Tip: Carryon is a great way to avoid lugging heavy bags around but you cannot just pack the day before. You do need to throw everything on the bed and do some planning in advance if you want to look nice and have what you need including homework that is due after vacation.


Ten minutes before leaving for the airport, we were at 16lbs each, with backpacks (I hid my purse in my backpack during boarding) and one carryon bag of diabetes meds for my son. As we boarded American (and not Swiss), I watched as person after person presented their boarding passes bent half over with what appeared to be steamer trunks on their backs. The agents didn’t bat an eye. But in the end, I was glad I didn’t have to hoist a refrigerator-sized bag and shove it into the overhead bin.
Teen Comment: This was a better flight than I thought with a great movie selection


Landed in Paris (stopover and transfer in Zurich which was NOT well marked). I had been advised that with four people and jetlag Uber was the way to go. I downloaded the app before we left. Please note, I am NOT an Uber fan and I make a conscious choice to not use it in the US. But, I have to say, it made life easier in Paris the few times we grabbed one. No haggling over price. No language barriers for directions as it is all in the app. Note at one point it did appear our driver aimed directly at a pedestrian as he stepped on the accelerator and shouted TOUCHE.

Our apartment rental was in the Marais and we booked it through CobblestoneParis (Le Gourmet du Marais). A very nice 1-bedroom apartment in a convenient location. We were able to pretty much walk everywhere and there were a lot of shops nearby to pick up take-out foods such as baguettes, cheese, wine, quiche, fresh fruit and pastry for breakfast. The boys slept on the pullout sofa (which sadly never was made back into a couch our entire stay). Overall a great apartment. NOTE: it overlooks a very busy café. The windows are totally soundproof but in the summer, it will be loud with the windows open. I know people recommend a money belt because of the pickpocket issue in Paris and I am not saying DON'T get one. But we just did not want to use them and so we hid our passports well in the apartment and just used our NYC caution in crowds etc. We also had photocopies of our credit cards and passports in our bags. But pickpocketing is an issue.
Teen Opinion: That was the best apartment and best shower ever. The location was really really really good. Nailed it.

Ate lunch at a small café on a side street which amazingly came to a whopping 170 Euros!! After that sticker shock, we picked up wine, cheese and bread for dinner and returned for naps to recover a bit from jet lag and then head to the Louvre (Friday nights the Louvre is open late). We got the four-day Museum pass, walked to the Louvre from our place and breezed right in at 7:00. I won’t say the Louvre was empty but it was as close to it as you will get. Unfortunately, teen boys lasted about 90 minutes and it was hard to argue with jet lag.
Tip: Friday night at the Louvre is the way to go to beat the lines and the crowds.

Day 2
On our morning walk to Musee D’Orsay we passed Sainte-Chapelle and saw no line. Good to be flexible and change up plans when there is an opportunity to avoid crowds in Paris in April.

Sainte-Chapelle is another beautiful gothic chapel and part of the Palais de la Cite. Built by King Louis IX between 1241 he hoped to make Paris the second capital of Christendom after Rome. Good news is that it's covered by the Museum Pass. Security is tight because it shares an entrance with the courthouse. This is a must see despite a Trip Advisor review of: “well if you like glass, it's ok I guess but there is nothing much here." Well beyond the incredible stained glass, true nothing much inside because during the revolution, like many churches in France, it was sacked as a symbol of royalty through divine right. A must see.
Teens viewpoint: This was pretty mystical and incredible and I really liked it a lot. Walking along the river too is really nice.


By the time we got to Musee D’Orsay it was still early enough to beat the lines. Even if you dislike impressionism, the building itself is a stunning remodeling of the Gare d'Orsay. With a Museum Pass you go right to security. Wonderful to see Manet and cut through all the saccharin Renoir that litter the walls everywhere. There was also a Van Gogh/Gaugin exhibit which the boys both liked a lot and an exhibit on black models in French art which was much much bigger than I thought it (and hard to enjoy with ravenous teens)….but that is where Olympia is displayed and I was going to see that painting, darn it. Interesting show but the teens were finished.

We walked to Au Pied de Fouet, a small bistro with classic French dishes for lunch. The salads in France are amazing but we find a lot of the food is a little bland. Maybe because we weren't eating at high-end Michelin star places. Again, our simple lunch was somehow well over 100 Euros. Walked home and grabbed ice cream at Pozzetto (long line) and nap time.
Teen Opinion: My lunch was good but dad’s cooking is a lot better. I wish there was some more flavor like maybe garlic. Be careful what you get at Pozzetto, mine was not ice cream but sorbet and I didn’t care for it.


We decided to window shop in the Marais after our nap and pick up some dinner to eat at our comfortable apartment. Everyone told us we must go to the concept store Merci: three floors!! For us, a disappointment. It was filled with a lot of things I see in every single boutique in Brooklyn except at three times the price. My son was hoping to get some “street wear” but the prices are just a lot higher in Paris than in NY. We grabbed lasagna and other Italian food from the place across the street (delicious) and some more cheese and bread.


Day 3.

Got up early and walked to Poilane to get the bread that we kept hearing about. Yes, amazing—be sure to go and don’t freak out when you see bread loafs the size of wagon wheel. You won’t be buying that—you ask for them to cut part of it off for you. We don’t speak French beyond what we learned via the Mango app and were able to get what we wanted. We also picked up a roasted chicken, salad, and French Asparagus on our walk back. Dinner was set. The vegetables and fruit are so flavorful in France and we highly recommend the roasted chickens.


We headed to Marché aux Oiseaux, or the bird market but due to the Notre Dame fire the area was closed off and so there were really only a couple of cages of birds out and we kept going.

Musee D’Cluny was up next and again covered by the Museum Pass. This is a Medieval museum built over Roman baths that features the famous tapestries of a lady, a unicorn and lots of animals. The rest of the museum is closed for renovation unfortunately for me (and a high five for the teens). The tapestries are woven from wool and silk, and illustrate the five senses with a sixth mysterious sense. Very beautiful. They all feature a unicorn. With the museum pass, this is totally worth a stop and the gift shop is lovely. Not to be sexist, but teen girls might like these tapestries because of all those unicorns and animals. The Gallo-Roman thermal baths are pretty well preserved and one of the few places left in Paris that dates to the Roman era. What is inside the museum is the well preserved Frigadarium, with a 15-meter high vault ceiling
Teen Opinion: this was OK. Not my favorite.

From there, the day went downhill fast. We went to the Luxembourg Gardens and it was hot and we were hungry and the wind was blowing dust. I know people find these gardens enchanting but we just did not. We left to pick up lunch at Moulet?which was farther than we thought. We started to argue. Got sandwiches and headed back to the park. My son hated his sandwich and since he is a diabetic this caused some stress. My husband then spilled some of his lunch on his pants and that made him irritable. We left the garden feeling demoralized. If you like picnics, this place is for you. We realized, living in NY, we prefer rural picnics and not city park picnics.
Teen Opinion: Go. Enjoy watching the boats but note the seats in the shade get taken fast and the garden gets really hot.

After our afternoon nap we decided to walk to L’Orangerie to see Monet’s water lilies. Long walk from our place actually. As we walked through the Touleries another dust storm hit and my son’s kicks got dirty and he was not happy. Please day…. Get better already. We arrived as the guard turned away visitors because the ticket counter just closed. Could our day be continuing its trek downhill? I decided to be the obtuse American and show our museum pass and just assume it was open We were ushered right through.
Tip: The ticket counter closes 45 minutes before but you can still get in with your museum pass and guess what? Miss the crowds! Definitely the water lilies are a must see. The rest of the museum is ok.

From there we walked to a café and sat with our espressos and Oranginas and people watched before heading to the touristy sunset tourist boat trip. We took Rick Steve’s advice for which boat company to use and honestly, I think it was a mistake. We sat on the port side and all the sights, by the way, are on the Starboard side and the audio tour was so basic translated into 6 languages that it was useless. BUT that being said, it was beautiful.
Teen Opinion: Get there early for a good seat or else wait for the next bout. But this was a lot of fun. And scope out the boarding area of the boat before the crowds rush on and take all the good seats.
OK after the tour we were really exhausted and we called an Uber. It was six euros home and worth every penny.

Day 4
Another day we had not really planned well. We decided to take in the view at the Pompidou since we have the museum pass. I am not much of a housecleaner but those dirty Hamster Habitrail tubes made me want to get out some Windex and go to town. The building is starting to look a little sad on the outside but looks much better inside. The teens asked if we could stay and look at the art. YES! We focused on the contemporary collection and everyone enjoyed it a lot. A lot of interactive art which they really liked a lot.
Teen Opinion: There was a lot of cool stuff in here. I recommend it. Don’t bring little kids because there was some really explicit stuff on the contemporary floor.


We took our son to some streetwear and used clothing stores but he is indecisive and prices were high. Since our French dining was not working out for us we stopped at Ippudo, a well known and very good Ramen chain.

From there a friend had recommended the artist Gustave Moreau’s home and studio. This was off the beaten path and I am not sure it was worth the trek for our short stay. I never cared for his work but I had heard his home was beautiful and it is. If we were in Paris for a week. Maybe. And… it is covered on the Museum Pass too. We were all tired and needed an espresso and an Uber.
Teen Opinion: It’s kind of an ugly neighborhood. The art is OK but it was sort of cool walking through the house. If you are around there drop in but not worth going out of your way.


After a break at the apartment we walked around some more and sat in Place des Vosges, which was lovely. Headed back to pack up our stuff. Teens have a way of spreading clothes everywhere. Paris was lovely and the weather was great and we did our best to avoid getting trapped in crowds.

Up next: Cassis to St. Remy

Very interesting TR, am waiting for the Provence part... And yes, as kerouac says lunches are usually much cheaper than dinners and the prix fixe menus quite often come with a glass of wine too.

I loved travelling with our teen boys... now we are just going as a couple it is kind of simpler, but I often find myself thinking "they'd love this" .
Enjoying your report.

Thank you for writing a trip report, I am enjoying reading it.

Tell your boys how much we appreciate their comments!

Perhaps your TR will inspire others to do the same.
All around, well done⭐️

Note: The Château de Cassis which overlooks the harbor is a privately owned resort. In the XV Century, there were as many as 50 homes and 250 people living inside the castle walls and now that history is monetized by one person. I was about ready to put on a yellow vest myself and protest income inequality.

Teen Opinion: Cassis is fun to walk around the beach and the lighthouse. The town is really pretty. And the croissants at L’Ou Cassidenne were the best croissants so far in France. The Calanques are beautiful because of the different colors of the water and the mountains. Being at the top of the cliffs looking down was really cool. It’s a good workout. You feel you accomplished something when you do the full hike. I loved seeing new types of wildlife I haven’t seen before, that was very exciting for me.

Teen Opinion: Teens will like this alot!! I enjoyed climbing around the rocks and wish I had more time to explore around the river and underneath the aqueduct. My salmon at the restaurant was really good and I liked the museum even if it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be.

Teen Opinion: The exhibits seemed like they had no idea what they were doing and in one room it was just a bunch of toys. The "gem" of the exhibit was this weird holographic thing of two gladiators fighting and it was really bad and did not look like gladiators at all. Overall it was fine but be careful with your kids…. There are NO guardrails at the very top. Your kid can run right up and then right over the edge.