Taking DS to Paris and haven't planned anything!

[ParisFail]

Argh!! It's been a busy time, I'm taking 11 YO DS to Paris next weekend (arriving Fri afternoon and leaving Monday morning). I had intended to make a nice itinerary for us and booked stuff but things have been crazy busy and I just suddenly realised it's next week 😩 I feel so bad.

Can anyone help me out suggesting what we should do/see? We have a hotel booked that is reasonably central I think and on the metro line. We are happy to walk and get the metro, we are easy going so happy to do some general mooching but would like some idea. He has never been to Paris, I will take him to see the Eiffel Tower but probably won't bother going up. I would like to go to the Louvre and need to check whether we can still get tickets. What else? Help please - save this Mum from a failed trip?!

Usually you can just turn up at the Louvre.

If he has any artistic interest, Musee Marmatton Monet is very worth a visit (Metro line 9 I think). Views from the top of the Arch de la Defense or Arc de Triomphe are worth seeing.

Hi @ParisFail we went to the Louvre last year on a Tuesday and it was closed, apparently they don't open on Tuesday's. Once you get to Paris book an open top bus tour, their last stop is the Eiffel Tower at night and it's stunning. I would also download an Uber app, at night i didn't fancy catching public transport. If you go into a local grocery store or any shop really they love it if you speak a bit of French, i loved it and actually missed not speaking it when i got back. Have an amazing time! Xx

One of the best times to visit the Louvre is Friday evenings when it’s open until 9:45 pm. Have an early dinner and then aim to get there at 7pm and enjoy it while all the crowds are having dinner. A nice place to eat nearby is Iovine’s pizzeria.
Visit the Eiffel Tower after dark and time it with the light show. They’re every hour on the hour www.toureiffel.paris/en/the-monument/lights
There’s a lovely Italian near the Eiffel Tower called Chez Pippo.
There’s a funfair that sets up in the Tuileries with a few rides and side shows that an 11yo would like.

jardin du luxembourg

We’ve done this treasure hunt at the Louvre and my dc loved it. https://louvreguide.com/treasure-hunt-for-kids

Oh thanks SO MUCH guys. I'm going to make notes and look into all these.

Meanwhile: would we need to book for late night Friday opening at the Louvre does anyone know? That sounds fab! But I'm always wary of actually booking something on a travel day.

Can I use contactless on the Metro? Google suggests not. What ticket should I be buying for 1A 1C?

Thanks to MN recommendations, we went to the Museum of Hunting and Nature and it was fab. Animals and art, and possibly less busy than the big famous places.

https://www.chassenature.org/en

Wandering for a morning is always good, with cafe/ice cream stops.
Boat trip.
As ever, depends on what your DS likes. Shakespeare and co bookshop or Pompidou centre, if they like books/art.

I would suggest the catacombs. I think you can book at the door also as there were people queuing to get in as we passed with our ticket. Wasn't a long queue either. Fascinating.

Re. The arc de triomphe you can book there too but it did have a queue and more steps than I was expecting. The negronis really easy. When you go in use the little machine and you can set it to english. The maps are similar to the underground with different colour lines and you can travel as far as you want on one ticket if you don't knave the metro.

Also near to the eifell tower there is a little area surrounded by fake cherry blossom trees that has an amazing outdoor japanese/korean resturant at the minute. We found it when we walked from the arc to the eifell tower.

Also a ride on the batobus on the seine is worth it. You buy a hop on hop off ticket at any station and can ride it all day. It has 6 stops I think. (All tourist attractions)

My kids liked:
Seine river boat cruise - you will still be able to book one of these there's millions
Picasso Museum (also all the other art I forced them to go to - Palais de Tokyo is nr Eiffel Tower, always fun, cafe and aircon)
Jardins des Plantes (plus amazing Arabic food at Grande Mosque nearby)
Buttes Chaumontes
Sitting about Canal St Martin, drinking Diabolo Menthe

Negronis =metro

Knave= leave.....

Musée dorsay much better for children IMO.

Lots of running around space and sculptures and a cool huge space.
Also if you happen to have an EU passport it's free to get in..! (DD has one so we both got in free).

Jardin du Luxembourg (old fashioned model boats)
Montmatre / Sacre Coeur (to see the painters)
The Louvre - look it up before you go and work out the main things you want to see, I think they do a 'top 10' list
Bateau Mouche up the Seine

Montparnasse Tower for views of Paris including the Eiffel Tower (which obviously you can't see if you climb the Eiffel Tower!)

Eiffel Tower is lit up at night

Catacombs

What kind of things are you interested in and what is he interested in?

The catacombs are amazing, one of the most fascinating places I've ever been.

Google it before you go though and judge if it's right for your son, some 11 year old might get totally freaked out by it, others would find it fascinating.

You definitely have to book the catacombs, I took my kids in October half term last year and it was fully booked so we couldn’t go!

Re metro there didn’t seem to be a contactless option, which seemed mad, but we bought books of ‘carnet’ paper tickets to get about.

Absolutely amazing. I'm feeling soooo much better. DS is a relatively 'young' 11 in that he still loves playgrounds and running around; but also mature in terms of being able to sit at nice restaurants, Theatre etc and responsible. He favours science and engineering generally above Art. He would LOVE an open top bus.

I would pre-book the Louvre, agree the Musée dOrsay is also excellent.

There's a really good hop on hop off bus that stops at all the sites, which is worth taking especially if the weather is mixed.
Another recommendation is a visit to Galeries Lafayatte and go up to the roof terrace, as it has a great view. The store is impressive and there is a good cafe there too.

The Pompidou centre is nice for kids - when we went there was an interactive exhibit and they seemed quite amenable to my kids just wandering around. There’s a nice square outside with fountains and sculptures.

I don’t remember pre-booking anything when we went to Paris. It’s usually pretty quiet in August I think - the locals all head out of the city and it’s not peak tourist season.

Youll honestly just have a nice time wandering about.

Definitely the Seine river cruise. We went in the glass roof boat trip.
We went up the Montpatnesse tower to get views. We went in the winter and they had ice skating. You get cracking views up there without the hours of wait for the Eiffel Tower. It is a metro ride away.
We only passed the Eiffel Tower as above (my dds wouldn’t have the patience to wait).
The Louvre is good, we also went to the park nearby.
Put those walking shoes on accompanied with ice cream.

I took my ds to Paris at Easter (he had just turned 12). His favourite things were riding the Bateau Mouche (hop on hop off boat along the Seine), the Musee d'Orsay, going up the Arc du Triomphe and watching the crazy driving around it and eating crepes from food trucks.

I took my DS last month, had a great time!

You have to book ahead for the catacombs- book online, you night not be too late.

Sacre Cour- no need to book to climb up

Monte marte for wader around

The cemetary is free/no need to book

Carette for the best hot chocolate!

There is a science and technology museum https://www.cite-sciences.fr/fr/accueil

Definitely river boat cruise

Also j'ardin d'acclimation was fun and not too busy

Boat trip
Catacombs
Book tickets to Montparnasse tower at a time when the Eiffel Tower is due to be lit up.