Need Help: Paris Itinerary December 25-Jan 1

You are arriving on a Sunday, on Christmas. Many shops and restaurants may be closed. It will be harder to find takeaway food at a grocery store, if that is what you have in mind. You’ll also want to check that the boat cruises are running. This would be the night I would definitely make dinner reservations somewhere and not risk having a hungry bunch with no stores open and all open restaurants full. That would not be a good start to the trip!

As a mom of teens, a 9am museum tour the day after arriving looks kind of brutal. Jet lag may be something to consider.

Monday - I would see the Christmas market at Tuileries in the evening this day. Here is info on which markets will be open https://www.parisdiscoveryguide.com/paris-events-december.html

Galleries Lafayette has beautiful holiday windows displays. Be there around the top of the hour to see the animation inside the store, and go to the top for a great rooftop view of Paris.

The trip sounds very busy. I would cancel the macaron class after Versailles. It’s a long day. I would recommend penciling in some “free time” to just wander, sit at a cafe, stop into some shops, etc. you are going to be exhausted if you don’t slow down a bit and just enjoy a bit.

I think your kids would enjoy the British Museum much more than the Portrait Gallery or National Gallery. Mummies and enormous statues! And that non-stop flight from CA sounds brutal-I would not count on all 4 of you sleeping on the plane. I don't know how much energy y'all will have on your arrival day.

I would never schedule anything at 9 AM on my first full day in Europe due to likely jetlag. Are you sure your family will be ready to get moving early enough for that? You'll need to allow time for breakfast and getting over to the Louvre.

It may not be an issue at all in the winter, but I remember reading a comment from someone who tried too late to rent a golf cart at Versailles, and all were already rented out, so that might be something you should check on at arrival.

The National Portrait Gallery in London is closed for extensive renovations/expansion. You could slide the National Gallery into that spot, but note that the National Gallery is quite large. You probably won't want to try to cover the whole thing. I highly recommend looking at the floor plan online before arrival and figuring out a basic plan to hit your top priorities early on.

The British Museum is huge. Same suggestion as for the National Gallery, but more so. To make matters worse, the British Museum can be monstrously crowded. You might think it wouldn't be so bad in early January. Heck, you might even be right. However, guides have indicated that it is worst on days with bad weather (probably the very definition of January). It seems to get more local visitors than average on holidays, Fridays and weekends; perhaps you can use that information to figure out an optimum day for your visit.

The British Museum and the National Gallery both have extended hours on Friday nights. The Tate Modern used to have a late-opening night, but for some reason was not doing that as of early September and has no information about late hours on its website at this time. While physically large, the Tate Modern doesn't seem to require as much time as the National Gallery.

The museums I've mentioned are all free (as are many others in London), but if there's a special exhibition running, it may well have a substantial extra charge and require timed-entry tickets. Those tickets can sell out somewhat in advance, so you should figure out ahead of time whether there's something going on that you really want to see.

The Changing of the Guard doesn't get good reviews these days. It seems you must usually get into position very, very early in order to have a decent vantage point. I'm sure someone here can suggest an alternative (as mentioned in Rick's guide book).

A day trip to Lyon is not a good use of time and energy, IMO. So much more to see and do in Paris. I also don’t think the Catacombs is worth the cost and time spent walking around looking at bones and more bones.

Thank you for all of this - so helpful. If anyone has any recommendations for restaurants we could book on Christmas day, I would be so grateful. I briefly considered booking the meal at the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, but decided against it. Thank you for the feedback on a daytrip to Lyon - it's just nostalgiac for me since I studied there, but sounds like it may not be practical with all the transit time.

I will also cancel the macaron class. Re: the Louvre on the morning the day after we arrive - I'm now seeing if we can do it in the afternoon that day instead, but am worried about crowds?

I would NOT do the Eiffel tower on my first day after a trans Atlantic flight. You are going to be exhausted, and the lines at the Eiffel tower (going up and coming down) can be long and tiring. I suppose the lines may be short because it's Christmas, but I wouldn't risk it. I think you will be too tired to really take it in and enjoy it. Stroll around, do the cruise during the day, don't try to do too much on your arrival day. By evening you will be wiped.

You might try Bistro des Augustins for dinner on Christmas. It’s right across from the Seine, close to the Pont Neuf, in case you want to do the Seine cruise that night. It’s a tiny, casual & affordable place serving great salads and very filling gratins. We ate there our last night in Paris and everybody (even my picky eater) loved it. They take reservations, but I would confirm that they will be open on Christmas.

I liked the Sewer Museum! It is something fun and different to do in Paris and I think that it would appeal to kids

The War Rooms are very interesting for both children and adults - highly recommend. The Harry Potter studios are amazing, even if you're not "super fans". Ice skating at Somerset House is a nice holiday activity. In the past it's been sponsored by Tiffany's and is very well done. Agree with everyone above re dialing back on the first day, especially from CA and not the East Coast. Also, on Christmas day, many independent restaurants will be closed, so nice hotel dining may be key. Note, many may have a set holiday menu.