10 Best Things to Do in Paris with Children

When traveling with children to Paris, most people think of Disneyland. However, in Paris there are many things to see and do for the little ones to enjoy the trip. From its spectacular gardens to the monuments themselves, there are attractions for the youngest members of the family.

Here are some tips and suggestions to make the trip a success and remain engraved in the memory of the youngest members of the family.

The jewel in the crown when visiting the city with children is, without a doubt, to take advantage of the trip for everything there is to do and see Disneyland Paris.

This theme park is perfect for them to spend a few hours of fun, although it is important to buy the pass to avoid the queues if you do not want to spend more time waiting than you spend in the most popular attractions of Disneyland. Here are the two options available:

• One-day tickets for Disneyland Paris, from $93.
• Multi-day tickets for Disneyland Paris, from $229.
• Tickets for Disneyland Paris with express bus service, from $183.

With Disney's restaurants and services, it will be hard to take the kids out of the park when the visit is over.

When visiting a city as big as Paris, with so many places to see and with a lot of distance between them, tiredness can make children have a hard time. One of the ways to avoid this while still visiting the places you want to see is to start by taking an organized tour or excursion around Paris. Below, I point you to my favorite options:

• Ghost Night Tour, from $16.
• Bike tour of Paris, from $45.
• Personalized private tour of Paris, from $58.
• Tour of the pastry shops of Paris, from $100.
• Tour of the covered passages and galleries of Paris, from $137.
• Private tour of Notre Dame, Ile de la Cité and Saint-Séverin church for children, from $263.

To go with children, my advice is to choose one of those that allow you to customize the tour. After all, you are the one who knows your children best and, for that reason, you will know which places can attract their attention.

In addition, this way of visiting the city will allow you to get to know it a little better and then move on your own, without forgetting the informative work of the guides. Many of them are used to having children in the group, so they will surely know how to awaken their interest in what they are seeing.

If the metro seems too complicated to go with children, the city offers a really interesting alternative: the tourist buses of Paris, which will allow you to discover Paris comfortably and at your own pace, without crowding the little ones.

As there are several, with different stops, there will be no problem getting to almost anywhere you want to visit, with the advantage that you can get on and off as many times as you want. In addition, the top of the bus is uncovered, something that children tend to love. Finally, many of them have an audio guide in Spanish to receive information about the places they pass through. Here are the main ones:

• Paris Big Bus night tourist bus, from $32.
• Tourist bus Big Bus of Paris, from $45.
• Tourist bus Toot de Paris, from $41.

Finally, a similar option to the tourist bus is the batobus. It is a boat that travels along the Seine stopping at the most important monuments that are on its banks. Children are sure to enjoy the boat ride through the city.

Traveling with children to Paris does not mean not visiting the most important monuments of the city. For them to enjoy and not get bored, however, you have to change the way they see them and introduce activities that can make them excited. The views from the Eiffel Tower, for example, can be fascinating for the little ones. Going up is always a good idea and, in addition, at the entrance they will be given a game starring a character called Gus Gus with whom they will discover some curiosities of the monument.

One of the factors that you should take into account when taking the children to this plan is the climb to the Eiffel Tower. The stairs, although spectacular, may be too long for the little ones. Instead, the option to do it by elevator is much more comfortable and, therefore, more appropriate for them.

And what I would never pass up is the possibility of going up the Eiffel Tower with a guide who will explain all the secrets and curiosities of the tower. Below, I highlight all the options available, with and without guide, with and without elevator so that you can choose the one that best suits your interests:

• Skip-the-line tickets to the top of the Eiffel Tower, from $34.
• Guided tour of the Eiffel Tower with stairs and optional access to the top, from $40.
• Tickets for the Eiffel Tower in Paris, from $33.
• Eiffel Tower elevator tickets, from $41.

In addition to the obligatory visit to the great Parisian icons, there are other lesser-known activities that children can enjoy for a while.

• Don't miss the Paris Zoo, also known as the Vincennes Zoo. It is a huge space with five biozones distinguishing the native animals of each continent and where you can discover more than 180 animal species.
• Meet the Aquarium de Paris, one of the oldest in the world and where you can literally touch the fish. Explore the depths of the sea among more than 13,000 species, contemplate the mermaid show or the shark pond. A perfect plan to go with children.
• Visit Le Grand Rex Studios, a former art deco-style movie theater. This proposal is for movie buffs, both young and old, as you can tour the studios, learn firsthand how the special effects of the films are developed and see the photo archive of your movie idols.
• Take a ride in the Ballon de Paris, a hot air balloon that rises about 150 meters above the French capital. If you want to live this experience, just go to the Parc André Citroën from 9:00 am.
• Meet the Grevin Wax Museum: almost all children love wax figures and the ones in this Parisian museum will be no exception.
• Live the virtual reality experience FlyView Paris: although children under 6 years old cannot go, if you go with children over that age I assure you that they will enjoy the experience of seeing Paris in a totally different way.

One of the doubts you will probably have when preparing your trip to Paris with children is whether they will be able to cope with the pace of visiting some museums. Obviously, it doesn't seem to be the best thing to force them to spend a whole day at the Louvre, for example, but you don't have to give up those visits either.

Besides the fact that many Parisian museums are free for children under a certain age, if you prepare your visit well and shorten it, they will surely enjoy it. Following the example of the Louvre, the first thing you should do is to book tickets to the Louvre Museum without queues and delimit the rooms to visit.

Another important aspect is to study if the museum has activities for children as in the case of the Louvre. Thus, in the Louvre, family points are installed on Sundays with animators who give hints on how to visit the museum so that children do not get bored. You can also book a guided tour of the Louvre and let them know that you are going with children so that it is taken into account.

Other museums to visit with children

The museum offer in the French capital is very wide and some of its museums can amuse children more than others. Here is a short list of those that may be more appropriate for children:

• Cité des sciences et de l'industrie de Paris: In this great science museum you can learn by investigating with experiments, optical illusions and scientific exhibits, as well as getting to know the planetarium. The best way to educate while having fun at the same time!
• Rodin Museum: Its smaller size, plus the fact that part of the collection is located in its beautiful gardens, can be an advantage to go with children. In addition, these gardens are equipped with sun loungers and places to buy an ice cream.
• Natural History Museum: Undoubtedly, this is one of the museums that can attract children the most. Its galleries hide a large number of objects related to the natural world. Visiting the Paleontology Gallery, with its dinosaur fossils and saber-toothed tigers, is very attractive.
• The Museum of Magic: Much less known, this museum located in Le Marais is one of the best to take children. At the ticket office, they surprise them with a little trick and its interior is full of artifacts related to the world of magic.

The same goes if you can take them to see the exterior of Notre Dame Cathedral, which due to the 2019 fire remains closed. But don't worry, there are virtual tours that allow you to get to know the architecture of the majestic cathedral before it burned down in an immersive way. Take advantage of the visit to tell your children the Disney version of the story of the famous hunchback.

Those traveling to Paris in spring or summer will be able to enjoy the gardens of the city. When traveling with children, these green spaces are perfect for allowing them to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Many of them also contain playgrounds that will delight the little ones.

• Jardin des Tuileries: located near the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre, these gardens have a Ferris wheel, swings and a merry-go-round. It is an ideal place to intercalate between visits to the museums.
• Luxembourg Gardens: in addition to the beauty of the park itself, this garden is famous for its famous puppet theater, to the point that it is usually filled with Parisian families on days when there is a performance. In addition, there is also a merry-go-round and you can sail on a sailboat.
• The Champ de Mars: it is located right at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, so you can spend some time after coming down from it. It has several areas with swings, as well as food stalls in case you feel like having a small family picnic.

Despite its well-deserved fame, Disneyland Paris is not the only amusement park to visit during a trip to the French capital. Thus, Asterix Park is really interesting for the little ones. Less crowded than the previous one and with a more didactic vision, many people think that it is more interesting and fun than Disney.

Within Paris itself you can go to the Jardin d'Acclimatation, a park where activities that combine attractions with culture and nature are carried out. In this space you will find a circus and educational workshops, as well as the possibility of seeing farm animals, a puppet theater or a boat ride.

Another interesting option to explore with the little ones of the house is to book tickets for the Paris Zoo, a park of 14.5 hectares and 180 special animals.

Like any great capital city, Paris offers a great number of things to see and do and shows aimed at the youngest members of the family. Dedicating a morning or afternoon to see one of them will make their experience more enjoyable.

These shows range from puppet shows to magicians, singers to storytellers. Here are some of the most popular ones for children:

• Les Pestacles: every year between June and September, the Parc Floral de Paris is filled with concerts and musical shows aimed at children.
• Workshops and games at Paris Plages: the famous river beaches of Paris have various events for the little ones to enjoy their stay. Among the most fun are the activities of the BHML (extra-mural libraries).
• Cirque Bouglione: the oldest circus in Europe: between October and March, the Cirque Bouglione company opens its doors to offer its new repertoire. It is located in the 11th arrondissement, in the Bastille area.
• Little Villette program: in the park of La Villette, activities for children and teenagers can be enjoyed all year round, from circus performances to film screenings, magic and puppet shows.

Even if you've booked an organized tour for a few visits, the question of how to get around Paris is still going to be important if you're traveling with children. The obvious first choice is the extraordinary Paris metro, but in some cases it will not be comfortable. Thus, the stations (some of them, real tourist attractions) do not have elevators, so if you go with a baby stroller you are going to have quite a few difficulties. In addition, the entrance doors are usually narrow, so you will have to ask to open a special door if the stroller is large.

In the case of older children, the subway can be a valid option. You just have to be careful not to lose sight of them in the busiest stations and just before reaching the stop you are interested in.

On the other hand, if you are going to stay more than two days and you plan to take this transport a lot, the most economical is to purchase the Ticket t+ card, with which children have a 50% discount. Children under 3 years old can use the subway for free.