Cafe de Flore and Cafe deux Magots. He didn't particularly care for the food there, except for the steak and fries at Lipp and the hot chocolate at the cafes. We liked the cafe at Place de Vosges. I let him get a cheeseburger one day at the McDonald's in the food court at Gallery Lafayette.
Because of the time differential, he often was not hungry when it was dinner time, so he wouldn't eat much at dinner, then we'd go out for a late light supper at 1 a.m. each night.
Another thing that helped make our trip great was that we bought Metro passes and the museum pass (the kids get in free) so there was never any wait to buy tickets and we popped in and out of museums and rode the Metro all over the city.
We had planned to go to the Catacombs, but when we got there there was a sign saying it was closed from Nov. through April, I believe it was. Maybe some time in May. I wish I had known that before I went.
Have a great trip! Hope the kids love it!
We ate at the Jules Verne, the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, which not only was a great meal and a fun event, but it got us up to the second level in a private elevator so we didn't have to wait in the long line at the bottom.
He really enjoyed eating at Hippopotamus Grill, a French chain restaurant that is very family-friendly. The food is nothing spectacular, but the prices are OK and it made him happy so at his request we ate at two different Hippo Grills -- one near the Tour 59 skyscraper, and one near la Villette -- the Science and Industry museum.
We also ate at Brasserie Lipp, Cafe de Flore and Cafe deux Magots. He didn't particularly care for the food there, except for the steak and fries at Lipp and the hot chocolate at the cafes. We liked the cafe at Place de Vosges. I let him get a cheeseburger one day at the McDonald's in the food court at Gallery Lafayette.
Because of the time differential, he often was not hungry when it was dinner time, so he wouldn't eat much at dinner, then we'd go out for a late light supper at 1 a.m. each night.
Another thing that helped make our trip great was that we bought Metro passes and the museum pass (the kids get in free) so there was never any wait to buy tickets and we popped in and out of museums and rode the Metro all over the city.
We had planned to go to the Catacombs, but when we got there there was a sign saying it was closed from Nov. through April, I believe it was. Maybe some time in May. I wish I had known that before I went.
Have a great trip! Hope the kids love it!
Feb 22nd, 2005, 08:20 PM
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Little note for Kaz11
Message: Hi, my husband and I will be holidaying in Japan and Europe for 3 weeks in April. We are leaving our 4 year old princess at home with grandparents. It is so normal to be worried about missing your children, maybe even selfish sounding to some, but I understand that you need some time together as a couple. My husband recently beat cancer and we need some time to ourselves in a different environment. We have also agonised!!! Children mean the world to their parents but your marriage is the most important thing of all. Have a wonderful trip and just imagine that after the great time you will have in europe you will have a fantastic reunion to look forward to. R.
We are also from Australia
Message: Hi, my husband and I will be holidaying in Japan and Europe for 3 weeks in April. We are leaving our 4 year old princess at home with grandparents. It is so normal to be worried about missing your children, maybe even selfish sounding to some, but I understand that you need some time together as a couple. My husband recently beat cancer and we need some time to ourselves in a different environment. We have also agonised!!! Children mean the world to their parents but your marriage is the most important thing of all. Have a wonderful trip and just imagine that after the great time you will have in europe you will have a fantastic reunion to look forward to. R.
We are also from Australia
Mar 2nd, 2005, 11:45 AM
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We just went to Paris last September with our daughters ages 6 months and 3 years. We did all the things that we wanted to do and tried to make it exciting for our 3 year old. We read Madeline books before we went. Just make sure you always carry plenty of snacks and juiceboxes with you. Usually meltdowns can be prevented with a handful of oreos. We also made day trips to Fontainbleu, Versailles, Normandy, Brugge Belgium. At the end of the week we had a special day at Disney. Six months later, whenever my daughter sees the disney logo, she tells everyone that it is a long,long way away in France with the High Tower.
