Top Kid-Friendly Activities for a Memorable Paris Vacation

While spending our time in the City of Lights we found many different activities to keep our little one busy. Besides the fun adventures we had below, we also checked out Disneyland Paris for a couple days. You can read my blog post for more on our time spent at Disneyland Paris. See below for a downloadable list of family-friendly activities.

Carousels

Carousels are sprinkled throughout the city including in the Montmartre area, the Tuileries Garden and near the Eiffel Tower. It was very memorable to take a ride with our daughter near these amazing landmarks.

Playgrounds

Besides the playground in Square Paul Langevin, which was right by the Residence Henri IV hotel that we were staying in the Latin Quarter, we also found playgrounds near the Ile Saint-Louis , near Montmartre and the Tuileries Garden. It was a fun experience for us, as well as for our daughter, as she was able to play with other children her age.

Parks

Inside the city there are many green spaces to visit to be able to step away from the hustle and bustle of sightseeing. We visited the Luxembourg Gardens which is near the Latin Quarter. This is a beautiful that has flower gardens, fountains and a palace to wander past. Another fun area for our daughter to roam around in was the Jardin Nelson Mandela which is near the Forum des Halles in central Paris.

We also made the journey out to the Bois de Vincennes, which is a large park on the eastern side of the city. It is quite easy to get there as it can be accessed by the RER A (Red Line) as well as Metro Line 1 (Yellow Line). It has a beautiful lake to walk around (Lac de Sainte-Mande) as well as other hiking trails. They also have pony rides which our daughter enjoyed.

Bois de Vincennes Park

Zoo

We did not at first realize that next to the Bois de Vincennes park was a zoo. We discovered this after visiting the park and decided to go back out to that area to experience the zoo for part of a day. It is called the Parc Zoologique Paris and it is a great 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.

Aquarium

On the western side of the city, near the Eiffel Tower, is the Aquarium de Paris. 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.

Boat Tour

On one of our days touring the city, we found that there are numerous boat tours that go up and down the Seine River. We felt this would be a great way to see the city from the water and to take in the sights and landmarks in a different way. We boarded the regular boat tour through the company Bateaux-Mouches. It was very easy to purchase tickets and children under the age of 4 years are free. On the hour long cruise, we were able to pass by the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee d’Orsay, and the Louvre as well as many other famous sights. It was nice to take in the fresh air from the water and take a break from walking around to still see the city.

The Bottom Line

We found so many fun and engaging activities to do with our daughter while staying in Paris. We are excited to go back someday soon to find more fun-filled things to do with our kiddos in this beautiful city.