fun things to do with kids in paris france - family travel    
  Travel for Kids
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child at the Eiffel Tower, Paris

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.

Tip: Don't miss our top picks for children's books on Paris, recommended by the staff of Travel for Kids, see below.
   
 

Champs-Elysees – Louvre

    Marais – Bastille
    Eiffel Tower
Left Bank
Bois de Boulogne
Parc de la Villette
Carousel   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.
   

Fun food

Crepes
   

As you’d expect, Paris has fun food, and cafes on every corner. When your feet are about to fall off, sink into a café and order up hot chocolate or cold drinks, baguettes with butter and jam, desserts or pastries. Paris is the place to enjoy eclairs and anything chocolate or fruit tartes. Creperies are a big hit – try different flavors of crepes. Candies and cookies, like nothing you've seen before, are a "must try."

     
   

Shopping

     

Prices in Paris are no bargain, but shopping is fun. For an overall approach, hit the Le Bon Marche ("le magasin de la famille"), Printemps or Galeries Lafayette department stores, floors filled with things that you won’t find in department stores in the U.S. Girls will enjoy shopping for hats, scarves, purses and hair accessories in Paris, as well as cosmetics and perfume.

     

If you have infants, toddlers, or under 10 kids, Paris has some of the most appealing clothes you can imagine, for boys and girls. It's just a delight to shop in these stores, unique clothes and very, very fun. The Left Bank has wonderful kids' clothes shops, also rue de Courcelles in the 17th arrondissement.

family hotels paris france
Travel for Kids has so many fun things to do with kids in Paris, but you'll need a fun place to stay.

Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels in Paris, all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods that are comfortable for families, and near to places you'll want to explore:

    Paris family hotels
    Paris family apartment rentals
family travel tools paris

The Louvre is just a great and glorious museum, but it has tons to see, and just how do you make the masterpieces come alive for your kids? This is a charming 2 hour guided tour for parents and kids together, a treasure hunt in the Louvre:

Paris Muse Clues

In another super family tour from Paris Muse, discover hidden secrets of Notre Dame cathedral, the church of Quasimodo, plus medieval walls and secret passageways in Paris:

If Buildings Could Talk
Museum going in and around Paris, get a Paris Museum Pass for 2, 4 or 6 days. With the pass you have free direct access museums and sites, including the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon's Tomb, tours of Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, Versailles and more. Savings for parents and best of all, no waiting in lines:
Paris Museum Pass
kids books paris
     
Adele & Simon - kids books Paris
 
Adèle & Simon
Barbara McClintock

Take a walk with Adele and her little brother Simon on their way home from school, stopping at a street market, the Jardin du Luxembourg, a patisserie, the Louvre, and everywhere, Simon forgets something – his books, scarf, knapsack, books, and crayons. Flavored with watercolor illustrations of Paris a century ago, this is an absolutely delightful tour around the city (which you can follow today). (Picture book)

 

     
This is Paris
M. Sasek

Triomphes, the oldest church and oldest bridge in Paris, 1,665 steps to climb the Eiffel tower, pleasure boats on the Seine, Notre Dame Cathedral, bistros and cafés, Street of the Fishing Cat, and more. Whimsical illustrations, fun facts, this is a classic. (Picture book)

 

 
This is Paris - kids books Paris
     
Louvre Up Close - kids books Paris  
Louvre Up Close
Claire d'Harcourt

Explore hidden details (it's like playing “I spy”) for 24 different art works in the Louvre, learn about each picture or object, and the artists who created them. Plus, where to find more art of animals and children, tapestries, Renaissance painting, Greek vases, Roman mosaics in the Louvre. Good for older kids, and fun for parents too. (Oversize picture book)

 

     

Inside the galette des rois ("cake of kings") is a key, with a gold paper crown that transports Oliver from present day to the 17th century, the great age of Versailles, poetry and plays. Oliver and his friends race through the city to find a true mirror, and prepare for a showdown with the Master of Mirrors on the Eiffel Tower. A dazzling fantasy adventure, and at the heart of it is – Paris. (Chapter book)

 

 
The King in the Window - kids books Paris
Ooh-la-la (Max in Love) - kids books Paris
 

Max, the dog poet, heads to Paris. Hilarious rhymes and wacky illustrations, and the best description of Notre Dame Cathedral – "What's that scary looking shack with those creepy monsters sticking out?" (Picture book)

 

     
Eloise in Paris
Kay Thompson, Hilary Knight

Madcap adventures of Eloise, that fun-loving enfant terrible, in Paris. Fresh and funny, "Il y a beaucoup de cobblestones in Paris and some of our feet are getting round," Eloise travels with 37 pieces of luggage, leaps into the fountains to cool off and tweaks the sculpture at the Louvre. (Picture book)

 

 
Eloise in Paris - kids books Paris
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - kids books Paris  
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Victor Hugo, Marc Cerasini

Easy-to-read adaptation of this classic novel set in the Middle Ages – the ugly hunchback Quasimodo rescues a beautiful gypsy girl, Esmeralda, and takes her to the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral. (Easy reader)

Kids will also enjoy reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame abridged version (Chapter book)

 

     
Les Miserables
Victor Hugo, Monica Kulling

Easy-to-read version of this 19th century classic – Jean Valjean, an ex-convict, raises a poor orphan, Cosette; all the while, he is relentlessly pursued by harsh police inspector Javert. Gripping climax in the sewers of Paris. (Easy reader)

 

 
Les Miserables - kids books Paris
The Eiffel Tower - kids books Paris  
The Eiffel Tower
Meg Greene

Before you tour the Eiffel Tower, find out about this famous Paris landmark – the unique design (a tower made of wrought iron), building techniques, installing the elevators, and when completed in 1889, it was an engineering tour de force and the tallest structure in the world. (Chapter book, color photographs)

 

     
Night of the New Magicians (Magic Tree House)
Mary Pope Osborne

It's the 1889 World's Fair. Jack and Annie go on an airy bike ride over the Paris rooftops to meet Gustave Eiffel, the "Magician of Iron," and engineer of the Eiffel Tower. (Easy reader)

 

 
Charlotte in Paris - kids books Paris
 
Charlotte in Paris
Joan McPhail Knight, Melissa Sweet

Step into Paris 100 years ago, when the Eiffel Tower was the tallest tower in the world. Charlotte's delightful fictional diary and scrapbook is filled with hand-written entries, real postcards from the time, French phrases, and exquisite little watercolors. (Picture book)

 

     
The Mona Lisa Caper
Rick Jacobson, Laura Fernandez

"Hanging on the wall year after year isn't as easy you might think." Totally captivating story of the Mona Lisa theft, told by the painting herself. She understands why Vincenzo Perugia thought the Mona Lisa should go back to Italy, and how he lifted the painting from the Louvre. Based on true events, this story is a gem, beautifully illustrated.
(Picture book)

 

 
The Mona Lisa Caper - kids books Paris
Marie, Dancing - kids books Paris  
Marie, Dancing
Carolyn Meyer

Paris, 1878. Captivating novel of Marie, the young ballet dancer who posed for Degas famous sculpture, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Marie is most happy when she dances at the Paris Opéra, but her daily existence is far from idyllic, as she struggles to keep her family together. Vivid sights and scenes of Paris interwoven in a story of art and life. A good teen read. (Chapter book)

 

     
Bijou, Bonbon & Beau
Joan Sweeney, Leslie Wu

A mother and her three kittens make their home in a ballet theater in Paris. While the talented Degas sketches the dancers, the cute kittens, Bijou, Bonbon and Beau, chase after the ballerinas. Delightful for little kids. (Picture book)

 

 
Bijou, Bonbon & Beau
A Spree in Paree - kids books Paris  
A Spree in Paree
Catherine Stock

A farmer takes a holiday in Paris, bringing along his sheep, geese, goats, cows, pigs, chickens, and pigeons. The geese ride the bateaux mouche, the pigeons fly to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the pigs order up a fancy dinner. Exuberant illustrations. (Picture book)

 

     
Everybody Bonjours!
Leslie Kimmelman, Sarah McMenemy

"When in Paris ... everybody bonjours." Charming story in pictures and rhymes around Paris, delightfully illustrated. Fun for little kids.
(Picture book)

 

 
Madeline - kids books Paris  

Adventures of perky Madeline, her schoolmates and Miss Clavel, set in Paris, with colorful sketches of the, Tuileries, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, the Pont Neuf, and more favorite landmarks. (Picture book)

A perfect to bring on your trip, book plus audio CD: Madeline (Puffin Storytime)

 

     
La La Rose
Satomi Ichikaw

Adventures of La La Rose, a pink stuffed rabbit, who gets lost in the Luxembourg Gardens. La La Rose is tossed around by boys playing soccer, tumbles down a grassy hill, splashes into the boat pond, and is finally rescued by a little girl with a red balloon. Lovely watercolor illustrations. (Picture book)

 

 
La La Rose - kids books Paris
     
 

50 colorful cards with maps on one side, and information on the other, for cathedrals, museums, parks, places to eat, and walks around Paris. Let the kids pick what to see today! (Guide)

 

(More children's books on other Paris and France pages)