Great Family Trips: Paris
The family vacation, like the concept of family itself, has evolved. Kids are traveling with grandma or a single parent or an indulgent uncle (or all three). However you define your kin, this Parisian itinerary is all relative.
> Why Go:
What jeune fille (or fils, for that matter) wouldn’t love a Madeline-style weekend in Paris, packed with culture, shopping, and macarons?
> The Plan:
Shake off jet lag with a guided tour of Paris’s major attractions in a vintage convertible Citroën Deux Chevaux, run by a company called 4 roues sous 1 parapluie. Then join the beau monde for afternoon tea at one of the French capital’s posh palace hotels such as Le Meurice, centrally located across from the Louvre. It’s pricey, but the high tea’s tower of finger sandwiches, scones, and petit fours could easily substitute for dinner.
Globe-trotting restaurateur Amy Morton recommends beginning a “monumental” day with Notre Dame Cathedral. Visiting the church’s crypt with its Roman ruins “gave my young daughters a real sense of Paris’s multilayered history,” she says. At the Eiffel Tower, skip the long ticket queues by reserving online ahead of time. Commute between these Seine-side icons by BatoBus, the city’s ferryboat transit system.
Mona Lisa isn’t going anywhere. So why not try one of Paris’s insider venues such as the Gaîté Lyrique, a cultural incubator and digital-art exhibition space in a belle epoque theater? Or explore the free Cognacq-Jay Museum, a former aristocrat’s mansion with opulent 18th-century decor in the artsy Marais neighborhood. (The newly reopened Picasso Museum is practically around the corner.)
The magic word for most Parisians is not Chanel but soldes (sales). Outside of France’s biannual sales weeks, head to Monoprix (the Target of France) for costume jewelry, scarves, and casual wear; the Opera location, especially, stocks fun, tasteful souvenirs such as Eiffel Tower iPad covers. On the Left Bank, Le Bon Marché (France’s Neiman Marcus) carries Louis Vuitton and Dior, a great selection of lingerie and hosiery, and fine chocolate bars in its ground-floor grocery.
> Don’t Miss:
Sign up for a macaron-making class (in English) in the cozy Latin Quarter kitchen of Fred and Amanda Pouillot. Or stop at a Pierre Hermé patisserie: New macaron flavors debut monthly.
This piece, reported by Ceil Miller Bouchet, first appeared in the April 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
> You Might Also Like:
- Best Family Trips: Paris, France
- Paris Must-Dos
- Photo Gallery: Paris Sights
- Go on a National Geographic Expedition to Paris
Related Topics
You May Also Like
Go Further
Animals
- Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them?
- Animals
- Feature
Octopuses have a lot of secrets. Can you guess 8 of them? - This biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the AndesThis biologist and her rescue dog help protect bears in the Andes
- An octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret worldAn octopus invited this writer into her tank—and her secret world
- Peace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thoughtPeace-loving bonobos are more aggressive than we thought
Environment
- Listen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting musicListen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting music
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?
- Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security, Video Story
- Paid Content
Food systems: supporting the triangle of food security - Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?Will we ever solve the mystery of the Mima mounds?
History & Culture
- Strange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political dramaStrange clues in a Maya temple reveal a fiery political drama
- How technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrollsHow technology is revealing secrets in these ancient scrolls
- Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.Pilgrimages aren’t just spiritual anymore. They’re a workout.
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?This ancient cure was just revived in a lab. Does it work?
Science
- The unexpected health benefits of Ozempic and MounjaroThe unexpected health benefits of Ozempic and Mounjaro
- Do you have an inner monologue? Here’s what it reveals about you.Do you have an inner monologue? Here’s what it reveals about you.
- Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of yearsJupiter’s volcanic moon Io has been erupting for billions of years
- This 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its timeThis 80-foot-long sea monster was the killer whale of its time
Travel
- How to plan an epic summer trip to a national parkHow to plan an epic summer trip to a national park
- This town is the Alps' first European Capital of CultureThis town is the Alps' first European Capital of Culture
- This royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala LumpurThis royal city lies in the shadow of Kuala Lumpur
- This author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomadsThis author tells the story of crypto-trading Mongolian nomads