Family of 6 traveling to Paris in June

River boat for sure. The one at Pont Neuf is really good. Try and do it near sunset or after dark, as the city and monuments are all lit up! Haven't done the hop-on-hop-off bus, but I hear good things. I'm personally not an organized tour type, but others love them.

For shopping, my 21 yr-old daughter and fashion-conscious 18 yr-old son really liked Rue Saint-Honore and Rue de Rivoli, especially as you move southeast away from the Louvre. Check out Blvd Haussmann for all the French department stores, which are worthy contenders if you're looking to maximize your shopping time in one area. Lots of shops in the Marais also provide a more authentic Paris shopping experience. With limited time, I'd skip the Champs Elysees, which everyone usually thinks of when "shopping in Paris", but to me is crowded and vastly over-rated.

One idea might be to split up one day and let the younger set shop while the older folks do a more intensive museum or two that might bore the youngsters. That way, everyone gets the Paris experience they want. Plan to reconvene after a few hours for lunch at a central spot and swap stories.

We also rented the Vélib [edit] bikes from the self-service racks that are everywhere around the city. Stick to the bike paths along the river and it's a pretty fun way to cover some good distances in a short time, on your own schedule. You're gonna have a blast!

You might also want to look on Pinterest for shopping ideas. Search on shopping Paris, and you'll get a lot of pins.
Consider doing the riverboat at night, when everything is lit up and you are exhausted. It's a good way to rest and see the sights. Rick also recommends a couple of the bus lines for a good view of the major sites. This info is from HiP Paris Blog:
Bus 24
Bus number 24 goes all the way from Gare St-Lazare (in the 8th arrondissement) to École Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort (a little bit outside the city centre of Paris). On the way to the Gare St-Lazare you’ll pass the Jardin des Plantes and Notre Dame cathedral; then you’ll continue along the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay, Place de la Concorde, and Place de la Madeleine.
Bus 69
The 69 bus goes from Gambetta (in the 20th arrondiseement) to Champ de Mars (in the 8th) and back. If you take the bus towards the Champ de Mars you’ll see the following things along the ride: Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Bastille, St Paul, Musée d’Orsay, the Invalides and finally the Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars.
Bus 73
If you’re looking for a serious sightseeing experience, number 73 does it all. On your way from La Garenne-Colombes (a bit outside of Paris) to the Musée d’Orsay (in the 7th arrondissement) you’ll swing by the Arc de Triomphe, drive down the Champs Élysées to the Place de la Concorde, then cross the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay.
Bus 67
Number 67 goes right through the whole city! Going toward Pigalle (in the 9th arrondissement), from Stade Charléty (in the 13th) you’ll pass Place d’Italie, the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Île Saint Louis, Hôtel de Ville, Rue de Rivoli, Grand Boulevards and St Georges on your way.

The HOHO buses are terrible transportation -- huge time wasters. If your idea of seeing a city is to ride the loop on one -- okay. but don't consider it for transportation with so little time to waste. Consider the Foxity bus tour instead for an overview if you want something like that.

Get the kids involved in planning. We always turned over some of the time to ours and saw wonderful things as a result and people who have to please you rather than the other way around are nice to travel with. Also heartily recommend breaking up into smaller groups from time to time especially if everyone doesn't want to see the same thing. Go off in two teams and meet for lunch or dinner.

Lots of people like the Fat Bike tours; you can do a Seine Cruise any time you feel like it -- night is IMHO better -- no need to pre-plan just go to one of the many docks and get a ticket. You can save a couple of Euro by getting coupons ahead for Vedettes Pont Neuf. You exchange them for a ride whenever you wish (differentiates day time and night time ride).

If you want to see the Orsay Museum get tickets ahead as this one always has long security lines for those without tickets and short ones for those who do. It might be worthwhile to get tickets for the Louvre although we have never had a long wait using entrances other than the Pyramid. We particularly like St. Denis Basilica
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/
This is one your friend probably won't have seen and it is the oldest Gothic church in Europe and is amazing. And although slightly outside Paris, it is on the metro.

for a short trip like this you probably want to get carnet of 10 metro/bus tickets for 14.10 for transport. Get three carnet and give everyone 5 tickets and then buy another when you run out. Paris is best visited on foot; use the metro to get to far flung points like the Eiffel Tower or Montmartre or Pere Lachaise and walk in the center. For a trip in from the airport a cab is your best bet; 6 ride for 58 Euro to the right bank or 63 to the left; they will match you in the official queue with a van cab that will hold you. Note you must hang onto your metro ticket until you leave the system; if you can't produce a validated ticket on command the fine is steep. We average about one check point a week when in Paris but we had one week where we were checked 3 times.

Have a great trip.

If you are staying anywhere close to the center of Paris, you can walk or take a short metro ride to just about anything. We stay on the islands and have used the metro just to get to Montmarte and Versailles. All the rest is withing walking distance. Make sure your girls bring well broken in running or walking shoes since you will do more stairs and walking than you ever thought possible. Avoid the HOHO bus but do take the night time Seine cruise around the Eiffel Tower Like wise, avoid any tours since they are usually tedious and you can do more on your own. Don't overlook doing picnics, like in front of the Eiffel tower at dusk or anywhere along the Seine. Shopping in Paris is best done at the street markets or at Galeries Lafayette or Printemps. Do check out the lunch at both. Our favorite is the Bastille market, Thursdays and Sunday with mostly foods but lots of clothes, costume jewelry, and bargains galore. Check the website. Another is Marche d' Aligre, a flea market outside and the world's best chocolate chip cookies inside the food hall. Saturdays are best for the flea market. Google Le Baron Rouge website and the market is right down the block. Wander thru Champs-Elysses shops to see what a little money will do......

Wow! So awesome! AND I just found out that a friend of mine here (in tiny Lynden, Washington) used to own a limousine service in Paris for two years! Definitely taking him out for a coffee while he helps me plan...

Don't miss a cruise on the Seine! Paris has three big cruise companies:
Bateaux Mouches: http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr
Bateaux Parisiens: http://www.bateauxparisiens.com
Vedettes du Pont Neuf: http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com
Some of them have ticket discounts on their website.

I would also suggest spending some time in Montmartre. Either you take metro line 12 to Abbesses and you'll arrive directly in the center of Montmartre, or you take line 2 to Blanche to see Moulin Rouge first and then climb up the hill. Don't miss the great view in front of Sacre Coeur!

Prices and opening times of all Parisians sights are on: https://paris.sightbag.com/en
And if you are interested in exhibitions, you can have a look on Que Faire A Paris, a nice website listing current exhibitions: http://quefaire.paris.fr/english

As a followup to Ben75's post, above, avoid Bateau Mouches at all costs. Somebody here warned us off of it last year, but we ended up on it anyway. Bad move. It caters to large tour buses, and from what we experienced and heard from others on this site, those groups seem to feel it is their right to block the view of other passengers to take endless selfies, and to speak loudly when their language is not playing on the speakers.

What days of the week are you in Paris? It really eases scheduling pressures if you take advantage of museum late closing times. Musee d'Orsay closes at 9.45pm on Thursday and the Louvre closes at 9.45pm on Wednesday and Friday.

I think with an active family and four young daughters, the Fat Tire bike tour is a great idea. I've never done one but have heard great things about them. I think it's a fun way to see things with some guidance while keeping it young and not staid.

A boat trip in the evening is a good idea too.

Remember that official closing times of museums and attractions don't mean that you'll have much time if you arrive late. Check the official websites to see when the box office closes - after that time, you'll only have a short time to visit before the guards start shooing people out, since the building must be cleared of visitors by the official closing time. It would be best to go about 2 hours before the box office closes, if you want to visit a small-to-moderate sized museum, and if you want to see a lot of things in the Louvre, you'd need much more time than that.

Since you like to walk, it might be a good idea for you to Google DIY walking tours and plan your day around the different attractions you'd like to see, grouping them by neighborhood using a down-loadable map of Paris. Remember to check the opening days and times of the attractions you want to see, so you won't be disappointed.
You can walk from the Champs-Elysees to the Bastille in 2 hours, or from the Latin Quarter to the Marais in about 30 minutes, for example, and you'll see lots of different neighborhoods along the way.

It might not be possible for all 6 of you to board the same bus, due to crowds, and you will likely be standing in the aisle and won't get to see very much. The wait between buses varies from 7 to 18 minutes or longer, and travel is slow. The bus line you might need to make a return trip will not necessarily be in close proximity to where you got off.

For that reason, I recommend using the Metro and buying one of the following for each person in any Metro station, at the machines or at a manned booth with the word "VENTE" above:
"Mobilis" day pass for zones 1 - 2 for 7 EU - unlimited travel on Metro/RER or Bus from start of service until midnight.
"Carnets" - a set of 10 loose "T- tickets" for 14.10 EU - good for 1-way trip on Metro/RER or Bus. These can be shared among your family, and if you run out, you can buy single tickets if needed.

You can cross Paris via Metro in 30 minutes, but most trips will only take 10 to 15 minutes, including changing lines underground. Trains run every 2 - 7 minutes.
Always keep your validated tickets with you until you reach street level, then throw them away - inspectors do check, and you risk a fine.

Do you recommend river boat if several members get sea sick or motion sick easily? or best to avoid?

Do you recommend river boat if several members get sea sick or motion sick easily? or best to avoid?

I'm prone to motion-sickness and have never had even a tiny problem on any city river cruise. I've had to fumble for Dramamine on several other occasions: an English Channel trip to Jersey, a Greek ferry trip, and a Swiss Postbus ride on a very curvy mountain road.

In my opinion,the mainstream river cruises such as Viking or AMA are actually better suited to a more "senior" traveller.They travel slowly down the river and you stop often for the day to tour.

May I suggest some of the guide books more geared to the younger travellers such as Lonely Planet for some good ideas?

Just want to comment, we traveled to Europe, including several days in Paris, with our family of five about 15 years ago. To this day, we talk about our experiences on that trip. You are so doing the right thing! However you end up deciding to spend your time, it will be an amazing experience and your family will be closer for it. Great decision to go to Paris together ... And enjoy!!!

There is no wave action in the Seine, so no worries about taking a cruise. If you're really sensitive, you should take the cruise with this company, which uses mega-boats: http://www.bateauxparisiens.com/en/the-company.html

If you're arriving in the next week or so, there will be no river traffic allowed, due to the flooding in Paris.

Here's what I'd recommend as the "must see" sights for your group:

Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle (Google image it!)

The Louvre and the Museum D' Orsay

If you're afraid of being stuck on a boring tour, why not get one for free that you could leave at any time? There's a guy by the name of...um....Rick Steves whose tours you can download for free on your cell phone!

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-europe

Or, you can take the free guided tours offered by Sandeman. I've taken theirs in Berlin, Munich, and Jerusalem and was impressed.
http://www.newparistours.com/daily-tours/paris-free-tour.html

Eiffel Tower (daughters should have the energy to walk up, if the elevator lines are long), stores on the Champs de Elysee, and the Arc de Triomphe

If you get all those in (yes, doable), anything else is just a bonus.

Note that 'free tours' are not free. The guide gets nothing but has to pay the scab organization that runs them per person and so if you don't pay the guide they actually end up in the hole. It would be abusive to pay less than 10 Euro or so per head for these 'free tours.'

We leave for Rome in 3 days! (First a couple birthdays and a couple graduations...no stress here!). We are super excited. We will be ending our trip in Paris. Thank you thank you thank you everyone for such valuable information and yes we will be factoring in some eating while there! Ha! Our girls always say we starve them when we travel because we are so busy sightseeing. Fantastic diet plan! Although with gelato in Italy, churros in Spain, chocolate in France...

Though the river level has decreased a lot, the river is still closed to traffic, including the Seine cruises.
There will be a lot of cleanup necessary before anyone can take a cruise - there is a lot of toxic runoff, debris that's still underwater and must be dredged up, etc.
The companies which run the "bateaux mouches" are hoping that things might get back to normal in 10 - 14 days from today. But if the rain comes back, things will be more complicated.