Paris - Eiffel Tower Tickets, etc.

Back then you could wing it with no problems! Today the lines everywhere are long during the peak months like July. Definitely buy your ET tickets NOW - they go fast. I like to go up at sunset - that way you get both day & night views. Not sure what you or your daughters would enjoy perhaps a museum pass. there are some great bike tours. Google Paris with 11 year old - there are some great ideas.

Hi Jrenn, yes, things have changed in the last 20 years. Get your Eiffel Tower tickets today!

The Paris Museum Pass is a good idea and will give you some flexibility. You don't need to purchase it in advance, get it at one of the smaller museums once you arrive in Paris.

How about a Fat Tire Bike Tour?

We went to Paris two years ago in July with our granddaughters, then 10 and 13.
Yes, buy your Eiffel tower tickets now. I agree with the idea of going around sunset. Our girls wanted to go up to the top, so we did.
They asked to go to the catacombs and really enjoyed it. We got there just after the catacombs opened and the line was 3 hours long! So if you decide to do that, go early. I can't say when the line starts to form, but better to spend an hour waiting before the catacombs open than 3 hours after they're open. I don't know if advance-purchase tickets are available. Anything that cuts down the wait would be worth it.
Our granddaughters also told us specific works of art they wanted to see (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Thinker), which we made sure they did.
They liked Versailles, including Marie Antoinette's Petit Hameau. I'm thinking that one of these days they'll be reading/talking in class about the Hall of Mirrors and will remember being there.
They also liked going up in the Notre Dame Tower. We got there before it opened and waited maybe an hour. My wife took them on brief little shopping excursions across the street to break up the wait (that didn't seem to be an easily available option at the catacombs). There's a fun little playground behind Notre Dame where they enjoyed themselves afterwards.

I don't know what your girls are like but our granddaughters really enjoyed shopping for T shirts and other things that would remind them of Paris.
I'll check with them and see if I've left anything out.

Put the kids each in charge of an afternoon. You may be surprised at what you see when you turn over some of the trip to them -- we have visited many sites in our travels we would have missed without the kids plans (e.g. John Soans in London, Aqueduct Park in Rome, Cluny in Paris) Get Eiffel Tower tickets if you can as soon as you can. They go on sale 90 days out and are gone in a thrice. We prefer night, but get what you can. You can walk up if you can't get them -- walking line tickets is shorter than elevator line tickets.

I would get a museum pass for the adults (kids are free) and Navigo Decouverte travel passes for everyone if you are there for a period roughtly between Mon-Sun of a single week. You can go anywhere in the Ile de France with these and there are so many great day trips if you are there long enough. I would particularly recommend Auvers su Oise and Giverny with kids this age. (Giverny is in Normandy though so requires separate tickets from Paris not the ND pass)

I will be in Paris with my 7 year old in late July also; just purchased ET tickets two days ago for July 26. Many time slots were still available.

Is there a "secondary" market for these tickets? Something similar to Craigslist?

no that I am aware of.. but if anyone wants some for june 2nd let me know.. lol I totally screwed up my order and have extra.. they are throw aways at this point.. lol

If one does not get tickets then taking the line for the stairs is a good option.. much shorter line than the elevators .. and once on second level you can get in line for the top deck tickets. ( line for them at ticket kiosk on second level is much shorter than line for elevators at bottom).

Do purchase tickets in advance, and be prepared for huge crowds. I was just there on April 23, a chilly and overcast day, and it was very crowded. Also be prepared for long lines. If you take the elevator and have tickets for the summi, you must get off at the second level and when you're finished admiring the views, you must wait in another line for thd elevators to the summit. We waited for 10-15 minutes in that line.

If possible, get tickets for around sunset so you can see the city lights come on. I wanted to do that but waited ONE EXTRA DAY to buy tickets and that time slot was gone. We went up the Arc de Triomphe at sunset the next night and saw the Eiffel Tower light show begin at 9:00, so that made up for it.

We are traveling this summer for 3 days to Paris with 12 and 17 year old. I've booked bike tours with Blue Bike tour company for 2 of the 3 days. Rick Steves suggest Fat Tire bike tours also, but I read that their group sizes are a little larger, we chose blue bike because of smaller group size. We did hop on hop off bus tour 2 years ago and it was very hot riding that bus. Not the ideal way to tour the city with kids.

I think you could consider bike tour with kids.

Eiffel tower tickets are best booked before you go - check the official website for available dates and times. You can even book a tour which was really informative - my kids enjoyed this. I was not able to get tickets for the times I wanted, so chose the tour option for additional cost, but was worth it.

Paris in July is very hot so it's great to have accommodations with air conditioning if possible. Louvre would be interesting - they have family tour that uses Nintendo 3DS. You can check their website for more information.

Hope this helps

Maja - do you have a place you recommend staying? I will be traveling with a 13 year old daughter.

A big thank you to everyone who replied! I've come away with some great tips and ideas. I now have my girls more involved in choosing the sites we'll visit (they love it), and I've already purchased our Eiffel Tower tickets.

@ Amy in Portland -- I bought our tickets before I saw your reply. Ours are also for July 26. Our tickets are for 8pm, so if you're there and see an American with twin girls in tow, it's probably me!

What a fun trip! I've taken my daughter to Paris a few times, and here are a few of her favorites sights:

Notre Dame: we took a tour with Paris Walks and we all learned a lot. There's a playground in the garden behind the church which is a great place to blow off steam. Then, you can go to Berthillon for ice cream, and entertainment on the bridge going to the island.

Chocolate Tour: La Cuisine de Paris has some fun options.

Concert at Sainte Chapelle: ClassicTic had tickets at reasonable prices.

The Louvre: we used the ATM kiosks to get right in, even on a busy day. We also had an agenda that she set for us; an hour - 1.5 hours was manageable for us. I studied the map ahead of time.

L'Aquarium de Paris: wonderfully air conditioned for hot days! My kiddo would have gone here every day if we let her.

Deyrolle: A taxidermy museum ... sounds strange, but it really is one of the most unusual museums I've ever been to. Great for kids who love animals. It's located in a large park and there's also a small zoo close-by.

Just walking around Paris is fun, as you know. There are parks and carousels everywhere. We'd usually stop for a glass of wine for us and a small bowl of ice cream for her around 4:00, which was a nice way to break up the day. We also did "treasure hunts" to find croissant shops, the oldest tree in Paris (you can learn more in Rick's Paris book), and gargoyles.

We're not big shoppers but if you are, Galeries Lafayette hosts fashion shows that I've been told are lots of fun.

I also taught my daughter a few French phrases, such as saying, "Hello, how are you?" when she walked into a shop. This was a great way to meet shop keepers and learn more about the shop than just walking in as we do at home.

Have fun!