Paris + ? in April - 7 days with tween and teen

No,4-5 days of Paris wasn’t too much for our kids.
There are many places to explore besides the museums.
For day trips I would choose Mt. St-Michel and Giverny over Versailles which was not a successful day for our family.

We spent five nights in Paris with our teens and didn’t see everything we wanted to see. You can easily do day trips to change things up. But MSM is too far for a day trip. There are tons of places within a couple hours by train. If going in the summer, check out Provins, a medieval town just over an hour away. Or Rouen. Both have ties to Joan of Arc. Or Strasbourg & Colmar for super cute half timbered building. So many options.

I don’t think there’s anything boring about Giverny, regardless of visitors’ ages.
Paris has lots of wonderful parks and gardens - I saw the Jardin du Luxembourg, Parc Monceau, Tuileries, Jardin des Plantes, and there are lots more.

If Giverny is something the kids want to see, it is a nice day trip but I would not attempt something as far as MSM from Paris for a day unless it were the number one thing your family wanted to do and then I would do it as a one day overnight trip.

One thing I would do is the VR experience called Eternelle Notre Dame which is currently available at Notre Dame in the underground site to the west and at La Defense. You walk for 45 minutes in Paris as Notre Dame is being built, tour the Cathedral, are hoisted up into the bell tower and to view the completion of the rose window etc. You wear the VR equipment in a backpack and goggles and you can identify your party because their avatars will have their names on them. Other visitors will just be nameless outlines (which you can see in order to not. bump into people). It is extremely realistic. I knew I was on the floor when we were being hoisted to the bell tower, but the sensation was nevertheless convincing. It will be an unforgettable experience for your kids. You are wandering in a big empty room but the sense of being in Paris in the 12th century is profound.

We took our daughter at 14 to Paris for 10 days the first time -- we had plenty to do. Let the kids each plan at least an afternoon where they research and choose an activity or museum or whatever.

Really appreciate the suggestions! Love the VR idea.

I think that your idea about going to Provence, Mont St. Michel, or anything that far from Paris is not a good idea. Too much time spent getting there, and coming back. I would suggest confining your outings to Paris and nearby spaces. versailles is doable, altho from all accounts (I have not been in the palace for many years) the tour of the interior is extremely crowded, the lines to get in are long, and especially your younger child may not really enjoy it (it is comparable to going to a museum). but the grounds are beautiful, and you can rent a golf cart to get around.

In Paris itself, I would recommend taking a boat tour like bateau mouche, since most kids love boats and being on the water, and at the same time you can see a lot of the monuments. On the west side of Paris the bois de Boulogne is quite pretty, and in the northern part of the park there is an amusement park with some rides. They also have pony rides further to the south, but I am not sure exactly where. Jardin des Plantes is a wonderful place to go if you are interested in trees, flowers, etc. They also have a natural museum, altho I have never been to it. Jardin de Luxembourg is also nice, and has a pretty pond where children can "race" little sailboats (I assume you can rent them there and do not have to bring your own). The Eiffel Tower is often fun for kids to go up, if they do not have a fear of heights. But book tickets for this well in advance. Peter

If either of your daughters are excited about horses - definitely look into a day trip to Chantilly France, easy by train. In addition to the chateau, there is the Museum of the Living Horse - walk through the stables, see horse shows, exhibits; a wonderful parkland to explore; the art collection (among the best in France) of the Conde Museum in the chateau.

https://chateaudechantilly.fr/en/itineraries/

Giverny - my travel companion on my most recent Giverny trip, age 60, art appreciator and well-traveled as well as a former resident of Paris, became so upset with the crowds that we had to leave. This is not what I expected - but given that experience, I do think your daughter's might be underwhelmed unless they are really into art and Monet. Chantilly is a tiny bit easier to access in my opinion although both are fine by train from Paris and walking (or bus) .

I took my son to Versailles at about the age of your girls. The highlight was exploring the grounds. We wandered all over. He did appreciate the chateau, but we waited until end of day when the big tour groups have left. It can be quite overwhelming as you probably know. A bike tour would be fun.

Napolean's Tomb might be quite a sight for your daughters even if you/they aren't interested in the Musée de l'Armée. That would be a quick stop in a very walkable area.

Personally, I would not leave Paris with only 7 days - just a day trip or two.

There have been some questions about Fragonard's perfume making workshop recently. I did the workshop last fall. I would recommend it if it falls in line with your daughters' interests. There was a family with kids around the same ages when I went. If interested, book in advance - it does sell out. English available. https://musee-parfum-paris.fragonard.com/en/book-your-workshop/

Enjoy - so much fun to introduce our kids to places we enjoy!

BethVT, I took my sister and my 15-year-old and 11-year-old nieces to France a couple of months ago. I enthusiastically second Janet's suggestion of Eternelle Notre Dame. All of us loved it. We went to Ste-Chappelle right after so the kids could see the gorgeous interior of a church, being that they couldn't go into Notre Dame.

The kids also loved the Catacombs, of course. And they really loved the Vedettes du Pont Neuf, the cheap and cheerful river cruise that gave them the best view of the Eiffel Tower by night. Made the 15-year-old very happy as she is always creating content. :)

We did not go to the tower itself -- I didn't want to deal with the mob, and the kids didn't seem to care, being that they got the river view. We skipped the Louvre -- they can do that when they're older. We did go to the Musee d'Orsay, but only for about an hour or so (I have a short attention span for museums myself), as my sister wanted to see the Impressionist art again. Following advice from this forum, we bought tickets online for the opening time, got there about 20 minutes before, and headed straight up to the top floor, the Impressionist galleries. It was quiet and uncrowded!

CK

Beth,
You might want to consider a Fat Tire Bike tour. We have done the night tour twice and it was a blast. The night tour includes a river cruise as well.I tried to inset a hyperlink but it did not format correctly. Their office is very close to the Eiffel Tower, an easy 5-10 walk.The website says not recommended for under 12 years of age but if your 5th grader can a bike it would be no problem.
Paris at night on a bike is magical
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