Paris Itinerary Review

Wow, so cool that you’re participating in the Paris Marathon! Best wishes! One comment - the longest I had to wait to get into a museum was at l’Orangerie (really long), so I would strongly recommend that you get timed entry tickets. Sure wish I had. Even with them, it might not be so quick. And it probably goes without saying that you’ll need them for the Louvre as well.

Sounds like a great trip. We did a somewhat similar trip with our pre-teens 20+ years ago.

Galeries Lafayette is worth a visit. It's an amazing place to shop. I think your daughther will find that Paris "is a mall". Shops on every street and streets with nothing but shops. IMHO malls in Europe are not that great and they're not where the best shops are located.

During your visit to Galleries Lafayette, you and your daughter may enjoy attending a fashion show. My 10 yo GD and I had a great time.

https://haussmann.galerieslafayette.com/en/?s=Fashion+show

I think you've done a great job spreading out the sights and creating an itinerary for kids. Ours were similar ages the first time they went to Paris. The only thing I'd say is that I'd only do 1 day at Disney. If you've been to the parks in the states you may be disappointed. We did one day there and it was small, crowded (I guess that's typical!) and with terrible service at every turn. We left early and we NEVER do that.

You could spend the extra day doing more Paris "kid' friendly" stuff. Like maybe a cooking class for kids? No personal experience but I did find this one: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g187147-d14771305-Family_experience_French_Macaron_Bakery_Class_at_Galeries_Lafayette_Paris-Paris_Il.html

We almost did the Catacombs once but changed out minds. It seems possibly interesting for kids? Last advice: eat a lot! Our kids are kinda foodies, but even if yours aren't, choosing a tempting treat in a bakery for a snack or munching on crepes to go for dinner instead of a restaurant kept our kids happy! Who doesn't love to eat?

Also, there is a great view of the City, to include the Eiffel Tower from the roof top of Galeries Lafayette. There are also plenty of small shops on either side & across the street from Galeries Lafayette.

Enjoy your trip.

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to send your feedback! We will definitely get a timed entry for the l'Orangerie and we've changed plans to head to the Galeries Lafayette instead of the mall near La Defense. My daughter and I watched a clip of the fashion show and she very excited. My husband and I are looking forward to the rooftop view. Amanda - my husband and I agree with you that 1 day at Disneyland will be plenty - going to talk about it with the kids this week!

It sounds great and good luck in the marathon! My only thought on looking at the itinerary is that you are running a marathon one day, then the next going to Disneyland (now it sounds like for one day only) and then the next day going to Versailles. That seems rather exhausting to me. Versailles is a lot of walking/standing, and I'm guessing that Disneyland is the same. Since you've decided to cut Disney to one day, perhaps the day after could be a more relaxed day--and then you can tackle Versailles.

For Thursday, there are some outdoor cafes in the Tuileries. We ate at the Rosa Bonheur creperie after Musée de l'Orangerie, but that might be too much walking with hungry kids after the Louvre.

The Cafeteria style restaurant in Galleries Lafayette, just below the roof level I believe, has decent food if it is lunch time during your visit. Also, nice views from the windows. The mall is closed on Sundays.

Thank you so much for the additional creperie and Galeries recommendations. Also, thank you for the post marathon suggestion. We decided to just stick with the original plan and do 2 days in Disneyland, then Versailles. I know I may be very tired after the marathon, but fingers crossed my energy will stay up just being in Paris!

I'm no La Defense expert, but I'd try to educate your daughter that a huge department store is a form of a mall and how wonderful it is that two beautiful specimens are right next to each other, just N/NW of the the Opera: Galleries Lafayette and Printemps!

There are a number of books and book chapter on Paris w/ Kids - prob lots online too, so see about taking them to Berthillon on the oh so cute Isle St. Louis in the middle of the Seine... As de Falafel, could turn into great, and perhaps messy fun. Then head to Place de Vosges, but right as you enter, more ice cream!

You have a delightfully relaxed plan and lots of time to improvise and be spontaneous (ie cancel Disney day 2 if need be; add another museum, etc.)

My main advice then is to look where there might be free time, and 'plan' (ie pretend spontaneous, but actually plannedly optimal) what your options might be. At least that's what I might do, but everyone has their style/s.

Also, most restos that have a clientele and decent reviews require reservations if you want a choice of date and time, or even a meal there at all.

Finally, depending on budget, a splurge resto might be really fun for the kids. I took my kids and kids of friends (all parents were there!) to Le Train Bleu 14 years ago. My kids were, according to Chat GPT/jk, about 8 and 12 then. Several dishes prepared tableside: flaming desserts, steak tartare, etc. Not Michelin Star quality, but then neither that high on price. Locale been in many movies: Mr. Bean, Femme Nikita, etc.

For non-upscale shopping, the mall at Les Halles is very central and is not bad. But Galeries Lafayette and nearby Printemps should at least be experiences!