Top 10 Things To Do With Kids in Paris
- Looking for hotels in Paris? Read Family-Friendly Hotels In Paris.
The Author: Anne from the blog Just Another American in Paris.
Most of us think of Paris as the city of romance, wine, fashion, and all things sophisticated. That’s all true — but it’s also one of the great cities to visit with kids. Naturally, the trip you take to Paris en famille will be different than the one you take with the love of your life but it can still be a trip for the memory books.
So what to do in Paris with the kids? As the French are famous for saying, that depends. What appeals to your kids will depend on their ages, the season, and their special interests. But after polling several of my expatriate friends who’ve had the time to enjoy Paris at a slow pace and to share their new home base with many visitors, these were the top attractions and destinations.
1. Climb the Eiffel Tower. Paris is a low-rise city and the Eiffel Tower seems ever present. Eiffel Tower tickets can be purchased online as late as the day before your visit. If you can, take advantage of this system because the lines for those without reservations are truly horrendous. (There’s also a downloadable bilingual activity book for kids if you have the time and access to a printer.) You can buy the cheaper ticket and walk up as far as the second level, or splurge for the elevator that takes you all the way to the tippy top. At night, the tower twinkles on the hour but the light show doesn’t begin until it’s dark; in the summer that can be as late as 10 pm. The restaurant on the first level (58 Tour Eiffel) has a wonderful reasonably priced children’s menu (lunch and dinner) and the food is actually pretty good. The best place to snap pictures is not from the tower’s base but from across the river at the Palais de Chaillot (Metro: Trocadero.)
2. Pick just one among the three big art museums – the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay or Pompidou – unless your kids are wild about art. Best bets in the Louvre: the remains of the medieval Louvre, mummies, the Galerie d’Appollon (which contains what’s left of France’s crown jewels), and the Napoleon III apartments. You may feel compelled to look at the Mona Lisa. Fair warning: the painting itself is tiny and the gallery always packed. At the d’Orsay, home of the crowd pleasing Impressionists, ask at the welcome desk for the kids’ guide which focuses on the transformation of the former train station into a museum. The Pompidou offers wonderful rooftop views plus a plaza full of street performers in addition to its collection of 20th and 21st century masterpieces.
3. Take a ride on a bateau mouche. A boat ride along the Seine is a great way to get oriented to the city, especially for that first day of touring when you are jet lagged. Several different companies operate tour boats along the river. The Bateaux Mouches near the Pont de l’Alma is the least expensive. Batobus costs more but allows you to hop on and off on a one-day or two-day ticket.
4. Enjoy the city’s parks and gardens. Paris is dotted with pocket parks, many with small play areas suitable for toddlers. The Jardin du Luxembourg, in particular, is humming with activity for kids and offers plenty of benches and chairs for their tired parents. They can run around for free or you can pay a little bit to sail a toy boat in the basin, ride the carousel, take in a marionette show, or have hours of fun on the huge playground. Skip Disney and instead spend the day at the Jardin d’Acclimitation in the Bois de Boulogne. With its old style carnival rides and hall of mirrors, this park may remind you of your own childhood. Plus there’s a small zoo, a marionette show, playgrounds, and a water park for hot summer days. (Metro: Les Sablons)
5. Wander and explore. Paris is a great place to walk and you can do so for hours on end, through winding streets, down grand boulevards, along the banks of the Seine. The trick with kids is to have a few ideas for stops and treats in your back pocket. Window shop in the Marais or Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Mosey down the Champs-Élysées. Stick your head into churches you pass by; there may be an organ concert in progress. Check out the offerings at an open air market, stop for a crepe from a street vendor or a pain au chocolat from a neighborhood boulangerie. In the summer, make a pit stop for an ice cream by Berthillon on Ile St. Louis.
6. Visit the Arc de Triomphe. Don’t worry. Despite the crazy traffic around this monument, access is super safe via underground passageway. You only have to pay if you choose to take the 300 something steps to the top. Admiring the grandeur of Napoleon’s vision and paying homage to France’s unknown soldier is free of charge.
7. Experience the cheesiness that is Montmartre. It’s super touristy but kids love it all the same. Sacre Coeur is hard to resist with its sparkling white dome, glistening like a cone from Dairy Queen. And even though there’s little great art being made in the Place de Tetre, most kids enjoy watching the painters at work. Take a detour into the side streets and you’ll find quiet byways little changed from the days when this was a village unto itself.
8. Pick one smaller museum that feeds your kids’ passions. Fun options include armor and weapons at Musée de l’Armée, miles of skulls and bones in the Catacombs, and following the history of music with fabulous audioguides at Cité de la Musique. Admission to the sculpture garden at the Musée Rodin is just one euro and there’s plenty of room to run.
9. Take in the grandeur that is Notre Dame. Most kids aren’t wild about churches but this one, with its incredible Rose window, gargoyles, and soaring ceilings, is sure to impress. Entrance is free but remember that this is a functioning church; a mass may be in progress during your visit. Entrance to the towers requires an admission fee and usually a wait in line.
10. If you’re planning to be in Paris for more than three days, take one day to go a bit further afield. Versailles is just 35 minutes from the center of town by commuter train and makes a great day trip. If the weather’s nice, take a picnic and make a day of it with a tour of the chateau with its famous Hall of Mirrors, Marie Antoinette’s farm, and acres of gardens. On weekend evenings in the summer, the fountains come alive with light and music shows. Another option is Claude Monet’s house and garden in Giverny which can be reached in 45 minutes from Gare St. Lazare. The water lilies and the Japanese bridge look just like you imagined.
About the Author: Anne spent four years living in Paris with her husband and two children. She blogs at Just Another American in Paris.
Further Reading:
- The Best Hotels in Paris for Families
- A Guide to Paris (not specifically about kids but great nonetheless)
- The Neighborhoods of Paris in Brief
- The Best Picnic Spots in Paris
- Apartment Rentals and Services in Paris
- The Louvre Tour with Kids – how it works
- Where to Find the Best Hamburgers in Paris
- Paris with Kids – a photo essay
- The Best Ice Cream and Gelato in Paris
- The Best Hikes Near Paris
- The Best Swimming Pool and Waterpark in Paris
- Visiting Versailles with Kids
- Getting Around Paris – Transit Options
- Festival and Events Listings for Paris (by month and very thorough)
The Best Resources and Info for Visiting Paris with Kids
Books about Paris for Kids
- Madeline and my favorite Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans. Classics!
- Eloise in Paris (Eloise Series) by Kay Thompson
- This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek
- Everybody Bonjours! by Leslie Kimmelman
- Ratatouille (DVD) — Perhaps my favorite kids movie of all time.
- Putumayo FRENCH PLAYGROUND — a kids’ CD even cool parents will love.
Books about Paris for Adults
- The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier by Thad Carhart.
- Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik — Recounts the author’s years living in Paris with his wife and kids.
- My Life in France by Julia Child — Stunning! An enchanting look at life in France (mainly Paris).
- The Flaneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris by Edmund White — Paris is for walking. This book is for walkers.
- Rimbaud: A Biography by Graham Robb — A fantastic biography of the great French poet.
- Before Sunset (DVD) — An afternoon spent wandering the streets of Paris. About as heartfelt and moving as movies come. And great scenes of Paris too.
- Voice of the Sparrow: Very Best of Edith Piaf — Fun!
Guidebooks
- Open Road’s Paris with Kids — Probably the best guide on visiting Paris with Kids
- Lonely Planet Paris (City Guide) — Like all Lonely Planet guidebooks: great info, great layout, and great maps.
- Markets of Paris: Food, Antiques, Artisanal Crafts, Books & More, with Restaurant Recommendations — Clearly this isn’t a guide for kid-friendly attractions. But if you’re in Paris and want to visit some of these markets it’s best to pick them right, and not waste your “adult time” visiting sites that aren’t what you’re looking for.
Websites and links for Paris
- Paris: The City of Light, This Time for the Babar Bunch (The New York Times)
- Free Things To Do in Paris (National Geographic Traveler)
- Paris, France with Kids (Delicious Baby)
- Ten Great Things To Do With Kids in Paris (David Lebovitz)
- Calendar of Events for Paris
- Paris by Train — Schedules, Maps & Passes on Paris Trains, RER, & Metro
Hotels and Accommodations
- The Best Hotels in Paris for Families
- Paris Hotels on Hotelscombined (far and away the best website for finding deals in Paris)
- VRBO — Vacation Rentals by Owner
- France Hotel Guide
- Paris Sharing — Apartment Rental and Exchange
Video and Photos of Paris
This page is always being updated. If you have a great link to share about visiting Paris with kids then please send it to me.
Hotel Tips
www.HotelsCombined.com – The absolute best for finding deals and discounts. It searches hundreds of other sites and finds the best rate for any given hotel. Simply awesome!
Booking.com – Great for when you already know the hotel you want to stay in. Its very generous cancellation policy is the big perk.
Thanks for this. Before I read your post, I wouldn’t have thought of Paris as a likely destination for kids.
Paris is the best city HANDS DOWN for families. Parents love it. Kids love it. We’ve been 3 times with the little ones (not so little now) and going back in September. We usually spend 3 or 4 days before plane or train to somewhere in southern Europe. Enjoy!
I live in Paris, sort of, short term arrangement that’s been extended for almost a year now. And this is a great list. My kids come over and visit and we’ve done most of these. The big glaring one missing (for me) would be the museum of natural history, particularly the evolution part, but I guess it depends what way your tastes run. My children love it. The kids love the boats on the Seine too, probably the highlight for them. And renting bikes.
Thanks. I got 2 new ideas from this.
I am liking this too. And Paris is very good with children. I wish finding a good playground were easier. I like visiting New York City because the playgrounds for kids are everywhere but in Paris much more difficult.
I know it’s touristy but walking up the Eiffel Tower is always so much fun. (i suppose a little different if you have very young children in tow.) Get their early, of course. And visit as many bakeries as your tummy and wallet will allow. The bread and pastries are so much better than back home. We’d leave our hotel every morning at about 7am and wouldn’t return until 10pm, it’s such a fun city.
Cities like Paris are incredible and great for kids to experience. I went through Europe when I was a kid a few times with my parents. It was great and I still have memories and photos from those trips that I revisit pretty regularly. The stuff I remember most was it just “being different” than home. Refreshing. Illuminating. Mind blowing. The big tourist attractions I don’t remember much. The lake at the camp site with the German kids swimming. Ya, I’ll never forget that.
Any idea what beaches are good along the north Atlantic coast. Just planning my trip (sort of last minute) for September for Paris and Belgium. Need a couple ideas if you can give me some.
Check out Deauville and Trouville near Honfleur.
Good luck and have fun.
Great list for a few days stop in Paris. If you stay a bit longer, there’s a lot of things to do such as Jardin des Plantes (renovated glass houses, fabulous merry go round …kids will climb on prehistoric animals !), Guignol theater in many public gardens, hidden street in Butte aux Cailles, etc…
Try also the Buttes Chaumont biggest Paris park, and closed to, the restaurant Les 400 Coups (http://www.les400coups.eu),wich is a child friendly environment for both adults and children with events and activities.