Looking for new areas to explore in Paris with teens/young adults

I see that you are interested in walking the Canal St Martin area. If you are going in mid July to mid August, I want to highly recommend the CStM/Paris Plage. The following is an excerpt of a trip report I did 2 years ago from our summer experience: "Today we wandered along the Canal St. Martin/Bassin de la Villette where a 2nd Paris Plage opened today, July 20-August 18, 2013. This is the city's way of offering the people who must stay in the city during the heat of the summer a little recreational activity. While the one along the Seine is nice to observe, sandy beaches, chairs, umbrellas, music, etc., the one along the Bassin de la Villette (Metro Jaures) was outstanding. There were unique activities for children and adults alike that involved games, water vehicles, zip lines across the canal, great food/drinks, go carts, and much more. You can also take a 1/2h canal boat ride on Saturdays and Sundays for only 1Euro. If you have children or want to observing people relaxing and having a LOT of fun, don't miss this event."

P.S. We also really liked the Cafe Jaures right by the Metro stop and canal locks. It was a lot of fun watching the boats traverse through the locks while dining outdoors. We also ate at a couple of the temporary restaurants set up by the canal for the summer event. Further up the canal is the wonderful Cite des Sciences.

Thanks, Mona! This sounds wonderful. I wonder when the Paris Plages begin this summer? I appreciate you sharing your experiences.

Laurie

Hope you will be there during theses dates! So much more fun for families than the sand and beach chairs along the Seine. Time Out Paris reports: Paris Plages 2015
Du 20 juillet au 18 août

Dommage! We will be gone by then. Oh, well. Thanks for the info. I'm gathering so much information now and it is exciting to make these plans.

Laurie

I'd recommend getting a Paris walks book so you can explore some of the outer areas and neighborhoods. We did a stroll in the 16th to view important architecture e.g. Guimard and the Corbusier house and museum and such. I have also done a fun street art walk in the 19th. I got the map on line and of course the nature of street art is that much of this has changed since I did the walk some years ago but it was really fun. YOu can see my walk snapshots and the URL for the map here:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/07/02/graffitti-street-art-vandalism/

Also be sure to get out to St. Denis -- one of the most interesting things available on the Paris Metro. https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/

There are also dozens of wonderful day trips from Paris. IN the same photo journal if you click on 'Day trips from Paris' you will see a few of ours, but there are many more. Auvers sur Oise where Van Gogh lived and painted his last days is a great day trip. I really liked Crecy la Chapelle which is in the photo journal.

You can also make your own explorations. We just went to the ends of metro lines to see what was there or went to free concerts in churches in outlying areas and then explored the immediate area. We stumbled on a local festival along the Seine doing that one year and another year we discovered the Island of Grande Jatte of the famous Seurat painting now in the Art Institute of Chicago. We were checking out the end of the metro 3 line -- and when crossing the bridge at the end of the line found Jatte.

The Marais is a great place to walk around. There are so many restaurants and shops, you will undoubtedly see many that interest you and your sons. I think teens (and you) would like L'As du Falafel on rue des Rosiers (a real scene), Lizard Lounge 18 Rue Borg Tibourg (friendly American-run bar/cafe) Fuxia l'Epicerie 50 rue Francois Miron (and other locations) -- lively, young place, good Italian food.
For things to see, I recommend the Carnavalet museum -- it's free. Place des Vosges is a wonderful place to stroll around and sit out on the grass in the sunshine with many Parisians, enjoying one of the best places in Paris.

If interested in Canal St. Martin, you may want to consider taking the cruise up the canal, through the various locks. Your children might find this fascinating. I did.

Another vote for Saint-Denis, just watching the light shine through the stained glass windows onto the columns of the nave is remarkable.

Here is Saint Denis, I think it's what Zoe refers to-spectacular!

Also, explore the 5th! We spent a full day, starting at Galerie des Gobelins (oops, you'll start in the 13th...) then went to the Grand Mosque for tea and baked goodies, and then walked through the Jardin des Plantes. We were, unfortunately, late for the Natural History Museum there, which is said to be excellent. You could also scoot over to the Arab Institute, where it's possible to get a grand view from the roof.

http://www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr/en/practical-information/paris-gobelins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobelins_Manufactory

Thanks, everyone! We are staying in the 5th, so some of your suggestions are things I'm eager to do there, too. We're trying to decide how many days to get the Museum Pass for, as we plan. We might also be staying in the Marais for a few nights - so I'm glad to hear of options there, too.

Any suggestions on the best way to plan for traveling via bus or Metro? It looks like there are passes as well as the carnet routine. Last time I had a Paris Visite card that gave us unlimited access for a week - but I've seen some different options this time. All three kids are students (but not EU residents!), so I'm wondering if they can benefit from a special rate?

Thanks,
Laurie

Anyone over age 9 is an adult for bus or metro; local students have special passes but these are not available to tourists. The best pass is the Navigo Decouverte; it runs from Monday to Sunday so if most of your trip falls in that window of one week, it is by far the best bet. The Visite is an overpriced tourist product that only in rare occasions is economical. It does have a child's pass for those up to age 11. There is no child's ND but if your kids are teens they are aged out of any children's transportation product anyway.

While the Canal St. Martin area is nice to wander I would not want to drag kids on the canal boat; it is excruciatingly slow going. It is however fun to watch the locks and interesting moving bridges from the shore or from the walkways above the bridges on some of the locks when the boats come through.

Not sure if this is something your group would be interested in, but there is an excellent Holocaust museum in the Marais which combines well with the Deportation Memorial. There is also a book ( part of a series) called "Secret Paris: An Unusual Guide" that might have some fun ideas in it.

The Paris Sewers are pretty interesting and not as unpleasant as it may sound. The Carnavalet Museum in the Marais is one of my favorites, lots of interesting "stuff" about Paris and it's free. Spend some time at Les Invalides, the Army Museum (very good) and Napoleon's Tomb. I like the Pantheon and for a small amount you can join a tour that climbs to the dome - great views.

The Dome of the Pantheon has been closed for some time. I went up on October 31 2013 which was the last day it was open for several years. Without the Dome availability I would put the Pantheon way down the list of must sees in Paris. It is not without interest, but for me at least far less interesting than several dozen other spots in Paris.

If I had teens again going to Paris, I would charge each of them with surprising the family with an interesting day and turn them loose to plan it. I saw the Aqueduct Park in Rome and the John Soanes Museum in London and the Specalo in Florence courtesy of my son; I saw the British Library, the London Zoo (well that was a dud), the Cluny and climbed the Notre Dame Tower courtesy of my daughter.

+1 for the Paris Sewer Tour, far more interesting than it sounds!

http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71499/Mus%C3%A9e-des-%C3%A9gouts-de-Paris

I think the Picasso Museum in open now. We love the Rodin Museum where you can picnic among the statues. In the Marais, Le Pick-Clops cafe is fun and lively. Don't miss L'As du Falafel in the Jewish quarter where the guys who take your order work the line with walkie-talkies. A favorite picnic spot in the Marais is the Place des Vosgues. Also, we enjoyed lunch at the Cafe de la Mosque: authentic couscous, mint tea and pastries in a Moroccan tearoom atmosphere.

These are wonderful suggestions! I especially like the one about charging the kids to plan some of our days! I've been gathering notes from suggestions from others, and we've got a good list going. I'd love to have the kids be a part of the planning. I know that at least two of them want to go to the catacombs! (It's not high on my list, but I'd certainly go if they worked out the plans for us.)

Thanks, everyone!
Laurie

I recommend a trip to Les Arenes de Lutece, an old Roman Arena. Be sure to read about it ahead of time to fully appreciate it.

Your kids are old enough to know what they'd like to see and do. Get a selection of guidebooks (Rick Steves, Michelin Green Guide, Paris Walks, Fodors, etc.,) and a couple of good maps (Paris par Arrondissement is a good one and available from Amazon). Have the kids study the books and maps and come up with some plans. Perhaps you can pencil in the activities you have already determined, and let each kid plan a day or half-day to fill out the remaining time. Just be sure they leave enough time for some good park bench sitting for people watching. IMO planning is half the fun!