Paris with young DC, on a budget

[Bemyclementine]

Possible? Tips and recommendations please! Dc2 wants to go sightseeing. I have limited funds but would LOVE to make it happen. Would probably have my mum with me. I'd like to do 2 nights, basic hotel. Cheap as possible!

Hopefully bump.

Be aware Paris is really expensive. You’d be better with a package sightseeing trip

We're off to Paris in 2 weeks for a long weekend. Watching with interest 😁

Paris is expensive, but there are ways you can make a budget stretch with a bit of planning. Accommodation is likely to be the expensive bit (after getting there). If you are willing to stay further out and maybe do a fair bit of walking then it can be cheaper. Look for self catering apartments - they will be cramped but fine for a few days.

Entry for kids and most students to almost all galleries and museums is free. If you plan your itinerary then you can decide if getting a museum pass for adults is worth it - I think after 5 or so it definitely is. You may need to prebook time slots - certainly for the Louvre etc. There are lots of things you can see just by walking around - the river, all parks and places like Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur.

There is lots of street food which can be reasonable (in fact the variety is astonishing and delicious, especially if you look at the more ethnic quarters). Avoid the tourist trap traditional parisian cafes.

There is so much to see in Paris, it is certainly an experience! Spend a bit of time researching and planning beforehand though in order to make the most of it.

How young are we talking? I had a brilliant time with my two in Paris in the summer but they were at the time 13 and 8.

We stayed near the Eiffel Tower which was brilliant as we could walk around the Champs de Mars in the evening.

We went to a big swimming pool one day, but also went up the Eiffel Tower, visited the Louvre and the Pantheon. The only thing that didn’t work that well was the Louvre as it was very crowded and it is huge (we knew it is huge but it was just too much on a hot summer’s day). We took a bus to the Louvre which was good as we saw other sights on the way.

I did DLP when my daughter was 5, with my sister and niece who was 4. We did 2 days at Disney and then a day sightseeing. We did a lot of public transport, saw all the big sights, the kids enjoyed it actually. We did some fun things like a ride on a rickshaw which they liked. We didn't really bother with galleries etc as there was so much else to do

There's a really good 34 things to do woth kids in paris time out article

After a couple of recent visits with dc, I'd make a list of the sights you really want to see. Then I'd plot them on a map and see if there is a particular district it would make sense to stay in, or travel easily to.

The metro is great, and fast, however not much use if your accommodation isn't close to a stop.

We stayed both in walking distance to the Eiffel tower (7th arr) and then just before Christmas in an aparthotel a bit further out (Clichy). Obviously staying centrally is more expensive, but saves on the metro tickets - this is why it's useful to plot where you'd like to be. We also found bars and restaurants more accessible further into the city.

For sight seeing, it depends on the age of your dc, but mine loved the Eiffel Tower at sunset, then as it sparkled when it got dark. It was stunning!

My teen DD loved the trendy vibe of the Tracadero. We saw multiple music videos being filmed on the street, and she was in teen heaven. We were kept busy by a large red wine in a brasserie opposite 😆