How do you spend a weekend in Paris with family? I will give you the answer to that question. But instead of a weekend, we went for a small midweek during the May holidays. We saw all the famous highlights of the French capital and visited one museum. The trip was a success, so I want to share some tips for visiting Paris with your family.
Destination: Paris, France
Travel period: April 28 to May 1, 2025
Travel group: Husband and children (8-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy)
Transport: train, Eurostar
Hotel: Keppler Hotel in Paris.
An overview:
- We travelled from Antwerp to Paris by Eurostar and stayed at the Keppler hotel near the Champs-Élysées.
- Activities I recommend include visiting Disneyland Paris, climbing the Eiffel Tower, exploring the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle and relaxing at Jardin du Luxembourg.
- Paris is a beautiful city, and the costs of dining are quite high.
- There have been some changes in security measures since my last visit 15 years ago.
Paris! It has been at least fifteen, maybe even twenty years since I was last here. We actually wanted to travel to Florida during the May holiday, but that turned out to be very costly and so I decided that a weekend in Paris was a better alternative, since Disneyland is nearby.
Contents
The preparation
My daughter had read about Paris in the Dutch Children’s book ‘Kit and Kaat bakken stiekem een taart voor de Koning!’ The story was partly set in Paris and that made her curious about the city and she asked me about it. Those conversations probably planted a seed in my head, because when we decided not to go to Florida anymore, I instantly thought of this city instead.
I immediately did some research, and we decided to travel from Antwerp to Paris by Eurostar (an international train). We chose the train because it is faster than the car and you don’t have to park it. Something that is genuinely nice in a busy city like Paris.
Our stay
We stayed at the Keppler hotel near the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. It is a relatively small 4-star boutique hotel, with a spa and gym in the basement. We booked the penthouse suite because it has two bedrooms and is therefore perfect for our group.
Like the hotel, the breakfast is quite small. The food is served in a small corner, and the breakfast room accommodates about thirty guests. The range does not differ much from what you see in the larger hotels, only the numbers are a lot smaller.
The staff is also very friendly and helpful, as a guest I felt very welcome.
Fun things to do with kids in Paris
Of course, you want to know what fun things you can do in Paris with kids. Our kids were eight and five years old at the time of the trip and we went to the following places with them, which I recommend. So here are five child-friendly tips for your family.
1. Visit Disneyland Paris
When you are in Paris with your kids, you of course must visit Disneyland. The famous theme park with complexes all over the world has only one in Europe and that is in Marne-la-Vallée, a town near Paris.
Disneyland Paris is a complex with two theme parks (Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios) full of attractions and shows. Not only children, but also adults can immerse themselves in the magic that is Disney and marvel at parades and a world full of colour. If you are a Disney fan and you love theme parks, then you really must go there.
You can limit yourself to a one-day visit, but chances are you won’t see everything the park has to offer. Do you have the time? Then plan a visit of at least two days. Whether you are 2 years old or 95, Disneyland Paris is fun for everyone.
Read more about this in my next blog:
2. ‘Climbing’ the Eiffel Tower.
Whether you are with just your partner or with your children. ‘Climbing’ the Eiffel Tower is highly recommended. It is in quotation marks because the world-famous tower has an elevator. We found it special to visit this monument and see it from the inside. The view is impressive and that makes it worthwhile for all ages. The Parisians have really tried to make the Eiffel Tower an experience, by placing a restaurant, shops and viewpoints. At the top you can even drink champagne!
Before leaving, my daughter had one clear wish for our visit to Paris and that was to visit the Eiffel Tower. She had read about it and seen pictures of it, but nothing beats the real thing. When we walked into a street where the monument towered above the trees and buildings in the distance, her mouth fell open in amazement. She wanted to walk under the tower, but my son wanted to go up and so we did. They both thought it was a fantastic experience and that is why it is on this list.
We visited the Eiffel Tower on a Monday afternoon and bought a ticket to visit the tower with an elevator. You first must queue for a ticket and then you have to wait in another line for the elevator. You can also buy a ticket online, but then you can’t get further than the second floor. If you want to go to the top, you have to stand in line. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long.
3. Visit the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle
The Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle is located in the park Jardin des plantes and is, as the name suggests, a natural history museum with different exhibitions in various buildings. It was recommended by our sister-in-law and brother-in-law and a very good one too!
The exhibition: Grande Galerie de l’Évolution shows the evolution of animals with different stuffed animals. Not only animals that are still alive, but also extinct birds and mammals, such as the dodo, Smilodon (better known as the sabre-toothed tiger) and the marsupial wolf. You can even view these through VR glasses, while walking through the gallery!
In the Galerie de paleontologie et d’anatomie comparée you will find skeletons of large animals and extinct animals, such as the marsupial wolf and the Steller’s sea cow. In addition, on the second floor you will find skeletons of various dinosaurs, such as the head of a Tyrannosaurus, the Triceratops and my son’s favourite; the Brontosaurus.
The Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle is a highly recommended for an engaging activity with children in Paris. The only disadvantage, I think, is that all the information about what you see there is written in French, without a word in English for translation. So, you have no idea what is being said about the animals, if you don’t speak the language.
4. See the animals in Jardin des plantes
Jardin des plantes, where the park Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle is located, is also a nice destination in Paris. It is a botanical garden that is located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris and in addition to the museum, it also contains a small zoo, called Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes.
In this zoo you can see kangaroos, flamingos, and monkeys. My daughter’s favourite the panther was there, and I also saw a red panda. The park provided extensive information about the animals through various signs. For this you have to know French because there was no word to read in English.
You can enjoy yourself for an entire day in Jardin des plantes. But keep in mind that you have to pay separately for all the different parts, such as the zoo and the exhibitions. Depending on the age of your children, you can easily spend two hundred euros for a day in the garden.
5. Chilling in Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg is a park in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Literally translated it means Luxembourg garden and it is a lovely place to relax and play.
The park features several tennis courts, a carousel, swings, and a puppet theatre, offering various recreational activities. Here and there are chairs where visitors can sit and read a book or enjoy the view.
The park also has two large playgrounds: one for the smaller children and another for older kids. There is a large fence around it, so while your (slightly older) children play, you can read a book.
How much does it cost?
6 euros 50 for a coke, 7 euros for a scoop of ice cream and a glass of wine for 16 euros, these are prices that you could easily pay on a terrace in Paris. And I haven’t even told you how much you should pay for a fish dish on the Champs-Élysées. If you are someone who gets agitated about the prices in the catering industry, you should look for a different holiday destination than Paris.
Of course, you can also choose to walk into a supermarket and put together your lunch there to eat it in the park. However, even in the supermarket, basic products that are also available domestically are considerably more expensive than usual.
Not everything went well…
We walked from the Grand Palace to the Louvre and from the Louvre to Notre Dame, to walk from there to Jardin du Luxembourg. In between, there was of course some time for lunch, an ice cream and a soft drink on a terrace. But my daughter was done when we arrived at our last stop and just wanted to go back to the hotel. I could understand her, we almost walked (according to my watch) nearly 16 kilometres, which was more than she was accustomed to.
My point: a walk-through Paris is highly suggested because you’ll encounter one beautiful building after another. But take your traveling companions into account and if necessary, choose a longer holiday, if you want to see everything by foot.
Concluding
Paris is a beautiful city and when you walk in the centre, you see beautiful apartments and gorgeous hotels made of limestone, which decorate the streetscape. They have tried to make the French capital like a real picture, like we have seen in romantic films and series. Of course, not all neighbourhoods are equally pretty, but I really appreciate the beautiful places.
I don’t know why it took years to visit this city again. Maybe I wanted to see more of the world, after having visited the city several times in my teenage years. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to be there again. I must say that many things have changed since my last visit. The fear of attacks in whatever form is clearly visible in the streetscape.
The entrance to the Louvre is encircled by barriers, and since 2018 a meter-high glass wall has been constructed around the Eiffel Tower, and you have to pass through security to get inside these walls. It still paints a closed-off image of the tower, which I did not know before. It is a pity that it is necessary.
