Planning a family trip to Paris? Here are our favourite things to do in Paris with kids.
Our family recently spent nine days exploring the City of Light. Leading up to that vacation, I was asked many times where we were going for the break and when I answered “Paris” the reaction was invariably the same – complete and utter surprise that we were taking our children. It had never occurred to me that I shouldn’t take my kids, however, it seemed quite clear that there are a lot of people who don’t think of Paris as a child-friendly vacation destination.
Paris is one of the world’s most popular cities drawing millions of visitors each year to experience the museums, art galleries, famous landmarks, shopping, and great food. It may not be the first city that springs to mind when considering a family vacation, however, a family trip to Paris can be a lot of fun for kids.
It’s certainly an easy city to get kids excited about as they most likely have heard about famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and there are a number of books and movies set in Paris that can be used to familiarize them with the city prior to your visit. (Madeline, Ratatouille and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are good examples.) In fact, the one thing that my 8 year old was most excited about before our trip was seeing the Mona Lisa up close – and she wasn’t disappointed despite the small size of the painting and the crowds surrounding it. The look of pure joy on her face when she first saw that painting would convince anyone that kids can enjoy themselves in Paris.
First glimpse of the Mona Lisa
One of the charms of Paris is that it is such a lovely city to see on foot so it’s best for families to choose accommodations in a central neighbourhood which will allow for walking to many of the main attractions without tiring out little legs.
We stayed at Le Prince Régent Résidence & Spa in the 6th arrondissement (St. Germain-des-Près/Latin Quarter) which was ideally located for walking to most everywhere that we wanted to visit in the city.
Most families will prefer either renting an apartment or staying in a hotel such as this which has apartment-style suites as the additional living space and a kitchen to prepare some meals will be most appreciated. (Read reviews of We thoroughly enjoyed our spring trip to Paris and even had lovely weather up until the very last day. We found there to be plenty of family-friendly activities to choose from depending on a family’s particular interests. Here are a few of our recommendations of the best things to see and do in Paris with kids based on our Parisian experiences. Parks and Gardens Paris has an abundance of green spaces that are perfect for families to spend some time relaxing or playing in and they are free to visit although you will have to pay for activities such as rides on old-fashioned carousels or attending puppet shows. Two of our favourite gardens in central Paris are Luxembourg Gardens and Tuileries Gardens where tourists and residents alike flock to enjoy the beautiful weather. One of the most popular activities for kids in the gardens is sailing boats on the ponds but, unfortunately, our March visit was too early for boating season so that will have to wait for another time. Museums On our recent trip we had enjoyable visits to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, the Musée d’Orsay for the impressionist works of art, and the gardens of Musée Rodin to see some of Auguste Rodin’s famous sculptures, including The Thinker. My 8 year old happens to love art so it’s easy for us to visit museums but for children who are less enthusiastic it would be best to choose either the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay and plan to spend no more than a couple of hours. The Musée Rodin is a great choice for any kid because visitors can choose to skip the indoor museum and visit the gardens alone which is inexpensive and a much more enjoyable way to experience art for active kids who don’t like the quiet of a museum. Landmarks Visitors can also cruise the Seine River for a view of the city’s famous landmarks from the water and an up close view of the many bridges. Sitting back and enjoying the view from a river boat also provides an opportunity to rest little legs that may be tired from all the walking in Paris and on a warm day there is nothing better than cruising down the Seine with a light breeze on your face. Day Trips We also booked a private tour to Normandy (a 2.5 hour drive away). My husband and I have both long wanted to visit the Canadian D-Day sites and we felt that it would be of great educational value to our daughters. It ended up being one of the more memorable days of our trip and taught my girls far more about World War II than they could ever learn from a textbook. So should you take your kids to Paris? Of course! The endless list of things to do in Paris makes the city a perfect destination for families and if anyone even thinks about complaining then a visit to the nearest patisserie to purchase a sweet treat will generally restore the mood. With 9 days in the city we were able to see nearly everything that we had planned, however, Paris left us longing to return for more. This article may contain affiliate links which help support this site at no additional cost to you. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Related Links Enjoying A Spring Day in Paris’ Jardin Des Tuileries Le Prince Régent Résidence & Spa Love Locks on a Parisian Bridge A D-Day Tour of Normandy with Kids Visiting the Palace of Versailles with Kids 9 Tips For Taking Kids to an Art Museum
Emma in Luxembourg Gardens
Enjoying a break in Tuileries Gardens
Riding a carousel in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris
Paris is also home to some of the world’s best art museums and most can be successfully visited with properly-prepared kids of any age. With younger kids it can be fun to look at photos of some of the art work that they will see beforehand and then have a scavenger hunt at the museum to find the pieces. Most museums also offer guided tours for families who are willing to pay for a private experience.
Seeing the Venus de Milo at the Louvre
The gardens at the Musée Rodin
Òutside the Musée d’Orsay
Paris is a city with many famous landmarks to visit like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame Cathedral. There are few children who won’t be excited by the prospect of climbing to the top of one of these and looking out over Paris from the higher vantage point.
Katie and Emma walking to the Eiffel Tower
Enjoying the Seine cruise
Notre Dame Cathedral
A day trip out of the city can be just the break that a family needs after a few hectic days of sightseeing. We visited both the Palace of Versailles and Disneyland Paris which are just a short train ride from central Paris. Versailles is a stunning palace with equally impressive gardens that will appeal to the princess in any little girl and, of course, very few children would turn down the opportunity to visit Disney for the day. 
Outside the Palace of Versailles
Outside Disneyland Paris
Dick Jordan
Nice shots of a great city to visit.
Cathy Sweeney
If I had been able to visit Paris at Emma’s age, I would have been smiling just as broadly as she was. I was certainly dreaming about it back then. There’s so much for people of all ages to enjoy in Paris.
Steve
You know that when Lori finally convinces me to make Paris the next stop on our itinerary, you’ll be getting a call from me to help with the planning right? Your trip looks like so much fun, although I don’t have any kids who love to smile for the camera as much as Emma, so our trip might just look a little more hum drum.
Jessica
Those pictures made me smile!
Andi at The Particular Traveler
I’ve always thought Paris was the PERFECT place to take kids (relatively well-behaved ones, that is). I’m thinking of taking my toddler there in the next year or two, and your post inspired me to start planning in earnest! Emma is the best model and her smiling face cheers me up every week 🙂
Eileen Ludwig
lovely
Mary @ The World Is A Book
I love the photos (especially of Emma so happy) and it brought back wonderful memories of one of my favorite cities. We found Paris to be one of the most family-friendly cities in Europe. We had some of those comments too especially the “Aren’t they a little young for Paris?’ My answer was always “There’s an age limit to traveling to Paris?” =) The kids were 4 & 6 then and they still have fond memories of the Eiffel Tower, the Monalisa and eating all those crepes and macarons.
Crystal
Love love love me some Paris! Of course you should take your kids to Paris! I haven’t yet taken my boys but I can’t wait for that day! Great Post!
Malaysian Meanders
My kids have already informed me that we need to visit Disneyland Paris. I guess we’ll do the rest of the town, too, as long as we’re there. ; )
lisa wood
OH yeah Paris…I so would love to go there – and even take kids!
femmefrugality
Maybe a lot of people think of Paris as a romantic getaway, but I would have loved to have been there at any age. Not opposed to taking the kids along. I had one friend go recently and said that she was actually glad they were there because it slowed their itinerary down a bit and forced them to observe and enjoy more of the actual culture than just run from one site to another as they would have if it would have just been the two of them.
Lisa Goodmurphy
You’re right, Cathy – Paris is such an amazing city that I don’t think it’s possible for anyone not to enjoy it.
Lisa Goodmurphy
I would be more than happy to help you plan Lori’s dream trip – I get almost as excited planning other people’s trips as I do my own! 🙂
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Jessica!!
Amy
You bring up a good point about taking children to museums. Yes, they can do it. We visit museums, even if we have to modify our trip to accommodate short attention spans. I can’t wait until our kids are old enough to appreciate that Rembrandt they’ve seen!
Lisa Goodmurphy
You will love Paris – it’s certainly a different experience visiting the city with kids but I think it’s better in many ways. Having kids forces you to slow down and appreciate the little things. The only teeny issue that we had was that the restaurants don’t start serving dinner until late so we ended up eating in cafés and bistros because we couldn’t keep Emma out late for dinner and make her get up in the morning for sightseeing. Really no big deal though. I would definitely either rent an apartment or stay at a suite hotel with a young child.
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Eileen!!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Mary! I love your “Is there an age limit?” line – I may borrow that as we tend to get the question prior to a lot of our travels.
InsideJourneys
Great that you took your kids to Paris. Love the look on Emma
s face. I guess she had fun, eh?
Lisa Goodmurphy
I’m sure that your boys will love Paris – there is so much to do!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Might as well…. 😉
Lisa Goodmurphy
With or without the kids it’s a wonderful city to visit!
Tracy
I really loved Paris with our kids, although I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t make it there pre-kids. So many of those iconic Paris moments I’ve always dreamed off like sitting in arty cafes till late at night and walking for hours along the river would have been a lot more relaxing without the kids!
Glad your daughter got to see the Mona Lisa up close. My kids were more excited about going to the Musee d’Orsay because they’d learned all about it after watching Doctor Who! A sad fact but hey at least they were engaged in the experience!
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista
I’m another that loves Paris and would definitely take my kids! In fact I did. When my daughter made to high school and was learning about European history, I helped her remember these spots which brought history alive for her.
Lisa Goodmurphy
Absolutely true – when you are traveling with kids the pace has to be slower and as a result, in my opinion, you end up enjoying the destination more and soaking up its atmosphere rather than rushing all the time to see and do everything.
Lisa Goodmurphy
I think most kids can have fun at museums as long as parents make an effort to make it interesting for them and as long as the visit isn’t too long. Some kids are always going to enjoy a museum or art gallery more than others (my teen isn’t crazy about art but my 9 year old loves galleries) but there’s no reason why they all can’t be exposed to museums.
Lisa Goodmurphy
Emma loved Paris – she just soaked it up!!!
Lisa Goodmurphy
My teenager is a Doctor Who fan so she preferred the Musée d’Orsay. 🙂 I haven’t seen the episode yet but apparently I HAVE to watch it! I don’t think it matters who or what gets them engaged in the museum – the fact that they are there and engaged in the experience is all that matters.
Lisa Goodmurphy
It is amazing how visiting a city like Paris or other European cities truly brings history to life for kids – it’s so much more valuable to their education than reading text books, in my opinion.
Allison
Paris is at the top of my 8-year-old’s bucket list. I’d love to take her there. Thanks for the family-friendly recommendations!
Lisa Goodmurphy
If she’s anything like my just turned 9 year old, then she will love it!!
Anita Mac
Paris for all!!! Such an exciting place to visit. Looks like everyone had a brilliant time!
Sabrina
Totally! My parents took me as a young teenager and I even remember a class trip to the Musee D’Orsay. I was so impressed by the city, the sights, everything …
Terumi
I just went to Paris a few weeks ago without the kids and totally want to bring them! I love your beautiful pictures and your girls look like they’re having so much fun:) What was your youngest daughter’s favorite parts of the trip?
Lisa Goodmurphy
Hi Terumi – saw your posts about traveling to Paris by yourself and I thought to myself how much I would love to be able to explore for a few days on my own! 🙂
Emma is very enthusiastic about nearly everything – it’s just her personality! She LOVED seeing the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower, she loved playing in the gardens and riding carousels and she loved the food. Our second night in Paris we were eating in a cafe and she took a sip of water and exclaimed “even the water tastes better in Paris”!
Spencer
I love Paris and can’t wait to take my kids there. I just know they will enjoy it.
Colleen Lanin
My 7-year-old daughter is dying to go to Paris, especially to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower! Sounds like your family had an incredible time!
Araceli ONeil
Je vous remercie de votre merveilleuse aventure sahring. It’s really nice to have your whole family travel abroad. I’m sure the kids will always treasure the days that they had so much fun.
I.Rowden
Hi,
We are leaving for Paris in 2 weeks with a 10 yr old and 5 yr old twins (pretty nervous about bringing them with us). I read that you went there in the spring and was wondering what the weather was like. I’ve been told to pack winter coats and boots as well as spring clothes (because you never know!). Thanks for sharing all the info!
Lisa Goodmurphy
I’ll email you as well to make certain that you see my reply. We were there this time of year last spring – early to mid-March – and the weather was lovely. I would check the forecast close to the time but unless you are coming from a warm climate then you will likely find it quite spring-like. We are from just outside Toronto so even on the coolest days we were quite comfortable with just a spring coat with a sweatshirt underneath.
The coldest day was the day that we traveled to Normandy and we needed gloves that day. Some days we needed the coat or a sweatshirt and some days we were down to t-shirts. I wouldn’t think that winter coats and boots were necessary but rain gear might be. We were there 9 days and it didn’t rain until our last day.
Have a great trip – I’m sure your kids will love it as well! Just don’t try to do too much each day and let them have some down time. The Parisian parks are awesome for kids. And there’s always croissants, pastries, or ice cream nearby if you need a distraction!!
Natalie the Singingfool
Oh, how I long to go back to Paris!! Seeing these pictures brought me back there.
Good to know that it’s kid friendly – not that that would’ve stopped me! 😉