Paris with Kids
I have 4 sons and I try to take each of them on a trip by themselves every year or two. Paris is a great destination for kids, both boys and girls. There are lots of touring options in Paris and the environs that are kid-friendly:
A visit to Versailles with a family-friendly guide, biking in the extensive gardens and rowing a boat on the Grand Canal
A scavenger hunt in the Louvre
A food, pastry or chocolate walking tour
A behind-the-scenes tour at the Eiffel Tower of the underground bunker and the mechanics of the elevators
A private boat tour on the Seine or a lunch/dinner cruise
A pastry or cooking class that can include shopping for the ingredients at a local market
In addition to all the touring options, there are lots of fun things to do with kids without a guide. There are trampolines in the Tuileries Gardens, street artists to visit in Montmartre for either a portrait or a caricature (which you can pair with a visit to the gorgeous Sacre Coeur), a menagerie of animals at the storied taxidermy store Deyrolle (creepy sounding, I know, but much more appealing than it sounds and kids love it!), entertaining street performers near Notre Dame, ice cream at Berthillon, macarons at Laduree, the food market in St Germain, a playground and toy rental boats to sail in Luxembourg Garden, a children’s amusement park in the Bois de Boulogne, the list goes on.
One of my favorite things about traveling to Paris with my kids (I have taken 3 out of 4 there on their own), is I enjoy it as much as they do. I don’t always feel that way about family-friendly destinations.
