Paris with kids – 13 of the best tips to make your trip great

Paris with kids. To be honest with you after taking the boys on a number of city breaks for kids. Paris with family would not be at the top of my list. I do not find it particularly child friendly. But that could be biased by the simple fact I am not sure if I really like Paris. Don’t get me wrong it has a certain charm about it. You can not fail to look at the Eiffel Tower without awe, with its tree-lined boulevards and little bistros on every street corner. Apart from the one you happen to be standing on. Why is that? It has a lot going for it and I know my husband thinks it is a great place. We even spent our first wedding anniversary watching Moulin Rouge. But there are just other places I would personally rather be despite having visited numerous times over the last twenty years. However, this Paris family vacation was the boy’s first visit to the French capital.

Paris with kids – 13 of the best tips to make your trip great

That’s not to say that there are not some fantastic sights to see in the city and beyond which older children and young kids alike would love. After all, it is close to some of the big theme park such as Parc Asterix. Which is only 22 miles north of the city. And Disneyland Paris which you can reach directly by train from Charles de Gaulle airport in xx minutes. When we visited in May half term we added on a couple of nights in the city centre before staying at Villages Nature Paris. The main reason for this was that Charlie was desperate to see to visit the top of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. Visiting a city with kids in tow does make you see it in a different light. And now having visited Paris with kids there are definitely some things if you know in advance that will help you have a better break. Even if you are only planning a day trip.

You can find out exactly what we go up to during our 10-day break below.

• READ MORE – 2 Days in Paris

• READ MORE – 9 Nights in and around Paris Itinerary 

It is windy

I think it must be because of the unique way that the city is built in long lines of blocks. With wide straight boulevards leading off a central square. That it can get very windy. Especially when you are up anything remotely higher than ground level. We found the wind worse in those squares, open areas and down the wide roads. Despite it being sunny and warm for the most part. So make sure you pack something suitable our little waterproofs that stopped the wind going through the boys really helped.

Pack lots of snacks – Paris with kids 

Sounds obvious? No parent in their right mind would go on a city break and not have a bag brimming with snacks. For some reason in Paris, I found that we needed more snacks than ever. Perhaps this was because of the sheer amount of walking we did (see below). There are vending machines in many of the metro stations on the platforms selling chocolate and drinks mainly. And we did see the odd supermarket. Around some of the better well-known sights, there are street vendors selling hot dogs and crepes. But if you see ‘chips’ then there are potato crisps and not fries. Much to my six-year-olds disappointment. But be warned the prices are high. Which can make a Paris family vacation expensive. I brought a few snacks from home as we were self-catering and central Paris was near the beginning of our trip. I wish I had brought a few more. 

Toilets

Unlike other cities, we really struggled to find toilets while exploring the city of Paris. So my advice is to make sure you use the ones in any of the attractions you are visiting or cafes you stop in. During our visit, we did have to stop in a cafe for a coffee just to use the toilet! The good news is that around the tourist areas there are normally quite a few. Although you can never find one when you need it! 

Have some change

We have all got very used to travelling with plastic or using Apple Pay. That we very rarely have much change on us. In fact, we didn’t take any euros at all to France when we visited on our Paris family vacation. However, if you can have some change on you when walking around I think it would be helpful. Especially if visiting in the warmer weather. Again many of the street vendors do not take cards. Plus there is a whole load of people that will sell you an iced cold bottle of water for a euro. Rather tempting in the heat. There are also a number of street performers, especially around the main Paris attractions who you may want to tip.

Dust

Linked to the fact that the city can be quite windy there is an awful amount of dust! Especially in the parks such as Jardin des Tuileries, where the walking areas tend to be a mix of sand and grit. Not only did the boys get covered in the white dust as they could not resist kicking and practically rolling over in it (boys!). It makes wearing sandals interesting. As you will need to stop every few minutes to bang them out. When we visited we stopped for lunch in Jardin des Plantes and watched little dust clouds blow up seemingly out of nowhere. Glad that we were sitting towards the back of the restaurant. 

Parks

When visiting Paris with kids there are lots of green spaces and parks. Which is great for kids. Although we did not see many playing areas as such. They tend to be more formal green spaces separated by large promenades. Normally with a water feature or two. This means you can sometimes hire little sailboats. But generally, kids need to make their own entertainment. So a small bottle of bubbles or small ball is always handy. Plus if you can manage it bring a picnic rug or something to sit on. Normally I wouldn’t worry but in the more shady areas, France has had an issue with poisonous caterpillars. And both my husband and I had an allergic reaction from simply sitting on the ground with bare skin which was a result of unwittingly getting some of their spikes in our skin. 

Beware the street sellers

They are everywhere, especially the tourist spots. With their souvenirs, fake sunglasses and bags laid out on sheets ready to snap them up as soon as the police come into sight. And you can’t just get an Eiffel Tower from the Eiffel Tower! They are everywhere. Including five colourful Eiffel Tower key rings for a euro. If you think you may want to purchase souvenirs then make sure you have changed. Also, some use a trick where they have some coloured embroidery thread and will approach a child and start to wrap it around their wrist for a friendship bracelet and then once it is on they will charge you! We only saw this around the Sacre Coeur and a firm but polite no thank you seemed to work. 

Beware the bike path when visiting Paris with kids

This is crazy! But along the sides of most major roads, there is a cycle path. However, it is part of the pavement and has its own crossing. It’s so easy to cross the road and forget to double-check crossing the cycle path! The kids in particular struggled and had to be reminded each time. Especially since the cycle path goes both ways on both sides of the road. So it’s easy to just look the way you have just crossed. And they cycle fast! 

Electric scooters and Tuk Tuks

If bikes weren’t bad enough you can hire electric scooters. Great if you have older kids who would enjoy seeing the city on a scooter. But not so great if you have younger ones as it’s just another thing they need to be aware of. We do not live in a city and so the boys are not very aware of them. There are also a number of Tuk Tuks which are a great way to navigate the city. But again sometimes they use the paths instead of the roads. Not ideal for a Paris family vacation when you have to have eyes in the back of your head. 

Tootbus a great way to get around Paris with kids

There is no way to get around it, Paris is vast and it is a walking city. We relied heavily on the Metro (see below). An open-top, hop-on hop-off bus could be the perfect way to see it. We did see it advertised quite heavily and there were discounts in our apartment lobby. You can find out more on their Tootbus Paris website. 

Paris Metro

We tended to use the metro to travel around Paris on our family vacation. This was partly because we were close to a metro station. It is incredibly easy to use. We brought single tickets, 10 costs 16.80€. We were advised this was the cheapest option rather than buying specific routes. The children also needed a ticket each. You only need a ticket at the entrance and we did not have them checked at all while we were using the trains. Ticket machines are in English, but we used the information desk to buy our 10.

We ended up buying two lots of 10 during our visit that worked out cheaper than the specific travel cards that they offer. I think this is because we were only there for two nights and we tended to walk between attractions. So that we could soak up some of the city. However, if you think a travel card may be better for you then the pricing details are below.

The metro itself is easy to navigate. With maps everywhere and details of the stopping stations. Also while you are on the trains themselves they have the route above the door. If you’ve used the London Underground then you will be fine using the metro. 

Kids meals 

Most places we ate offered kids’ meals. Although there tend to be only a couple of options. Steak hash is a favourite. Which is like a thicker beef burger. Just make sure you ask for it well done as they have a tendency to cook it on the pink side. Pizza is also quite often an option. Their meals come with a drink and either fruit or ice cream for dessert. Expect to pay around 12€. 

Be sensible with your sightseeing

My final piece of advice is this city is vast! Be sensible with your wish list as you will want to go to all the best places. It will take you longer to get from one attraction to another. Even using public transport. If you want to do all the major sites then you will need longer than a couple of nights. My advice would be to break the city element of the break up with either a visit to one of the closer amusement park such as Parc Asterix or Disneyland Paris and the Magic Kingdom. Or look to do a few nights in the city and then stay somewhere on the coast or at Center Parcs Paris or similar. 

To give you an idea. The boys were 9 and 6 when we visited and we arrived late afternoon on our first day and left early afternoon on our third day. Fitting in an evening trip to the Eiffel Tower, three of the monuments on the second day including a park and dinner in a nice bistro. Before visiting the Scarcor and Monmarte on the morning of our third day. And that was plenty!! If you have young children then you may want to consider a boat trip on the river Seine. Likewise with older children perhaps a Paris Museum pass so that you can see th Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum and Monet’s waterlilies at musée d’orsay. I have already promised Charlie that we will come back and visit the art museums soon. The beautiful city does have things to do for the whole family and kids of all ages.

Driving in Central Paris

If you are planning on driving in and around Paris. You may need a Crit’Air tcket. You can find out more on the RAC website. It needs to be applied for in advance. We chose an apartment with parking underneath. Driving in central Paris is fine especially at a weekend if you take it slowly. As it tends to be quieter as do the ring roads around it. But bear in mind it is a busy city with lots of traffic lights. But we had no issues driving around the city of lights,

There is no getting away with it – for me, Paris is not my favourite city. But there are a lot of nice things to see there and these tips will make it easier with children for a Paris family trip. The boys still had a great time seeing everything that the city has to offer.

Have you been on a Paris family vacation with kids? What were the best things you got up to? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

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