Similar to other series we have done on this site, I wanted to share the activities we did while on our exciting trip to Paris, France.

View other posts in this series:

• Trip Introduction: Springtime in the City of Light
• Review: AA Flagship Lounge LAX
• Review: American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class LAX-LHR
• Review: British Airways Galleries First
• Now With a Nice Kids Area: British Airways Galleries South
• Great for Families: A Review of the Hyatt Regency Étoile
• Exploring Paris With Children (this post)
• Thoughts on Disneyland Paris
• Review: Air France Business Class Lounge CDG Terminal 2E Hall K
• Review: Air France 777-300 Business Class CDG-LAX

As the purpose of our trip to Paris was to visit family, and since British Airways caused us to miss a day of our trip, we weren’t able to do everything we originally wanted to do. But it’s still worth a discussion on what we were able to do. In addition to the below, we also went to Disneyland Paris, but that deserves a separate post of its own.

We had some down time and were able to go see a few things around town. We originally had tickets to go to both Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée d’Orsay as there is free admission for both on the first Sunday of each month. But with the loss of a day in Paris, we were unable to visit the museums as scheduled.

Champs-Élysées

Our trip started by stopping by several sites on our way over to our first planned activity of the trip (a walking tour). We stopped by the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. The crowds were very light just after breakfast. So if you’re looking for an unobstructed, obligatory picture without the crowds, this is the time to do it.

Just beyond the Champs-Élysées is the Jardin des Tuileries, and I’d say the walk is quite enjoyable. There is a small playground here, free of charge, and we spent an hour here while the kids had fun. The park leads right up to the entrance to the Louvre.

Zoë Petit Walking Tour

In the months leading up to our trip to Paris, we decided to do a walking tour of Montmartre. While Jenn and I have been to the area before, it’s the first visit for our children and thought it was best to find someone who could help show them around. Jenn found Zoe, a Texan living in Paris, and she offered a fun, engaging experience for Alex (age 6). He made notes of everything Zoe mentioned in his journal and loved looking for the little details she mentioned around town. I’d say this is a great tour to take if you have school-age children as that’s more of her specialty.

Char (age 3) didn’t hold quite the same interest in the tour, but she also ended up napping for half the time. The area of Montmartre is quite hilly, so keep that in mind if you need to carry a child. Using a stroller might be less strenuous but also note there may be stairs and it could be difficult to navigate if the crowds.

Overall, we had a great time on the tour and highly recommend it.

Jardin du Luxembourg

This park is a fun place to spend a few hours with kids and is easy to get to using the metro. Specifically, they have a merry-go-round here where kids can play the ring game. Those sitting on a horse get a stick to hold. Every time they pass by the operator, they can try to hook the ring onto their stick. It’s a fun twist to a normal merry-go-round, but note it might make the kids want to ride multiple times. There is a nominal charge to ride, so be sure to bring your euros.

Right next door to the merry-go-round is a playground. Unlike the playground at the Jardin des Tuileries mentioned above, this one does charge an admission fee. We didn’t visit this playground (and I apologize but I seem to have lost my picture of it), so I can’t speak to the quality.

Aside from those activities, we did spend some time walking around. We weren’t able to spend as long as we were hoping since we needed to meet up with family, but it’s a beautiful place for a stroll.

Berthillon

This is one of the more famous ice cream shops in Paris. Note that as you get close to the site, you’ll find many shops selling ice cream from Berthillon, so it is easy to get confused on whether you’ve truly arrived. There is a section with ice cream for pick up and a cafe where you can relax a bit more. We opted to just pick up and eat out on the street nearby.

The store is near the Notre Dame and makes sense if you are already in the area. Unfortunately, the Notre Dame was closed for massive repairs after a devastating fire in 2019 (due to reopen December 2024). But if you do find yourself in the area and want ice cream, it’s worth a visit. I’m not sure it’s worth going out of your way.

There are many flavors, depending on what’s available for that day. We mostly stuck with the fruit-based flavors out of personal preference and everyone walked away satisfied.

Eiffel Tower / Madame Brasserie

What visit to Paris is complete without a trip to the Eiffel Tower? In our case, we decided to dine at Madame Brasserie. We used this as our opportunity to have a nice dinner (we try for one per trip) and for expedited entry going up.

There are two main restaurants on the Eiffel Tower: Madame Brasserie, located on the first floor, and Jules Verne, located on the second floor. Jules Verne is the higher-end restaurant but note there are no kids menus there (I’m sure it’s designed that way to discourage children from dining there). But Madame Brasserie is not too shabby either.

We booked Madame Brasserie easily on their website. We booked the Gustave with Drinks pre-fixe menu, which is a good option if you want wine to go along with your meal. You have the choice between red or white wine (and yes, you can switch between the two if you want to try both). I found they didn’t enforce a limit on how much you drink, but your mileage may vary.

We were provided specific instructions on when to arrive and where to go. There was restaurant staff available to help direct customers on where to go in case something wasn’t clear. Skipping the lines was helpful, as I think it would take considerably longer to get upstairs.

The food simply was excellent. Our waiter mentioned that a few years ago, they served generic “tourist food” but now they have a menu he is proud of. Quite frankly, I don’t disagree the quality was better than I expected coming in. The meal includes several courses, even for the kids, and we didn’t have a bad dish here. Even the kids both quite enjoyed their kids meals (freshly-made noodles). The meal isn’t cheap, but the pain is eased based on the expedited entry to the Eiffel Tower, and the service was charming. Still, I do recommend it.

After you are done with your meal, you are officially invited to explore the rest of the first floor. But, that being said, there is also a staircase available to go up to the second floor where you get better views. So if you are feeling up to getting some exercise (not a bad idea after a very filling meal), you are welcome to walk up the stairs.

Bateaux Mouches

Way back in 2014, before we started this blog, Jenn and I went to Paris and we had an option of going on a dinner cruise with either Bateaux Mouches or Bateaux Parisiens. On that trip, we chose Bateaux Parisiens and had a memorable night. But the thought of trying out Bateaux Mouches stuck in my mind. Thus on this trip, I decided to finally try out Bateaux Mouches. It didn’t work out to do a dinner cruise on this trip so instead we did a sightseeing cruise.

At face value, it’s a decent cruise. It’s better than the cruise we took in Hamburg and comparable to the cruise taken in New York (minus the witty commentary from the tour guide on that trip). It is a bit challenging to see much from the boat since the river is a good amount lower than the streets. While it does offer a nice view of the Eiffel Tower, it doesn’t go all the way to the miniature Statue of Liberty (only for dinner service).

When on a dinner cruise, I can forgive the lack of views a bit easier since the main focus is on the meal and the ambience in the boat. But with no meal service, it left things a little lacking. Still, it was a nice time outdoors with family.

When we went in April, we did go on this cruise the same day they had a national strike. We encountered no issues that day and the only evidence anything was different that day was some smoke and police presence by government buildings. In no way did we feel inconvenienced or unsafe, despite media reports suggesting the contrary in the days leading up to our journey.

The kids were a bit tired of the Eiffel Tower at this point (considering we just ate there the night before), so that prompted the goofy photos.

We had a blast on our trip to Paris and do recommend it to anyone considering bringing their children. We didn’t get a chance to do everything we wanted to do but we made the most of it. Stay tuned for the next post where I take a deep dive into Disneyland Paris.

Have you been to Paris? What else would you recommend with your children?