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2 Days in Paris Itinerary – Paris with kids a family friendly city break

2 days in Paris itinerary. Over the May half term, we planned a little family trip to central Paris for two nights as part of a longer stay in the region. Having travelled from the theme park Parc Asterix late afternoon we arrived in Paris around five. We left our Paris city break two days later just after lunch. The plan was to give the boys a quick introduction to Paris as we really only had two full days. As this was our first time on a family trip to Paris we wanted to take it slow but still fit in some of the sights. My husband and I have visited several times before and the kids have travelled in France a fair bit, but not yet visited Paris with kids.

Before I get into our Paris vacation I should just make mention that Parc Asterix is only about an hour’s drive from central Paris. It is a great way to extend your family holiday in Paris. Especially as it is located between the city and Calais. So you do not need to go too far out of your way to visit. I also think that it s a great way to get the balance right between things to do for the kids and things to do for the adults. Likewise, Disneyland Paris is not far and a great way to get the balance right when visiting Paris with family.

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2 days in Paris Itinerary – Where did we stay

Choosing where to stay in Paris can be difficult. The city has lots of different hotels and apartments to choose from. But in our experience, most tend to be quite small not ideal with kids. But like many other city breaks the time you spend in a hotel room or apartment is limited. Instead, we had two prerequisites for the accommodation for our Paris city break. We needed parking and from experience know we wanted to be close to a metro station.

We had found a self-catering apartment in a central location for our family trip to Paris. The apartment came with underground parking and was only a short walk from the metro station Gare du Nord. This gave us the best of both worlds. As close proximity to the train station meant that we could use public transport to travel around the city easily. And pick up some of the famous landmarks during our 48 hours in Paris. Essential when travelling with children. But have the car on hand so that we could drive to our next stop when we left. Here is our 2 days in Paris Itinerary.

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Paris 2 Days Itinerary with Kids – Paris City Break

Visiting for the first time with the boys we intentionally kept our family trip to Paris short. As I am not convinced the french capital is a particularly child-friendly city. It meant we had about 48 hours in the city of lights with the equivalent of two full days to do Paris with kids. As time was short we did not head off the beaten track instead opting to visit some of the touristy areas and popular attractions. I am sharing our 2-day itinerary in case you would like to do similar.

Afternoon/Evening Day 1 – Top of the Eiffel Tower at Sunset

Once settled into our accommodation we headed out to the closest metro stations. We brought ten single tickets as you pay for eight but get ten. Children need tickets too. As we planned to use the metro as our main form of transport during our Paris city break to save little legs. This worked out the cheapest way for us to move around the city. They also offer travel cards. You can read about these and other tips for visiting Paris with children here:

Day Two Morning – Hotel de la Marine

After breakfast at our apartment, we headed back out to the metro to head to Place de la Concorde. Our first stop on the next day of our Paris city break was the beautiful building of Hotel de la Marine. To learn all about the French Royal Family, day-to-day life in the house and the French Revolution. I was very impressed with the audio guide which was delivered by Bluetooth headphones.

I did worry that it may only be suitable for older kids. But the self-guided tour available in English had a different version for the children as you walked from room to room a story was told. This made it suitable for kids of all ages. This is a great way of regulating footfall and meant that it did not get too busy. The boys were also given a little booklet to aid their journey through the house. An ideal Paris with the family excursion. There is so much detail in the dressing of the rooms which have recently been restored in a four-year project. Each is exquisite with crystal chandeliers, gold gilt plasterwork and ceilings and silk wallpaper. It is so beautiful. One of the biggest highlights of this great place has to be the views across Place de la Concorde square.

The price is 17€ for an adult with children being free. You do need to book tickets in advance as it is a popular tourist attraction only having only re-opened recently

Day Two Lunchtime – Jarden des Tuileries gardens

Hotel Marine is located right next to some beautiful parks the largest is Jardin des Tuileries garden. After looking around the palace we headed to the green space to let the boys run around a bit. One of the great things about Paris is that there are quite a few green spaces. A useful feature when visiting Paris with family. There is a large water fountain with numerous chairs, which is the perfect place for you to sit and watch the world go by. The wide pathways lead off into different green squares some with statues. There are various areas with trees and several different cafes and restaurants underneath them.

We stopped for lunch in one of these. The boys enjoyed French hot chocolate and us something stronger as well as sharing cheese and meat platters with fries. If you all through the park you will come across another pond area. Where you can hire small wooden boats for thirty minutes at a time. A great activity in Paris for the kids.

We were heading towards the Paris Pantheon and so walked out the back of the park and came right out across the road from the Louvre museum. On this trip, we had no plans to visit the art museums Musee d’Orsay or The Lourve. As Harry had only just turned six and so was not interested. Although we do plan to return at a later date and purchase a Paris museum pass, do this as Charlie has requested to see the Mona Lisa.

Walking instead of getting the metro meant we could also stop at a market and pick up some macarons. Much needed bribery as we walked along the River Seine it took us around a thirty-minute walk to reach the Pantheon. We did consider getting a boat trip along to see the rebuilding of Notre Dame Cathedral. If you have young children it may be a good idea to consider this alternative

Day Two Afternoon – Paris Pantheon and Arc de Triomphe

We spent around two hours in the Pantheon. Marvelling at the painted ceilings and stories that had been depicted on the walls. Hanging from the dome there is a pendulum which is worth seeing before heading down to the crypt. The boys found the crypt really interesting as each room had details of the tombs. These were available electronically and therefore in English, there were key military, literary and well-known French historians buried in the various rooms. It is possible to also climb up by the outside of the dome and look out across Paris with views of the Eiffel Tower.

The Pantheon makes a good stop on a family trip to Paris as you only need about an hour to visit. Entrance costs 11.50€ for adults with under 18s free.

Day Two Early Evening

All three of the monuments we visited today had either free entrance for those under 18s. Or significantly reduced entrance in the case of Hotel de la Marine. This shows it is possible to find ways to make a family trip to Paris better priced. Especially when combined with more expensive excursions to the theme parks.

Determined not to have such a late night we decided to have dinner close to the Arc De Triomphe. If you have older children you may want to take a walk down the Champs Elysee the famous shopping streets. But with our two younger children we instead found a lovely Bistro called La Flamme. Although not cheap the food was absolutely delicious. I can recommend the prawn and avocado starter and the stuffed ravioli pasta. They did have a children’s menu which was a little limited only offering steak hache as the main course. Instead, Harry opted for a pizza off the main menu which worked out about the same price. The second night of our 2 days in Paris itinerary.

Day Three Morning – Sacre Coeur

We could not check in to Villages Nature Paris until around 3 pm so we decided to spend the morning in the city centre. On the last morning of our 2 days in Paris itinerary, we caught the metro to the Sacre Coeur. Another popular tourist destination was already busy when we arrived mid-morning. Keen to try something different we used some of our rail tickets to get the funicular up to the top. It also saved the boy’s legs. Although the ride itself is very short. As we had tickets left over it seemed a fun way to use them up. I am not sure I would buy specific tickets

The Scare Cor itself is free to enter and so can get very busy. Of course, if you want to see the views of Paris from the top of the church then you will need to pay. It costs 7€ for an adult and 4€ for a child over the age of four. Having already taken in the views we decided that we would just have a look around inside. Before heading around the back of the church into Monmatrate. It is my favourite part of Paris with all the little restaurants and artists. If you are looking to pick up some original artwork. Rather than all reproduced ‘originals’ then this is the place to do it. You can even get a caricature or portrait done while you wait. Or perhaps a silhouette portrait.

We picked up ice cream and crepes and wandered for a while. The boys loved eating crepes during our Paris trip with kids. Unfortunately, we did not have much time before we had to leave our Paris city break for the next part of our Paris adventure. Not before stopping for lunch of course..