- Treat kids to an éclair or other beautiful pastry in one of Paris’ best patisseries like Gerard Mulot, 76 rue de Seine in St. Germain des Prés.
- Develop a love of crêpes with nutella or just about any filling. Crêpes are excellent for quelling hunger at non-meal-time hours.
- Treat the children to a true chocolat chaud or some fabulous chocolates in one of Paris’ master chocolatier’s shops. Jean Paul Hévin at 231 rue St. Honore is one stellar choice and it is near the Louvre and Madeleine.
- The atmospheric Galleries Vivienne, an 1890’s era passage couvert on rue des Petits Champs, has excellent shops for mom and dad and also À Priori Thé, a sweet little tearoom where you can have light lunches and good desserts (including brownies!) with a big pot of tea, all in this lovely mosaic-tiled passage.
Younger kids and Pre-Teens will enjoy these choices in Paris:
- Marionette Theatres are in just about every major park and garden. Some are in enclosed permanent theaters, some are seasonal and open air. The one in the Luxembourg Gardens is one of the most atmospheric. Check out Pariscope, all the marionette shows are listed.
- The Carousels in most major squares.
- Pony rides in the Luxembourg Gardens (usually on weekends).
- The Wednesday afternoon Crosiere Enchantée with Bateaux Parisiens replete with story tellers and clowns. (In French.)
- The children’s shop in the Carrousel du Louvre where they can buy costumes or even dress up as a knight in armor!
- Hop the metro and go out to the Bois de Vincennes or Bois de Boulogne on the edges of Paris. These were once Royal Hunting Forests. Rent rowing boats for the lakes, walk, picnic. The Paris Zoo is near the Bois de Vincennes.
Older Kids: Beyond shopping and checking out their French peers in Paris, older children will surely enjoy:
- The multimedia Paris Story movie and exhibitions on rue Scribe near Opéra. A great way to learn about the history of Paris.
- Any of the one-hour Seine Cruises
- A bike or segway tour with Fat Tire. (Or, rent Velibs and explore on your own with these sleek grey bikes that are available at docking stations all over Paris.)
- The Musée Grevin Wax Museum in the 9th on Boulevard Montmartre is fun and very well done with up to date characters and celebrities rendered lifelike in wax.
- Climb up to the rooftops of Notre Dame or Sacre Coeur and walk amidst the gargoyles while enjoying great views of Paris.
- Pick an art, science or cultural museum depending on your children’s interests. There are too many to enumerate here!
Finally, if your children are artists, a stop in the venerable shop of Sennelier on Quai Voltaire near the Orsay might be a fine stop to buy a drawing pad or some pastels. This is where the Impressionists bought their paints.
If you liked this article, you might also be interested in camille's section on Teaching French successfully to children.
