Bonjour! I am so glad you are here. I’ve previously been to Paris two times but never with our kids. It is a totally different experience, but one we will all cherish forever. My husband and I took our four kids to London and then travelled to Paris for three days for spring break this year and here is what we did and experienced. Look no further than this cover-as-much-as-we-could three-day Paris itinerary for families. We booked most of our tours two months ahead so book ahead, so you are well prepared!
I would highly recommend taking the daily 8:00 a.m. or 8:10 a.m. Eurostar train from London to Paris. It is located centrally in London and stations in the middle of Paris. There are no issues with delays or dealing with airport hauls or the imminent chaos at Charles de Gaulle Airport upon arrival. You will have to personally load and unload your baggage with you on to the train, so if you have little kids (mine are older and able to carry a suitcase) they have porters available that can help. Make sure you arrange this service when you book your train. It is a little over a two-hour train ride – easy breezy.
Day 1
Upon arrival into the train station, arrange a driver to take your family to your hotel with an early check in or stash your luggage. We booked a 1 p.m. tour with Viator travel to go to an authentic boulangerie to make baguettes and croissants. It was très fun, interactive and our kids loved it! It was about 2 – 2.5 hours. We walked down the street to Place des Vogues then weaved over the historical bridges to the Notre Dame Cathedral (a 20-minute stroll) and although it is under repair and reconstruction it was a must stop and see for us.
After a glass of champagne and some fun fruity drinks for the kids at one of the dozens of restaurants along the touristy area we grabbed a taxi, headed back to dine at our hotel before we had a private tour and driver for the Eiffel Tower/Skip the Line tour at night. Superb! We choose the 8:15 p.m. tickets and were back to the hotel before 10 p.m. Check out @stellargirlofficial for the best streets and views for picture-worthy spots!
Day 2
After a few croissants/petit dejeuné we walked toward the iconic Hotel Meurice to engrave our names in the ice wall, enjoyed the lobby, indulged in macarons at Angelina, walked the Tuileries Gardens before making our way to the Louvre for a 3-3.5 hour guided tour with Skip the Line. Again, all our tours we booked through Viator Travel. You could easily spend a day at the gardens, but with kids, three-ish hours was perfect, especially with a private guide.
After the Louvre we took a 10-minute walk to the infamous Emily in Paris – Jardin Royal/Palais Royal Gardens. We took family photos, wandered around, had crepes, admired the flowering trees, the immaculate architecture and took it all in. Then we hailed a taxi and got ready for dinner. We didn’t have a problem finding amazing cuisine without reservations. If I was just with my husband, we would dine at Loulou, Girafe, The Train Blue, Ferdi, Chez Janou or Bouillon Chartier but as we eat earlier than 9 p.m. with the kids of course we had no problem wandering around and easily finding a restaurant we could all enjoy!
Day 3
If you love museums and the kids are in good spirits, go to the Musée d’Orsay for a few hours. Other notables of course are Musée Rodin, Petit Palis or Musée l’oranegie. But I would suggest the Jardin of Luxembourg. It is a perfect outside experience for the kids! We followed that up with a walk up the Champs-Élysées to enjoy the Arc de Triomphe, admired the views and walked down the opposite side of the Champs to do some window shopping. We stopped for lunch at Le Fouquet, and even jutted out to the Avenue Montaigne to let me shop a little before we took the River Boat Seine Cruise. Yes, is it touristy but worth it, and it gives you a different perspective on Paris from the water.
After the river cruise we walked a short distance to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy it during the daylight. We took a few family photos and had an early dinner. Again, we just wandered around, checked out menus and you’ll never had to wait when you eat at 6 p.m. in Paris, or Europe in general for that matter. We never felt pressured to eat at a certain time or get ready for dinner. On our last day I knew once we left our hotel around 9 a.m. we were dressed for the day. We had an early night; I think we were back at the hotel by 8 p.m. to pack for our early departure the following day. I would have loved another day to visit the Palais of Versailles but we will save that for another time. If you have four days in Paris, Palais of Versailles should be on your must-see list.
I hope you enjoyed this detailed itinerary for seeing Paris as a family. It was magical, unforgettable, and yes, we covered a lot of ground, but I wouldn’t change a thing! Please feel free to email me at hello@stellargirl.com for any questions, hotel recommendations or anything else I can assist in making your family trip to Paris as amazing as this one. A bientot!
