How To See Paris in 6 Nights With Kids

Be ready before you land, and decide how you want to get from Charles de Gaulle or Orly Airports to the city center.

If you’re traveling with older kids (tweens to teens) that can handle their luggage and keep a good pace walking, consider taking the RER train from CDG or the Metro 14 line from ORY instead of a taxi. It’s substantially cheaper (about €14 one way) than taking a taxi and can save you time not sitting in traffic.

If you have smaller ones on your trip, you can pre-arrange a pickup in a van or sedan to make sure there are car seats and boosters available. If your kids can ride without additional accessories, the taxis are a set price.

For trips from CDG to Paris:

• Left Bank (south of the Seine): ~€65

• Right Bank (north of the Seine): ~€56

From Orly to Paris:

• Left Bank: ~€30–€35

• Right Bank: ~€35–€45

Once you’ve dropped your luggage at your hotel and freshened up, use the remaining time to explore the local neighborhood. This is the perfect time to scope out which cafes, patisseries, restaurants, and shops you can frequent.

A morning at Notre Dame

Before doing anything, make sure to fuel up at a local cafe with petit dejeuner (a small, light breakfast usually consisting of a pastry and tea/coffee/hot chocolate and juice).

The key to visiting the newly restored Notre Dame is to be an early visitor. With young kids, that can be tough with jet lag and time adjustments—but it’s well worth the trade off of long lines and overwhelming crowds.

There are two ways to get in, both of which are absolutely free (do not be fooled by fake “official” websites that charge you for tickets!).

Visit the official website and follow the instructions for reserving your entry. Time slots for the day you want will generally be available 72–48 hours ahead of the visit at midnight Paris time. You can only book four people at a single time, so if you have a group larger than four, you may want someone helping you book the other reservations.

If you don’t have the time to jump online for reservations, you can also simply line up at the church for the “non-reservation” line and you’ll be allowed in as space permits! During high season and popular times, this line can take 30 or more minutes.

Afternoon in Montmartre

After you’ve finished admiring the awe-inspiring interior and exterior, head to Montmartre for a small group baking class at a local bakery. A variety of hands-on baking experiences exist for kids as young as three to participate in. My family learned how to make baguettes, croissants, and financiers—and at the end of the class, we took home our freshly baked goods!

This is a great chance to give kids the chance to use their hands and feel like they’re participating on a trip that may involve a ton of “look but don’t touch”. Bonus treat is having plenty of baguette for breakfast for the rest of your trip!

Sunset at Sacré-Cœur

With bread in hand, walk toward Sacre Coeur in the late afternoon to see both the grand basilica on the hill and adorable carousel at its base. Give the kids a small break by buying a ride before either walking (if you have older kids, very doable) up toward Sacre Coeur or taking the funicular to the top. Take in the views of Paris at large while eating bites of baguette as the sun sets in the afternoon.

Dinner near Moulin Rouge

If you have older kids, walk from Sacre Coeur toward the lively but racier area that has the infamous Moulin Rouge in Pigalle, which actually does have a family-friendly version of the show that includes dinner. If this is not appropriate for your little ones, head back toward your hotel area for a relaxed dinner and end of your first full day in Paris.

It might seem overwhelming to leave Paris just a couple of days after you’ve arrived to visit Normandy. But it’s a trip well-worth it if you have kids interested in history like my 13-year-old son.

This is not a journey I would recommend trying to tackle on your own without a guide while traveling with your kids. There are fantastic small-group and private tours to take care of transportation, tickets to sights like the Overlord Museum, and other logistical details.

This is a chance for you to stand on the historic sands of Omaha Beach, witness firsthand the cratered landscape at Pont du Hoc, and pay your respects at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Take time to visit the Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer to look at an impressive collection of WWII vehicles, weaponry, uniforms, and testimonies.

Palais Royal

The key to the Louvre with kids includes that old chestnut of “go early”, but also for the adults in the group to be okay with the fact that you won’t get to spend hour after hour in a leisurely stroll among the exhibits. Plan for 2–3 hours tops, especially if you have younger children. Having a plan (especially one where you include your kids’ feedback and requests!) before you go will be key to everyone’s enjoyment and give them something to look forward to.

The Louvre

Before you step foot in the Louvre, take a few minutes to admire the Palais Royal, a historic 17th century palace, garden, and now chopping complex opposite the Louvre.

The Louvre has so much, but the big three to focus on are Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo, and of course the Mona Lisa. Orienting yourself in the Louvre can be a little difficult at first (even with the maps, getting a sense of your direction is tough), but these exhibits have ample signage to help you find your way quickly and efficiently. There will be crowds around each of these, but a vantage point a little outside of the area can actually give you the best views.

Tuileries Gardens & Le Marais

After you’ve successfully navigated the Louvre, take a short 10 minute walk to Tuileries Gardens. With its manicured gardens, water fixtures, and sculptures, it’s the perfect place to decompress and let your kids run around and play as you make your way to Place de la Concorde.

If everyone’s legs are still up for it, you can U-Turn back on the Rue de Rivoli to get hot chocolate and sweet treats and the famous cafe Angelina while on your way to the Le Marais neighborhood, one of the oldest in Paris with a mix of historic mansions and vibrant present-day shops.

Grab a bite at the Marche des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered food market in Paris, then stroll through the Square du Temple garden.

Another day trip with kids? It can and should be done for this treasure. What kid wouldn’t want to pretend they’re the ruler of their own country and have their own palace?

You can take the RER-C or take a car, both taking about 45 minutes.

The Palace of Versailles is a vast 17th-century royal residence built by Louis XIV to showcase the power and prestige of the French monarchy. Just outside Paris, it features the glittering Hall of Mirrors, richly decorated royal apartments, and expansive formal gardens with fountains and canals. It’s worth a day trip even with small children because the grounds are enormous and open, giving kids space to roam, rent bikes, or row boats on the Grand Canal while adults enjoy the history. The mix of palace spectacle and outdoor freedom makes it far more engaging for families than a typical indoor museum visit.

Tips for families

I would recommend quickly doing the smaller living spaces in the Palace (in my experience, the kids are hardly ever wowed by the bedrooms and furniture), and try to get to the “wow” moments with the Hall of Mirrors, The Gallery of Great Battles, The Salon de la Guerre (War Room), and Salon de la Paix (Peace Room). There are plenty of great pieces of art and much more space to walk, all before heading to the gardens.

This is another opportunity to let your kids run around a bit more, explore, and enjoy the vast grounds. If you travel between March and October, you can catch the Musical Fountains Show.

Spend your last full day exploring two iconic landmarks that give you some of the best views of Paris from above—but when you’re with little ones, don’t feel obligated to have to make the trek. Your kids will appreciate it just as much from below as they will from on top!

Arc de Triomphe

If you have kids that don’t require a stroller or to be carried, they can make it up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe if they (and you) are willing to climb 284 steps up a narrow spiral staircase to the terrace for 360° views. But the views are really like nothing else, with the famed streets and avenues of Paris extending from where you stand like spokes on a wheel, the Eiffel Tower standing beautifully in the distance.

If going up isn’t in the cards, admire the Arc below and its imposing presence both within the circle and outside—but do not cross the crazy traffic at the roundabout. Please make sure to use the underground access.

Eiffel Tower

After you finish appreciating the view, take the Metro to the Trocadero to begin your journey for the best views of / inside the Eiffel Tower. The Trocadero is where you probably see those great influencer shots on Instagram and TikTok with the Eiffel Tower in the background. It has the added bonus of being near the famed cafe Carette, where you can try their delicious hot chocolate.

From the Trocadero, walk toward the Eiffel Tower and cross the Seine at Pont d'Iéna to see the Olympic rings from the recent 2024 Games. If you don’t need to go up the Eiffel Tower, you can enter the area underneath for free. However, whether you have tickets to go up or just want to stand underneath it, you’ll have to go through a security checkpoint to do so.

If you plan to go up, buy tickets up to a month in advance for the day and time you prefer—tickets sell fast, particularly for the top viewing area.

Continue on to the Champ de Mars to have a leisurely picnic and relax with the Eiffel Tower behind you. You can go in the evening to watch the Tower light up. Both Champ de Mars and Trocadero are perfect vantage points.