Ever since I was a little girl I’ve dreamed of going to Paris. I always pictured myself strolling past a quaint cafe with a baguette in my basket and the Eiffel Tower in the background. Two summers ago I had the opportunity to work with Disneyland Paris for the opening of Avengers Campus (I was in shock – you can watch that vlog HERE) and decided to extend my trip by 2 days to explore the city.

I was single and childless on that trip so my 2 day itinerary looks MUCH different than the 10 day trip I planned this time as a family with a 5 month old baby. If you want to see more in less time, check out my 48 hours in Paris guide HERE.

If you’re traveling with kids or a baby like we were or maybe you just want to take it slow and spread out your activities leaving room to explore on your own, then this guide is for you. This is how I structured our 10 day trip to Paris with our 5 month old baby and we had the best time!! (don’t miss my “what to pack” suggestions at the bottom of this post!)

Before we get into the itinerary, let’s cover some basics:

Language:

French (obviously). I will say, knowing a little bit of the language goes a LONG way with the French people. You don’t have to be a pro, but maybe learn a few words and basic phrases to be respectful. If you at least attempt, they will appreciate that you’re trying.

Fun Fact: Chandler and I made it our New Years Resolution to learn French and we said if we completed 365 days we would celebrate with a trip to Paris – and we did!!

Words and phrases we found helpful:

Bonjour: Hello

Merci: Thank you

Au Revoir: Goodbye

L’addition s’il vous plait: The check please

Toilettes: Bathroom

Currency:

Euro – many places don’t take American Express so just keep this in mind!

How to Get There:

Paris’ main international airports are Charles de Gaulle and Orly. We flew into CDG and took a taxi to our air bnb – it took about 45 min-1 hr.

Pro Tip: When you book your flight, call and request the bassinet seats on the plane. (most international flights have a bassinet that attaches to the bulkhead and some are first come, first served) Even if you don’t end up using the bassinet, you still might get seated on the bulkhead row giving you more leg room/space.

Getting Around:

Walk: Depending on where you stay, Paris is pretty walkable. The closer you stay to the river Seine, the better in my opinion! We stayed in the 1st arrondissement (right across the street from The Louvre) and it was lovely.

Public Transportation: For places further than walking distance, their public transportation (buses and train) are really easy to navigate and use. The only inconvenient part might be getting your stroller up and down the stairs/in and out of the bus. For this reason, I recommend a one-handed collapsable stroller like THIS to make your life so much easier.

Hop on Hop off Bus: This might not be your jam but you can also book a Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour because it will provide transportation to all the main attractions in the city for one price and sitting on top of a double decker bus is such a great way to see the city from a different perspective. (and it’s fun to be a tourist!! Embrace it!!)

Pro Tip: Book a 48 hour ticket that way you don’t feel pressured to see everything in one day. (some even include a boat tour!) This is the tour we booked.

Uber/Taxi: Finally, probably your most expensive option would be Uber and/or Taxi. I find this sometimes is the best option getting to and from the airport, going to a specific place that isn’t near a train stop and the times where you’re just plain tired and want to get back to the hotel quickly.

Pro Tip: Paris Taxi service is called G7. They have an app similar to Uber and you can request a “Family” car that comes with a carseat. For this reason, since we knew we wouldn’t be in cars very much, we did not travel with our carseat, giving us one less thing to travel and keep up with. BEST DECISION!

Where To Stay:

While everyone has their own preferences while traveling, for this trip we opted for an AirBnb. The first time I visited Paris, I stayed in a hotel and it was CHARMING, but European hotels are much smaller/tighter than American hotels so AirBnb felt like a better option for us as a family giving us more space to spread out for the week and have things like a washer and dryer in the building as well as a kitchenette to store snacks, leftovers, wash bottles etc. It was definitely the move. And made us feel like we were actually living there instead of just tourists!

Pro Tip: check to see if the AirBnb has a Pack n Play. We paid 60 Euro extra to have one and again, it gave us one less thing to travel with and we just packed our own crib sheet so our baby felt more at home.

Paris also has really lovely hotels throughout the city. This is where we stayed the first time I visited. Keep in mind when considering what to pack, most hotels have tiny elevators or no elevator at all so you’ll likely be carrying your things everywhere!

What to Do:

In no particular order here are all the things we did in Paris with our 5 month old. We spread these activities out over the course of 10 days: 7 days in the city and then 3 days in Disneyland Paris.

Since this was our first time traveling internationally with our baby and we didn’t know how she’d do with the jet lag or how tired we’d be, we scheduled NOTHING the first day we arrived and the second day I had ideas of what we could do but no reservations or set plans just in case we needed extra sleep or to take it slow. HIGHLY recommend that for traveling with kids. When in doubt, schedule less than you think and move slow. I like to have a list of “if we have extra time” things to do that way we have options if we feel up for more!

Eiffel Tower

Let’s start off with the obvious one. You can’t go to Paris without stopping by the Eiffel Tower. For an extra dreamy experience, get a crepe from one of the carts nearby or pack a picnic and eat on the grass in the Trocadero Garden to soak up all the views.

Pro Tip: going up the Arc de Triomphe instead of the Eiffel Tower is better because it’s cheaper, less crowded and you get to SEE the Eiffel Tower.

Arc De Triomphe

This monument is one of the most famous in Paris and stands at the western end of Champs Elysees. For 16 euros you can climb the 284 stairs for incredible views of the city and the Eiffel Tower.

Champs Elysees

Think Rodeo Drive in Paris. This renowned avenue is famous for designer and luxury shops, cafes and it’s even the finish line for the Tour de France. This is such a lovely street to stroll and do some shopping.

River Boat Cruise

Paris is well known for the Seine that runs through the heart of the city providing a romantic and charming backdrop for its iconic landmarks. Hop on one of the many river boat cruises to see the city from a unique perspective – this is the one we did and it was perfect with our baby! CLICK HERE

Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour

I explained this a little already in the “How to Get Around” section but a Hop on Hop off Bus Tour really is a great way to see the city and get transportation to all the main sight seeing spots bundled in one price. We bought a 48 hour ticket so we had two days to see everything and it saved us so much money on public transportation!

The Louvre

The largest museum in the world and home to the famous Mona Lisa, the Louvre is a museum unlike any other. If you plan to visit, book your tickets IN ADVANCE because they usually sell out. Make sure you visit the Apollo’s Gallery on the 4th floor. It’s breathtaking!

Notre Dame

Just a short walk from the Louvre is the widely known Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s said to be one of the best examples of French gothic architecture and is another thing to add to your “jaw dropping things of Paris” list.

Sacre Coeur

I’ve seen some pretty big churches in my life and this one takes the cake by a landslide. French for “The Sacred Heart” this catholic church is dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus. Climbing to the top is no easy feat but if you can muster up the strength to climb the 292 stairs you’ll reach the top of the dome with arguably some of the best views of the city.

Since this guide is geared toward things to do with your family/kids I can’t say I recommend this one if you have littles, unless you want to just see the church and go inside. The only downside is, it’s kind of off on it’s own and not near other landmarks and there are MANY stairs to get to it so if you do plan to go with kids, I would recommend taking a taxi or uber and not bringing a stroller.

Palace of Versailles

Just a quick 40 minute train ride from the 1st arronndissiment is the beautiful city of Versailles. Famous for being the home of Marie Antoinnette, King Louis XIV and others as well as the place where the Treaty of Versailles was signed is the Palace of Versailles. This palace is exquisite and GRAND and well worth the visit.

If you plan to visit, here is what I recommend: If you want to explore on your own then book your tickets in advance. If you wait too long they sell out and likely the only ones available (if any) will be more expensive through a guided group tour. (Group guided tours are amazing though if you’d prefer to have the extra insight)

If you’re traveling with kids I wouldn’t recommend bringing a stroller. There is a lot of cobblestone leading up to the palace and can be quite crowded on a busy day so our stroller just stressed us out and I ended up carrying our daughter the entire time anyway. For that reason we opted to not explore the gardens this visit because it is all gravel but I want to next time!

Disneyland Paris

The Disney lover in me cannot complete this guide without recommending a stop to the happiest place on earth. Disneyland Paris, while not as large as the parks in the states, is just as magical and worth a stop on your trip especially if you have kids!!

Given the size of the parks I think you can easily do this in one day or two and its an easy train ride from the city with the station ending right at the gates if you decide not to move accommodations.

If you want to ride more rides in less time then I’d consider upgrading your ticket to include Premiere Access (their version of fast pass) so you can go through quicker on the rides that have it!

What to Eat:

While I cannot claim to know all the best places to eat in Paris (there is just SO much good food, here is what I can recommend after my two visits) and please do me a favor and eat French Fries at least once… you’re in FRANCE!

• Hot Chocolate: Angelina or Carette (Cafe de Flore is notable too)
• Macarons: Laduree or Pierre Herme
• Crepes: any of the carts/trucks!!
• Coffee/Lattes: La Terres de Cafe
• Breakfast: Cafe Blanc
• Lunch: Pink Mamma – their pizza is just *chefs kiss*
• Dinner: Le Train Bleu – touristy? Maybe, but it’s BEAUTIFUL and so fun

I hope this guide helps you as you plan for your trip to Paris with your family. While traveling with kids or a baby can be more difficult at times, I firmly believe the memories you make and experiences you give your children far outweigh the challenges that may come. Just remember to take a deep breath and remind yourself that you don’t have to do it all. Thank you so much for reading and happy traveling!

Not traveling with kids? Check out my 48 hours in Paris Guide HERE!

For those interested I wanted to leave a quick list of things we packed for our baby that made our trip easier in case you don’t know where to start.

What to Pack (for baby)

• Travel Stroller: we LOVE this one – CLICK HERE and a travel bag (we stuffed a pack of diapers in this to save room in the suitcase) CLICK HERE
• Small blanket that will fit in a diaper bag
• Lovey or something small they sleep with at home to help them feel more at home at night
• Crib Sheet: for the same reasons as above
• Pack-n-play (if the airbnb/hotel doesn’t have one)
• Packing cubes: this might not seem necessary but the more planning and organizing you can do before the trip the better. It makes your vacation more seamless and gives you one less thing to think about so you can actually enjoy. Here’s how I organized hers:
  • Cube 1: Outfits for every day, placed in order of days I wanted her to wear them (I know, I’m extra)
  • Cube 2: Pajamas and sleep sacks
  • Cube 3: Any accessories: socks, shoes, tights, bows, hats, mickey ears, sunglasses etc
  • Cube 4: 4 burp cloths and 2 extra outfits in case of blowouts
• Bottles, pump, bib (if you’re on solids)
• Body Wash and lotion: I got the little travel toiletry containers and brought her stuff from home – like THESE
• Feeding cover (if breastfeeding)
• Blowup seat
• Portable sound machine
• Nose sucker or anything you’d need in case of sickness
• Sunscreen
• Carrier
• A few toys for the plane/restaurants
• Ear Muffs