An Artist-Mom’s Guide to Paris
HERE WE ARE folks - the guide to all our favorite things in Paris! This is coming from me, a lover of impressionist painters with a family of 5 (our three kids are ages 7, 5, and 3) who doesn’t get out of the country ever, and wanted to do it right. I looked up a LOT of guides for this trip. We spent most of our time on la Rive Gauche, or the left bank of the Siene, which is the part of Paris that has all the old, charming spots you probably think of when you picture the city. Here’s my list!
An Artist-Mom’s Guide to Paris
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL SITES
Notre Dame: you have to. I highly recommend the tower tour! Our kids loved it, and my 3 year old insisted on doing all the steps herself! Watch the Hunchback of Notre Dame beforehand for maximum kid buy-in.
Sainte-Chapelle: right near Notre Dame, the stained glass took my breath away.
The Eiffel Tower: the ONE thing our kids wanted to do most! We went at sunset, which was both wildly crowded and stunning. Buy tickets well in advance for your timeslot, and just suck it up and plan for lots of people. The tower “sparkles” on the hour starting at 8pm, and we ended up being ON the tower when the lights were going, which was so cool!
Château de Vincennes: for the midieval castle experience (a moat!) in Paris next to a huge park with a million playgrounds. This is not in the heart of the city; you’ll have to take the metro for about 20 minutes. Bring a stroller - its kind of a hike to get to the playground spot, but the combination of the two was a great day!
What I wish we had time for: Deyrolle, a fascinating-sounding antique/taxidermy (??) spot near d’Orsay that doesn’t allow pictures inside. Next time!
FOOD
Gosselin had the best chocolate-almond pastry i’ve ever tasted, as well as a savory eggplant thing that was amaaaazing. Grab lunch to go, have the best picnic on the Siene, and enjoy watching people dancing!
Eric Kayser was de-light-ful. The waffles were wonderful, I got veggies in the form of juice, and the sandwiches were our favorite. Linked is their main spot, but I recommend their little stand in the Louvre for atmosphere!
If you can only make one reservation: Le Coupe Chou. An old old house turned into a restaurant with best food I’ve ever had; atmosphere is a 10. Can’t wait to go back someday!
Le Crepêrie des Arts - the banana caramel crepe will haunt my dreams forever (in the best way).
ART
Musée de l’Orangerie: as a lover of Monet’s water lilies, if I could only see one museum in Paris this is it! I honestly had an experience looking at this work. Each piece is the size of a whole wall, and is arranged in two oval rooms. The result is that you feel as though you’re walking into the art, and it’s profound.
Musée d’Orsay: go with kids only if they’re really into art and start on the top floor! This is the one with all the impressionists that you’ve probably heard all about. Go solo if you want to stop and stare at the work without bribing your kids for 5 more minutes of art time.
What we skipped and didn’t miss: The Louvre. So big. So many pots. Went there 10 years ago and knew it wouldn’t work for the kids at this age. But go hang out outside the museum - its such an experience!
What I wish we had time for: Musée Rodin!
OTHER THINGS NOT TO MISS
A river cruise: such a great way to see the city! We did a basic one, but I’d probably shoot for this mysteries of Paris one if I were going back. Either way, perfect way to see the city and get your bearings. Get in line about 15-20 minutes early to get a spot on the top deck so you can see everything!
Jardin de Luxembourg: lots of public sculpture, the best playground around, and a beauuuuutiful way to spend a spring afternoon. We grabbed lunch to go and had it in the park, and ended up staying all afternoon. Such a perfect day.
The courtyard of the Louvre! Go hang out there, grab lunch at the little Eric Kayser stand (SO GOOD) and pop up at a cafe table, and take it all in! One of my favorite afternoons we spent in the city.
NOTES:
When you enter a space, make eye contact with the person in charge and say “bonjour!” (or “bonsoir” in the evening) even if you know not a lick of French. Not doing so is considered rude! And don’t worry, they’ll start speaking to you in English probably just based off vibes anyway ;)
Look up hours for absolutely everything you want to do in advance. Lots of businesses are closed on odd days, and you do noooot want to trek miles into the city chasing the perfect croissant only to find they’re not open on Tuesdays.
Book all historic sites and museum tickets a week or two in advance. We were able to book several the night before (wanted to leave things loose to accommodate kid mood swings) and were fine for the most part, but if there’s something you REALLY want to see, book it! Lines day-of can be literal hours.
If you are taking the subway (aka metro - so cheap, so fast! Do not be afraid!) download the card on your phone and get a SEPARATE card for each family member. Yes, it’s very annoying that you can’t just use one card with lots of passes. And maybe have a little basic French knowledge for directional words (ouest and est confused my very culturally competent husband).
We had some friends who spent a year in Europe with very similarly aged children who gave us golden travel advice - one location per week-ish. Don’t try to do more! We spent about 4 days in the countryside outside Geneva (our favorite town was Annecy!) and then a week in Paris. It was the perfect amount of time!
For kids, I highly recommend this little book! My 7 year old was running all over the place to find each item on the list, and it taught us a lot too!
