Paris with children for the weekend - am I mad?

[ellenrose]

Hi - I want to book a weekend away for dh 40th in August and was considering Paris but we need to go with our 3 children (13, 9 and 5) so the accommodation needs to be appropriate.

Considering Eurostar then need somewhere vaguely central so that most must-sees are within reasonable distance.

Any recommendations or is this a ridiculous notion?

Its not ridiculous at all! I want to do this next Whit holidays with my DH and DC's - will be 13 and 8 then. I can work out the trains but advice on good cheap accommodation has left me lost. Hope someone out there has the answer

Its not ridiculous, I went last year with my MIL for her 75th birthday, went with DH, BIL, SIL, DS(6), nieces (11), (9) and nephew (7). We had a great time - bateau bus is brilliant, they loved the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre etc. We stayed in a great hotel (very central and nice big rooms) - Novotel Les Halles.

Fab, feeling slightly better now
Thanks Clarinsgirl, opening tab with Novotel now . . .
Any other recommendations very much appreciated including places to eat - my french is somewhat rusty so somewhere I am not going to be made to feel like a complete idiot whilst ordering would be excellent!

I wouldn't worry about french speaking, the kids will do most of that. I'm bilingual and sorted out the hotel stuff but left food ordering to the kids - they loved it. If you end up staying at the Novotel, there is a large pedestrianised area on turning left out of the front door. Nice square and fountain and loads of cafes, we tended to stick to these for evening meals as it was easier. Jardin de Luxembourg is a nice park if DC's need to let off some steam - though there is a park type thing just behind the hotel.

Hmm seems to only do 2 adults and 2 children which makes the split between us fairly interesting. Thanks for the tip on the food ordering - they are much better than I am already
Will see if there are any apartments that might work better for the 5 of us . .