5 Days In Paris With Kids
After two years of a hiatus and two blog name changes, We are here trying to get back to blogging with more detailed information on some of our trips that have happened over the last few years. Starting with 4 Days in Paris With Kids. We had a wild adventure filled to the brim for the 5 days we were in Paris and we cannot wait to return. We fell in love with France so much that Megan has been learning French ever since we came home.
Day 1
We had a red eye flight to Paris. So, by the time we landed and arrived at our hotel we were exhausted. This day consisted of sleep, food and that’s about it. Our hotel was amazing and we highly recommend. We had easy to access to the metro, and were in a cute neighborhood with good restaurants and a grocery store close by. Check out Hôtel Monsieur Cadet it was a great spot to stay in Paris with kids.
Day 2
Eiffel Tower
We started with the first time slot to visit the Eiffel Tower. Our visit to the Eiffel Tower included the standard second level entry. It was stunning and we do regret that we did not pay extra to travel all the way to the top. We highly recommend the early visit. We walked right in and had pretty great opportunities for photos. As we were leaving the crowds had grown substantially and it was very crowded on the ground level. If you are interested in going all the way to the top you need to book far in advance. Be sure to plan this trip early.
If you want beautiful photos of the tower with French architecture wander some of the streets surrounding the Eiffel Tower. We found a great spot on the corner of Av. de Suffren and Rue Buenos-Ayres.
We then grabbed lunch at a spot close to the Eiffel Tower, which we do not recommend. It is very overpriced and the food is not good.
Palace of Versailles
This was a very tight day, but well worth it. Palace of Versailles is a must see. Check out an audio tour guide, but be prepared to dodge crowds. It was very crowded mid-day when we attended. Given most of our experience planning this for an early visit, the grounds will probably be far less crowded. From spring to fall they have a beautiful water show set to Baroque music in the gardens. There are so many beautiful rooms and so much art to see. You could spend a ton of time at this property, but our trip was short and a bit rushed since we arrived mid afternoon. We recommend to plan on three to four hours for your visit. Download their app for more information and take your time enjoy the chateau and the views.
Day 3
Disneyland Paris
If you follow us on Instagram you know we love Disney and have been pass holders at Disneyland for years. So, Disneyland Paris was a must. We absolutely loved this park. Far less crowded than Disneyland and the park is beautiful. In our research we had read that this park was not well maintained, but we did not feel that way. It was very clean and such a great day. We highly recommend the Park Hopper because Chez Remy and the Ratatouille ride are all in the Hollywood studios park. We were able to get a reservation at Chez Remy while we were there and had to add the park hopper to our ticket.
Day 4
Louvre
The Louvre is overwhelming. We did the first entry of the day with an outdoor tour of the grounds. They brought us through a side entry which was really nice and again just like the Eiffel Tower We recommend doing this first thing in the morning.
We felt like you could visit the Louvre multiple times and still not see everything. The most important suggestion is plan out what you want to see and map your trip. We walked in with no plan and were handed a map and had no idea where to go. We wish we would have a plan. Educate yourself on what is in this museum and map out where you want to go. Egyptian art was high on our list as well as the Mona Lisa. So our tour included those stops. However, we wandered, got a little lost and loved everything we saw.
If visiting the Louvre is high on your list, plan on spending a whole day here. It definitely can be done. We are fast paced movers so we hustled through and now we do want to return to really be able to take it all in.
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
We wanted to make sure we had plenty of time at the Louvre so we finished the day with an easy hop-on hop-off bus. We chose to just ride the bus and not get off. It was such a great experience and I wish we would have done this on the first day. It would be a great way to familiarize yourself with the lay of the city when traveling to Paris with kids.
Day 5
We ventured to Montmartre and visited Sacré-Coeur which is one of my favorite areas in France. The views are stunning and the church is a beautiful stone building. This is another spot that the earlier you visit the better. Far less crowds. It is up a steep hill so if the walk is not something you want to do, you can ride this cute train from Moulin Rouge to the church. We did the opposite and walked to the top and rode the train back.
One thing I recommend looking into is the Go City Pass when traveling to Paris with kids. We purchased this and covered almost all of our excursions with the pass. However, Disneyland only had one park entry. We lucked out in that guest services so kindly worked with us to allow our entry to other park with a fee. However, this is almost never allowed. So, if both parks are on your list I do NOT recommend using the Go City Pass.
