Ah, the city of light, love and….cigarette smoke. I have compiled our favorite things to do in Paris with kids throughout this blog post. But first, I digress.
I always seem to forget how much the europeans smoke until I’m back in the EU. Learn from me-if you are traveling with your kids, this is something you might want to warn them about. My daughter was engulfed in a cloud of smoke the second she stepped out of the taxi. She was utterly appalled that seemingly every single Parisian was smoking. I’m pretty sure she spent the whole first day plugging her nose until she got acclimated to the stench. She also had no idea what ash trays were. Whoops.
Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised by Paris. I have to admit that visiting was never on my bucket list. I much prefer smaller towns to the larger cities. I can now say that it is worth visiting at least once in your life. It is kid friendly enough, but I wouldn’t say it is as family friendly as Italy or Spain. We ended up in Paris because it was my daughter’s dream to visit and see the Eiffel Tower in person. When she was 5 years old, she told me that she wanted to travel to Paris. I told her that when she turns 10 years old I will take her anywhere she wants to go. Fast forward 5 years and Paris was still at the top of her list.
So without further ado, these are our favorite things to do and see while visiting Paris with kids!
Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour
This is the perfect activity for your first day in Paris. You’ll be jet lagged and probably won’t feel like walking miles around the city getting lost-and neither will your children. These double decker bus tours are always my go to activity on the first day whenever I travel internationally. It gives you the opportunity to see the main sights, get the overall layout of the city and requires minimal effort. I would recommend getting the 48 hour pass. This will allow you to use it the next day to get to further away activities! Book your bus tickets here!
Dinner at Bouillon Chartier
Make sure you arrive at the doors at opening time! The line was down the street and we totally lucked out to get a spot. This is a timeless french restaurant brimming with locals. The atmosphere was exceptional, the waiters were extremely kind and the food was not only delicious but inexpensive! Make sure you get yourself a pitcher of sangria as well!
Spend the day at the Louvre
You can’t go to Paris and not see the Mona Lisa. We opted for a skip the line tour with a guide that took us directly to the Mona Lisa. I highly recommend this! It was the same cost as a regular ticket and saved us the hassle of fighting the crowds and getting lost in the museum. Now when I say skip the line… take that with a grain of salt. We still had to wait in line for over an hour to get inside the Louvre.
After pushing our way through the crowd to see the Mona Lisa, we spent the remainder of the day exploring the museum. It is truly an incredible museum that fascinated both myself and my daughter. If you have older kids, it is a memorable history lesson. My daughter didn’t want to leave. The louvre is a must when visiting Paris with kids.
Eat at Cafe Saint Honore
This is an adorable cafe close to the Louvre filled with pink flowers and teddy bears. Seriously, how could you go wrong? I was searching for something that wasn’t insanely expensive, touristy or had food my daughter would actually eat. This checked all the boxes. My daughter had an omelette (which is always served with salad in France) and fries. I indulged in a nutella banana crepe with a spritz. It was also happy hour; score!
Getting a baguette and macaroons from a local bakery is a must
Every direction you turn, there is a bakery filled with the smell of freshly baked french bread and pastries. My advice? Go into as many as you can find and try them all! My daughter was on a mission to eat all the macaroons in Paris and she nearly did.
Fun fact- the french really do walk around on the streets carrying baguettes. I even saw many children riding bikes home from school and munching on baguettes. I could get behind that lifestyle.
Chez Jeanette
This is a very typical Parisian cafe that was recommended by my hotel. VERY French. Not a single person spoke a word of English but we managed. These local places are truly my favorite. I had an espresso and croissant. Simple, yet perfect.
Montmartre
Easily the most picturesque neighborhood in Paris. You can’t visit Paris without exploring here. The cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, and greenery makes you feel like you are out of the big city. If I ever go back to Paris, this is the neighborhood I would stay in.
Macaron Baking Class
My daughter’s bucket list item was taking a baking class in Paris, specifically for macrons. This class is located in Montmartre, which made it easy for us to explore in the morning before our class. The instructors were fabulous! They were very kind and patient with my daughter throughout the whole process. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Paris with kids! The best part? We each took around 20 macarons back with us! Book this once in a lifetime class here!
Holybelly for breakfast
Normally when we travel we try to stick to the local cuisine. Paris was my first exception. I honestly found Paris to be trickier food wise when it came to eating out than other European countries. We came across Holybelly one morning. It was hard to miss with the line out the door and down the street. This is a MUST for kids when visiting Paris. They had every non french breakfast item you could think of and the food was delicious. Plus this was the first place I found dairy free options for my coffee!
Paris Catacombs
This actually wasn’t on our itinerary but we were lucky to snag last minute tickets. It was a rainy day in Paris and we needed something to do inside. This tour actually ended up being one of our favorite things we did in Paris. If you enjoy history, I can’t recommend this tour enough. I also suggest booking ahead! It was nearly a miracle that we got tickets. People were at the door getting turned down left and right. I quickly got on Get Your Guide and got us VIP restricted access tickets with a guide. Normally I wouldn’t have gone for this option but it was all that was left (probably due to the price). BUT, man was it worth it! Our tour guide was knowledgable, entertaining and made the tour worth every penny. He even put up with my daughters endless questions. We would have missed out on so much if we weren’t with our guide.
Cafe Boheme
If you are looking for a cafe that is utterly chic, this is it. My daughter and I both got the breakfast option that came with omelettes, bread, a hot drink, a cold drink and dessert. It was extremely well priced and we couldn’t finish all our food.
La Gauloise
We splurged here on a typical Parisian dinner. French onion soup, coq au vin and creme brûlée. They do offer a kids menu, but I was quite proud of my daughter for digging into the local specialities instead. This was more of an upscale restaurant and the perfect way to end our adventure in Paris.
Eiffel Tower
Last but not least…the Eiffel Tower. We purchased the tour that took us to the second level. If I’m being honest, I think we spent about 10 minutes up there and then got the hell out. It was cold and rainy outside and people were packed like sardines inside. Not our cup of tea. Ironically, the gift shop was our favorite part!
Better yet, go see the Eiffel Tower at night! It sparkles for the first 5 minutes every house after dusk. This was much more enjoyable.
What are your favorite things to do in Paris with kids? I might go back for a day or two, but I much rather go explore the lesser known areas of France!
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