kidfriendly

2 adults and 3 kids (10 and under) are spending 5 days in Paris at the end of our concentrated taste-of-London-Paris tour. We were planning on visiting Versailles during one of our Paris days, but now we are wondering if we should do a different day trip - perhaps Mont St. Michel or another place? We are open to recommendations. It would be nice to be out of the city one day -- both places sound magnificent but very touristy. Maybe we will be too pooped out for either? MSM is also 2 hours away, I think. Something not-too-urban, beautiful, scenic, very French - - any suggestions?

kidfriendly

Another unrelated question - I've seen references for a "Museum Pass" in Paris. I haven't done any research on it - is it worth considering/purchasing? The MP website will surely be trying to sell them to me, so I wanted to get honest answers from experienced users first.

Fodorite018

The Museum Pass is worth it if you plan on visiting many museums, or if you are going at a time when lines are long. We just got back from our 3rd trip, and this was the first time we bought, or even needed, the museum pass. We bought the 4 day pass and used it for Versaille as well. Which, that is a great day trip. Go early, arrive a bit before they open. We did that and had the palace almost entirely to ourselves, it was great! The mobs of people that arrived later made me cringe.

hpeabody

Whatever you do, do not go to Versailles if it is raining or is there is a National day of strike by the workers. My visit to Versailles was late due to the strike (had to wait until a train came, no schedule due to strike), annoyingly wet. They were possibly not going to open the palace due to the strike, and once they decided to open the palace it was horrible with crowds. So bad you could not move, I saw very little as I tried to escape the crowds. I paid the extra fee for the gardens too! It was not a fun day and it was supposed to be a highlight of my Paris trip. My other choice would have been Giverny, but that might not appeal to the kids.

Seamus

With three kids under 10 I would consider Versailles but not Mt St Michel - too long a trip with connections required. Versailles is about 30 minutes or less by train from central Paris. For MSM you would need to take a train then a bus. More for the kids to see at Versailles, and it meets your requirements for not urban, beautiful, scenic and very French.

adrienne

One of the wonderful things about Paris is that you can "get out of the city" without leaving the city. There are lots of parks and green spaces that you and the kids will enjoy.

The Luxembourg Gardens has a children's playground at the southern end.

Parc de la Villette contains themed gardens including areas for children, an 80 meter long climbing dragon, fountains, sculptures, and canal boat rides.

Bois de Boulogne has a small zoo, pony rides, carousel, rose garden, and lily pond.

Parc Zoologique covers 33 acres with 1,200 animals and birds.

The Jardins des Plantes (Botanical Garden) houses the Natural History Museum.

The Mosque has a charming tea garden behind it where you can sip mint tea and munch cookies beneath the trees.

Jardin des Tuileries has a big fountain where children can sail small boats while parents relax in the chairs.

The Rodin Museum has a lovely garden containing many of his sculptures, a pond in back and a cafe for light lunches and snacks. Admission to the garden is 1 Euro for adults; you don't need to tour the museum to see Rodin's works.

Museum pass - unless you're going to a lot of museums it's not worth the price. Some of the larger museums (Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie) allow pre-purchased tickets from their web sites. You pickup the tickets at a FNAC store (FNAC sells electronics, DVD, CDs, etc. and there are several locations in Paris).

With only 5 days in Paris I would stay put, especially with 3 children 10 and under.

StCirq

I wouldn't leave Paris, either. You have a million options for parks and loads of places that feel like day trips without leaving the city.

adrienne gave you an awesome overview.

travelhorizons

Mont St Michel is very touristy, in my opinion. Very crowded with lots of tourists on the narrow streets with lots of souvenir shops.

If you want to get out of Paris, perhaps Fontainbleu would be a good day trip.

Michel_Paris

Versailles is nice because you can do it by RER train. There are several nice parks in Paris that you could do a picnic in...Luxembourg and Monceau come to mind. Perhaps the Loire valley to see some castles? There are a few companies that do day trips. MSM is a ways to go and can get crowded.

Scootoir

Hello kidfriendly,

I would stick with Versailles since it is easy to get to, very French, and you can rent bikes or row a boat in the canal. There is also a little train to take you further into the gardens. We rented bikes and were able to visit Marie Antoinette's little village and farm animals and the two smaller palaces. Plus it's a great family activity. We ended up spending only about 1 1/2 hours in the palace and the rest of the day in the gardens.

What month will you be traveling?

Apres_Londee

I wouldn't leave Paris either but if you must do a daytrip, I agree with the suggestion of Fontainebleau. Compared to Versailles, it's far less crowded and more manageable in terms of size.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Fontainebleau

kidfriendly

Thank you all for your input! I think Mont St Michel is definitely out this time around. If the weather is cooperating, we might venture out to Versailles. The bicycling and canal boat ideas sound lovely - does anyone happen to know if the bike rental place(s) have bikes with training wheels, or do you know where/how I can inquire? Trip is for late August. Thanks again!

WanderingTexan

I agree that the Rodin Museum would be a good choice. There were children in the garden taking art lessons when I was there. I did like having the museum pass. We went to the Louve several times and never had to wait in line. Another nice thing about having the pass, is that if you have to leave, you can always go back later.

greg

Consideration of your children's interest may be relevant.

Both Versailles and the Mont has pros and cons independent of the travel time and whether to take a day trip out of a 5 day stay.

For Versailles, the main palace complex, the main reason for adults, may not be of interest to small children. The Hameau and the Trianon area may be more interesting for this age. The garden will be more interesting if you go there on fountain days. But the garden ground is enormous, so they can get exhausted just to cover a small area.

The Mont gives more adventurous experience. However, to get to the top, you have to walk up stairs after stairs. If you need to carry your children, it can be a big chore for you.