OK we are off in teh half term (24th Oct) for 3 nights - 4 days Sat - Tues. I have planned things to do, but not days to do them! I used to live in Paris and know it well, DH and I got engaged there and have visited loads, but ir is the girls first trip.
We are splashing ou on the hotel and staying on the Rue de Rivoli - St James Albany Hotel and Spa. There are soome bad reviews I know, but we got a great deal - £886 for 4 , 3 nights inc Eurostar, that I thought it was worth it. I hate Novotels and needed space for 4!
Any way, we arrive lunchtime on Sat and leave 6.15 on Tues so I think we could do the following
1) Eiffel Tower
2) Musee D%26#39;orsay
3) Louvre
4) Champs Elysee and Arc de triomphe
5) Monmatre
6) Notre Dame
7) Boat trip on teh Seine
8) Bike tour of the city
I would do the Science museum, but think we will be pushed for time, as we need to factor in lots of wandering, hot chocs in cafes, Bertillion ect
Am I missing something? I am not planning a Museum Card as I don%26#39;t think we are going to enough to need it. We will walk or get a metro (carnet) as we are so central.
Just trying to work out what is closed when though! Musee D%26#39;Orsay closed monday and Louvre Tuesday - am I right? So probably best do a cycle tour on Monday I think, with the Louvre in teh pm.
DOes this lot sound about right?
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Hi -
Three things - first give your children each a guidebook to read and make a wish list from. You may be surprised at what they consider to be interesting. Try to include at least one thing from each list. It will buy you patience when you are visiting some of those %26quot;boring%26quot; things you want to see.
Second - get them each a phrase book with a good food section. Then let them translate the bills of fare outside the restaurants, cafes, etc. Be prepared for lots of eeewww gross and laughter as they get to the organ meats and offal, but they%26#39;ll enjoy being an integral part of the meal location selection.
Third - if your young ones don%26#39;t know how to read a map, teach them before you travel. Then you can let them learn the Metro system and help with the routing from your hotel to the tourist destinations - a very important and grown up chore.
Things like these give them major bragging rights when they get back to school - and memories of a trip that will be a high point all their lives. It isn%26#39;t every day, and every parent, that involves children in some of the travel decisions, even if only minor ones. You%26#39;ll find that trip planning will become more of a collaborative effort down the road, and that%26#39;s always a bit of fun.
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I would give second thoughts to a bike ride of the city with an 8 and 10 year old. Having been there yourselves before, you do know how those folks drive. I sure wouldn%26#39;t let my kids that age on their own bike riding in the streets with all that crazy traffic. I think as previously said, give them a book and maybe they will come up with things you haven%26#39;t. There is a book Around Paris with Kids by Fodor - 68 Great Things To Do together, the city and beyond. For their age I feel this book would be ideal. The zoo at Jardins des Plantes is very nice. I just went there a few months back. Doing the Louvre and D;Orsay might be too much museum for the kids. I think I would choose one over the other, of course I am partial to D%26#39;Orsay. I am arriving there Oct 25.
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Definitely make time to do a boat trip, they are a lovely way to sit down and relax but still be seeing the city and the sights. If you go on one with a guide (we liked the Verdettes du Pont Neuf) you can get some history, too.
It depends on whether or not your little people like museums and art, but thinking of my niece and nephew (very similar ages) I am not sure I%26#39;d bother taking them to the Louvre and d%26#39;Orsay at the present. I remember going a kid myself and it being so crowded it put me off - my Dad lifted me up to the Mona Lisa and I asked why so many people wanted to see it, I think!!!
Notre Dame is amazing, and I can%26#39;t recommend highly enough the trip up to see the gargoyles and the towers.
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Good point re guidebooks, I have ordered a %26#39;Paris walks with kids one%26#39; I also like the idea of them translating stuff. However they do know France well and already know some phrases so it shouldn%26#39;t be too hard.
The Bike ride comes out No1 on Tripadvisor things to dod in Paris, so I was going from that!!
Museums are fine, I have 2 girls who love Art. We often do galleries in londoon - National Gallery, Tate Modern, etc They know all about the Mona Lisa and love the impressionists. I know what you mean re the Louvre, maybe that can wait. It is just the hotel is on the doorstep!
hmm, 6 weeks to go so more ideas please!!
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I went to Paris for the day in August with my son(now 23) from Disney.This is just to give you an idea of what is possible.
Arrived at Notre Dame 9.30a. Queue for Towers was 1 1/2 hrs, so we should have got there sooner really.(Same applies to Eiffel Tower).Well worth the wait, great views and close up to the gargoyles.
Saw interior of ND, and I would recommend St Chappelle which is nearby, which has amazing stained glass windows.Your girls seem to appreciate nice things, so they may like that.
Caught Batobus to Hotel de Ville stop for lunch( not so touristy here).
You can also catch the tour boats from here.
Metro to Louvre, spent 3 hours there- Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, Egyptian rooms(best outside Cairo, extensive).My son and I are both interested in Ancient Egypt.
Walked from Louvre, through Jardin de Tuilleries, over Place de la Concorde, up Champs Elysees,( sat at a cafe on the way)to Arc de T. Climbed to the top, best views I think, with all the roads leading out from it.Sun beginning to set.
Metro to Trocadero for fab view of Eiffel Tower, looking over the gardens.
Saw 10pm twinkling lights(on the hour from 9pm)then walked through gardens to have a close look at Tower. Huge queues to go up, so we called it a day.
If we had had a second day, I would have got there early to go up, or try to be on it for sunset and twinkle.
Sacre Coeur in Montmartre is reputed to have lovely views of the city.
Have you seen the Segway Tours? My boys would have loved to do this. Look it up online, tells you all about it.
I would just add that my 23yr old has always liked museums and trips to London etc, even when very young. I took him to Cairo for the day for his 14th birthday- says it is still his best day ever.
My 18yr old would be bored out of his skull.
.
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Sorry, was a bit unclear- the round trip tour boats go from the quay beside Notre Dame. The Batobus is a hop on/off boat that stops near main sights.
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I understand why you might not want to take the time to visit the Cité des Sciences as it is a bit time-consuming for such a short trip. There are several other %26quot;kid-friendly%26quot; museums other than the art museums you might consider.
The Musée des Arts et Métiers in the 3rd has wonderful exhibits of trains, planes and automobiles — and all kinds of other machines and scientific artifacts.
http://www.arts-et-metiers.net/
The Palais de la Découverte in the 8th is usually a hit with kids and worth seeing for its architecture as well as the exhibits.
http://www.palais-decouverte.fr/
The Museum National d%26#39;Histoire Naturelle in the 5th is splendid. The Grande Galerie de l%26#39;Évolution is particularly impressive.
http://www.mnhn.fr/
The Musée de l%26#39;Orangerie in the 1st has magnificent Impressionist paintings in addition to the not-to-be-missed Monet water-liles and is a lot more manageable for kids than the Musée d%26#39;Orsay. It is in the Jardin des Tuileries and right beside the Place de la Concorde.
http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/
The newest addition to the major museums in Paris is its ethnology museum in the 7th known (for the time being...) as the Musée du Quai Branly. I think kids would love its exhibits as well as its design and brilliant modern architecture.
http://www.quaibranly.fr/
A couple of smaller art museums you might also consider include the Musée national du Moyen Age in the 5th with its magnificent unicorn tapestries and the excavated remains of the Roman baths. It is housed in a medieval mansion worth seeing for itself.
http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/
Lastly the Musée Jacquemart-André in the 8th housed in a wonderful Belle Époque mansion has a splendid collection of primarily Renaissance art, including a marvelllous Ucello St. George and the Dragon. It also houses a delightful café/restaurant and has the advantage of being open every day. The history of the family and the house provides its own %26quot;teachable moment.%26quot;
http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/
And don%26#39;t forget the Pompidou Center usually a hit with children, and the Petit Palais and the Musée d%26#39;Art Moderne de la Vile de paris, both of which have the added bonus of being free.
I%26#39;m not suggesting you add all of these. Obviously that would be impossible. I just wanted to give you some alternatives. If you do feel pressed for time I might suggest eliminating the Champs-Élysées, not very interesting IMO other than for the view of it from either end. Montmartre is a bit out of the way for most of the other things on your list.
Hope I have given you a couple of fresh ideas and some less well-known but very worthwhile places to think about...
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you%26#39;ve been before -- with only 3 nights you have 2 full days only -- make this the kids%26#39; trip
give them a good illustrated guidebook and have them pick out 3 things each they want to do with the understanding that you will work in at least one thing from each list (your target should be two things if their choices are reasonable but tell them one)
for me musts for kids this age on a short trip would be climbing the Notre Dame Tower -- (re-watch the Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney version before the trip), the Louvre (and at least the iconic pieces like Venus, Winged victory, Mona Lisa), the Eiffel tower and the boat on the Seine
but your kids may have other ideas
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re: science museum -- this was a big letdown when we took our daughter there -- nothing much that we hadn%26#39;t seen in countless other science museums and a lot of it broken -- do things in Paris you can%26#39;t do in London or wherever
thus although the place is full of interesting things if you live there, I%26#39;d focus on a few highlights that are unique to Paris
and if you want kids to love museums and art you won%26#39;t drag them through the D%26#39;Orsay and Louvre in a two day trip -- and if you do, you will let them graze a bit, focus on a handful of their choices and move on -- nothing kills a love of art like death marching kids through museums (and I say that having raised kids who love museums but were introduced by my husband who knows how to engage them in art and not expect them to overdose on it)
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Thanks for all the ideas, I tjhink tyhe louvre ios now out - they are a bit miffed, as they wante dto see the Mona Lisa! However Musee d%26#39;orsay and climbing Notre dame (not done that before!!) Also they want to see ythe Eifel tower at night, what is this %26#39;twinkling%26#39; people have mentioned??
We have almost 4 days as we arrive at 2pm and don%26#39;t leave until 6pm on the last day, so we should be fine.
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