Our family took a 5-day trip to Paris over Easter weekend. My husband and I, having been to Paris several times, wanted to make sure the kids had a taste of this beautiful city, one of our favorites in Europe. With limited days to explore, we attempted to hit all the highlights just in case this might be their last opportunity to travel during our three-year tour in Germany.
Where we Stayed: St. Germain des-Prés
Paris has so many great neighborhoods, but my favorite place to stay is St. Germain. With three Metro stops a short distance away, we felt right in the middle of everything and yet still housed in a quiet neighborhood. We stayed in this HomeAway apartment right in the heart of St. Germain. The location was great and the apartment was good for teens, but I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids as the second bedroom was on the other side of the stairwell. Meaning you had to leave the apartment and cross the hall to get to the other bedroom and bath.
Don’t Miss These Off-the-Beaten-Path Paris Attractions for Teens
While it’s important not to miss the major attractions in Paris, there are tons of fun, less touristy places to visit with tweens and teens. Depending on the length of your visit, these off-the-beaten path Paris attractions will help mix it up a bit for older kids.
Visit These Must-See Paris Sights in 2 Days
Paris is often a stopover for many where families are quickly wanting to some of the major highlights. With only a day or two in the city of lights, there’s still enough time to see and visit things. I think it’s worth the investment to go even with a little time. I’ve put together a list of our family’s top sights to see if you only have a short stay.
What to Consider When Taking Teens to Versailles
I’m not going to sugar coat this popular tourist destination. Versailles is crowded and a time investment because it’s not right in the city. Only a 30-minute train ride away, this can be totally worth it with a little preparation and managing of expectations.
The Louvre and Teens: Tips to Navigate the World’s Biggest Museum
The Louvre is a beast of a museum. Having been there several times over the years, I thought I could tackle this a little strategically with my teens. We did some preparing before going, but there are a few things we got right and many things we did wrong.
5-Day Paris Family Adventure Begins
We jammed so much into our very short trip to Paris (see full itinerary below), I wanted to provide some context and humor around all the things we did see. In retrospect, I probably pushed my family too much because I felt like we needed a vacation from our vacation. And if you didn’t get enough of Part 1, you can continue onto Part 2.
What We Did: Our 5-Day Itinerary
Day 1
- Arrived in Paris (three hours late)
- Dinner at Joe Burger
Day 2
- Walking tour with Sandemann’s Paris
- Walked up the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.
- Walked on to the Eiffel Tower to climb up via the stairs.
- Dinner at Au Père Louis.
Day 3
- Breakfast at Claus.
- Quick stop at Shakespeare and Company book store.
- Macaron Tasting Tour from Le Bon Paris. (Tickets bought in advance.)
- Panthéon
- 2-hour tour to the Louvre (Tickets bought in advance.)
Day 4
- Took Metro to Sacre Coure and visited inside.
- Walked through Montmartre and stopped at the Moulin Rouge for a photo.
- Stopped at Galeries Lafayette for some window shopping and to jump on the giant trampoline (the art installation at the time.)
- Quick stop to the Conciergerie. Wish we had time to stop at the Sainte-Chapelle as well.
- Another stop to Shakespeare and Company for more reading.
Day 5 (Easter)
- Day trip to to Versailles.
- Scootering around St. Germain.
- Trip to see the Eiffel Tower night light show.
All photos © Linda Kerr, TravelTeening
