9 Day Paris Trip with a 2 year old

Well strollers aren't allowed everywhere but they are allowed in a lot of places so do for goodness sake bring one! Paris has many pocket parks here and there, pick up some snacks or picnic goodies and make lunches a time littel one can run around and stretch his legs.

What time of year are you going and where are you staying in Paris? You say you arrive on a Sunday morning, but what days do you need to be in your business meetings? If you're going during high season, I would recommend skipping Disneyland Paris. Travel time + standing in line wouldn't make for a fun day with a 2yo. Especially if you're going to drag him/her to Versailles one day. You could go to a pool or a park in Paris instead. Even a Seine river cruise might be more enjoyable. You could get HO/HO bus passes and use that for transportation. While it's much, much slower than the metro, it gets you close to things without having to go up and down many stairs. Plan one full day for the Louvre. I'd expect you'll need to leave at least once and come back during the day. I'd suggest making sure you alternate long days where it will be hard for the 2yo to get a nap with lighter days. Hope you have a good trip!

Don't miss taking your 2 yr old to the Luxembourg Gardens. Wonderful playground, marionette shows, donkey rides, live music some days. You, and she, will love it there.

Thank you all for the great tips! We are arriving on Sunday, April 21 and leaving on Tuesday, April 30. My meeting is on Thursday and Friday of that week. We are staying at the Milennium Hotel Paris Opera

I agree with Dina that it is better to skip Disneyland on this trip. Besides the travel time and waiting in line, there is the expense, too. A two-year-old might enjoy the zoo, but it has been my experience that kids that young just aren't impressed by Disney. We usually ended up with one child or other asleep in the stroller for a good part of the afternoon. They could have been anywhere.

I agree about not taking a 2 yr old to Disney. There is a wonderful, old-fashioned amusement park in the Bois de Boulogne (park on the western edge of Paris) called "Jardin d'Acclimatation" that your 2 yr old will enjoy much more I think. They have animals, a little train, little rides for very young kids, guy that makes balloon animals, etc. But I still think the Luxembourg Gardens are best for a 2 yr old. Easier to get to and free.

Just chiming in to say that I totally agree with Susan. My son was a toddler when we first took him to Paris and his favorite things to do on that trip were Luxembourg Gardens the amusement park Susan mentioned, the carnival/amusement park in the Tulleries near the Louvre and all the children's rides that you see on sidewalks in Paris. We interspersed them with visits to museums, etc. to keep him entertained. One point to mention is that the children that I saw in Luxembourg Gardens played a bit more spontaneously than American children do and the swings, etc. were bit less safety oriented than in the parks where I live. That might be something that you have to watch out for with a 2 year old.

I too would skip Disneyland Paris this trip - it is a 45 min ride one way on the RER, expensive and the little one will have no memory of it. There are many lovely parks in Paris where a little can play - at Disney the child would be confined to a stroller. Save that for another trip where the child is older and can really enjoy it.