My wife and I have been to Paris a couple of times before, but when we were planning a 2-week trip with our 18-month-old, we hoped to make it something special. We wanted to spend most of our time taking in the sights, enjoying the food, and really trying to feel like true Parisians. At the same time, we needed to find activities that would be fun for our little one.

Orientation and Getting Around

Paris is an extremely large city and it can seem daunting at first to even know where to start when you arrive. Paris itself is made up of 20 arrondissements (districts) and it starts with the 1st arrondissement (the Louvre) in the center of the city and winds around the city clockwise from there in numerical order. The Seine River divides the city in half, the Left Bank (south of the river) and the Right Bank (north of the river). The main airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, is to the northeast of the city and it is very easy to get into central Paris by the RER train (residential train system) and the Métro. Check out a map of Paris as well as my blog post for more information about getting around Paris with children by public transport.

When visiting a big city like Paris, it’s important to have reliable information to fully enjoy the experience. Personally, I’ve been using Rick Steves’ travel guides since my first backpacking trip to Europe and have found his guides to be invaluable resources, offering insights and practical tips to get the most out of any European adventure. When planning this trip I had purchased the Rick Steves Paris Travel Guide which helped us discover the must-see landmarks as well as the hidden gems of this wonderful city. I highly recommend checking out his latest Paris travel guide.

Our Hotel

To make the most of our trip, we needed a place that was close to the city center. That’s when I stumbled upon the Hôtel Résidence Henri IV. It was everything we could have asked for – centrally located, extremely helpful staff, and near a park with a playground. The hotel served breakfast every day and we also had a kitchenette in our room where we could cook meals for ourselves. One of the best features of our room was an outdoor patio where my wife and I could relax after putting our daughter to bed.

Our 2-week Itinerary

Since we had 2 weeks to spend in this incredible city and we were traveling with our toddler, we were excited to plan our activities in a way that kept our daughter on her schedule as best that we could, but also take in all the sights that we wanted to see.

Day 1 – Luxembourg Gardens

On our 1st day, we arrived early in the morning and made our way down to our hotel. We were able to check-in and leave our luggage with the front desk while we waited for our room to be ready. Our main goal for today was to get our daughter adjusted to the new time zone as it felt to her (and us!) like the middle of the night. Before departing on our trip, we had read that staying outdoors and in the sun as much as possible the first couple days would help with the jet lag. So we first went to the park near our hotel for some playtime. We then made our way over to the Luxembourg Gardens which was just west of our hotel. This is a large, beautiful park near the Latin Quarter in the 6th arrondissement. It has flower gardens, reflecting pools, and fountains to enjoy. It is very relaxing just strolling around the park as you don’t even feel that you are in the middle of the city when here. We also found a carousel (one of many on this trip) for our daughter to ride on.

Day 2 – Tuileries Garden, Angelina, and Librairie Galignani

We started out early the next morning to continue with our adjustment to the new time zone and made our journey to the Tuileries Garden. It is another beautiful park, near the Louvre Museum, where you can leisurely walk around to get away from the busy city. We found another carousel for our daughter to enjoy here. We were also able to find some chairs by a large fountain to sit down and relax. We took advantage of this area to let our daughter take a quick nap in the late morning before going to lunch.

One of our favorite restaurants in Paris is Angelina, on Rue de Rivoli, and we decided to have lunch here since it was nearby. They have a good selection of sandwiches and salads as well as some of the best patisseries (pastries) and chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). You can even get some of these items to-go to enjoy back at your hotel. We ended up bringing a jar of the chocolat chaud back home to savor after our trip. After lunch, we went to Librarie Galignani which is just down the block. It is a bookstore that sells both French and English books and has a decent selection of children’s books as well. I have been working on learning French so I was able to purchase some books here that were dual French/English language to help my daughter and I both learn together.

Day 3 – Montmartre, Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur Basilica

We were getting more adjusted to the time change now and it was easier for us all to sleep through the night and get up at a decent time in the morning. On this day we decided to make the trek up to Montmartre, which is in the northern part of Paris. We took the Metro up there to the Anvers Station (Line 2) and were excited to see another carousel for our daughter to go on before we went to the top of the hill. To get up the hill, one can walk or, to make the journey easier, there is a funicular to take. At the top of Montmartre is the beautiful Sacre Coeur Basilica and you can get an amazing view of Paris from here. There are a lot of artists in Montmartre and we walked around for a while watching some of them at work. There are also a variety of outdoor restaurants in this area. We ate lunch here before slowly making our way back down to the Metro station to return to the hotel.

Day 4 – Bateaux-Mouches boat tour

We wanted to try something different today and go on a scenic boat tour. We took the Metro to the Franklin D. Roosevelt station (Line 1) and then transferred to the Alma Marceau station (Line 9). This placed us only about a block from the Bateaux-Mouches boat terminal where we boarded an hour long sightseeing cruise. You will do a lot of walking when in Paris, so it was really nice just being off our feet for a bit. On this boat tour we were also to see some of the major landmarks of the city including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee d’Orsay, and the Louvre as well as many other famous sights.

Day 5 – Jardin Nelson Mandela, Strolling the City and Shopping

Saint-Eustache Church near Jardin Nelson Mandela

The next day we wanted to stroll around the city for a bit and just take it all in. We took our time and walked north towards the Chatelet-Les Halles area. There we discovered the Jardin Nelson Mandela which was a large park where our daughter could run around. The park was surrounded by lovely scenery including the beautiful Saint-Eustache Church.

Next to the park was the Westfield Forum des Halles which is a very large indoor shopping mall. Inside the mall was a FNAC, which is a French department store, and we looked around a bit in here. Our daughter was starting to love books at the time and they had a large selection of children’s books, so we purchased a few French books that we could bring home for her to enjoy.

Day 6 – Rue Cler

We made our way over towards the Eiffel Tower arriving via the Metro at the Ecole Militaire station (Line 8) and strolled up and down Rue Cler. This is a famous market street in Paris that is pedestrian-friendly and has a wide range of shops including ones where you can purchase fresh produce, pastries, cheese, flowers, tea, and chocolate. It was fun to browse in the shops and look at all the different products for sale. The Rick Steves Paris travel guide has a nice section on this well known street that we followed to get the most out of our time here.

Day 7 – Bois de Vincennes

We headed out to the eastern side of the city on this day and visited the Bois de Vincennes. To get there we took Metro Line 1 to the Chateau de Vincennes station, which is just north of the park. We found a beautiful lake to walk around (Lac de Sainte-Mande) as well as another carousel for our daughter to enjoy. She was also able to experience a pony ride in the park which she loved. There are plenty of other things to do with your time here as well, including take a boat ride and visiting The Farm of Paris. While admission is free to enter the park as well as the farm, some of the activities in this area do have small cost.

Day 8 and 9 – Disneyland Paris

We spent our next two days at Disneyland Paris, which consists of two separate parks Parc Disneyland and Parc Walt Disney Studios. The easiest way to get here from central Paris is to take the RER A line out to the Marne-la-Vallée Chessy station. This was our daughter’s first experience at a Disney park and she loved every minute of it. We divided our time between the two parks on the first day but spent all of our second day at the Disneyland Park. From the kid-friendly rides to the parades and the fireworks at night, we had very fun-filled days. My wife and I had been to Disney World before but coming here was a very unique experience. You can read more in my blog post about our time spent at Disneyland Paris. If you have extra time in Paris, I would definitely recommend visiting, especially if you have younger children.

Day 10 – Parc Zoologique Paris

We made our way back out to the eastern side of Paris again this day to visit the Parc Zoologique Paris which is near the Bois de Vincennes park. To get to the zoo we took the same route on Metro Line 1 as we did previously for the park, but got off one stop earlier at the Saint-Mande station and walked a few blocks south. It is beautiful zoo to spend the morning or afternoon at. We were able to see giraffes, zebras and rhinos as well as penguins and sea lions. They also have a tropical greenhouse that houses iguanas and lemurs.

Day 11 – Aquarium de Paris

We went back towards the Eiffel Tower area again today and explored the Aquarium de Paris. To get here we took the Metro to the Bir-Hakeim station (Line 6) and then walked just a few blocks. The aquarium is across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower and is in the Jardins du Trocadero. Here we saw sharks, octopus, jellyfish, sting-rays, eels, coral and many different fish species. They even have an area that you can touch the fish which our daughter was captivated by.

Day 12 – Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Eiffel Tower

We spent most of our day strolling the Boulevard Saint-Germain, which runs east to west through the Latin Quarter. It was near our hotel so we were able to access it on foot. This street contains many different shops and restaurants including the famous Les Deux Magots. Later that afternoon we decided to go back out to the Eiffel Tower. We had been out to that area a few times during this trip, but had not managed to visit the famous landmark later in the day. As sunset approached, our daughter was able to ride the carousel that is close by which she really enjoyed. Keep in mind that every evening the Eiffel Tower lights up and those lights sparkle for about 5 minutes every hour. It is truly a memorable moment that should not be missed.

Day 13 – Sainte-Chapelle, shopping at a local market

On our last full day in Paris, we wanted to get a few more experiences in before going home. We started our day walking to Sainte-Chapelle, which is on the Ile de la Cite near Notre Dame Cathedral. Sainte-Chapelle is a 13th-century chapel with stunning stained glass windows that surround the entire building. The colors that come through those windows when the sunlight hits them is stunning.

After leaving, we made our way to a local open market to buy some fresh produce to make dinner at our hotel for that evening. We also purchased some delicious desserts to enjoy as well.

Day 14 – Flight back home

We took the RER B line from near our hotel up to the airport which was very convenient and we made it to the airport with plenty of extra time to spare. We had such a wonderful trip to Paris as we were able to enjoy many memorable activities together as a family. We were also able to see some amazing sights that we probably would not normally have gone to if only my wife and I were traveling. Taking our daughter with made this trip so much more fulfilling as we were able to slow down and really take it all in. We hope to back again soon!

Have you traveled to Paris with your children before? If so, what were your favorite activities that you did on your vacation? Let me know in the comments section below!