You’re thinking of activities to do in Paris with your children but you are wondering what to do? How to make the days full but not too much for the whole family? We share with you all our tips to make your family weekend unforgettable! 🤹🏽‍♀️🥳😇

I, Clemence, mother of three children, know how complicated it is to organize a program satisfying both adults and children, during which we will discover the must-see monuments, but without being too fast either, and taking the time to simply enjoy being together!

Are you ready? Here is a perfect program for a first trip to Paris with your children. 

Visit Paris with your family: perfect itinerary for the 1st day 

1 – Discover the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe! 

-> From the Trocadéro to the Champ de Mars, via the Eiffel Tower 

To start your day, I recommend to you the most famous monument of Paris: the Eiffel Tower! 

Why? Because you have to book your tickets a long time in advance (more than 1 month in advance, even 2 to visit it the weekend !!), define an hour to go and it’s way easier at the start of the day. All of this is to not keep your eyes on your watch. Besides the fact that your children will probably ask you at least ten times “when are we going to see the Eiffel Tower? 😅

Start your journey from the Trocadero. Admire the Trocadero square with the Palais de Chaillot, you can already see the iron lady standing from there! Children will love to walk in the Trocadero gardens! The famous Warsaw fountain will impress them with its multiple cannons that offer a real water show.

Before crossing the Pont d’Iéna and going to the other side to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visit the museums in the gardens:

• The aquarium of Paris: Let’s go to touch the carp and the goldfish in the tactile pond! but be careful not to be hypnotized by the Medusarium with its jellyfish with so many different colors… 😉
• The Museum of Mankind: children walk around in large spaces and walk like the Neanderthal man.

Then, go to the Eiffel Tower! It’s possible to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but going to the middle of it is already very nice! Book your tickets here

Once you’ve made the ascent, the Eiffel Tower carousel with its two floors and painted decorations will be a real hit for your kids.

They really want it, but do you want a quieter place? There is a nice old merry-go-round on the Champ de Mars: it works with a crank handle. And here they go for a ride trying to catch rings with thin sticks.

Take a picnic and stop for lunch in the gardens or go to the Café du Trocadéro!

Ideas to eat somewhere: (geolocated)

• The best kids-friendly restaurants of Paris (with a map)
• Article food tour

You can then relax by going to see the marionette show at the Champ de Mars. The show starts at 3:15 pm and lasts one hour (6 euros/per person). There are shows on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and every day during the Parisian school vacations.

Tip “Family portrait”: A meeting place for a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower and a memorable: 223 rue de l’Université

-> The Arc de Triomphe of the Champs-Elysées

Let’s go to the second major monument of this first day: the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile. To get there, cross the Pont de l’Alma (without doing fool around 🤪), take the avenue George V, to go through the famous Champs-Elysées!

You can climb on top for a wonderful view: it’s free for the minus 18 and there is even an elevator for the smallest!

Tip if you don’t have time: If you go to see the Louvre, you will see another arc, the one of the carousel of the Louvre. You can discover thanks to this. It is less big, admittedly, but allows you to see one if you’re in a hurry.  😜

-> A cruise on the Seine to end this beautiful first day

And because your children have walked well and climbed ” some stairs” if you have chosen the sporty version of these 2 ascents, it’s time to end the day with a small cruise “Paris by Night” (1 hour of a commented stroll along the Seine – in french and english) !

• Vedette de Paris (last departure at 5 pm – near the Eiffel Tower)
• Bateaux de Paris (One departure every hour until 10:30 pm – near the Eiffel Tower)

Then, lights out! It’s time for the kids to go to bed! By the way, where do we sleep?

To help you in your selection, we made one for you: here are our (Top 20) Best Places to stay in Paris for Families, classified by neighborhood, number of occupants, and budget! Isn’t life beautiful?

Visit Paris with your family: Day 2 itinerary

2 – Head for the Louvre, the Tuileries, and the Palais-Royal!

Early in the morning, fresh and rested, I suggest you head for the Louvre. The Louvre is the starting point of the second discovery tour of our Milirue booklets which will also allow you to discover the Tuileries and the Palais-Royal. Thanks to our notebooks, you will be able to discover all the secrets of the Louvre and learn about the history of this palace, now a museum, in a fun and entertaining way!

A real moment of complicity in family, as interesting as fun, I promise you! They exist in Mini (4 to 7 years old) and Junior (8 to 12 years old) versions to adapt to your children’s current learning (reading level, vocabulary, level of autonomy…) but they are made to be done as a family!

Ready to travel back in time?

-> The Louvre: an open-air museum!

The great thing about the Louvre is that there are plenty of things to see outside, in addition to the 35,000 works on display. …. Wonders never cease!

Go to the Place du Louvre (Metro Rivoli) to start this Milirue discovery tour with the Perrault Colonnades and the Cour Carrée, with your notebooks in your hands (you can order them online here, or find them on Amazon (Prime)).

One thing leads to another, you’ll discover the Pavillon de l’Horloge, the pyramids, and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel with your family. You will become the kings of Paris! 🙌🏼

If you want to visit the Louvre, this is the right time. The rest of your Milirue adventures will wait until after lunch. One of the big advantages of this freedom offered by our fun and educational family tour concept is that you can stop between each step and go back to it later.😜 It’s the holidays, you’re free, and we’re here to help you but not pressure you! ✌🏼

To find out which exhibition rooms to choose for your visit, click here.

The entrance is free for the children and the museum offers many activities for the family: guided visits, workshops, story-telling… The museum is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm and is closed on Tuesday.

-> Lunch Break

There are several options available:  

• a picnic in the Tuileries garden (you will find in the Carousel mall, under your feet, something to eat. There are also kiosks in the Tuileries Garden, to find them, check Miliweb, the geolocalized map that will make your life easier during the weekend)
• The best kids-friendly restaurants of Paris (with a map)
• Must-try food in Paris : discover the best places for your family 

-> Tuileries Garden

Your children’s Milirue notebooks will guide you for a little “search and find” walk in the Tuileries Garden, to discover some of the most famous artworks. You are free to carry on this moment with a nap under the sun if the weather allows it. And even better, go to the Petits Bateaux to play the navigators on the pond of the garden.

-> The Palais-Royal

Then comes the turn of the Palais-Royal, but especially of its galleries and gardens. Children can run and play safely there, climb the Buren columns to play the statue game, and admire the amazing Bury fountains.

If you wish to continue the walk, the Palais-Royal is surrounded by many historical monuments, such as the Comédie française or the Opera! Paris with your family: the must-see monuments to discover with your children

Note: the whole Milirue discovery tour around the Louvre, the Tuileries, and the Palais-Royal lasts around 1 hour and 45 minutes if you take your time to observe and enjoy. You can therefore do it on a half-day basis, or add a visit to the Louvre or the Musée en Herbe in the middle or at the end of this walk.

To discover on The Blog : 10 Best kid-friendly museums in Paris (selected by a french mum)

And for a nice afternoon snack: here are the addresses to find the best French specialties to eat on the go: arti food tour

Visit Paris with your family: program for the Day 3 (Bonus)

3 – Discover the Ile de la cité with your family 

-> The cathedral “Notre-Dame de Paris”

We propose you start by discovering the cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris. This discovery tour of the Milirue booklet will allow you to walk in the cradle of Paris history while making fun encounters (bookseller on the quays of the Seine, florist of the Marché aux fleurs…).

You cannot visit the cathedral anymore since the fire of 2019 but admiring its architecture is a must-do. Have fun finding the gargoyles and walk in the set of the Disney movie “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”!

The cathedral is the starting point of the first discovery city tour of our booklets “Milirue in Paris”! The booklets are adapted by age group. TheMini is for apprentice readers from 4 to 7 years old. And the Junior, from 8 years old! The booklets are working with our great web app that is full of surprises and that also lists the best snack spots and the closest toilets.

-> The Sainte-Chapelle

30 to 40 minutes after the start of your journey, you will arrive at the Sainte-Chapelle, which we highly recommend you visit. It’s wonderful, on a self-guided tour, and worth the look. Its many stained-glass windows are beautiful and your children will love trying to interpret the story they tell, like a comic book. The entrance is free for those under 18 years old, and you can find here combined tickets for the Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie, the next step of this journey.

Tip Milirue: Go there when it’s a sunny day to admire the sunshine, go through the stained-glass window and create a kaleidoscopic vision! Allow 20 minutes for the tour.

-> The Conciergerie

The Conciergerie, 2 steps later, will allow you to discover the history of France. Listen to the Milirue podcast channel and its episode on the history of Félicité de Genlis. Then the children will only want to know where the convicted spent their last days…

-> The Place Dauphine, The pont Neuf, The Marché aux fleurs, The Tour de l’Horloge…

Are many steps that your children will rush towards to combine games, challenges, dare or not, and discoveries with their notebooks!

Snack time! 

Here are the places where you could stop to have a picnic or snack during your visit to the Ile de la Cité (you can find it also on the Miliweb 😉): 

• The pointe du Vert Galant
• The Square Jean XIII
• On the quays de la Tournelle ou d’Orléans to enjoy the view of the Ile saint louis.

And of course, you can find close to your journey the best ice-cream makers and beautiful tea rooms to go to in case of cold for a hot chocolate: lien food tour 

Where to find our notebooks?

Last step before hitting the road: equip your kids with your Milirue notebooks!

In addition to the discovery city tours, you will find anecdotes, challenges and clues to prepare for the adventure, to realize home or in the transports before the arrival!  But also stickers, huge coloring, and even a space to put the memories of their journey. 😊

Order it online! (Several proposals of delivery modes, worldwide).

We hope that this detailed program will allow you to have a perfect weekend with your family: It’s up to you to juggle according to the weather and your desires! See you around and join us on Instagram for more advice on your future trips!

Clémence, Mum of 3 kids and Milirue’s founder.