I am planning a trip to Paris the week of Thanksgiving for me and my 8 year old daughter. I have found some very helpful information on this website and was wondering if anyone knows of some good restaurants and markets in the 4th arr. We are staying in an apt. near the Hotel de Ville metro stop on Rue Aubriot.

Also, I have most of the basics covered as far as which museums/monument/churches we are going to but I was wondering if any knows of a good kid friendly theater event/dance/circus that may be going on the week of Nov. 20 - 27. There are so many choices it is difficult to decide.

Also, are the outdoor markets still open in November?

Thanks for the help!

Wow, you're in luck, Laura3695. There is a market/traiteur/restaurant *called* Thanksgiving in the 4th. They also do full-fledged American Thanksgiving dinners should be so inclined to want that.
20 rue St-Paul
http://www.thanksgivingparis.com/

My favorite restaurant in Paris is Le Vieux Bistro located on the Ile de la Cité:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/fa94c/

Check out www.whatsonwhen.com to find out about kid-friendly events.

laura,

we will be in paris at the same time w/ our 10-year old daughter! we've stayed in the 4th arr. before, but since she discovered the playground in the jardins du luxembourg, we are now staying in the 6th. i believe the 96 bus runs from the marais to st. germaine - you should definitely check out the luxembourg playground. we also like the playground(s) in the jardin du tuileries.

this year we're going to the cirque d'hiver, which is in the 11th. it's a special "winter circus" in a special building just north of you in the 11th. it's pricey, but seems unique and fun. the website is www.cirqedhiver.com.

my daughter loved the cite des sciences et industrie at the parc de la villette. the science museum is amazing, though the gardens weren't impressive. it's about 30 min. on the metro, but worth it.

have fun! maybe we could have a playdate . . .

A really small, nice family-owned restaurant that serves excellent food is Le Tastevin. It's located closeby on the Ile St. Louis at 46 rue St. Louis en l'Ile. The owner, a woman, is very welcoming.

My first trip to Paris was over Thanksgiving about 8 years ago. You'll have a good dinner, wherever you go! And the Beaujolais Nouveau arrives the week before - it's a great wine with turkey or chicken.

I recall that the Hotel de Ville was decorated for the holidays, and some of the streets outside the department stores (like Semaritaine) were lined with vendor's stall selling great inexpensive gift iems. Be sure to check them out.

By the way, several people have posted here that their favorite restaurant is the cafe at the Musee d'Orsay! I'll definitely try a lunch there next time.

Thanks everyone for the great info!

Also, I was wondering about the pictures need for the carte orange. I read in another posting that it is a 1 inch square picture and in another I read it was a passport picture which is a little bit bigger. Can anyone confirm what size picture I should bring or should we just get them over in Paris?

Melissa, I looked at the cirque d'hiver website and it looks pretty good. What day are you planning on going? I also found another circus that looks pretty good, cirque plume, over at parc de la villette. Have you seen that one before? Are you going to cite des sciences et de Industrie this time? I am taking my daughter as a present for her 9th birthday. She turns 9 on Nov. 21st and we plan to be up on the eiffel tower at the exact time she was born.

Any standard-size ID photo will suffice for the Carte Orange, like you get in those photo booths or a passport photo. It isn't a complicated requirement that if you are off by 1 cm they won't give it to you. If it's too big, they will cut it a little to fit. The actual block size on the card is slightly larger than 1"x1", but that size should be okay, also.

Thanks Christina for the info. Just wanted to make sure we are prepared for the trip. I can't wait, only 19 days till we leave.

hi laura,

i'll send you an email at your aol address tomorrow and let you know our plans. gotta get through halloween first!

melissa

just don't take her to the Moulin Rouge, LOL!

LOL, travelnut. i thought that, too!