Go! Paris, France
Fun 2 day Paris itinerary, 3 day or 4 day Paris itinerary for a perfect family travel experience! Get the best things to do in Paris with kids of all ages!
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and a top bucket list travel destination! There are so many incredible places to visit in Paris and lots of things to do for families with kids and teens! Some of the most enjoyable Paris attractions are entertaining for kids of all ages, as well as adults.
Where to stay with kids in Paris? Rent an apartment on Airbnb near Notre Dame and Historic Latin Quarter, or the posh, St. Germaine in the Left Bank. During our last trip to Paris, we stayed on the 5th floor, with a fantastic view overlooking the rooftops and beyond. These are the top, must do things in Paris, that we have done with our kids when they were young as well as older teenagers.
♦2 day Paris itinerary + 3 day Paris itinerary + 4 day Paris itinerary♦
Things to do in Paris With Kids and Teens
2 Day Paris Itinerary
DAY 1: Day of arrival
Take a Self-Guided Walking Tour of Paris
(Download offline map)
This 2-3 hour stroll is great for the day you arrive in Paris.
Walk through the streets of the Historic Latin Quarter and indulge in a crepe with Nutella and cream. (See the link below for delicious crepe recipes!)
Visit the Historical Shakespeare & Co Bookstore
Walk over the Seine on the Pont St. Michel Bridge on Ile de la Cité
Walk by Sainte-Chapelle- This Gothic monument was built by King Saint-Louis, in 1248, for his collection of religious artifacts. The stunning paned glass depicts 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
Walk down the river to Notre-Dame Cathedral. This 12th-century Gothic masterpiece is one of our favorite places to go. On every trip, we have found ourselves marveling at this outstanding church on the River Seine, in the middle of Paris. Kids will like spotting the gargoyle and chimeras on the exterior. It is FREE to enter. Paid tours to see the underground crypt or the tower (with a fantastic view) are costly, so we have skipped them.
*Travel to Paris with carry on only! Get the Ultimate Carry on Packing List*
Check out Point Zero- this bronze plaque set in the cobblestones in front of Notre Dame marks the center of Paris. This is the place from which all distances in France are measured from! Make sure to get a photo of everyone’s foot touching the plaque.
Paris With Kids
Paris With Teens, 8 Years Later
Walk around the church (stop at the small playground with little kids), and continue on to Ile St. Louis for fantastique ice cream at Berthillon Glacier.
You may want to see the view from the rooftop at Institut Du Monde Arabe, we missed it, but it is supposed to be is outstanding.
In the late afternoon or evening, visit one of the best museums for families in Paris (listed below.)
Places to Visit in Paris
Recommended Museums
Louvre
Considered to be one of the world’s greatest art museums, the highlight is Leonardo da Vinci’s, Mona Lisa. This museum is enormous and packed with people, my advice is to come on a Wednesday or Friday night when it is open until 10:00 pm. You can be entertained by the street performers before or after your visit. Avoid waiting in line by buying your tickets online. Free entrance on the first Sunday of the month.
Musee d’Orsay
French art dating from 1848 to 1914- including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography with the largest collection of impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, by painters including Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin, and Van Gogh
For fewer crowds, go on Thursday nights when they are open until 9:45 pm. Buy tickets online and print. Free entrance on the first Sunday of the month.
Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb
This is one of the largest military history and art collections in the world, with over 500,000 pieces, including armor and weapons of the kings of France. The 100m high Dome church holds the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. Though we have not been to this museum, it is very popular.
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Paris Itinerary 2 Days
DAY 2
Get up early and walk to the Seine
Enjoy a croissant and coffee at Eric Kaiser at 8 Rue Monge in the Latin Quarter
Visit the oldest farmers market in Paris (since 1547) at Place Maubert, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 7:00 am - 2:30 pm. Take a backpack and pick up some items for a picnic lunch.
Tip: For summer travel, a thin packable cooler bag is great to put inside your pack with one or two frozen water bottles. If it’s hot, take more so you can drink cold water as it melts!
10:15-2:30 Blue Bike- Best of Paris Tour- Book online in advance. Meet at Saint-Michel Fountain
*Get the Best Travel Apps for your trip to Paris!*
This tour is the ultimate introduction to Paris! The bikes are easy to ride, they keep the groups small, and the guides are knowledgeable and entertaining.
* For families with younger children, I highly recommend a double-decker hop-on-hop-off bus. We did this the first time we went to Paris when our kids were 4, 6 and 8 and had a great time sitting on the top of the bus, seeing all of the sights. You can hop off at any of the sights on the route, then catch the next bus that comes along when you are ready. Tickets are usually good for 24 hours, so you can purchase them late in the day, use the bus for the evening, then start again in the morning.
Hop-on Hop-off Bus With Kids
Here’s the 4-hour tour plan:
Back to the bike tour…
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Love Lock Bridge, Musée d’Orsay and the Seine River, Pont Alexandre III Bridge, Hotel des Invalides (learn about the most famous general France ever had, Napoleon Bonaparte), stop at the market street named Rue Cler for a snack break.
Continue on to the Eiffel Tower, Grand and Petit Palais buildings, and the famous Champs-Elysées Avenue with a stop to hear the history of the guillotine and Marie-Antoinette at Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Gardens, and finish riding to the majestic Louvre Museum.
After returning the bikes, you can enjoy a picnic and rest up back at the Tuileries Garden (less than a mile back), then hop across the street to have the richest and most decadent hot cocoa ever, at Angelina 226 Rue de Rivoli. They also serve lunch, if you feel like eating in a restaurant. Or, take a stroll back to Notre Dame and enjoy sitting on a bench in the center of Paris.
In the afternoon…
Depending on the families’ energy and interest: 1) Return to any place that you saw on the bike tour. If you want to go up the Eiffel Tower, book your tickets in advance and plan on standing in a long line. (For the 3 or 4 day Paris itinerary, you will return to the Eiffel Tower on Day 3.) 2) Visit one of the famous museums: Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb. 3) Shop (see below)
Visit one of the Popular Shopping Streets in Paris:
Rue Du Commerce for popular brands, small boutiques and lots of charm- near the Eiffel Tower
Boulevard St. Germain for fashionable boutiques and home decor
Triangle D’Or for Haute Couture, as high end as it gets- across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower
Rue Saint Dominique and Rue de Grenelle and Rue Cler for charming boutiques and cafes
Rue De Rivoli- big brand names, street vendors, etc. Runs parallel to the Seine near the Louvre
Le Halles- Shopping underground while in Paris? No thanks!
Paris Itinerary 3 Days
DAY 3
Start out your day with a croissant and coffee from Maison Mulot in Saint Germain des Prés. You can also pick up some gourmet food for a picnic.
Choose a museum, site or do some shopping. Collect a Parisian picnic of baguette, various cheeses, sweet and savory spreads, meats and fruit.
Collecting a Picnic In Paris With Teens
Collecting a Picnic in Paris With Kids
Take the metro or other transportation to the…
Eiffel Tower
The global cultural icon of France, this tower is the most visited paid monument in the world, as you will see. If you must go up to see the spectacular view, I would recommend coming back and going very late at night (last entry is midnight in the summer, at 11 pm for the top.)
Enjoy your picnic at the park close to the tower, looking up at the majestic iron structure. Notice (if it’s summer) hundreds of people lined up, waiting for hours to get in!
Stroll back along the banks of the Seine (on the left bank, river level) and stop at each of the fun stations… carbonated water fountain (make sure to have some empty bottles), climbing wall, Bluetooth connection with speakers in a tunnel, paddle tetherball, and more! This was a very enjoyable walk for everyone, even teenagers.
Exit the riverwalk around Pont Royal and enter the posh St. Germain neighborhood.
Treat the family to macaroon at famous Laduree, the vanilla was magnifique!
If anyone needs a snack to go, we happened upon Francart and had some great food.
If you like tea, then stop into one of the world’s finest tea shops, Mariage Freres. My favorite is the French Breakfast.
Look at Cafe Procope, the world’s oldest cafe, founded in 1686 and has seen many of the most famous people in history eat there, including Benjamin Franklin, Louis XVI, Voltaire, and Napoleon!
Luxembourg Gardens or Jardin du Luxembourg
It’s no surprise that Paris has one of the most beautiful, clean, and serene parks in the world! The gardens cover 25 hectares of land and are split into French gardens and English gardens and complete with many statues, fountains, and ponds. There are activities and adults, can play chess, tennis, and bridge or remote control boats. Our kids enjoyed manning the vintage toy sailboats in the Grand Bassin pond when they were young.
Other Places to Visit in Paris, A Little Further Out in the 18th Arrondissement:
We did this in the morning then took the metro to the Eiffel Tower…
Sacre-Coeur
This Roman Catholic church is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. The church is beautiful as is the view of Paris.
Walk down to the Montmartre and gather a picnic around rue Lepic and rue des Abbesses. Make sure to visit an artisan Boulangerie, as this area is known to have some of the best baguettes in Paris!
On the weekend mornings, you can visit one of the Montmartre Flea Markets.
If you are doing a 4 day Paris itinerary, consider spending more time discovering the very local feeling, Montemarte, neighborhood
Paris Itinerary 4 Days
If you have a 4 days in Paris itinerary, take a day trip outside of Paris
The Palace of Versailles is an 11th-century royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. The history is fascinating and the palace is beyond opulent, but read up before you go to make sure this is a good fit for your family.
10 miles out, easily reachable by train, or take a bike tour and “Skip the line” with Blue Bike Tours
Foodie Notes:
Where to Eat in Paris and What to Eat in Paris
These are SOME of the best in the area around the center of Paris. Just put the name into your offline map (and save it) and voila! If you get hungry while touring, you can look at what is close to you and stop in for a treat!
*look for blue and yellow sign “Artisan Boulanger”- for the best baguette and other bakery items
Best Croissants: Maison Mulot vs. Eric Kaiser vs. Blu Sucre
Best Macaron: Pierre Hermé 72 rue Bonaparte St. Germaine vs. Laduree, St. Germain
Best Tea: MARIAGE FRÈRES, St Germain
Best Hot Chocolate: Angelina Patisserie, opposite the Tuileries Garden
Best Ice Cream: Berthillon
Fine Cheese: Fromagerie Laurent Dubois, Saint-Germain
Excellent Pastry: Patisserie Stohrer
Top Chocolate Shops: Jean Charles Rochoux, Patrick Roger, Jacques Genin (caramel), La Maison Du Chocolat
Splurge Restaurant: JOSEPHINE CHEZ DUMONET
Historic Farmers Market: Marche des Enfants Rouges 3rd (dates back to 1600’s)
Crepe or crème brûlée by a Famous Chef: L’Avant Comptoir
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