A mother-son trip to the most romantic city in the world, with minimal eye-rolling and complaints? Absolutely possible.
My dream itinerary for Paris would look like this: museum, cathedral, museum, cathedral, maybe a little window shopping along the Champs-Élysées. With kids, however, my game plan shifted to finding the most disgusting, offbeat places to appeal to teen and tween boys. The grosser, the better. Make sure to wear your good walking shoes, because nothing will ruin the fun faster than twisting an ankle on the cobblestones. Here are the best tips that will get the kids saying, “Nous aimons Paris!”
A charming Parisian café near the Musée Carnavalet. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Climb the Steps of Sacré-Cœur
Our first stop after arriving in Paris was Sacré-Cœur Basilica. You take the funicular up the hill, walk it, or, in my son’s case, race up the steps while laughing at me. At the top, more steps! (Steps are a theme in Paris.) Climb 280 steps up to the dome for a panorama of the city.
There’s another monument you can go up in Paris. You may have heard of it: the Eiffel Tower. It’s a Parisian bucket list item, but just like going up the Space Needle, you can’t see the Eiffel Tower when you’re on the Eiffel Tower. You’d be surprised how many people forget this.
The kid-friendly Jardin du Luxembourg includes toy sailboats, a carousel and ponies. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Ply Them with Pain au Chocolat
Pro tip: Find a wonderful treat to pair with “some boring old history/art thing Mom wants to see.” We went to the Louvre so I could fangirl out, and took a break at the in-house Angelina’s to try their famous hot chocolate. (It tasted exactly like a melted chocolate bar.) On the Île de la Cité, a Notre Dame tour was rewarded with Berthillion ice cream.
We ate pastries all day, every day — and miraculously came home a few pounds lighter from all the walking. There are beautiful boulangeries and patisseries in every neighborhood, but I liked the one-stop shopping at Monoprix, the French answer to Target.
Angelina’s famous hot chocolate tastes like a melted chocolate bar. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Visit piles of human bones stacked neatly deep underground
Paris used to be a lot smaller. As the city grew, the cemeteries that used to be on the “outskirts” of town got swallowed into the city, so the dead were disinterred and their bones were piled in former stone quarries. Are the Catacombs creepy? Yes. A huge hit with the kids? Also yes.
The Catacombs are underground ossuaries in abandoned limestone quarries beneath Paris. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Walk Through a Stinky Sewer
Paris has no shortage of beautiful museums: the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, l’Orangerie … te most beautiful of all, however, is Le Musée des Égouts, or the Sewer Museum.
Think about it: a sewer system is critical in a city. Before the sewer, all kinds of diseases and smells swirled in Paris. You enter the Sewer Museum through a modern building next to the Seine, take an elevator deep underground, and walk through actual sewers while learning about the history of sewers. The air is stale, but not overpowering.
Le Marais is a historic, trendy neighborhood in Paris. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Visit a Beautiful Public Garden
A little unstructured time outside is a welcome break between museums and cathedrals. The French idea of a garden differs vastly from the Pacific Northwest aesthetic. Their trees are planted in tidy rows, and ankle-height fences delineate the gravel paths.
Jardin du Luxembourg is kid heaven: it has a huge toy boat pond, a carousel, and even pony rides. Other lovely public gardens include the Tuileries outside the Louvre, the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Place des Vosges by Victor Hugo’s house.
The Palace of Versailles was the opulent center of court life under Louis XIV. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Learn About the Gruesome History
I did some homework before our trip, and one takeaway is that French history is rife with beheadings. The Place de la Concorde is a lovely public square now, and it’s also where they parked the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. My extra credit really paid off at Versailles, where I got to admire the opulence while throwing out tidbits like, “The nobles peed behind potted plants like these,” and “Here’s where the mob grabbed Marie Antoinette.”
The Conciergerie isn’t the best-known landmark, but it was fantastic for kids. Not because of its incredible history, but because of its fun tech. It’s a palace-turned-prison where you can see the cell where Marie Antoinette was held. An interactive iPad takes you time-traveling through history.
Sainte-Chapelle is famous for the stained-glass windows that cover nearly all the walls of the chapel. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Of Course, Disneyland Paris
Walt Disney’s surname is the anglicized version of the French “d’Isigny,” which means “from Isigny.” You will not regret spending time at Disneyland Paris. It is far more relaxed and enjoyable than Anaheim. The suburban RER train drops you off right in front of Disneyland’s gates. The two parks are doable in a long but fun day. One noticeable difference is that visitors here aren’t walking around glued to their phones. Disneyland Paris still has the magic.
Where to Stay in Paris
We stayed in an Airbnb in Montparnasse. It was not as advertised: run-down, dirty, with an unresponsive property manager. But, we were a 10-minute walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg. When booking your accommodation, consider that neighborhoods closer to the city center, arrondissements 1 to 8, will be the most walkable and most expensive. Just pick a spot near a metro station, because the public transportation is excellent.
Parisian buildings are primarily made from a pale, creamy limestone. (Image: Caroline JiaYing Grygiel / Seattle’s Child)
Good to Know
- Smoking: Everyone smokes all the time, everywhere.
- Best time to visit: Paris is always a good idea.
- Ideal Trip Length: We stayed a week and barely scratched the surface.
- Getting There: We flew into London, then took the Eurostar, a high-speed passenger train from London, and got there in about 2.5 hours.
- Ideal Kid Age Range: My kids are old enough to carry their own backpacks, which is great. But my friend went with a newborn and said it was even better, because the baby just slept in the carrier while they toured the city.
- Stroller-friendly: Leave the stroller at home. There are stairs and cobblestone everywhere.
- Getting Around: Use the metro.
- Language/Currency: French/euros
- Parent Pro Tips: Pack dark clothes so you can’t see stains.
