First time to Paris with 2 kids (please critique our itinerary)

You don't say from where you are coming, so it is difficult to say if your first day will be affected by jet lag, but the rest of your schedule sounds reasonable. You have not made the common mistake of overplanning or trying to cram too much in for the kid's stamina.

I might suggest you include some park time for the girls, as well, depending on the time of year. Luxembourg Gardens is a delight for children, with its sailboat pond, playground, and puppet show.

Thanks, we are flying in from LA but would only be reaching Paris at 5:45 pm. So first day is lost in travels. So we have about 4.5 days in Paris. Last day is 0.5 day since we will leave Paris by train late evening.

Hey Kris,

The itinerary looks good. May I also add a few suggestions on the itinerary if you don't mind.

Modified Itinerary:

Day 1.

Morning / Afternoon - Do historic walk including Notre Dame, Sainte Chapplle etc.
Evening - Twilight ride up the Eiffel tower (will do the advanced booking)

Day 2.

Morning / Afternoon - Tour the Louvre or Musee D'Orsay https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris

Evening - Champs Elysses
Visit ice cream parlor Berthillon - https://www.parislogue.com/dining-out/the-best-ice-cream-in-paris-berthillon/
(Great treat for the kids after a long day touring)

Day 3

Day - Bus # 69 tour and hangout (take it easy)
Visit Montmartre Neighborhood

Evening - Cruise on the River Seine

Day 4

Day - Visit Versailles or Fontainebleau (whole day) https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/fontainebleau

Evening - Dinner and Rest

Day 5-

Morning / Afternoon - (Include Parc De La Villette) It is a Science Park complex in Paris. The kids will love it.

https://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/walks-in-paris/exploring-parc-de-la-villette-paris

Evening (Leave Paris by train)

General thoughts. Ive been to Paris with kids. Mine are slightly older (I think my youngest was 9 when she went). The Louve is huge and overwhelming. I would plan a ½ day there. It can start to feel like art-aphasia, if you know what I mean. Mine really liked the Orsay. There is the clock on the top floor from Hugo, and the general size and layout of the museum is small and manageable. Crowds are also fewer than the Louvre. My kids loved the Catacombs. We got advanced tickets for when it opened, and got there an hour early for the line we'd been warned about. There's a Paul's bakery (a chain bakery in France, but good enough) across the street, so we took the metro early, and then got food from Paul's while the rest of us waited in line. There is a playground in Luxembourg gardens that is very fun. It has an entrance fee, but Dh and I were able to sit outside the play area and relax while the kids ran around for awhile (we did this upon arrival, to be outside but not do anything that required much of us ;p ) Also there are the mechanical boats on the pond in Luxembourg gardens - fun to walk past. The Army museum was interesting for them as well. There is the room with Napolean's Tomb (and other tomb's) which was interesting for all of us, and then rooms of armor and weapons. Mine really enjoyed Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle - make sure you cover your shoulders or you won't be allowed in. Of course, Gelato goes a long way to motivate. We like to try different places every day, to make it more adventurous :shrug: We mostly walk and walk and walk, except to the Catacombs, so the promise of gelato, or a bakery stop, was often just the prod needed. Have fun

The Louvre is overwhelming. I agree with the comment above: limit your time there (3 hours is enough for me to become overloaded even with a guide!) or go to the d'Orsay, which is much more approachable. There you may find school children learning to sketch. Inspiring how the French teach their children about art.

If your budget allows. Paris Muse has some great family itineraries/tours. We took their (adult) "intro to the Louvre" as a private tour for the two of us and got a lot out of the experience from a well-trained and interesting art historian.

I agree about the Louvre, it deserves a whole day to "really see it," but I expect that would be too much for most kids that (or any) age. The Orsay is smaller and more manageable, plus more interesting as a former railway station. Maybe half a day for each, or try one and see if they're up for the other. Or let them decide based on what objects they like on the websites.

The Champs-Elysees is an iconic street but actually pretty boring. Maybe the kids will be into window-shopping there. The Arc de Triomphe is worth visiting, and spending some time watching the traffic circling it.

Paris is full of fun little parks and squares, notably the Luxembourg Gardens but also Place des Vosges, Parc Monceau, Jardin des Plantes, Tuileries, and others. You'll have time to visit some of them.

They might enjoy the Opera Garnier, a magnificent building that has tours. Kind of like a palace plus theater.

And definitely make some time for a Seine cruise, either daytime or evening (but not dinner). You don't have to book this ahead, so you can take advantage of good weather.

thanks a lot folks !
appreciate the responses
considering the itinerary - I am thinking of buying the Paris museum 4 day pass (to help skip lines mainly) for the 2 adults for 62 Euros.

any thoughts ?

what about any subway pass for transportation within Paris. We will be staying in Arr.15 (mins walk away from subway station)

I don't understand your reference to the #69 bus tour. This is an RATP bus line that is frequently crowded with nothing to see unless you have window seats. Parisians ride this to and from work, shopping etc. and unless you have some idea of what you're looking at you will not have a clue. Like on all city buses everywhere in the world, you will be expected to give up your seats, if you have them, to aged, infirm, blind, pregnant women . . .there's a list posted on each bus. I can't imagine a 10 year old and a 7 year old enjoying a long boring ride in heavy traffic on this bus. Also if you come after the 30th of April the route may be greatly changed. With the few days you have in Paris, spending a lot of one day on a city bus seems a waste of time. Spend the day at La Villette as suggested above or . . . . . also better than the #69 bus

Follow the links and see what you think
http://arts-forains.com/en/visitors
https://www.museedelamagie.com/
https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/
https://www.arts-et-metiers.net/musee/visitor-information (depending)
https://www.grevin-paris.com/en

Within Paris for a few days, buy the “carnets,” or pack of 10 tickets purchased at a reduced rate of €14.90. So you get 10 rides split between however many people you’d like.

We took our young kids to Paris many years ago and I have the following suggestions and great memories:
1. Don't spend all day at the Lourve. When you get there, do the highlights tour (get the guide) and see the main attractions: Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus De Milo. etc., In the shopping mall lower level, go see the inverted glass pyramid (from the DaVinci Code movie). My kids thought this was more interesting than the Delacroix's "liberty leading the People". (OK, we're not French). We took a picnic lunch break at noon in the Tulieries Garden near the Louvre and the kids loved running around there. I can't remember if this is the garden where the toy sailboats or the puppet show are, but my kids loved that.
I also recommend the Musee D'Orsay as many others have. And my kids found that more memorable than the Louvre. I took Art history in College and wanted to see "Olympia" by Manet because the class had spent so much time discussing it. We found it and the first thing my kids yelled out was "Dad, she's Naked!" (The painting got the same reaction from the Parisians in 1865, for other reasons).
I don't recommend the Champs Elysee at night, unless there is a specific place you are intending on visiting. It's also boring for kids. The best bet would be to visit the Arc D'Triomphe during the day and climb to the top and get the view of the Champ Elysee from there.
I think your kids would like the evening boat ride on the Seine, Visiting the Eiffel Tower during the day (at night you can't see the landmarks very well) , and climbing the towers of Notre Dame to see the gargoyles. While you are in the Notre Dame area, walk the Latin Quarter, stop at Shakespeare and Co. bookstore and see if their's an inexpensive children's book that interests them. My girls took this task seriously and poured over the children's section before making their purchase. They still have the books.
While in Montmarte, take the funicular up to Sacre Couer for the view.
The gardens in Versailles are a good place for the kids to run around... as you walk to Marie's Antoinettes playhouse.
And of course, stop at bakeries and sample the baked goods. Teach your kids to say "Je voudrais (I would like) ... and then point to the item. There was a bakery across the street from our apartment. Every morning I took our girls to the bakery to buy our petit dejeuner (breakfast). I taught (the girls say "forced") them to say only four phrases in French "Bon jour (as they entered), "Je Voudrais" as they pointed to the chocolate croissants; "Merci" and "Au revoir" as they left the store. They still remember those phrases to this day. (And one daughter ended up taking French in high school because of that experience.)
I asked my girls what their most memorable experience was in Paris, and I was surprised by the answer.
They said it was on the Paris Metro. A woman entered with a cat carrier and the cat was saying "mew, mew, Mew".
Back then they said to me "That's how cats speak French." In the US, cats speak English and say "ME-OW." They still laugh at their joke.
Enjoy your trip.

More with the metro. Lines #2 and #6 run on elevated tracks for a few stops. They connect at each end and could make a circle tour of Paris.

There's no skipping the lines for security checks at the museums. Stand and wait.

Thanks folks,
I still think buying the Paris Museum pass is of value - even though security line cannot be skipped. any thoughts regarding museum pass considering the itinerary ?

I find the "hidden" advantages of the Paris Museum Pass are worth the price, even if you end up paying a little more than you would for individual tickets. First, there are places where you skip the line. More than that, though, is the psychological advantage - you can pop into a sight for a short time or you can leave a sight that you don't find as interesting as you though without feeling you've wasted money. Priceless.

There's nothing worth seeing/doing on the Champs Elysees, except the Arc de Triomphe which you can get to directly by metro. The views are good any time, but the best is at sunset as you watch the city lights go on. Instead of the shops there, they (and you) might enjoy an hour or so at the Galeries Lafayette department store, including the beautiful art deco dome. The Louvre is huge. Plan your visit in advance, choosing those rooms/sections/pieces that interest you. Their website has all the information you need. They also have self-guided themed tours, called Visitor Trails.

A friend took her daughter and 2 granddaughters (about 10 and 12) to Paris and the thing the girls liked most, and asked to do a 2nd time, was the Seine River cruise, on Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf. I think the best time is take the one that leaves just before sunset, so you see the city in daylight and then as the lights go on.

Angelina's has great hot chocolate and amazing pastries (recommended to split them). The main one is at 226 Rue de Rivoli across the street from the Tuileries Gardens.

If you are bike riders, Fat Tire Bikes has tours in the city. I believe you can rent bikes at Versailles, a good way to get around the extensive grounds. Don't miss the Queen's Hamlet, the most charming bit.

We had a 5 day visit recently to Paris with our two similarly aged kids. We purchased the two day museum pass - and we got good value. We skipped the really long lines and saved a lot of time. We felt free to visit several museums for just a short time. We travel frequently in Europe with our kids and have found it best to pick one or two pieces of art to find (like a scavenger hunt) and then leave. 1-2 hours max in a museum. Our kids really enjoyed St. Chapelle, going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, the Waterlilies and D'Orsay (all seen with the pass). The Louvre was best seen from the outside, honestly, although they did enjoy trying to find the Mona Lisa. The highlight for them, however, was just eating a lot of baked goods and taking the Seine cruise from Pont Neuf. We also really enjoyed the performers at Sacre Coeur. It helps that I previously lived in France, so I felt no pressure to see the sights - we let our children lead the way and relax when they wanted to. We decided not to go to Versailles as we thought that would be just too much.

I was in Paris four years ago with my daughter, who had just graduated high school. We were there a week, and stayed in the city the entire time. We had considered a trip to Versailles, but there was so much to see in Paris, and the reports we heard from other tourists about the crowds didn't appeal to us. I agree with others about adding the Luxembourg Gardens to the itinerary, and definitely a Seine boat ride (we went at dusk). It was magical, a highlight of our trip. If you go to the Louvre, look up! The ceilings were amazing. We went one evening to avoid the crowds. The view from the Arc de Triomphe is great, and your girls will feel quite accomplished after they've climbed all the stairs. Stop often at patisseries, and never pass up the opportunity to use a bathroom. Have some spare change because many toilets require a small fee. If your girls like chocolate, go to the Monoprix (grocery store) and look at the four million types of chocolate cereal, chocolate biscuits, chocolate yogurt, and of course, chocolate candy. And did I mention to never pass up a toilet?!

I would walk past the Louvre and enjoy the pyramids and people watching. Unless you like Renaissance (need a dictionary) art i would not bother with the lines.
Last year after years of visiting Paris, i went. It want my cup of tea at all. I would recomend L'Orangerie, Musee D'Orcay, Rodin, Musee Marmotan all more approcable, enjoyable and their size is not so intimidating.
Basically think about what sort of art your family enjoys, if it is more Impressionists and Fauves (thats me), then forget about the Louvre.

Hello,

I've traveled to Paris with kids your age and their favorite things to do, like others have mentioned, were the Musee d'Orsay, playing with boats at the Luxembourg Gardens and Tuileries, Seine river cruise, and Opera Garnier (I could not get them to leave as they were engrossed with the kids audioguide). They also loved Versailles, the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. One place that hasn't been mentioned that they loved and wasn't touristy at all was the Jardin d'Acclimation. We really enjoyed spending time there!

This year we are going to get a family photo done with Ever photo - wish I would've know about it back then...

Also, I bought this book for the kids from Amazon: Mission Paris: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure (Travel Guide For Kids)

I would buy the museum pass and a Metro pass at CDG after you clear customs. May wife and I did that several years ago and it served us well. By the way when are you going?

I’ve taken my kids to the Louvre ( youngest was 11 though ) and I am sad to see how many of you think the “ highlights “ are enough, most of the “highlights “ would bore a child !!! My kids loved Napoleons Apartments , it’s where you really feel how it was to live in a palace , ornate furnishings ,gold table settings , chandeliers the size of small cars , and the decoratif arts section which houses crystal , gold , silver and jeweled artifacts !

They also loved the Medival Louvre - especially when I explained about how the stone cutters got paid by each stone so they would mark them - you usually will never see the marks but because this part of the Louvre is the excavation of the most wall the stones were set so on some of them you can see the marks ( they love like a brand carved in Stone ) .

I agree the long painting galleries would bite most young kids / but there is more to the Louvre than that !

At the Orsay everyone says “ see the impressionists ( top floors ) but my daughter loved seeing the “ dr suess furniture “ ( our nickname ) on the lower floors decoratif arts section .

My kids also loved the Invalifs Army Museum ! Less crowded than either of the other two , horse and human armour , samurai swords , Medival battle axes , etc etc .

I think the museum pass is a good idea - the ability to pop in and out is nice , plus there are always clean fire bathrooms in museums lol

The Champs Élysées is boring .

You mention you kids like junk food / well how about getting a crepe from a street kiosk / Nutella and banana is popular with sweet tooth’s ( I’m a ham and cheese person myself ) .

I agree with the advice to skip the Louvre which is crowded, overwhelming and not well labeled, and visit one of the other smaller art museums.

My kids enjoyed the sewers. Well, they thought the sewers were a little stinky, but I’m sure they remember them! And I thought they were really interesting!

Visit a big department store, maybe with a snack or lunch in the cafe.

Whether the Museum Pass makes economic sense depends on how much you'll use it during the time it's valid. For the itinerary in your original post, it probably wouldn't pay for itself. And I think your daughters would get in free anyway. But it might be worthwhile to save time. While you still have to go through security lines, you can skip ticket-buying lines. And, as Chani mentioned, it encourages impromptu visits to covered sights where you might not otherwise invest in the ticket price. (Such "drive-by" visits could be for toilet purposes only!)

I'd suggest a carnet of individual Metro tickets. The only "Metro pass" that I know of covers a calendar week and requires photos. It might make sense if it syncs with the days of your visit, but the carnets are cheap enough and you can share them. One ticket gets you anywhere in the system, hold onto it until you're out and then discard it so you don't find yourself trying to re-use it by mistake.