Suggestions for 2 & 1/2 days with 2 teen males in Paris

We usually stay in the 5th or 6th arrondissements in Paris. Since I don’t know your kids’ interests it is hard to help with an itinerary.
Some places our kids enjoyed: Hotel des Invalides with Napoleon’s Tomb and an interesting military museum. Musee d’ Orsay, l’Orangerie, Going to the top of the Arc d’Triomphe, Luxembourg Park.

Hi lamia, also take a look at lodging in the 7th arrondissement and a visit to the Eiffel Tower. Get the kids involved in the planning and assign a day to each son. Have fun!

Echoing Donna, my family splits up a trip by assigning "days to choose." When it's your day you choose the activities and meals. We've found it spreads around the stress of planning and fosters a tolerance for the ideas of others, knowing that your turn will come. Yes, on my own I wouldn't have spent an afternoon in a video game parlor in Japan or gone to a tank museum in England, or eaten pizza in Edinburg and Munich. But everyone tagged along more or less willingly to watch Dad photograph tulips and Mom linger over exhibits on navigation and sailing. You might point your sons to a guidebook to give them a few ideas. Maybe they'd like to sightsee on a boat or explore a cemetery or catacombs. Good luck, have fun! Marty

Lamia, can you tell us more about their interests. If this is for instance aviation I can recommend Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace / Air and Space Museum at le Bourget Airport at the northern side of Paris. It has a nice collection of aircraft from the pioneering period till today, including two Concords, a Boeing 747 and an Airbus A380.

absolutely book Eternelle Notre Dame a virtual reality tour of the building of Notre Dame. You walk around with a backpack with the technology on and stroll in 13th century Paris, ride up to the tower etc etc -- amazing experience that teens are going to love. There is one at Notre Dame itself and on in La Defense. Same program.

The Catacombs had a 100% approval rating from my 3 kids (2 teens and 1 tween). If your boys are into soccer I believe you can tour the Parc des Princes for around 15 euros. My 3 also liked seeing the Eiffel lit up at night.

I'm an aviation nut and will 2nd the suggestion for the Air museum at le Bourget! Just was there a couple of weeks ago, definitely a great museum! https://www.museeairespace.fr/

Marty, I'm loving your idea of "you choose." I'm taking my two nieces (11 and 15) to Paris and the south next month and I think we will try this!

At 18 and 16, in France they are young men. If you treat them as adults now you might be surprised at what their Internet research turns up.

kentchristine, I adapted the idea from Cynthia Harriman's book "Take your Kids to Europe" but the general idea is everyone comes to a family meeting with ideas of maybe two or three things each person wants to see. Everyone gets some input and agrees to participate in the choices of others. From these suggestions you build an itinerary. Sometimes it works better if an adult lays out the route then the family contributes suggestions of activities in those locations. We use a Captain for the Day approach where the captain plans meals (chooses restaurants) as well as activities. The first time we tried it the boys were 8 and 11. On the most recent trip they were 25 and 28!

Thank you all! Great suggestions!