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It seems that Paris has more museums and monuments per square kilometer than anywhere else and they are fabulous, but don’t explode trying to see them all with your kids. Paris is also a great walking city, especially all those wide boulevards, and tucked away in every neighborhood are charming little parks, open to everyone. Wherever you go, breathe in the delicious smells of pastries and fresh bread from the nearest patisserie or boulangerie, and stop in to sample the sweetness of Paris.

Ride the carousels – Paris has numbers of charming carousels, especially popular for younger kids. Give it a whirl whenever you happen to stumble onto one. Carousels can be found in the Jardin Des Tuileries, in the Parc du Champ de Mars, at bottom of the hill of Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, and in the Luxembourg Gardens.



Ride the Metro – Riding the Metro (subway) is fun, not just because you can hop on and off anywhere in Paris, but there’s all those long tunnels. While meandering up and down, you come upon unexpected delights, such as a chamber orchestra playing Baroque music, a lone violinist, playing for coins, a jazz combo. For unlimited rides on the Metro, buses, regional express trains, plus a Metro and bus map, get a Paris Visite Metro Pass.

Tip: People take strollers on the Metro all the time, but there are stairs in the stations, and it's not easy to maneuver the stroller with just one person.


Batobus – Take the "batobus," a water taxi, to ride up and down the Seine, stopping off at "must-see" sightseeing spots, such as the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower. With a day pass, you can get on and off as much as you like. The Batobus runs from April to Nov., 10:00am - 9:00pm in the summer months. Click here for more information on the 8 different stops, and where to purchase tickets.

Pont Neuf

Bridges – There are 36 different bridges across the Seine, and they're all different. Some are wooden, metal or stone, some are plain and functional, other like the Pont Alexandre III are decorated with gilded statues and cherubs. The Pont Neuf (where Madeline fell into the river) is four hundred years old, the newest is the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge. Some bridges are just for pedestrians, others are for the metro. At the Pont de l'Alma, look for the statue, a soldier at the base of the bridge – when the Seine rises too high, the statue is covered with water. Kids can have fun choosing their favorite bridge, and if they like to draw, bring pads of paper to sketch the bridges.

Ride the carousels – Paris has numbers of charming carousels, especially popular for younger kids. Give it a whirl whenever you happen to stumble onto one. Carousels can be found in the Jardin Des Tuileries, in the Parc du Champ de Mars, at bottom of the hill of Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, and in the Luxembourg Gardens.



Ride the Metro – Riding the Metro (subway) is fun, not just because you can hop on and off anywhere in Paris, but there’s all those long tunnels. While meandering up and down, you come upon unexpected delights, such as a chamber orchestra playing Baroque music, a lone violinist, playing for coins, a jazz combo. For unlimited rides on the Metro, buses, regional express trains, plus a Metro and bus map, get a Paris Visite Metro Pass.

Tip: People take strollers on the Metro all the time, but there are stairs in the stations, and it's not easy to maneuver the stroller with just one person.

Batobus – Take the "batobus," a water taxi, to ride up and down the Seine, stopping off at "must-see" sightseeing spots, such as the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower. With a day pass, you can get on and off as much as you like. The Batobus runs from April to Nov., 10:00am - 9:00pm in the summer months. Click here for more information on the 8 different stops, and where to purchase tickets.

Pont Neuf

Bridges – There are 36 different bridges across the Seine, and they're all different. Some are wooden, metal or stone, some are plain and functional, other like the Pont Alexandre III are decorated with gilded statues and cherubs. The Pont Neuf (where Madeline fell into the river) is four hundred years old, the newest is the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge. Some bridges are just for pedestrians, others are for the metro. At the Pont de l'Alma, look for the statue, a soldier at the base of the bridge – when the Seine rises too high, the statue is covered with water. Kids can have fun choosing their favorite bridge, and if they like to draw, bring pads of paper to sketch the bridges.



Paris Story – Paris Story is a splashy 50 min. multimedia show, a good introduction to 2000 years of Paris history in a virtual reality theater that makes you feel like you're there. Headsets with 14 languages, including French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, etc. Kids will get a kick out of Paris Miniature, a huge detailed model of Paris with interactive buttons to locate sights on the model. Show will appeal to kids 5 and up. (Located on 11 bis, rue Scribe, near Galeries Lafayette.)

Aquaboulevard (rue Louis Armand, Porte de Sevres) – Aquaboulevard is a big aquatic park, with a wave pool, slides, indoor swimming pools, plus other recreations such as golf, tennis and bowling, right in the center of the city. Fun for everyone in the family.

All Paris hotels are ranked by rigid criteria (including details such as number of electrical outlets, shutters on windows, etc.). Paris has nearly a thousand two- and three-star hotels; several hundred small hotels have one or no stars but are perfectly adequate for bargain-hunters.

Welcome to Paris, City of Light! And a wonderful place to visit with kids. Visitors in summer get an extra bonus: "Paris Plage", that is, "Paris Beach". Yes, beach: an artificial beach, with sand, is actually created along the Seine, with deck-chairs, ice cream stands -- the whole beach scene. When we visited Paris, all three of my kids agreed: we had to see the Eiffel Tower first.

The Eiffel Tower-- in French, La Tour Eiffel, pronounced toor ee-fell-- is a much more wonderful piece of architecture than any pictures convey: massive, but airy. Try to visit the Eiffel Tower during daytime, and also do a night visit too: the Tower is open late, often until midnight, and is a delightful experience, lit up in the dark with thousands of lights.

The Eiffel Tower also has a fascinating history, including a stint as a radio transmitter during World War I. You'll find information displays on different platforms at the Eiffel Tower: allow plenty of time during your visit to learn about this landmark which, incidentally, was much criticized during it's early years.

The Place du Trocadero is a great place to view the Eiffel Tower, and is especially fun on summer nights: you might see African dancers, in addition to sure sightings of Parisien lovers and the lit-up Tower!