Guest Blogger: Vanessa and Sergio are high school sweethearts from Austin, Texas who love traveling the world and experiencing new cultures and traditions with their daughter. To keep up with this international trio, follow along on Instagram or visit their website, TravelChicFam.
Paris, France has always been a favorite city of mine. This one city holds the best of the best in art, culture, breathtaking sights and French cuisine. As the cherry on top, it’s also bursting with romance and, for those traveling with kids, children’s parks perfectly situated through the entire city!
While pregnant with my daughter, I thought traveling would no longer be possible, but I was wrong! After a year of not traveling, I began experiencing “traveling blues” and decided to plan our first family trip to take place when my daughter would be 20 months old. I excitedly and anxiously began planning our 10-day trip to Paris: flights, transportation, hotel, sites and destinations, family photo shoot, and so much more! Before having a baby, we would have likely booked two or three cities as part of one vacation, but decided to stick to one city for our first family vacation and see how baby girl would travel. As an added surprise, traveling with a child reminded us to slow down, to visit family friendly sites, and to value each moment, laugh, and experience. We also took as many photos as humanely possible so that we could document the experience. Our visit to Paris with a young child was not without challenges, but overall the experience was amazing and life changing. I can confidently say that my now three year old absolutely loves to fly, thrives when she spends quality time with her parents, and enjoys the different sites and children’s parks that we build into our adventures.
Without further ado, here are my Five Fun Family Activities for Paris With Kids!
#1. Disneyland Parks
In the many months I spent planning our trip to Paris, I knew that the one thing I wanted to do was to plan a stop at one of the most magical places on Earth: Disneyland Paris. It was the least we could do for our 20 month old, after dragging her to a different country. We were visiting in early September, which is considered off-season, so the crowds were minimal and wait times for rides was short.
Disneyland Paris is comprised of two parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. You can pay to visit one park or both parks. For this occasion, we chose to only visit Disneyland Park as our daughter loves princesses, and we knew that the big mid-day parade would be taking place at Disneyland Park. We arrived around 11am and were able to easily purchase tickets and ride a number of rides, including Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Le Carrousel de Lancelot, Alice’s Curious Labyrinth. We also visited Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, La Tinier du Dragon, Liberty Arcade, and Discovery Arcade. We made sure to stop and watch the famous Disney parade with all the princess characters, and we ate lunch at Au Chalet de la Marionette, which had a decent selection of food for adults and children.
By the time we left the park at 7pm, we were beyond exhausted. Although we wished we had seen the fireworks, we had a great experience and of course, left with Minnie Mouse ears, a Mickey Mouse balloon, Disneyland souvenirs, and a number of chocolate treats. If I had to do it all over again, I wish we could have arrived a little earlier so that we could visit both parks and stay for the fireworks, but given the one hour distance from our hotel to Disneyland and my daughter’s age, we were just thrilled that she had an amazing experience.
Pro-Tip: We took a taxi from our hotel to Disney, but you can also take the Metro. We chose a taxi because it was much faster and easier for our little family. Prices vary, depending on location and transit time, so be sure to price check all your options.
#2: Jardin du Luxembourg
The Jardin du Luxembourg is a true gem located in the center of Paris. It covers 25 hectares (over 60 acres) of land filled with beautiful gardens, open-air cafes, puppet shows, rides, slides, musical performers, and sailboats in the pond by the Luxembourg Palace. On a sunny day, you can grab lunch and relax on the green or in one of the many chairs sprinkled throughout the park as you watch your little one run around to release some much needed energy.
Our favorite activity was the miniature sailboats, which are available for rent or purchase if you don’t happen to have your own to bring! There were many vendors located along the pond and we rented a miniature sailboat that came with a large stick, to use to push the sailboat out and onto the pond. My daughter could not push the sailboat on her own, but my husband was happy to oblige and help maneuver the boat. He had just as much fun playing as all the kids. This is a must visit family friendly park for all to enjoy. By the looks of the native French speaking crowd around us, this is local favorite and so a great way to experience real Parisian family life.
#3: Parc Zoologique de Paris
The Parc Zoologique de Paris a great place to visit with children, especially if they love animals. Admission is pricey at 20 € per adult / 15 € per child (ages 3-12) but well worth it. The zoo’s landscape is designed to showcase the animals in their native ecosystem and is home to around 180 species and over a thousand animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. During our visit, we saw a variety of birds, monkeys, fish, jaguars, zebras, and giraffes. And, judging by the crowds, this is another spot that most local Parisians take advantage of with their families, and we were again fortunate to have no trouble with crowds.
#4: Musee de l’Orangeries & Musee d’Orsay
When one thinks of a museum in Paris, I’m sure the Louvre comes immediately to mind. The Louvre is amazing, but also full of tourists and crowds. Although definitely a place that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime, I was not sure that it was the best place to take a baby or toddler. For this special trip, we decided to visit the Musee de l’Orangerie and the Musee d’Orsay, which showcase fantastic works by Monet, Van Gogh, and many others, but without the tourist appeal of the Louvre.
We visited the Musee de l’Orangerie first, where we viewed Claude Monet’s famous painting of the water lilies. The mural and all sides of the walls were so incredibly breathtaking, I had to stop and just enjoy the experience. While I was busy being awed by the beauty of the art, my daughter paced all the rooms of the museum with her daddy. We then went upstairs and enjoyed a quick bite to eat before heading to the Musee d’Orsay.
At the d’Orsay, we saw Ballet Rehearsal by Edgar Degas, Blue Water Lillies by Claude Monet, Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, and countless others. The museum is large, but we had an idea of what we wanted to see before arriving, which helped make our experience more manageable.
Pro-Tip: It is 9 € to visit one museum, or 16 € to visit both, so we chose to visit both and save some money.
#5: Eiffel Tower
Last, but definitely not least, the most iconic site of all, the Eiffel Tower. Although you can pay to go up to the top of the tower, I personally think the best view is the free one from the bottom. There are two children’s parks at the North side of the tower that are fenced in for security and, happily, there are vendors nearby who sell an assortment of snacks and gelato for the children (and adults!) to enjoy a tasty treat.
While viewing the Eiffel Tower, we spied a carousel across the street, which many children enjoy riding, including my daughter who rode it up to four times! On a beautiful sunny day, be sure to take some time to have a picnic on the green near the Eiffel Tower. It’s easy to pick up a baguette or a tasty sandwich and a bottle of wine and enjoy the beautiful view, while the little ones stretch their legs running around outside. We have a wonderful time and will cherish our memories forever.
Final Thoughts?
Paris has so many different things to see and do, but these are truly my top Five Fun Family Activities to take advantage of in Paris. As I continue to explore the world with my daughter, I learn more about her personality and try to incorporate her interests and wishes as well. My goal, as a mommy, is to take my daughter to one new country a year. Our first was Paris, and we also have Rome and Barcelona on the agenda. Traveling with a child has its challenges, but seeing their smiles and the memories we create as a family are priceless.
