Paris with 1 yr old: hotel or apartment?
 

We are traveling to France in a week and a half and will be spending a few days in Paris at the end of our trip. Just wondering if there are any good family friendly hotels we should consider, or if a apartment rental is the way to go. If apartment is the best option, what area should we look to stay? Also any activities to do with a 1 year old are appreciated. It is a last minute trip, so I am having to research in a speedy manner!

Not to be crass, but are there any relatives you can leave the infant with? You will have a lot better time and won’t be tied down, and yes you will be anchored.

Someone called Tentek just came back from Paris with a child - search her name for her TRs. Otherwise don't be dissuaded. Apartment is the way to go with kids. Think how much laundry you have to do in a week - which is a significant pain with hotels. Plus you can cook as necessary, not depending on restaurants, at any hour of the day or night. It's not awful travelling with children, but you should know you just can't do as much. Also look for Sally30 's reports, and here is another recent thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...5-year-old.cfm

Good luck and have a happy family trip!

Lavandula

Hi, I am Tentek and I would recommend an apartment. We rented ours on Airbnb.com and it worked out for us. You may want to be closer, so you could walk and not deal with the metro with a stroller. My trip report is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

It is not as poetic as this trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/dreamy-paris.cfm.

but then I was traveling with a child :-)

Well, I'll be the voice of dissent and suggest staying at a hotel. We travel quite a bit with our little ones and use both hotel and apartments, but if you are really only there for a "few days", let's say 3 or less, I would be inclined to stay in the best located hotel you can afford. Apartment rentals are nice, but it may not be worth the hassle, as in some cases, you have to know your exactly arrival time and coordinate meet up with the owner/representative, and have to go buy toiletries/dish soap/toilet paper/etc. A recent trip to Venice had us waiting around for almost 2 hours before we could get into the apt. Minor inconveniences, but they can add up, both time and cost wise.

If you can fine a hotel/b&b that provides a mini bar, for example, you can most likely squeeze some yogurt, cheese and milk in there for early morning/late night needs. If you are on vacation, you may not want to cook much anyways.

With just one child, you won't have to pay for a larger hotel room, a typical double should be fine.

A friend recently spent 3 months in Paris with her almost 2 year old. Chedck out her blog

www.33avenue.com

I think an apartment would work better for you. You already know that this visit in Paris won't allow you to do what you would do on your own. With an apartment, you won't have to sit in a small hotel room while your baby naps. There are so many people reporting on their travels with their kids on this forum, you will learn lots by doing a search.

Look near Luxembourg Gardens for apartments. The gardens are child friendly and located centrally so you can get to the sights you plan to visit easily.

Another vote for an apt. I have been to Paris twice with my young grandchildren, albeit not infants, and it was very nice to have a place for "grown up" time while they napped, went to bed early, etc.

Thanks everyone! This trip is very last minute and we will be spending most of our time in the Marseille area because my husband has work there. We were going to spend all of our time there, but I can't toto France and not spend some time n Paris!