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Paris mid July with three toddlers and needing advice

We are traveling with two daughters and their spouses as well as three toddlers ages 1,2, and 3 in July What advice do you have for transportation and navigating city with three little ones Is the navigo pass the best way to access transportation? Also any particular advice on what will be fun and manageable We the grandparents are also wanting to do a 40 th vow renewal Any thoughts on spots or companies to go through Appreciate any help!! We probably should have our heads examined but we really want to do this with all of them

Posted by
4183 posts

There is a weekly Navigo pass but to know if that works for your group, requires knowing the days of your visit. You can also just load up a Navigo Easy with tickets. Each adult would have their own pass. Children who are under 4 are free. For vow renewals, check out The Paris Officiant. This is a suggestion based on what others have told me and a "wedding" that I attended. I have not actually used the service myself.

Posted by
9534 posts

Obtain and study the RS Paris guidebook. Full of excellent advice that will help you plan your days.

Posted by
3 posts

I had a lovely time in Paris when my daughter was 2. One special spot that I enjoyed was the playground inside the ruins of a 1st century Roman arena at the aptly-named Arenes metro stop on the Left Bank. Accessing it is curious -- the arena is tucked behind houses. It's a good picnic spot while the kids play and you can think, wow, I'm picnicking among Roman ruins. We also just spent a LOT of time in parks and on steps--running up, running down. Transit on the metro was fine as long as I had another adult there to help the many small steps.

Otherwise, it was life with a toddler: everything in much, much smaller doses. Sometimes she was asleep in the stroller and we could enjoy dinner; sometimes that's when she was crying so dinner could not go forward. With 3 toddlers on your trip, it seems guaranteed that one may be over saturated at any given point, so I just think an itinerary that allows a lot of flexibility for the parents of the too-tired baby to bow out is what would be required, and not expecting them all to be in the same place at the same time. Personally, I think a country house rental for that age span provides more opportunities for togetherness, because the parents can just put the children to sleep and then all hang out together and have dinner and such (maybe catered as part of your celebration?), but that's just my experience.

Posted by
2721 posts

Know that metro stations involve many, many stairs. And few/no elevators. Something to keep in mind if they’re bringing strollers. Buses are much easier to navigate with a stroller.

This site talks about accessibility, and might be helpful. https://www.ratp.fr/en/accessibility/traveling-wheelchair-user

Download the Bonjour RATP app for metro and bus info. The best pass depends on the specific days and length of stay. I highly recommend a private transfer to get your group from/to the airport. Normally I would recommend the official taxis, but you may need three of them for your group.

Be sure to get ac wherever you are staying. Paris in July can be brutal.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you all so very much! We need all the advice and help we can get I certainly agree that we need to be flexible but Paris seems to have so many parks with playgrounds THANK GOODNESS, Does Paris Museum pass work well for getting into museums? I plan to research all your answers I have the Rick Steeves Paris tour book to go through too. We got an Airbnb with 4 bedrooms near the metro and a grocery store so hopefully that will work!

Posted by
2721 posts

The Museum Pass is not as advantageous as it once was. It really depends on where you plan to go and how many days you will be there. I don’t think 3 toddlers will tolerate too many museum visits. You may want to split up the group and take turns watching the kids while the others visit museums if that is a priority.

Be aware that parks are plentiful, but not all of them allow people to be on the grass. Watch for signs.