Itinerary help for first time visit with kids

Are you flying in overnight from the US or Canada? If so, I would be shocked if the entire family is in condition to enjoy the Eiffel Tower and an evening cruise on arrival day. Walking over to look at the Eiffel Tower would be a great idea. I would not pay for tickets in advance to anything that day--and you definitely would need advance tickets for the Tower. You can walk right up and take a Seine cruise, I believe, so it's fine to have that as a theoretical possibility.

I don't have kids, so I'll stop there.

I think you need to take turns visiting the Louvre and not take the 2 yr old there. I would not schedule anything essential for that first day-maybe do Eiffel Tower on Day 2. Since you've been before, I suggest that your wife and daughter go to Notre Dame on Day 1 while you take the 2 yr old to the hotel for a nap. The overnight flight from the US is likely to be difficult with a 2 year old.

Roditron2002, We are going in March as well for a week! We are taking a 3 year old and a 1 year old! We are planning on getting the Museum pass and using the "cut the line" feature to do short spurts in the museums! We are taking our kids to the Louvre as well. There are tons to look at!

We are doing Disney Paris as well. (Not a Rick Steves Tip) but with two kids we can't skip it! I haven't been able to buy our tickets yet, it is still too early.

I have been researching the parks and Luxembourg garden on the weekends looks like so much fun! They have carousels and pony rides. Just a thought if you are in that area! I love seeing other families traveling with their young kids!

Hi Nicole
Sounds like we’ll be having a similar trip.
We love Disneyland so I think it would be a fun trip. Also we’ll be going to London after Paris so I think the kids deserve the break!
Have you thought of the hop on hop off bus.
It might make things easier just not sure if it’s its better just to focus on a couple of key areas.

Respectfully, OP, you are not being realistic - your proposed itinerary is a fantasy.

Your "Day 1" is a travel-and-recovery day, not very useful for sightseeing that requires much of your attention. If you are arriving on a redeye from North America (or someplace similarly far away), the strongest/toughest/most resilient of you will be hard-pressed to simply stay awake until after an early dinner (which should be your collective goal for the day). That's the strongest/toughest/most resilient of you. Those in your group with less stamina will find the day considerably more difficult. It's doubtful that your kids (or you) will be in any mood to take in a boat tour or go up the Eiffel Tower.

Your "Day 4" is also a travel day. If you're shooting for a 2 pm train, you're not going to have any meaningful time to do much else besides getting up, getting everyone together and making your train.

You do not have 4 days in Paris. You have 2 days there to spend. On your arrival and departure days you won't have time and/or energy to accomplish much beyond the mundane life and survival tasks that we all must do.

We continued to travel after our daughter was born, however her first trip was at age 11. And it was a perfect time for her first international visit.
Taking a 2 year old is just too difficult logistically, and they won't remember any of the trip anyway. Thankfully my parents were capable of handling our daughter in her early years.

I happen to think that you can do the Eiffel Tower on your first day but the cruise is probably going to be a step too far. On My trip to Paris this year, we arrived at Orly at 8:20 AM from the USA, went to my apartment, dropped off our stuff, showered, ate and went to the Eiffel Tower where we had 2 PM tickets. We are all adults but I think that you can do it with your group if you plan it out and stick to the schedule. Then I would go have dinner and go to bed and skip the cruise the first day and add it instead to the second day. You should have plenty of time because I hope you do not plan to spend more than an hour or two at the Louvre with a 2-year-old and the Champs is not all that great or time-consuming unless you plan to climb to the top of the Arc d'Triomph. You should be able to get a cruise in at the end of the day but before dinner -- I hope you have a stroller because the 2-year-old is probably going to need one. What island do you plan to explore on Day 4 (it's not a full day by any means) -- Isle de la Cite or Isle Saint Louis? Are you planning to climb up the towers at ND? Whatever you do, leave enough time to get to Gare du Nord with the plan to be there 45 minutes before your train's scheduled departure. Eurostar says 45 minutes for busy times but I feel like 45 minutes also applies when traveling with a toddler. Remember that a group that does not plan to or cannot split up travels only as fast as its slowest member.
You need to really think about the logistics of the fourth day. WIll you be completely packed and checked out when you head to Notre Dame? Will it make sense to bring your luggage with you and store it near ND and then go to Gare du Nord from there? How long will it take to get to Notre Dame from your hotel?

Neither of those kids wants to go to the Louvre. Just sayin.

I don’t plan on spending more than an hour or two in the louvre. I’ve been to Paris 4 times and have never been inside. My wife wants to go and my daughter is interested. We’ll make it fast.

Total Eiffel Tower entry fees for the three fee-paying visitors:
Elevator to top 56.30€
Elevator to second level 36.00€
Stairs to second level 22.50€
Stairs to second level then elevator to top 32.80€

To me that's a lot of money to have on the line, not being sure that your family will be up to the excursion. There's also the timing question. An earlier time slot might find you a bit more energetic, but it increases the possibility (however slight) that a flight delay will cause you to miss the appointment.

I’ll be heading to Paris in July, arriving from the east coast US, with two kids ages 6 and 9. My intention for Day 1 is to arrive, settle in, buy some groceries, and spend the rest of the afternoon in Luxembourg Gardens. I think you may be wise to do something similar on your first day. Have your nice night-time boat ride and enjoy the lit-up Eiffel Tower on Day 2. Could you get a later Eurostar on Day 4?

You know your kids best and I also think that it is ok to do some 'adult' things with kids in tow. You are taking them to Disney so they can out up with the Louvres. We have always travelled with our kids so I say go for it. I do agree that I would leave day 1 more open though. We always play day 1 by ear based on how we did or did not sleep on the flight over.
We also took the train from Paris to London last summer with our kids and I would highly recommend being there 2 hours before your departure time which means being there at 12. It does leave little time to do anything on day 4.

have fun!

Day 1 - I would schedule your boat tour early so you are awake and excited about being in Paris. Eiffel Tower is good if you are scheduling your boat tour at the dock across the street. I would be done by 7.

Day2 - There are playgrounds in the park, look beyond the walking path. On Sunday there are families sailing boats, buy a crepe, the stands are usually open. I would metro/taxi up champs elysees to arc de Triomphe, come up to street level then walk down the boulevard, maybe to the next metro stop, or take a public bus to ride the circle around champs elysees. Take advantage of the Louve late night open hours if it fits your schedule.
Day 3 - Been to Disneyland Paris twice, once staying on site. It was great both times. Not crowded at all, very easy to do everything.

Day 4 If the bookstalls are open take a quick walk over the river to the left bank.

** All my kids enjoyed Rodin Museum, the thinker is classic- the museum is small. Good metro stop close.

Thank you for all the tips.
I think we will spend one extra full day Paris and take an early train to London the next day.
I’m all for a little extra time in Paris and a little less in London. My daughter has had Paris dreams since she was 4 years old. I’m so excited to take her.

What do you think about late March.
I’m expecting it to be a little chilly and maybe wet. Still really crowded?

I would switch Day 1 with Day 4 itinerary, so everyone is wide awake to enjoy the two highlights of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine cruise. Another quick spot your daughter and wife might really enjoy is walking through the Opera Garnier House. The architecture is gorgeous and there are a few ballet costumes, etc. on display. They can walk through without a tour.

I think switching days 1 and 4 is a good idea.
We will be staying in Le Halles so after check in and a rest a nice walk to Notre Dame would be a good introduction to the city.

Having travelled three times with my little girl, first 10 months, then 22 months, then when three. On our first trip, she did not sleep on the plane at all. So I had to stay awake and keep her quiet and entertained. Hopefully, you will be flying with an European airline, they treat kids much much nicer than US based air lines. Day one with no sleep is brutal. My little girl slept in a child carrier during the morning we landed.

I would suggest visiting your important sites when they first open in the morning. We would take her out of bed and let her keep sleeping. She was more patient and quiet when she woke up. As the day progressed, she would get too noisy and antsy for museums or quiet places, so one of us would take her outside while the other would enjoy the museum.

You mentioned a stroller. We prefer a backpack, Osprey Poco Plus, to a stroller. It is extremely comfortable to carry! We found one at our local REI. No problem with stairs or soft gravel. It was comfortable enough for her to sleep in. We started preparing her many months ahead of time by carrying her around in it. Many places in Paris have soft gravel the small umbrella stroller wheels will not roll over. A stroller with large wheels will roll without a problem. Paris also has lots of cobblestone sidewalks that may be rough to your child.

We used Gelato to bribe our big girl. We stopped at parks everyday for our kids to run around and burn off energy and as a reward. Yes, add a day to Paris!