Paris isn’t a city you think of when you’re planning a family trip, but it is a great choice. My daughter had been asking to visit Paris for quite some time and although it was admittedly not one of my favorite cities (dare I say, one of my least favorite cities), I agreed to give it another chance. I’m so glad I did! I completely fell in love with it and realized there is so much to do there as a family.
We spent an entire week in Paris in March and it was just perfect. The weather was beautiful and we had enough time to truly enjoy the city. I didn’t want to be switching hotels, so I opted for two different day trips instead. I find it easier to travel to and from a place in the same day, rather than having to pack up and switch hotels.
I’m going to share some of my favorite things we did, but please don’t get overwhelmed filling your schedule with all the things you have to do. The best part of Paris is just immersing yourself in it and enjoying the city. There’s something so magical about just walking around the city and experiencing it.
10 Things To Do In or Around Paris with your Kids
1. Ride the Carousel by the Eiffel Tower
There’s a carousel right by the Eiffel Tower and it has the most magnificent view. It’s about $3 to ride and it’s a great photo op. We went in the morning on a weekday and we were the only ones on it. On the weekends it’s much busier. Don’t worry if you’re not a great photographer, there’s actually photographers on the carousel that will snap your photo and you can buy it after your ride if you like it. We didn’t buy any because my husband took these with my camera.
2. Siene Lunch Cruise
Dinner cruises in Paris to see the Eiffel Tower lit at night are quite popular, but there’s an even better option for kids – a lunch cruise. You’re not forced to stay up til 11pm and they allow you to book the best tables while still paying kids prices. The lunch cruise we did offered kid pricing (for the same meal) and allowed us to select a table by a window while still paying the kid price for my daughter. In the evening, kids must pay the adult price if you want one of the tables by a window. Overall the lunch cruise is much cheaper and you still get the same experience but during the day, which is so much easier with kids.
3. Book a Photo Shoot
Book a family photo shoot or even just for the kids if you prefer, especially if you have a girl like I do. Being a “princess in Paris” was one of the highlights of the trip if you ask her. She got to dress up and take beautiful photos with the Eiffel Tower behind her. We opted for a family photo shoot but we also did some of her alone, which are some of my favorite photos of her ever. The greatest part about hiring a photographer is that they truly know their city. They’ll take you straight to the best spots with the best view. It’s worth every penny. I used Ophelie, you can find her on Instagram @limitlesssecrets.
4. Spend anAfternoon at the Louvre
I never expected my then 4 year old to be very interested in the Louvre, but she most definitely was. She took my phone and quickly became a photographer. She walked through the Louvre looking for things she thought were beautiful and photographing them with my phone so she could show her grandparents when we got home. It was so fun to see it through her eyes. It’s not your usual Louvre experience, but it was definitely a great afternoon.
5. Visit the Eiffel Tower at Night
There’s nothing quite like the Eiffel Tower at night, especially when it sparkles. It sparkles at the beginning of each hour every hour after dark until 11pm. You don’t necessarily have to go all the way up to it, there’s plenty of places in the city to enjoy the view of it. Maybe pick a dinner spot with a view of the Eiffel Tower and watch it sparkle while enjoying your dinner.
6. Playground in the Trocadero Gardens
Kids love a stop at the playground, but this one is special… it has a view of the Eiffel Tower. The trees had already lost their leaves, but the view was still amazing. I can’t even imagine how beautiful it is when everything is in bloom. The playground is great, with plenty of fun for the kids.
7. Picnic by the Eiffel Tower
We didn’t get to do this on this trip because the area was under construction, but it’s such a great way to spend a day when you’re in Paris. Pack up a picnic lunch (some wine or champagne more mommy and daddy) and go enjoy a simple meal with a beautiful view. Make an adventure out of the whole day, from picking out the sandwiches, to setting up the blanket, etc. It’ll make for great family time.
8. Visit Disneyland Paris
This is a must do! Every kid loved Disney and you can visit Disneyland Paris on a day trip. It is less than an hour from the city on the train and tickets are about half the price of what they cost in the US. Disneyland Paris is much smaller than the parks in Florida, but they’re equally fun. We left our hotel like at 9am, took the 45 minute train ride that only cost around 12 € for all of us. There’s a train station right at the entrance of Disneyland, so you walk right in. There’s 2 parks Parc Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios. We didn’t buy a park hopper ticket so we only did Parc Disneyland, but I honestly think we could have done them both in 1 day because Walt Disney Studios is quite tiny. Instead we rode a ton in Disneyland and watching the firework and drone show (which is amazing) before getting back on the train to head back to our hotel. You can definitely make it a 2 day visit if you prefer.
9. Day Trip to London
I know it sounds crazy because it’s really far, but you can do a day trip to London. We did it and it was such a fun adventure. Believe it or not, it’s only 2 hours and 15 minutes on the Eurostar Train. When we planned our Paris trip, London still had extremely strict guidelines due to Covid, so we weren’t planning to stop there. However, the week before our trip, they reduced all of those guidelines and the Big Ben was the other thing my daughter had been wanting to see, so we decided to make it happen. We took one of the morning trains (9am since we’re not morning people, but you can definitely start earlier) and then taking the very last train of the day back which was at about 9pm that day and we were back in our hotel before midnight. It’s a long and hectic day, but if you’re up for an adventure it’s a lot of fun. We managed to see Big Ben, ride the London Eye, walk the city, have fish and chips for lunch, took a boat Uber to the famous Tower Bridge and we even went to a playground for over an hour at the end because we had time left before our train back.
10. Enjoy a Good Meal Together
If you have a picky eater like me, do not fear going to Paris with them. There’s tons of options available, especially Italian food and all kids love pizza. I felt like there was as many Italian restaurants as French restaurants. However, the French restaurants are accommodating. They all made butter pasta for my daughter. If they have pasta on their menu they can make you buttered pasta with Parmesan cheese. My daughter ate croissants for breakfast everyday and either pizza or pasta most nights.
We had the best time in Paris together. Trust me, pack up your kids and head to Paris! I promise you won’t regret it.
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