10 Things to See in Paris with Children
Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Paris, France with my mother and daughter. Three generations together in Europe for a week of sightseeing and fun. We’d been planning it for almost a year and we could’ve pinched ourselves we were so excited when the trip actually came to be.
For this trip I thought I’d write a few posts about things we did and saw in specific categories like sightseeing, shopping, etc. Traveling with three generations, the youngest being 7 years old, meant strategizing on everything from meal times, to playground breaks, and museum waits. It all worked out well and we had a marvelous time. Hopefully my recaps, as well as a few tips, will help you on your future trip to Paris, as well!
Paris is a very kid-friendly city. Never once were we scorned for bringing a child into a restaurant, shop, or museum. My daughter was well behaved but she is still a child at the end of the day. We focused on places she could chat, walk, observe, and eat without fear of being scolded. It wasn’t hard at all. Since she is still young and just learning about art and cultures we stuck to smaller, more manageable museums and sights. (I’ll save the Mona Lisa for another time!) Each day we picked one thing to make a big impression and then moved on to a meal and playground break. We also purchased the Paris Pass before we left and that helped immensely with museum entries. The lines were still long, but they went faster since we’d pre-purchased our tickets. Here are 10 cultural sights we saw, and loved, and I’d highly recommend to anyone to traveling to Paris with a child, or without:
1) Musée de l’Orangerie: This is a tiny museum located at a corner of the Tuileries next to the Place Vendôme. We first tried to go on Sunday afternoon but the entry line with the Paris Pass was too long. This was because the museum is so small and they only let so many people in at a time. Plus, as with every museum now, there is a metal detector and security like an airport, which slows down lines. The second time we went we arrived at 9am on a weekday and it was perfect. We walked right in and spent ample time enjoying Monet’s Water Lilies. Downstairs we found more impressionists and were easily able to navigate the bright space without my daughter getting bored or overwrought by long walks or stair climbing.
2) Tuileries Garden: I mentioned playground breaks above because we made at least one or two each day. Letting kids run around is, I think, an essential part of traveling with them. After a morning museum visit my daughter relished the chance to race around with other kids. Even though there was a language barrier she seemed to have no trouble making new friends! Play really is a universal language. The Tuileries had a really cool playground, trampoline park(!), and pond for sailing toy boats. The toy boats, we think, only come out on the weekends and they were so much fun. For 3 Euros my daughter pushed one around a fountain pond for 30 minutes while my Mom rest in the sun. Naturally, after each playground romp we went to find an ice cream cone. (More on the French ice cream in another post!)
3) Palace of Versailles: My daughter has declared this her favorite sight of the trip. What’s not to love about seeing a grand palace once occupied by royalty?! No Disney here! Getting to Versailles was a snap on the Metro. We arrived at 9am as the gates opened and the entry line only took 15 minutes. Our Paris Pass ensured that we were ushered right in (through security and metal detectors, of course) and the walk through the palace was easy and fascinating. I gave my daughter my iPhone to use for photos and she’d taken approximately 438 by the time we were done. There were 10 shots alone of the “secret” door Marie Antoinette used to flee the angry mob on October 6, 1789. The gardens were just being planted when we were there so we didn’t get to see them in all their glory, but the views of the grounds were breathtaking.
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