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Paris- 3 days with young kids & Annecy & Antibes

Posted by (Kirkland, WA, USA) on

Cross posting

We are traveling to Europe for 4 weeks starting mid-may & fly into Paris. We will have our 8 month old & almost 3 year old with us. Plan for all train travel.

  1. Things to do in Paris with young kids?
  2. Best tips to combat jet lag with young kids (direct flight leaves Seattle 1pm, arrive 8am)
  3. Best area to stay with kids? We won't really do many museums & will focus more on parks & outside activities.
  4. Tips for Antibes
  5. Is it realistic to day trip from Annecy to Geneva? If so would this be a better location than Lausanne to stay. I'm seeing a lot of posts that annecy is much preferred, but we'd been planning on Lausanne as husband will need to be in Geneva for a couple work meetings. We originally talked about doing both but decided fairly similar areas so decided to continue farther north to Rhine. We like smaller towns more than big cities, but definitely need access to Geneva. Want more of local feel, experience, outdoor activities, markets, etc.

Tentative plan thus far & tips welcome:
Arrive Paris 5/16 am - jet lag with 2 kids
5/16-5/18 Paris
5/18 night train to French Riveria, Antibes 4 days
5/23- Switzerland 10 days (Lausanne then Murren)
6/3 or 4th - 6/7 Rhine, Bacharach tentatively
6/7-6/13 Amsterdam & day trips

We are trying to stick in each location minimum of 4 nights if possible to feel more settled with kiddos. Tips/thoughts for other parts of the trip?

Posted by
8166 posts

Annecy to Geneva is very realistic. It is only a half drive on public transportation.
I do not know but maybe your local library has Lonely Planet or Rick Steves travel guides which contain sections on European travel with children

Posted by
28082 posts

The only night train I see on the Paris-Antibes route carries just standard seats and couchettes, no traditional sleeper cars. That sounds very uncomfortable with two very young children. The daytime TGVs take just under 5-1/2 hours.

Posted by
344 posts

When you are doing your research, pay close attention to what the many public parks are like. Look particularly for the word playground. I brought my children to Paris when they were young, thinking that the parks would be open areas with lots of grass for running and playing Frisbee. I was wrong. I'm sure there are many exceptions, but some of the large parks have grassy areas however the grass was roped off. With signs that basically said keep off the grass. The parks had lovely paths---for walking, not for children trying to burn off energy.

In the Tuileries, we were surprised and delighted to find a trampoline area. The trampolines were at ground level so no fear of falling off. For a modest fee, your child can jump to his or her hearts content. Google "Tuileries trampoline" and the link will come right up. The Tuileries may have been the park with no grass to run on, (it may be there but we didn't find it.). Of course you can always Google "Paris playgrounds " for more precise information. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
171 posts

While in Antibes visit Villa Ephrussi Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. I found the gardens more interesting than the villa. Your three year old might enjoy them too. The only concern is that there is a pond which also may attract your three year old. The property has beautiful views of the coast and a tea room where you can get something to eat.

Posted by
171 posts

In Bacharach I would take a boat trip down the Rhine to Koblenz. From Koblenz take another boat up the Mosel to Cochem. This could all be done by train but the boat is slower, has good commentary and more opportunities for photos. You may need to have a leash for your three year old.

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