I am starting my trip report about our 2 week adventure to Paris and Amsterdam in early August. I was reading santamonica's trip report in the Lounge and someone else commented that to find boring trip reports, one should just look in the Europe forum for any Paris trip report. Well, I am adding to the collection.

The reason for my trip report is that so many people were so helpful to me. sometimes, just knowing what not to do is helpful. We traveled with a 5 year old child, so it may be helpful to some here.

We stayed in an apartment that we found on AirBnB. Originally, we reserved a studio in 6th arrondissement, right outside of the playground on Rue d'Assass. However, we subsequently learned that my family is coming to Paris from a former Soviet Union republic and we decided to stay together with my aunt and 2 cousins to avoid running around trying to find each other in this big and beautiful city. I also thought it would be nice for my son to get to know his extended family that we don't see because of the distance. So we found a 2 bedroom apartment in the 13th arrondissement that wouldn't break the bank.

I have to say I didn't do enough research into what the 13th has to offer. I liked the photos of the apartment and the price and went ahead with the reservation because we were a month away from traveling. The apartment was right in the middle of the main Parisian Chinatown, the other is in the 20th arrondissement/Belleville (and more elsewhere). I am certainly not an expert, so please feel free to correct me.

We flew in to CDG on Delta. not a great experience because the equipment was quite outdated. I think it was a Boeing 767-300 and it didn't have screens in the seat ahead of you but just one big screen in the front with a couple of screens to the sides. Delta was showing the Avengers, which is pretty violent for 5 year olds. It is rated PG-13 and it was being shown to the whole airplane audience so definitely a huge minus for Delta, who will be getting a detailed email from me outlining my concerns and objections so such an approach to their entertainment program.

We took a taxi from CDG based on Fodorites' advice and it was wise. the ride was pretty unremarkable on the Peripherique, but quick and convenient.

Now, the location was definitely different from the rest of Paris. You see many Asian immigrants on the streets, milling around with shopping wheelie bags. Lots of chinese restaurants and vendors selling fruit on the streets. We had a great playground (it was actually 4 different playgrounds connected with each other) near our apartment on Avenue de Choisy, which was important for us with a 5 and 11 year olds in the group. Notre-Dame de Chinatown was also right outside of our building.

The experience of finding the apartment and picking up the key was pretty unremarkable. This is my second time using AirBnb and although I am not endorsing it here and I understand the concerns around it, my experience so far has been positive.

The apartment was on a 3rd floor without elevators in a typical Hausmann building although we were looking at a huge multistory apartment building that looked like it was build in the 1960-1970s. I don't know if it is Parisian projects or just inexpensive housing, but it was not totally offensive esthetically. We had a great Chinese restaurant downstairs, Imperial de Choisy, where we didn't eat because we couldn't manage to get a table the whole 6 days we were there.

How many pairs of shoes did you take??

Seriously, looking forward to the rest of your report. I always like to read reports from folks I "know" and also those that have helped me travel in the past!

I took 3 pairs of shoes but ended up wearing 1 pair, most of the time. No runners were packed or used. Thanks Deb!

OK, it is actually Notre Dame de Chine, not Chinatown.

The first day, we spent walking around 4th arr., Marais. We got off the subway near Hotel de Ville and traipsed around, near the River Seine. Found a couple of restaurants, ate a light lunch of Italian food (pizza, pasta, and salad) and entrecôte. Many restaurants were closed, being August, but still many open. We were still jetlagged and the most remarkable thing I remember is that the streets were dominated by tourists, from what i can tell. I was in Paris in November of 2009 before and had lunch in Marais with my Parisian friend and I remember seeing many more working Parisians in their office clothes. Of course, it was also Sunday .
It was the first Sunday of the month and the museums were free so we were trying to find Pompidou. However, it starting raining, pouring really, and we gave up and just huddled in another restaurant with a bottle of wine and some treats for kids.

The second day we went to Notre Dame. My son was enchanted with feeding the pigeons. After a while we noticed a man feeding robins. We tried to get in on the action and feed the robins, but they showed no interest in our baguette. The man then came and threw out the bread from my son's hand and put some other kind of bread in his hand. Robins swarmed to his hand right away to my 5-year old's delight. I asked the man: "Quel est votre secret?" He said "Les Madeleines, brioche". Those robins are spoiled.

The adults we inside the church and my cousins tried to line up to go up but it was midday and we eventually gave up. My son and i finally also toured the inside of the Church and it was quite breathtaking. After the inside tour, we went to the park behind the main entrance into Notre Dame and played in the park and in the fountain. the weather improved substantially, the Seine was gleaming, the colors were vibrant.

We crossed the Pont Notre Dame to the Left Bank and walked around Fontaine Saint-Michel, enjoying some crepes and taking photos. After walking towards the 6th on Boulevard Saint Germaine, we ended up in Jardin du Luxembourg and what a beauty it is. The playground was spectacular, we spent a couple of hours there and ended up chatting with a french family while waiting in line for the zip line.

My son and his 11 cousin then ended up enjoying the carousel next to the playground, where the kids get sticks and then try to catch rings from a dispenser who is holding some contraption that has brass rings on it. Here is a more detailed description of the carousel, if you are interested: http://www.havekidswilltravel.net/paris-carousel/.

I guess I should explain that we were spending the first 6 days n Paris, renting an apartment, the second week we were in Amsterdam, through a home exchange, for about 9 days. the impetus for the trip was the home exchange but we wanted to see more than just Amsterdam for 2 weeks.

Tuesday was spent in Montmartre, arriving by Metro at Anvers. We took the funicular from the bottom of the hill, just for the fun of riding it with a 5 year old. We toured the church and stopped by the Virgin Mother shrinel inside the church. It always has a huge impact on me, although I am not catholic or religious.

We then milled around the steps observing the soccer player who was balancing on one of the parapets doing amazing tricks with a futbol. It looked like a marionette show was being set up by a puppeteer, so we stuck around and just soaked in the atmosphere. the puppeteer was very deliberate and we eventually gave up and decided to walk around the village behind Sacre Coeur. We strolled the Montmartre village towards the Museem of Salvador Dali and Place du Tertre, getting some gelato and taking lots of photos on the way. We popped into the Musee de Montmartre but limited the visit to the gift shop due to a late start and a restless 5 year old.

Wednesday was a Disneyland Paris day. I will spare you the details just to say that the highlight for me was all the people watching, since most visitors were other Europeans.

Thursday, we spent dipping into the fountains near the Eiffel Tower and then got Batobus tickets and toured the Seine, first getting off at Jardin des Plantes, which we toured, stopping at the Paleontology Museum. Beautiful grounds, almost as breathtaking as Jardin du Luxembourg. then near the Louvre, finally ending up in Jardin du Tuileries. My son got a wooden boat stick and pushed a boat for close to an hour. The man renting out sticks was very gracious and charged us 2 euro, the rate for half-an hour.

Not boring to me! I love reading about Paris, and I don't even have a five year old.

Merci, taconictraveler. I am enjoying the experience of reliving the scenes of Paris.

Enjoying your report. We were in Paris beginning July 29 for 7 nights & loved it. I don't think trip reports are boring & I hope people didn't think mine was boring

BTW, we took the metro to the Chinatown in the 13th for dinner one night. We were disappointed in our meal, but enjoyed the experience nonetheless & thought the Chinatown seemed cleaner & nicer than the ones in Boston & NYC.

Great start, Tentek, and most definitely not boring!

Curious about your Disneyland Paris day. It is not really a Fodor's favourite, but curious what is your take on it. (disclaimer; huge Disney fan and really love DLP, despite its obvious flaws compared to the US parks; maintenance, not alwyas real friendly staff, sometimes rude guests).

TommieG, I have never been to any Disneyland parks anywhere. So I cannot fairly compare DLP with others. I thought it was beautifully laid out but I agree there was no friendly staff, in fact staff was quite sparse, IMHO. When we first got there, there was definitely a "Wow" moment, just seeing the Main street with beautiful flowers and the castle looming in the background. We rode the train around the perimeter of the park and I thought the grounds were beautiful, although not up to the standard i was anticipating in terms of cleanliness. The Fast pass system wasn't working at several rides so we didn't take advantage of it.

It was showing some wear which is justified, I guess, after 20 years. Some parents were quite agitated at times. I saw several meltdowns: both kids and parents. When we were standing in line for the Autopia, a bumper cars ride, a little 3 year old behind us kept kicking me. His parents didn't do anything to stop him so I had to turn around and say "No" in a stern voice. He proceeded to kick me again, then his father started yelling "Arrete" at him. We eventually split off into different lines to my relief.

It was definitely worth a visit for me. It is my son's most favorite thing from the trip. My 11 year old cousin enjoyed it quite a bit too, despite the hectic schedule.

We didn't eat at any restaurants there because they lines were time prohibitive. We bought sandwiches and other snacks at the grocery store right outside of the park near the train and then bought a pizza outside of the park, at Disneyland Experience park.

For people who are looking for quality experience, it might be worth it to splurge for a hotel room nearby. We were quite beat at the end of the day.

TommieG, here is an interesting article about Euro Disney/Disneyland Paris: http://business.time.com/2012/08/24/...neyland-paris/.

As someone else said here, we were in Paris just to be in Paris. I am always overwhelmed by the beauty of this city. Every aspect of daily living is beautiful with the notable exception of the metro. I love riding the metro but it really is foul smelling at some stations.

Moving on, we concluded our stay in Paris on Friday, August 10th by checking out of our lovely apartment and getting to Gard due Nord to catch a Thalys train to Amsterdam.

Great report. I love reading about Paris, especially a rental in Chinatown, not the usual take on Paris. Interested in the Amsterdam exchange, too!

By the way, I am fascinated by Adam Gopnik's analysis of living in Paris with a child. I haven't read his book Paris to the Moon, but I have read a couple of his essays. I like that he says the French society values philosophers over lawyers. Everyone is always looking for a deeper meaning, for the real significance.

The trip to Amsterdam was very pleasant. We got to see French, Belgian, and Dutch countryside, stop at the magnificent Antwerp/Ambers train station, spot some sights in Brussels, specifically Atomium. The best part was meeting a delightful 8 year old Dutch girl Madhu and her beautiful mother.
They were sitting behind us and she and my son clicked despite the language barrier. They proceeded to show each other their stuffed animals, next thing I know Madhu painted a picture for A, my son.

We ended up moving seats so that the kids could sit together and the two of them played tic-tac-toe and painted and colored for the remainder of our trip. Unfortunately, Madhu had to get off at Antwerp to catch another train to her home town in the Netherlands. This was a very memorable connection for us, nevertheless, one of several we had on this trip.

Amsterdam was such a change of pace. It always has a special place in my heart because it was the first western city I set my foot in on my way out of the former Soviet bloc in the early nineties. I remember being really impressed with its canals, bicycles, and its free spirit.

This was certainly a new perspective now, having lived in the West for most of my adult life. What surprised me right out of the gate was how small Centraal was. I had this grandiose memory of it.

Unlike in Paris, we chose to take public transportation because we were warned by our home exchange hosts that taxi liberalization has led to all sorts of shady business practices in Amsterdam. A beautiful lady with a little boy at the bus stop explained to us the payment system to get on the bus our team. Our hosts gave us detailed instructions on how to get to their apartment, however we were still pretty disoriented at first. I bought a detailed map of Amsterdam for 2€ at the tourist information office right outside of Centraal

Amsterdam is still breathtaking. The plaat/plaza outside of the train station was full of hustle and bustle but everything was on a smaller scale.

our lovely home was on the border of Jordaan and Westerpark, near Fredric Henrik plaat. There were canals, cafes, and parks everywhere.

Westerstraat with its beautiful old church was nearby as was the Lindengracht market.

Our hosts left us their museum cards to use. Museum kaart is €39 and allows for unlimited access to many of the Netherlands museums, but the biggest advantage is that one doesn't have to stand in line. PalenQ has a detailed description of the museum card on the Amsterdam-favorite things thread.

We visited Rejksmuseum, Van Gogh museum, and Amsterdam museum, not all at once. We really enjoyed living an ordinary life pretending that we were locals. We visited Vondelpark several times, particularly enjoying Melkhuis,a cafe with a fabulous playground and inflatable bouncy house. Our son would bounce as we sipped Heineken or Grolsch or some other equally enjoyable substance. We got Indonesian takeout several times and a really good Thai dinner in our neighborhood. The highlights, however, were two special places: Cobra cafe right outside of the Rejksmuseum, on Museumsolein, and Flinders cafe in our neighborhood.