First Timer to Paris Needs Help

Yes there is storage at Gare du Nord. Links with info:
https://parisbytrain.com/gare-du-nord-photos/

https://parisbytrain.com/gare-du-nord-baggage-luggage-storage/

Enjoy your trip.

If the hotel will store the bags for you, you still have most of a full day to sight-see - you can check out of the hotel before 11am. Just leave enough time to go back to the hotel to pick up your bags before you head to Gare du Nord. Consider a taxi or uber from the hotel to the station if you are worried about time....but you should be able to get from most parts of central Paris to your hotel and on to the station in about an hour using the Metro or RER lines.

Or, it may be more convenient to head to the station first thing that morning to store the bags, so you don't have to worry about back-tracking to the hotel before your departure time. Quick and easy access to Gare du Nord quick from most of central Paris.

What sight-seeing plans do you have that day?

Thanks for helpful replies!

What sightseeing plans do I have that day? I do not know! =) It will be our 4th day in Paris since we will already have spent 3 days in Paris. We are traveling with two girls (11 & 9) and I'm still trying to figure out what sights to see! Any suggestions would be helpful! I figure, we will do all the big ones on the two full days we have (first day is really only half-day since we arrive after 11 am). So, on the 4th day, we will go back to the parts we want to see again?

Again, since this is my very first time, I'm flying blind even though this forum and Rick Steve's books are helping a lot!

If you haven’t already planned on it, I’d make time to spend a day at Versailles. It was one of the best things we did on our trip. Your girls would love to see all the farm animals that live at the hamlet on the grounds. They have pigs, turkeys, peacocks, a farm dog that sun bathes, goats, all sorts of fun stuff. The gardens or Versailles and the hamlet were our favorite part of the experience!

I’d recommend just dropping your bags at the train station to store in the morning before you head out for sight seeing! That way you only have once place to get to at the end of the day...the train station! Less rushed that way.

Have fun!

Since your hotel is not near much sightseeing, I'd take the bags to the station, then relax and enjoy the day. It will be easier to get to the station by metro without your bags. Taking a taxi from the hotel, you could get stuck in traffic - too stressful for me.

Chani, I think I will indeed do that! We will check out early in the morning, take our bags and store them at Gare du Nord, and go for the one last hoorah before we head off to Amsterdam.

Now, I need to figure out what sights to see on what days. It will be pretty challenging as I'm traveling with my wife and two girls. Since this is the trip of our lifetime, I'm doing as much research and getting as much advice as I can get!

With four days in Paris the four of you can each plan one of them (my children were old enough to offer ideas at ages 8 and 11). Get some books from the library and ask everyone to pick two or three favorite sights. Be sure you have at least one "rainy day plan." Use a map to see how sights are grouped geographically and note any nearby parks and playgrounds. Read some trip reports to see how much people with children usually pack into a day. Then use your plan as a guideline - adding or subtracting depending on how the day goes. Remember you won't be able to see it all and that's fine, you'll have a reason to return!

Speaking practically, if you're taking a train to Versailles for a day trip plan that for Day 2 or 3 (weather permitting). Day 1 you'll want to be outside walking and recovering from jet lag. Day 4 you'll be training to Amsterdam so something right in Paris would be less stressful.

Have a great trip!

I don't like palaces, so obviously am beyond biased, but if I had just 3 days in Paris, I wouldn't spend virtually one full day of that time at Versailles, especially in August when I think the heat could be really unpleasant. That time would allow you to see multiple sights in Paris. I suggest at least looking at some photos to be sure your family doesn't react the same way I do to overdone palace decor. (I, on the other hand, feel the need to traipse through an alarming number of art museums, which many other people can happily skip. We're all different.)

I love Versailles but I don’t recommend it for such a short visit.
I do highly recommend the Luxembourg Gardens. A wonderful park with 2 cafés and a playground my son loved going to until he was 11.
You’ll get to see a different slice of Paris and Parisians enjoying themselves. A nice balance after all the tourist sites.

Make sure you have plenty of one and two-euro coins for the lockers in Gare du Nord - the change machines nearby aren't very reliable.

Several of you mentioned Versailles... It wasn't on my radar before, but looking it up, it might be an interesting place to visit. We do like monuments and museums. But I think I will show some pictures to my family and make the decision collectively as whether to go there or not.

Aside from the obvious, such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, any other must-see or cannot-miss you would suggest? Please do remember that I have 11 and 9 year old girls, although they do well in these types of trips (We've been to Washington DC several times and they liked going to museums and such...)

Take a took at the Paris Museum Pass (not the card, the pass) website. You may or may not want to buy the passes, but there is a list of all the sights covered, which are most of the sights in and around Paris, with brief descriptions. You can more or less group the sights by location - the last 2 digits of the zip code are the arrondissement. That's how I usually start - make a list of the sights I want to see by priority (must-see, wanna-see, if-there's-time-why not) and by area.

Look at the Paris Walks tours. See if there's anything that "grabs you." With a very few exceptions, you just show up and pay. If you all ride bikes, you may want a Fat Tire bike tour. By the way, renting bikes is a good way to get around Versailles, but I do agree with the others, that with only a few days in Paris, I'd stay in the city. Also Versailles can be pretty crowded, most especially on weekends and Tuesdays, when there are fountain shows. Take a 1-hour Seine cruise with Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf. You can buy anytime tickets online and save a few €,

Your girls may enjoy the doll museum - it has other toys too.