tips for restaurants and activities for traveling to Paris with 8, 10 and 12 yr old.

Plan to climb the Notre Dame tower; this was the main thing my daughter wanted to do at this age and she loved it; I believe you can now reserve a time on the day i.e. get over to the tower early and get a timed ticket from a machine for when you can go up.

I think food tours are silly especially at those prices when you can visit pastry shops every day and have the kids choose a pretty snack to take and eat in a nearby park. Our kids loved doing that. Same with chocolate -- identify a few great chocolate shops and go buy a few chocolates.

What we always did is put the kids in charge of planning part of the trip. Maybe one big thing for each kid given the time you have. WE visited the John Soanes museum in London courtesy of our son and the Aquaduct Parc in Rome, and the Arts et Metiers in Paris when he was an older teen. We climbed the Notre Dame Tower, visited the Cluny both in Paris and the British LIbrary in London courtesy of our daughter. (who knew a library would be so interesting?) They will come up with things you might not have thought of.

Here is St. Denis:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/
This is the Basilica that was the burial place of the Kings of France; it is easy to reach on the Metro 13 Basilica St. Denis stop. When the kinds were trashed during the revolution, a wise revolutionary protected the tombs as works of art.

There are "teas" in high-class hotels, which cost a fortune.
I'd let everybody pick a bunch of pastries, baguette sandwiches, get Starbucks and other drinks and go to a nice park or back to the hotel.

Food markets might appeal to some kids. Google will find a list of street markets, often open a couple of days a week, although the Aligre in the 12th functions daily except Monday (closing down in early afternoon.) Children are not common in bistros or fancier restaurants for the evening meal, although yours should be welcome. Locals tend to take the kids out for big Sunday midday meals. The menu won't resemble North American tables, exactly, although France is one of McDonald's biggest territories. One 22-restaurant chain that might be useful is Hippopotamus, bright and brassy, with kids' menus and even, some places, activities. Most of the website is in French, except for an English menu, but here is a map of locations: https://restaurant.hippopotamus.fr/fr/ile-de-france/paris/75056/paris

A similar inquiry on 28 July produced several suggestions:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/area-in-paris-good-for-teens-kids
(If the link doesn't work, you should be able to click backwards and find it since the post is very recent.)

I would not try to pick specific restaurants and make reservations. You'll be trying to make a certain place and time, when the better plan is to just find someplace nearby. Look for places that say "Service Continu" and look at the menu posted outside. They will serve you before the later Paris dinner times, and will probably be more casual.

I've done the Paris Walks chocolate tour, once solo and once with a private tour for 13 for just our group. Both were worthwhile, and I think would be fine for your kids if they are reasonably well behaved. But they run 35-40 euro each person. A better option would be to spend a morning at a market street like Rue Montorgueil, Rue Mouffetard, Rue Cler, or the Aligre market. You would all enjoy looking at the displays of food, buying fruit, cheese, bread and pastries. Take a look at the fish and seafood vendors, and the different approach to butcher shops. Oh, you could buy a roast chicken and potatoes for a picnic. It's a great way to learn about a different culture without being too lecture-y. It's just fun.

The market streets can have a big variety of prepared foods to take away - salads (like carrot, beet, or celery root), pies, crepes, roast chickens, sometimes hot main dishes like sauerkraut with sausages, in addition to pates and hundreds of beautiful, stinky cheeses. The Rue Cler is handy for assembling supplies near the Eiffel Tower. My pastry rec is on the other thread.

I hope you can take the kids to Bassin de la Villette to the best Paris Plage going on in August. It's even more fun for families than the things along the banks of the Seine in August. Here's part of a report I did several years ago. We've been back to this event during another summer too and it was still lively and kid friendly.

"I wanted to highly recommend the Paris Plage this year. We had seen the one along the Seine on 2 previous visits (this is their 12th year) but today we wandered along the Canal St. Martin/Bassin de la Villette where a 2nd Paris Plage opened today, July 20-August 18, 2013. This is the city's way of offering the people who must stay in the city during the heat of the summer a little recreational activity. While the one along the Seine is nice to observe, sandy beaches, chairs, umbrellas, music, etc., the one along the Bassin de la Villette (Metro Jaures) was outstanding. There were unique activities for children and adults alike that involved games, water vehicles, zip lines across the canal, great food/drinks, go carts, and much more. You can also take a 1/2h canal boat ride on Saturdays and Sundays for only 1Euro. If you have children or want to observing people relaxing and having a LOT of fun, don't miss this event."

I would imagine that your children would like the catacombs. My granddaughters (9 & 12 at the time) loved going there. The length of the line is an issue, though. It gets long very early and moves very slowly. I would advise you to get there at least 1/2 hour before the catacombs open. There may be ways to circumvent the wait but I'm not clear about that.

I recommend Carette tea room, for tea, hot chocolate, lunch, and a great selection of pastries, that your children should enjoy. There are branches at Place des Vosges (my recommendation) , and Trocadero, and Place du Tetre. Place des Vosges is also a fun place to hang out, as many families do.

Laduree is also great for tea and pastries. Several branches (and one at Versailles).

With a 5-night stay, you may want to skip Versailles. If you do go, you may also want to skip going into the very crowded palace, and just go directly into the gardens and out to the Petite Trianon and Queen's Hamlet. You can rent bikes to get around easily.
I would not waste precious time walking the Champs Elysees. You and your kids will likely be very bored. Instead go directly to the Arch de Triomphe, which is definitely worth seeing.
Your children may like the Egyptian area of the Louvre better than the paintings, but try to get them to see at least a few great paintings at the Louvre, or the D'Orsay. Speaking of the D'Orsay, there is a Canal St. Martin cruise that leaves from near there, and goes through many locks from the Seine to end of Canal St. Martin, I recommend this, (you may have to reserve in advance). Or if you don't have the time, at least do a Seine cruise.
An amazing place is the taxidermy shop, Deyrolle, at 46 rue de Bac, in the 7th. Go up to the second floor. Look them up.
Luxembourg Gardens is a wonderful park to relax in, that has activities for kids too.

Paris is full of wonderful parks you've never heard of, filled with French families having fun. For instance, the Parc Monceau, which is on the metro line 3 stops from the Arc du Triumph, is full of fake ruins--Roman, Egyptian, Etruscan--that kids love to climb on. It's a really fun scene.

There are tons of museums in Paris and the beauty of the pass is that you can just drop in for a few minutes and move on. Take the underground museum of ancient Paris that is in front of Notre Dame. Don't forget while you are in the Louvre that it is also a castle; you can visit the donjon (it's just the basement, but the walls are old).

For food the word is picnics. There a decent cafeteria called Flunch near Les Halles that might make a nice respite from rain or heat. Cafes are another good bet, if your kids will learn to like the croques or other fast food.

Not sure I would brave Versailles with that crew in tow unless they are really into it. If you do it, plan for some down time afterwards.

Have a blast!

Yes, make up your own patisserie tour. One thing we did when our kids were younger was to "taste-test" one specific item - macarons - in several different patisseries. Google to find some places near where you're staying. (I'm not familiar with Montmartre, so I can't recommend any specific places in that area). And/or have them try pastries that they've never heard of. We also like buying bags of choquettes. I think every neighborhood has many patisseries, and probably chocolate places too.

Definitely plan a picnic lunch for at least one day, with lots of french cheese and bread, a bottle of wine, and desserts too.

If you all like mussels, Leon's of Bruxelles is a fun type of chain that's casual but will be a little different than chain restaurants back home.

Maybe the equivalent to a British tea would be sitting at a cafe. Try to do that for some meals, especially lunch. The best thing for kids at a cafe (my kids love them) is croque-monsieur or croque-madames.

Or, of course, crepes. You could have a casual lunch or dinner at a creperie. And/or stop at a stand and get one to-go.

I advise finding some open air food markets for an inexpensive experience. There are lists on Paris English websites. My favorites are Grenelle, Monge and President Wilson. The markets have fresh veggies, sausage, meat (often chickens with the head and feet on, same with pigs or goats, that might be cool for kids), baked goods, cheese and dairy products and more. Some markets have many flower stands, scarves, soaps, handmade baskets. The markets could be a foodie tour at a much lower price.

Enjoy your trip.

Paris Plage is open until 2 Sept this year.
There are 3 open air swimming pools, if the weather's warm enough.
Bring a € 1 coin for the cabinets - refundable - toiletries and towels not included.

Do look at Paris Walks (and have your kids look too) as there may be one that strikes a cord. Affordable, entertaining.

This trip report may give you some ideas: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/paris-for-one-week-with-granddaughter-loved-it

And I second the suggestion of letting each of your kids pick a sight or attraction. This not only means you're visiting something they want, but makes it easier when visiting something they're not so interested in; you can remind them that they will get a turn to see "their" place.

The science museum at La Villette may interest them: http://www.cite-sciences.fr/en/explore/

They may be a bit young to enjoy my favorite offbeat Paris sight - the Museum of Counterfeits. It not only has expected items like fake designer purses and the like, but also more sinister things, like fake medicines and car parts that have caused fatalities. It's only a few small rooms, so it doesn't take much time to see. And it's near the Porte Dauphine Metro, one of the only remaining Metro entrances that are completely intact with canopy. The official museum website is only in French, but here's a good slideshow of what they have: http://www.latimes.com/fashion/alltherage/la-ig-counterfeit-0726-pictures-photogallery.html

We literally just got back (like this morning) and I'm brimming with recommendations. My husband and I traveled with our 14 and 16 year olds. I recommend the following activities with your kiddos.

1. Bring a lock (or buy one) and put it on the Pont Neuf.
2. Go on a Seine river cruise.
3. Catacombs are a must-do, but make sure you buy advanced tickets.
4. I second the poster who recommended climbing up Notre Dame's tower. This was my favorite.
5. Pere Lachaise if your kids are into creepy things. They may not know the people buried there, but the tombs are fun to visit.
6. Do a bike tour instead of a walking tour! There was shockingly very little traffic on the streets of Paris right now, August notwithstanding.
7. Visit a "stinky" fromagerie with the kids :-) and buy a "beginner" cheese and an "advanced" cheese, then go to a park and do a taste test. I recommend visiting one in Rue Cler.

Have fun!

1. Bring a lock (or buy one) and put it on the Pont Neuf.

Not unless you really want to annoy the French. They cause damage, cost money to remove and are BANNED.
See here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32960470

PLEASE do not put a lock on Pont Neuf or in any other public space in Paris!
thank you.

There is Plexiglas on the bridge going to Notre Dame, so you can't put locks there.
The City of Paris is busy cutting them off all the bridges, will melt them down and is considering an appropriate sculpture.

Leave the locks at home.

Bonjour! Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions! I have a long list of things added onto my itinerary from this forum! Merci Beacoup! But no worries we won't be bringing locks and putting them on the bridges. Been reading through many other Paris posts and learned that locks are not welcome in Paris and they are getting rid of them. Thanks again.

So sorry, but hard to believe that anyone is still promoting locks on Paris bridges. Please, NOOOOO!

A boat trip on the river. I like the Batobus that travels in a circuit along the river, stopping at major sites like Eiffel Tower, D'Orsay, and Notre Dame.

"........ but the tombs are fun to visit" referring to Pere Lachaise cemetery. Fascinating, yes, possibly educational, but "fun" ? It is a cemetery not a place of amusement.

If one or more of the three children is a girl, the Doll Museum (Musee des Poupees) in Montmartre might be a good place to spend an hour or so. Very small museum, no chance of getting bored.

Perhaps your kids would enjoy something like this:

http://en.meetingthefrench.com/visite/bakery-grenier-pain_564.htm

@Patricia! Yes we already booked the bakery tour with meet the French!! I think someone from the Rick Steves forum recommended it in another post of mine. The people on the RS forum are so generous and knowledgeable with their information. So far our trip itinerary is wonderful and full of suggestions from the forum! Thanks again all!
Merci Beacoup!

Re. locks on Paris bridges: I was just in Paris, literally end of last week. Still very popular thing to do, still a million locks, people are still doing it. Maybe the gov. is removing the locks but they must reappear overnight. News reporting doesn't really reflect the day to day lives of people and what goes on. Anyway, y'all can continue arguing re. the locks, but I saw what I saw. Carry on.

Norma -- like i said, my kids are into creepy/scary things, so they found Pere Lachaise cool and fun. I told the poster that if her kids are like mine, then they'd like Pere Lachaise. It's obvs. you are not like my kids. She was looking for suggestions for her tweeners, and I gave her one.

Definitely the Catacombs!
http://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/visit/access-opening-times-accessibility
You can buy tickets ahead of time online! Well worth it. We went at 6 pm on a Sunday evening a couple of weeks ago. The line for those without tickets was around the block. We were able to just walk right in!
While the Catacombs website is in English, once you click to buy tickets, you will end up on site that is only available in French. It is relatively self explanatory, even in French. I had my daughter, the French major, read through the terms and conditions page, but there was nothing surprising.
There are "youth" tickets available for only 5 Euro. These don't include the audio guide, but you could share.

For the Louvre, go on the web site and check out the Visitor Trails under the Activities and Tours tab. There are 28 different self guided tours that you can do. We did the Lion Hunt (lots of sculptures) and the Masterpieces. Remember that this museum is huge and you can wear yourself out if you don't have a plan.

Since you will have your museum pass, go to the Pompidou even if only to go the 6th floor to check out the view-you can see everything from Notre Dame, around to the Eiffel Tower, and Sacre Coeur. There are also the funky fountain and the ultra modern architecture of the building itself. This is a quick walk from Notre Dame.

Find the market street in whatever neighborhood you're in. You can put together a fun feast at the bakery/pastry shop, the fruit stand, and the cheese shop. Just remember to always say bon jour when starting any conversation with the sales person, and point to what you'd like so they can pick it up and wrap it for you. Given where your hotel is, on Rue des Abbesses at the corner of Rue Lepic there is a shop with really good macarons next door to beautiful fresh fruit. My daughter and I made a snack one afternoon of strawberries and chocolate macarons.

Hike up Montmartre to Sacre Coeur for the views.. There are always artists painting at Place du Tertre, and there's a huge variety of art to see. Some artists may try to get you to sit for a caricature, but they aren't overly zealous.

Go to Laduree on the Champs-Élysées for tea. You might be able to walk in, or might have to reserve.
It won't break the bank, either.

We found a tea room by accident this summer. Great service and wonder tea and cookies, cakes and sandwiches. It is close to the Louvre. https://whsmith.fr/

Today's "Le Parisien" showed several pictures of people gleefully clamping locks on all the bridges but the l'Archeveche by Notre Dame.
The City is cutting them off, but it seems to be a losing battle.

Please do not deface public property in Paris.

On the other hand, if you want to climb the Towers of Notre Dame, there are now ticket machines outside the entrance on the side.
There's also an app "Je File", which will tell you approximately how long you'll have to wait. Just enter the number in your party and the time.

Hi Yin,

We just got back from France with 12 and 14 year olds. Highlights in Paris for us included:

1. Bakery tour (about 26 Euro pp) got you behind the scenes to see bread and pastry making. There are several tour companies online that offer this. Tour was in English and nice selection of samples at the end.
2. Bike tour by Fat Tire. This was my favorite in Paris. We did it on a Sunday in August and there was so little car/bus/truck traffic on the roads! Hits many of the major sites around the city. Guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. Pace of biking was perfect -- active enough for my kids yet easy enough for me!
3. Picnic in the park. Purchased food at the food halls across from Galeries Lafayette (dept. store) and walked to the gardens by the Royal Palace (plenty of benches to have your picnic). Beautiful setting in the middle of the city. Tuileries would also be great for a picnic.
4. Crepes. I was all about the croissants before getting to Paris. They were great, but I regret not having more crepes. They were delicious! My kids loved them.
   

Have a great time!

TM