Paris itinerary with kids

In 2016 we took our daughter to Paris when she was seven (her first time to Europe). Your itinerary is very, very busy especially for kids but for adults too. At minimum I suggest you not go to Chartres and take the train to Paris on the second day when you are finished at Versailles. In truth, I would skip both Versailles and Chartres, leaving just the side trip to Disney, which your kids will love (I know my daughter did at age seven).

What time of year are you planning this trip?

I agree that this sounds like a very, very busy itinerary. I honestly don't think Chartres would have that much of interest to young children, so that would be the place I'd drop.

You've got a lot of outdoor time in gardens, which is great for kids letting off steam, but keep in mind that it can rain in Paris. Be prepared with rain gear, and keep your eyes open for places to go indoors if the weather is changeable.

Thanks for the feedback! My husband and I have done versailles and we're planning on rushing through the main palace and mostly focusing on the gardens. I'm really excited for the chartres light shows and was hoping by spending 2 nights in versailles we would ease some of the stress of the back and forth travel from paris. Good thought about watching the rain forecast. I'm working on a list of covered walkways and we still have a few museums and galleries lafayette as potential but we probably won't have time.

Hi,
I am wondering if you might not want to skip Versailles. Would it not be better to go directly to a hotel or airbnb in Paris to rest a little and then plan an easy first day of some outdoor park time (say Luxembourg Gardens), lunch, nap, and then maybe Montmartre? Or go straight to Chartres as you said and take an easy day of rest, visit town, cathedral, and light show, overnight in Chartres and then go to Paris after. I brought my kids to Paris when they were 5 and 8, and they went again recently as 11 and 14 years old. First time round, I chose to skip Versailles (Definitely no Disney for us since we are near LA Disney). We visited Luxumbourg Gardens (which they loved). My children also enjoyed the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Musee D'orsay, Eiffel Tower, and Montmartre very much. They also loved the Seine River cruise. I checked out books from the library about the art we would see in the Louvre and Musee D'orsay before going, so the kids were primed to appreciate the art more. We also took frequent breaks (macaroons, and ice cream for the kids, and coffee breaks for parents). It was a lot of fun. On our recent trip, we revisited the same favorites (and more), and added Versailles, D Day Beaches, Mont St. Michel, Honfleur. We did not do as much in Paris as we had ambitions for - because we spent too much time eating long lunches and needed downtime back at the Airbnb -but it was still wonderful. We made memories together. Oh, one more thing, in case your kids are book lovers, Katherine Rundell's Rooftoppers is set in Paris. It is suitable for the 7 years old (you probably have to read it to them).

If you are flying back to the US you cannot do an e med COVID test. You will have to taxi or train to the nearest town go to the pharmacy and get tested. I did the last Monday. It was annoying it meant I could not open the park. Disney has no onsite testing.

We recently returned from a week in Paris with grandkids aged 6 & 10 and their parents. Their mom planned many things that interested them including going up to the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower, seeing it lit and twinkling at night, walking to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre (and little else), gelato, the vernacular and performance artists at Montmartre, racing rented sailboats at the Luxembourg, the natural science museum and nearby zoo, and the chocolate museum where we all made things chocolate. Needless to say, they enjoyed Disneyland and the extra money spent on the “skip the lines” passes really worth every Euro as some of the lines were over an hour wait which is not only hard on adults but really difficult for young kids. BTW, they successfully used an internet proctored covid testing site from the hotel room. Disney also has places to have it done as does the nearby Val d'Europe, but the internet assisted site worked well and we plan to use it shortly when we return from Italy.

Jardin de Plantes - Great Evolution Gallery & Zoo - Galleries, Gardens, Zoo - Jardin des Plantes (jardindesplantesdeparis.fr)

Choco-Story - Choco-Story - Paris - Choco-Story PARIS (museeduchocolat.fr)

Ckeenan, proctored home tests can indeed be used to fly back to the US. I just did do last week. it’s not necessary to go to a pharmacy or testing center. Did I misunderstand what you meant?

Skip Versailles because that sounds like no fun with kids. Stay near Luxembourg Gardens because there is a ton of things for kids. Have some indoor back up plans for rain.