With kids · Paris · France
Paris with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Paris is easier with children than its reputation suggests: big parks with playgrounds, carousels in many squares, boat trips and hands-on museums. Strollers are hard work on Métro stairs, so plan routes with the bus or RER where possible. Top picks: Eiffel Tower, Luxembourg Gardens and Jardin des Plantes and Grande Galerie de l'Évolution. Families usually base themselves in Eiffel Tower and 7th arrondissement.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Eiffel Tower and 7th arrondissement
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- June–July
Best things to do with kids
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Landmark · 7th arrondissement
1.Eiffel Tower
Gustave Eiffel's 330-metre iron tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair and is the city's defining view. You can climb the stairs to the second floor or take lifts to the summit; the second floor often gives the better, less hazy panorama. After dark the tower sparkles for five minutes on the hour.
For the classic photo without the crowds, walk across the river to the Trocadéro terraces early in the morning.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours with the summit
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Summit tickets sell out in summer and school holidays; book timed tickets on the official site weeks ahead.
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
Garden · Saint-Germain-des-Prés
2.Luxembourg Gardens
The Senate's formal gardens are where Parisians read on the famous green chairs, children sail wooden boats on the octagonal pond and older locals play pétanque. There is a puppet theatre and a playground, and the Medici Fountain is one of the most romantic corners of the Left Bank.
Rent a toy sailboat at the Grand Bassin; it is one of the least expensive and most memorable things to do with young children in Paris.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
Garden · Latin Quarter
3.Jardin des Plantes and Grande Galerie de l'Évolution
France's main botanical garden includes glasshouses, a small zoo (the Ménagerie) and the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, where a parade of stuffed animals marches through a soaring 19th-century hall. The garden itself is free; the galleries and zoo charge separately.
The Grande Galerie is one of the best rainy-day stops for children in Paris.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Nature
- Rainy day
- Outdoors
Experience · Seine
4.Seine river cruise
An hour on the river passes Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower, with most of the bridges in between. Several operators sail from near the Eiffel Tower and Pont Neuf; evening departures show the illuminated monuments and the tower's sparkle.
Choose a sailing that leaves about 30 minutes before the hour after dark so you pass the Eiffel Tower as it sparkles.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
- After dark
- Iconic
Garden · 1st arrondissement
5.Tuileries Garden
The formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde is the natural walking route between the big museums. Its ponds, statues and summer funfair make a pleasant break, and from the Concorde end the view runs up the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.
Grab a sandwich from a nearby bakery and eat it on the chairs around the Grand Bassin Rond.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
Religious site · Montmartre
6.Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre
The white basilica crowns the highest hill in the city, and the steps below it are one of the best free viewpoints in Paris. Behind it, Place du Tertre fills with portrait artists, while the quieter streets around Rue de l'Abreuvoir and the Montmartre vineyard keep their village charm.
Take the funicular up (it accepts a Métro ticket) and walk down through the back streets towards Abbesses.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Rainy-day ideas
- Jardin des Plantes and Grande Galerie de l'Évolution — The Grande Galerie is one of the best rainy-day stops for children in Paris.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for families, couples, luxury and quiet stays
Eiffel Tower and 7th arrondissement
The 7th is residential and stately, home to the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and the Musée Rodin. Rue Cler is a pedestrian market street with cheese shops and bakeries. Evenings are quiet, which suits families and couples who want to see the tower sparkle on the hour after dark.
- Good
- Iconic views; Safe and calm at night; Green space at the Champ de Mars
- Watch out
- Expensive; Little nightlife; Further from the Marais and Montmartre
- Nearby
- Eiffel Tower, Musée Rodin, Les Invalides, Rue Cler
Family travel tips
- Children under 4 travel free on public transport and 4–9-year-olds pay a reduced fare.
- Many museums are free for under-18s, including EU and non-EU visitors at national museums.
- Book the Eiffel Tower and Catacombs in advance; queues are hard with young kids.
- The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie at La Villette has excellent interactive zones for small children.
- Restaurants open for dinner around 7:30pm; plan an early supper at a brasserie or a picnic for younger kids.
Day trips for families
- Palace of Versailles (About 40 minutes by RER C) — Louis XIV's palace includes the Hall of Mirrors, the King's and Queen's apartments, Marie-Antoinette's estate and vast formal gardens.
- Disneyland Paris (About 40 minutes by RER A) — Europe's most-visited theme park has two parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios, right next to the RER station.
- Fontainebleau (About 1 hour by train and bus) — A royal château used by French monarchs for eight centuries, with Renaissance galleries and Napoleon's apartments, surrounded by a forest popular for walking and bouldering.
When to go with children
The best months overall are April–June and September–October. June–July are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Paris good for kids?
Paris is easier with children than its reputation suggests: big parks with playgrounds, carousels in many squares, boat trips and hands-on museums. Strollers are hard work on Métro stairs, so plan routes with the bus or RER where possible.
+What can kids do in Paris?
Eiffel Tower, Luxembourg Gardens, Jardin des Plantes and Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, Seine river cruise and Tuileries Garden.
+Where should families stay in Paris?
Eiffel Tower and 7th arrondissement: Grand avenues, Rue Cler market street and tower views.