Ms. Clavel's Guide to Paris with Children

My parents used to take up residence in a rented apartment in Paris during the summers when my mom was off work from teaching. She learned to speak French fluently in her 50s, and when my dad returned home in the middle of the summer for work, she would accept visitors. My daughter and I first went together when she was almost 4 months old at the tail end of my parental leave. It’s one of my favorite photos of her, spiky hair and gripping her passport, ready to take her first adventure. We went again when she was 3 and could hardly sit still. Then at age 5, I took her back with my sister-in-law and the cousins. My sister-in-law jokes that her soundtrack of Paris is permanently imprinted with Peppa Pig snorts from those years.

What to Do with Children in Paris…

In my opinion, Paris is a much better destination for small children than some of the other large European cities. For me, Paris is about wandering the streets and admiring the architecture, sitting in a café enjoying the delicious food or a coupe de champagne while people watching, or strolling along the river. This slower pace allows grownups the opportunity to soak it all in while children happily ride in their strollers through the city. There’s also quite a lot for young children to enjoy as well.   

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  The Luxembourg Garden has beautifully landscaped lawns, tree-lined walkways, and a 17^th century castle. Rent model sailboats at the Grand Bassin and let the children race them around, let the children take a pony ride through the tree-lined walks, visit the large playground which offers fun for children of all ages (expect a small fee to enter), eat an ice cream or grab lunch from one of the onsite vendors or at the little café, and ride the old-fashioned carousel. I recommend setting your home base in or near the 6^th arrondissement, so you are close to the park.
  
• Let the children enjoy some of the beautiful carousels sprinkled throughout Paris while the grownups soak up the sites. My favorite is the Eiffel Tower Carousel with views of Paris’s most iconic site, but the Trocadero Carousel is also beautiful with wooden horses and scenes of Paris. The Hotel de Ville Carousel is similar to the Trocadero Carousel, but it’s not always in operation, so check before you go. We also discovered smaller, more modern carousels set up in other neighborhoods in the city that my daughter loved to ride every afternoon before dinner.
• A lovely way to see the city is to take a boat cruise down the Seine. Full disclosure that the grownups enjoyed this more than the children who found it a bit slow paced.  
• A visit to the Pompidou Museum is an absolute must. Modern art seems to hold more interest for tiny visitors than some of the more traditional art forms, and the tube encased escalators, sweeping views of the city, and the funky fountain outside are fun attractions for the children. We always stop for lunch at the restaurant up top and try to sit outside if we can.
• Visit the Rodin Museum with children and let them explore the gardens, which are filled with Rodin’s large works. There’s also a small café offering a place for an ice cream or cold drink.
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  The Paris Aquarium is a bit smaller than other big city aquariums, but it’s quite good and boasts a large shark exhibit. This is a wonderful rainy-day attraction, or you can couple it with a trip to the Eiffel Tower, as it’s just opposite. We got some great photos of the children with the Eiffel Tower in the background from just outside the aquarium.  
• Take a food tour. I did this on my last trip, and each stop offered a sample of some of Paris’s most beautiful desserts – colorful macarons, beautiful hard-shelled chocolates, and mouth-watering pastries. Our tour took us through the 5^th and 6^th arrondissements. Do this solo at your own pace or with a guide.   

Where to Eat in Paris with Children…

It’s hard to go wrong with one of the many outdoor cafes, but some of our top picks are the following:

• La Couple was founded in the Roaring Twenties and was a favorite hot spot for the artists and literary giants living in Paris at the time. Many even helped decorate the restaurant’s interior! The restaurant is a tourist hot spot, so make a reservation.  
• Les Deux Magots has lovely outdoor seating areas and was a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway.
• Ma Bourgogne at Place de Voges also has a lovely covered outdoor dining area. I will always remember this restaurant as the spot where my jet lagged daughter woke up from her ill-timed stroller nap and immediately requested strawberries for dinner (and they accommodated her despite not having strawberries on the menu). Enjoy the small square across the way after dinner.  
• Cafe Suffren has a slightly obstructed view of the Eiffel Tower and is just a short walk away. I have an adorable picture of my daughter happily carb loading, eating crepes and baguette together.   

What to Read in Paris…

Because this post is about what to do with children in Paris I want to start off with a recommendation for two of my favorite children’s books, Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans is well-known and likely already top of mind, but I also suggest Adele & Simon by Barbara McClintock about two siblings who make their way home through the Paris streets and sites while the little brother (Simon) slowly loses clothes and school supplies along the way. The story is fun, and the illustrations are terrific, offering a bit of a seek and find for young readers. This was a long-time favorite in our house.

 

For adult readers, I suggest the following:

• An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris is a gripping historical fiction spy thriller about the Dreyfus affair – a young Jewish officer in the French military is convicted of treason but evidence later emerges that a spy is still among them. A story that questions one man’s beliefs in his country and goes behind the scenes of a witch hunt involving senior levels of government. This will teach you something about history while keeping you on the edge of your seat!
• The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery is one of my biggest reading surprises. The book starts a bit slow, but it really knocked me off my feet with beautifully developed characters. Set in a Paris apartment building, this is a character study about the quietest, most inconspicuous among us who should not be underestimated and whose stories demand to be told.  
• A Moveable Feast is my favorite Hemingway work, a memoir of his time in Paris, carousing with the Fitzgeralds, James Joyce, and others, exploring the city, and developing his craft. The perfect café reading material.
• If you are in the mood for something a bit more epic, you can’t go wrong with Alexandre Dumas’ classics The Count of Monte Cristo or The Three Musketeers! Added bonus – The Three Musketeers is great on audible.