We had an opportunity a few months ago to take a trip to Paris. We had 4 days in Paris and we didn’t want to waste a moment. I had 6 days to plan the trip and I want to share with you all the things we did that were amazing and also a few things that didn’t work.
Planning…
We have learned a bunch from traveling with the girls over the past few years. One, we have to have destinations, its one thing as an adult to just let the world take you. There is actually a term for that in French, flaneur, I love it. You just wake up and let the city show you where to go next. As an adult, I absolutely love doing that in a big city, or anywhere for that matter, however, for now that doesn’t work the best for the girls. Totally fine. We will get there. So, destinations each day are a must.
The other thing we have learned traveling with kids is that meals need to be predictable yet adaptable. For this trip I had some places I knew we absolutely wanted to make happen and then a bunch of places that would be great options if we ended up in that neighborhood hungry.
I planned all of the days to have a one major stop with a few other options. The girls are old enough to start making decisions about which way we want to take an adventure. I find in travel but also in life allowing the girls to weigh in on what happens with the family promotes their positive attitude about whatever it is we are doing. Also what’s cool is that when things don’t go to plan they are more interested in helping be a part of the solution.
Planes, trains and more trains…
We flew standby from SLC. This was our first test for adapting and overcoming on this particular trip. We got bumped off of our direct flight to Paris and had to pivot with a plan quickly. I worked with the most lovely Delta help desk attendant who got us on the direct flight to London, in business class no less!!
After landing in London we caught the train to St. Pancras. We grabbed an awesome juice and smoothie at Joe & The Juice and a terrible sandwich across the hall in the train station and boarded the EuroStar to Paris. We took the metro from the Gare du Nord to our stop at St. Germain des Pres.
While in Paris we traveled either by metro or by foot. I love the accessibility of the metro and think its important to teach the girls how to use different modes of transportation. They have a blast figuring out our route and leading the way through the metro. It is also a great way for me to keep my head up and eyes on them while they look at the map route. We learned this a few years ago traveling in NYC. I was finding myself looking down at the phone while the girls were walking behind me. It didn’t feel right. Penelope was old enough to take the phone and lead the way. It was a safer and more empowering way for all of us to move through out the city. Now it is our go to. They take the phone or map and I check in and make sure we are headed in the right direction and keep my eyes on potential hazards or concerns.
First evening walk about
4 Days of Magic…
After checking into our Airbnb our first stop was La Creperie des Cannettes. These crepes are delicious. The service was awesome. I could have eaten here every day.
The crepes gave us the fuel we needed to take a walk to the Seine and see some of the city.
We walked into the plaza at the Louvre just in time for sunset, it was like a scene out of a movie, La vie en rose was playing and it was pure magic.
We initially had planned to go to Le Relais de l'Entrecôte but the line was way too long for how hungry we were when we first landed. On our way back from our walk we passed by and made the decision to wait in the line to try it. The experience was funny in that we were supposed to be headed to bed and had just eaten crepes not too long before this but it ended up being one of the best meals we had and definitely a memory making moment. Vacation is an amazing time to do spontaneous things that are out of the norm for you or your family but in the moment just make so much sense. The girls got a kick out of the entire thing.
First full day in Paris
Our main event this day was the Arc de Triomphe. (Click the link to buy tickets.) We woke up and caught the metro to the Arc.
Get tickets online. When you get to the base you don’t have to wait in the long line. Find the check in and tell them what time slot you have. You will then go through security. You walk up the stairs inside the Arc so have your walking shoes on. This is a great spot to see the city from above. We could see where we were headed next and then when we got there we could look back and see where we had been.
Our next stop was Galeries Lafayette and big gorgeous shopping mall near the Opera. We walked to the Galeries and were sure to make it to the roof top. C
A bit of shopping later we were on the move, a walk past the Opera (Clink the link to get tickets to go inside) and a stop for gelato (this spot was good and had a few locations around town) and boba (we have this place in Salt Lake City, I think its fun sometimes to get something familiar from home in a foreign country, the juxtaposition is kind of cute) each kiddo.
We had our eye and bellies set on the next main stop, a place I had been reading about inline for a while a stop I knew was not going to disappoint. But we had a bit of time to spare so we hopped into Palais Royal (click the link for a bit of history) and then into the Tuilleries, (hit the link for a little history of the Tuileries) the grass and garden area just outside the Louvre for a rest and some high quality people watching.
We walked over to Les Enfants Du Marche (click the link for hours) an absolutely delicious outdoor restaurant tucked away in an open air market. We had the ears and hoves, don’t let the name fool you, be courageous!!! We also tapped into some snails. Everything was insane. I would go back to this place every time I visit. If you don’t believe me check the Conde Nast review, we had a very similar experience.
After dinner(ish) we stopped by a fresh fruit and veggie stand for some goodies to have at the Airbnb. A lovely and disheveled couple was running the place, you could tell that everyone had just come through on their way home from work to grab whatever they were making for dinner that night. There were boxes on the floor and packaging pieces strewn about. When traveling I love to combine the touristy stuff with glimpses and tastes of how real people in the area live.
It was a gorgeous evening so we decided to walk our way down to Notre Dame on our way back to the Airbnb. The rebuild was just finishing up and I think it will be neat for the girls to see the difference the next time we go to Paris.
Walk from the Arc de Triomphe to Galeries Lafayette to Tuileries to Les Enfants du Marche to Notre Dame
Top spots and pro tips:
Pop and I catching some sunset light outside the Louvre
Get tickets online. Schedule ahead of time. You will have an online ticket and time. When you get to the great big plaza with the giant pyramid there are people holding signs with times. Go find your time and stand in the line. It could be long it goes fast once the time slot opens. This is also an amazing time to people watch. I have heard that you can go across the street to an alternate entrance. We didn’t try it this time but I might try it next time. The line was insane but went so fast once the slot opened up. It is helpful to have a route to take when headed into the Lourve. If you have some things you definatelt want to see it map it our ahead of time, get inside and get your bearings and hit it. If you don’t have a plan no worries, grab a map once you get inside and step to the side and see which way you want to head. The Mona Lisa is the most popular, you can just follow the crowd to see that… Naploeon’s apartment is super popular… my favorites are the sculpture rooms within the atrium. We were a little hungry and not fully in the mood for the crowds so we buzzed through.
Get tickets online. We had plans to go check this out and it was actually top of Brian’s list of must see things, however, because of the flight change we missed our ticketed spot and there were no other spots available during our stay. This Chapelle is divine and right across the street from Notre Dame, it is a great alternative to the big lady if you can’t get in to see her.
Eiffel Tower:
There are certain parts of the tower you can explore for free and others, higher, you need tickets. Be aware of your surroundings here. This is one area where unfortunately we were very much aware of pickpockets and urchin like vibes in certain areas around the base of the tower.
At night the tower starts to sparkle at 8pm then continues for 5 mins top of every hour until 11pm in the winter.
From Pink Mamma walk to French Bastards and grab some pastries for later. Then shop your way to the Love Wall you’ll end up at Sacre Coeur.
Walk or tram up the stairs. Once at the top take a look around. Definitely go inside, it’s free and gorgeous.
