Paris with Children

I read once someone described as traveling like a banana - not well and easily bruised. That's my kids. They don't like crowds, loud noises, walking (one of my kids), waiting for anything, being busy all day, foods they don't recognize, etc. Not the ideal candidates for a trip to Paris; however, we made it work, and I can even say, work well. Even my one daughter, whose favorite thing to do is stay home, followed by a trip to her grandparents where she can mostly stay indoors and be left alone, with occasional bouts of affectionate attention, came back from Paris saying it was fun. From her, that is high praise. So here's my tips for having a fun family vacation with non-travelers.

 1. Travel by Eurostar
If it were feasible, I'd travel by high-speed trains everywhere. It's so much more relaxing than traveling by plane. The security is faster. There's no lining up for seats or competition for overhead space. There's less luggage and space restrictions. The seats are more spacious and comfortable, with better leg-room. Arriving by train started my kids off with less stress and more energy. (I have the type of kids that I need to preserve their energy rather than burn it).

 2. Stay in a well-located apartment
We found a place to stay through Airbnb. Unless you have a limitless budget, I think it's the only way to travel with kids. We had space to spread out. My kids don't really like eating out, unless it's some sort of to-go food at a market stall, ice cream shop or crepe stand, so we could use the kitchen to feed them at home. It was well-located to the Metro, Eiffel Tower and Batobus, which was especially nice for children who want to be where they're going immediately. Our place was in the 16th arrondisement on the right bank. It was an amazingly quiet area for being so close to everything. If it were just Mike and I, maybe we'd prefer staying around the Latin Quarter or St. Germain des Pres, but my kids much prefer quiet to walking out the door to shopping and nightlife.

 3. Let it go
We really thought Camille would enjoy the Musee D'Orsay. It has some of the most famous impressionist paintings in the world - a very crowd-pleasing museum. She ended up enjoying a few paintings, but mostly I think she liked sitting in this chair the best. Oh well. We cut the visit short and I think we all were happier for it. It's no fun dragging a bored child around. Mike and I got a short look at a museum we love and Camille got a brief introduction that maybe she'll remember when she's studying art history someday.

Similarly, we let them have a lot of downtime at our apartment. I feel like I should be out on the town as much as possible, enjoying the city. They enjoy their outings much more if we limit them to one or two a day. Luckily, my kids are old enough that we're comfortable leaving them some. So Mike and I would get some extra activities, walking and dinners in while the girls were getting their relaxing time.

 Pont D'Alma from the Batobus.

Goofing off waiting for the Batobus.

4. Batobus

We had such a successful day taking the Batobus around Paris. If I did it again, I'd buy a multiple day ticket. It has stops at Musee D'Orsay, St Germain des Pres, Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville, the Louvre, Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower, so you could really see most of the city this way. The Metro, as convenient as it is, kind of exhausts my kids. One outing and they've about had it. With the Batobus they were relaxed and able to take in a full day of site seeing and stops. 

5. Let them help decide the itinerary
Anya's number one priority for Paris, and maybe for all of Europe, was to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Personally, I would have been fine seeing it from the ground. Saves the long wait in line. But we braved the very long lines and the 660 steps to the second level (supposedly saved us an hour of waiting time by walking, although we still had to wait an hour) and the cold - and it was the highlight of the trip for Anya.

She also absolutely wanted to see the Mona Lisa. I had my doubts about that. We warned her - the painting is small, the area is always intensely crowded, the Louvre is overwhelming big, but she thought it would be worth it. And I think kids (or anyone) are willing to put up with things they normally wouldn't put up with when they're the ones who've made the decision. I was amazed at what a good time my kids had at the Louvre. I wouldn't have even put that on the itinerary.

I'm so pleased that with a little planning and compromise, we all were able to have a great vacation in Paris.