Paris with young children - suggestions?

[jennifersofia]

Don't need a place to stay, but anyone have suggestions of good things to do with 3yr and 15mth old?

No, but we are going to PAris with a 1yr old in May, I will pay close attention to this thread and if I know of something I will post it!

Always fun to go up the Eiffel Tower and see the views, go early to avoid the queues or book the restaurant on the first floor for lunch, and then they have their own lift, so you can completely avoid the queue!

After Eiffel walk across to the Seine and you can see the big boats, their is usuallya Haagen Daaz place there and bits to eat. Carry on across the main road and there are great fountains!

Around Sacre Couer is good for littlies, lots of very wide, low, flat steps, fountains and little playground. There is also a little train that goes right round the area, you can pick it up outside the main door.

The boat cruises would test their patience (and yours!) but you could get on a river bus for a short ride (the 3 yr old would like that).

Galeries Lafayette is the MAIN shop, brilliant toy department, with good loos and changing facilities and also a McDonalds within the department.

Underneath the Louvre (big glass pyramid place) there are shops and a huge eating emporium, anything you fancy, pancakes, stir fry, jacket potatoes, pizza etc.

If I think of anything else I will come back!!

I like looking in the shops along the Ile de Re, they have some rather cute toy shops and a great ice cream place called Bertillion. This is near Notre Dame. I'd second the suggestion for the Sacre Coeur too. Also the Jardins de Luxembourg is supposed to be fun.

Personally I would check out the Time Out guide to Paris as they usually have kids sections.

or try \link www.paris-touristoffice.com/cgi-bin/otp_v2.cgi?Target=va2/sejour/visites/enfants\this{}

Bum

this

Great thread - we've just booked to take the boys (5 and 7) to Paris in the summer ... mostly want some 'culture' - they love the galleries and museums in London. But will probably do some kids stuff too!

Jennifersofia - In the past I've found the "take the kids" books for London to be excellent. The one for Paris is here I've got a copy, and it looks great - full of lots of helpful tips and ideas.

loads of play grounds everywhere but french kids do not share so take a mini sandpit set with you

we found playgrounds in mOntmatre and byt he Louvre and eiffel tower

Bois de bologne has kidies fair rides

we were worried about what he would eat so imported cooked mini sausages to take out for hte day and bought him a roll for lunch

He is pretty fussy

Paris - Parks and gardens Source:

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Children are well catered for by the parks and gardens within the city. There's even a park designed especially for kids, the Jardin d'Acclimatation, in the Bois de Boulogne, with an impressive array of activities and attractions. On the other side of the city in the Bois de Vincennes, the Parc Floral also offers a host of treats, and the high-tech Parc de la Villette, in the northeast of the city, will keep children entertained for hours. Most of the city's other parks have some activities for children, usually an enclosed playground with swings, climbing frames and often a sandpit. Many also have guignol (puppet) shows, the French equivalent of Punch and Judy.

The Jardin d'Acclimatation
Bois de Boulogne. Daily: Oct?May 10am?6pm; June?Sept 10am?7pm; special attractions Wed, Sat, Sun & all week during school hols. Admission € 1.98, children € 1, under-3s free; rides from € 1.52. Mº Les Sablons & Mº Porte-Maillot.

The Jardin d'Acclimatation, within the Bois de Boulogne, is a cross between a funfair, zoo and amusement park. The fun starts at the Porte-Maillot metro stop: a little train runs from near here, behind L'Oree du Bois restaurant, to the jardin (every 10min, 11am?6pm; € 3.81 ticket combines return ride and entry to park). The park's attractions range from bumper cars, go-karts, pony and camel rides, sea lions, birds, bears and monkeys, to a magical mini-canal ride (la rivière enchantee; € 1.68), distorting mirrors, a huge trampoline, scaled-down farm buildings and a puppet theatre with free shows at 3 & 4pm daily. There are also two museums: the brand-new high-tech Exploradôme is designed to help children discover science, the five human senses and art through interactive computer-based exhibits and the usual array of hands-on activities. The Musee en Herbe (Mon?Fri & Sun 10am?6pm, Sat 2?6pm; € 2.44, 4?18s € 1.98, under-4s free) aims to bring alive art history through workshops and games. The park also has its owntheatre, the Theâtre du Jardin pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse, which puts on musicals, ballets and poetry readings. Outside the jardin, in the Bois de Boulogne, older children can amuse themselves with mini-golf and bowling, boating on the Lac Inferieur or roaming the wood's 14km of cycle trails (rentals near the entrance to the jardin).

We took DS when he was about 14 months, and did find it all quite hard. Remember you are not allowed on the grass in French parks, and waiters in brasseries were most unhappy if DS even 'cruised' round our table, insisting he sat on a chair at all times. And Parisian Ladies looked MOST disapproving if his voice went above a polite murmer. There were good childrens activities in the Tuileries, just down from the Louvre, a trampoline park, roundabouts and a playground, and ducks on the fountains at the end. I think a river boat trip would be good. If you can bear zoos, there is a small one in the Jardins des Plantes.

We took ds in November when he was 22 months. Can't recommend Eurostar enough. The best thing we did was go to the science museum at Parc de la Villette. It's got great sections for (I think) 3-5 year olds & 6-11. Get there early, you have to queue, but well worth it.

Wow, great - now I just need the time to check all these ideas out...

Paris accommodation - can anyone recommend a child friendly place to stay with 2 or more bedrooms??

michellewr - we usually rent an appartment in Paris (can do this even for minimum of 2 or 3 nights!) It saves a fortune as you usually get 2 bedrooms in the apartment for the cost of one hotel bedroom plus you get more space and can even cook a little etc. Just do a search on google or altavista to find an english-speaking site, alternatively try www.homelidays.com

I was just googling for me (looking for a map!) and came across 10 Paris - for kids - thought it might be useful?