ONE WEEKEND IN PARIS WITH KIDS

Since we are lucky enough to have the opportunity to live in Switzerland, we decided to give Emma (our oldest daughter) the option to travel to a city of her choice for her 9th birthday. We really enjoy experiences over items if possible! As soon as we mentioned Paris, she jumped at the option. It is only 3.5 hours away from Basel on the high speed train, so it is very doable for a weekend trip! So, what do you do with kids in Paris? Well, keep reading to see our five recommended activities for one weekend in Paris with kids!

1. Visit the Louvre

Are you currently wondering why on Earth I would recommend taking a small child to a giant art museum? Well, first, kids enter for free if they are under 18. If you decide to go, make sure to book online to reserve a time slot! You can purchase tickets at the museum upon arrival although there may be a wait with the current restrictions.

The size of the Louvre may feel very overwhelming to you with your kids in tow. So, we decided to try to see all of one floor instead of all four. It took us two hours, and the girls were definitely done after that amount of time. We still were able to see so many incredible paintings and artifacts! And, Emma and Olivia learned so much about art during our short time there.

2. Enjoy the Luxembourg Gardens

These incredible gardens were created by request from Queen Marie de Medici in 1612. Queen Marie de Medici decided that the Louvre was too big in size to live in so the Palais du Luxembourg was built and became the Royal residence. The gardens were created as a space for her son to enjoy the outdoors.

The gardens are split into French gardens and English gardens. There is a beautiful pond in front of the palace in which you can often find children sailing vintage, toy sailboats. The girls really enjoyed checking out the fish in the pond as well as seeing the sailboats. It’s a perfect place to visit to enjoy a sunny day and feel like you are not in a giant city.

3. See the sights from the TootBus

Gregg and I are usually fans of walking everywhere but Paris is HUGE! So after exhausting the kids at the Louvre, we decided it was a good idea to purchase tickets to the TootBus! We wanted to see as much as possible, but we also knew not to push the girls too much. We are so glad we made this decision as a two-hour ride through the streets of Paris was incredible, well once the rain stopped!

During our time on the hop-on and hop-off bus, we saw the Eiffel Tower, Hôtel des Invalides, Place de la Concorde, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and so much more. Olivia even fell asleep, which was great, during the ride.

We opted for the two-day family pass when we purchased the tickets. Our experience on the first day was wonderful, but the second day was not as great. We waited a long time for a late bus, and then, we waited for awhile on the bus for the sales people to gain more paying customers. Once the tour began, it was great. Also, you can use the app on your phone to hear the information regarding the sights or you can use headphones that plug into the bus.

4. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower

Ever since she was a little girl, Emma has dreamed about seeing the Eiffel Tower. It was beyond magical to see her eyes light up each and every time that we saw this magnificent tower. We also knew that we had to go to the top to have the full experience. For tickets, we purchased these ahead of time for a specific time slot as we knew we wanted to enjoy the view at night. Again, you are able to purchase tickets upon arrival but there may be a wait due to the current restrictions or just lots of traffic.

We purchased tickets to go to the highest part, the summit. It took two elevators to get to this point, and we did have to wait in a ten-minute line for the second elevator. Pro Tip: If you are scared of heights, make sure to stand in the middle of the elevators! The sides are glass and clear, and it can be frightening!

Once we arrived at the top, we noticed it was very crowded with lots of other tourists. So, we checked out the view, took some pictures, and then headed back down to the second floor. We arrived just in time for the sparkles! The entire Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes on the hour after nightfall until 1:00 AM. There is also a food area on the second level where we picked up macarons for the kids and a drink for both Gregg and I. We did not go on the first level, but it looks like there is tons to do on that floor as well.

Parent tip: There is a carousel across the street from the Eiffel Tower towards Trocadero. It costs three Euros per ride.

5. Eat all of the delicious macarons

Both Emma and Olivia really enjoy eating macarons. And, Paris is the best place in the world to eat these delicious treats. We stopped at Ladurée, which is a well known Macaron store by the Louvre, as well as at the train station. Emma’s favorite flavor was definitely chocolate, Olivia enjoyed strawberry, Gregg loved the pistachio, and I fell in love with the passion fruit macaron!

The girls also enjoyed macarons at the top of the Eiffel Tower. So, I think three experiences with macarons in one weekend is pretty good! We love trying local food, especially sweets!

To see more about our amazing weekend in Paris with kids, make sure to check out our Youtube video!

Have you ever been to Paris? Is it on your bucket list? We hope these kid-friendly activities help you with your trip to Paris with kids!Thank you so much for wandering along with us!