Have 2 extra days in Paris

Effectively only a day and a half is tight for Bayeux/Caen.

Versailles is workable, but it'll take most of the day.

It's easy to fill up a couple of more days in Paris, even if you've been there a week.

Ed's right.

I'd also add a caveat about Versailles. I love it - have returned more than once - BUT: while it's definitely doable (and yes, will take basically a whole day) I wouldn't try it with kids in high summer. Don't know when you are going, but on a hot summer day, Versailles can be brutal. Long lines of sweaty tourists shuffling along through baking stuffy corridors looking at fancy clocks and chandeliers and wallpaper... when I was 11, I would have REVOLTED. Or had a meltdown. And I was a tough little kid and already loved to travel. The gardens are, of course, glorious, and the fountains are amazing.

I'd recommend staying in the city, and checking out the Carnavalet Museum. It's free, it's in a beautiful old mansion (for your "stately home fix") and it has a collection that includes really cool, off-beat, child-friendly things like a model of the Bastille, Napoleon's death mask, bawdy 18th century political cartoons, and a mammoth's tooth! http://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/en/collections

Oh! And in a random recommendation, if you're going to the Eiffel Tower with kids, there's a wonderful carousel to ride - it's old school style, with prancing gilded wooden horses and whatnot - and it's both very fun and an awesome photo op.

I have done the same tour with my 11 yr old. We stayed five extra days after.. and arrived in Paris 7 days before tour( and flew to Rome two days before tour) .

You have two days in Paris. I wouldn't personally even consider leaving Paris. Trust me there is tons you will not have seen.. or maybe something you want to see again.

I love Versailles and of course took my daughter. but I absolutely agree with Kira.. its hot, its going to be very very crowded.. and I would think twice about it with a child and only 2 days!

Take your child to the Eiffel Tower for goodness sake.. buy a timed ticket ahead of time if you can still get your dates online on the offical website. Lines can be hours long otherwise. Or consider the "Behind the Scenes" tour that allows you to line skip and is only a few euros more.

I have also taken my 13 yr old to Paris on a separate trip. Both my kids ( I actually have three but dad took second child I took first and third, lol ) .. loved the Invalides Army Museum and I enjoyed it too.. and its never crowded so its a pleasure to visit and enjoy.

I would also consider asking child if he would be interested in visiting the Catacombs.. my daughter was not.. but both my sons loved them. Look it up. Lines long there too.. arrive 1/2 hour before it opens or forget it.

Keep in mind that the Chateau, Trianon, and Marie Antoinette's Estate are all closed on Mondays. The garden, however, is open. So, you could still go and wander around the gardens for free and not have to deal with all the crowds if you chose to go on Monday.

You will find plenty to do in Paris. Your tour will barely scratch the surface of what there is to see there.

Hi,

My preference for the two days is that one day is for hanging around in Paris and on the other day go to Fontainebleau, see the chateau and a little of the town, well worth it.

Wow, what a great response. Thank you everyone for the input. We will be there in Mid June so probably hit and miss on heat? The museums sound interesting and I will definitely check them out on-line. I was not aware of Versailles buildings being closed on Monday as I was considering that as an option using a Bike Tour company. I have my alarm set for the Eiffel Tower tickets! I have any time Sunday or Monday to go. Any time better than the other to enjoy the Tower?

i think it's good that you are taking your kids to the Eiffel Tower. They will love it. Since you are going in summer, I think both days you have to go will be crowded, though Sunday might be slightly more so.

If you didn't cover St. Denis Basilica in your tour, do that -- most people don't and it is just wonderful. You can see pictures of our trip at http://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/

Fontainebleau is open on Mondays and would make a nice Chateau day trip without the killer crowds. If you didn't climb the Notre Dame Tower that would be a good thing to get in. Or maybe while you are there, you will see something you want to explore further.

Monday is a bad day for small towns as they tend to shut down -- they have tourist economies and are open weekends and so restaurants and shops tend to close up Mondays.
I wouldn't go far afield with only one night --

If the tour doesn't get you to Chartres, consider that for a half-day or more. It's a small town and of course there's the cathedral, but there's a small stained glass museum with demonstrations at specific times.

If you have a daughter, you may enjoy the doll museum, just a block or so from the Pompidou Centre - Musee de la Poupee. You can rent bikes and ride around the Bois du Bologne. The Carnavalet Museum is open on Sunday, is free, and is interesting for all ages. Sunday is a great day to spend in that area, the Marais, there are lots of trendy boutiques, most of the streets are closed to motored traffic.

One thing we have done with our kids in Europe is to give them the guidebooks and let them plan one entire day of our vacation. your 11 year old might not want to look at a guidebook, but could certainly do a google search and maybe find something that would be interesting. Our kids have taken us to a water park in Cecina Italy; zoos in Berlin and Rome, a cafe with 30 different types of hot cocoa; a bookstore where the entire store is devoted to the mystery genre; gladiator school in Rome; bike riding on the city walls in Lucca, Italy; the DaVinci Museum in Vinci, Italy, and many other fun places. I probably wouldn't have gone to any of these places if I had been planning the day, but they are some of our best family memories! And I'd imagine you'll be a little tired after the tour, so my recommendation would be to stay in Paris, rest a little, and put your 11 year old in charge of finding a couple of things to do…but whatever you decide, have a great trip!!!