Tips on Paris with 5 and 2 year old?

[janine]

We went last summer with our then 2 yo and 7 yo sons. The Jardin du Luxembourg is a MUST. I also recommend the Musee Rodin - just go to the gardens. If I remember correctly if you visit the gardens you only pay 1 or 2 euros, and they are beautiful, with magnificent Rodin sculptures that the kids will enjoy. And there is a nice outdoor cafe. Another suggestion: have a picnic at the Tour Eiffel - the kids will love to see the Eiffel tower lights and you can drink wine while you eat fabulous food.

We stayed here and we highly recommend it, although it is expensive. But I really think that renting an apartment gives you a lot of flexibility.

http://www.cecile-apartments.com/par...-apartment.php

Hope this helps.

Thank you - did you bring strollers/car seats? (I guess for the 2 yr old). Did you take any side trips?

Thanks so much for the link - I have saved it. Did you manage with the 4 of you in a 1bdrm (and do you remember how much it was roughly)?

Any recommendations for restauarants for the family and picky little ones . Hope that's not too many questions!

[Nicsmom]

We did bring a stroller, but no carseat. Cecile - from Cecile apartments - arranged for someone to pick us up at the airport when we arrived and he brought a carseat per our request. Same thing on our way to the airport. In Paris we took the subway all the time so no need for a carseat, at all.

A nice thing about Paris is that people will help you carry the stroller in the subway stations when they see you going up or down the stairs. We were surprised that this happened frequently - people offering to help us when they saw me or my husband struggling with the stroller and the stairs.

We did manage the 4 of us in a 1 bedroom. DH and I slept in the bedroom, the kids slept in a sofa bed in the living room. Well, DS1 used the sofabed and DS2 used a pack an play (Cecile also provides them if you need them). I think we paid around 1500 euros a week, if I remember correctly. It was well worth it. The location was amazing and the apartment was very well-equipped. It was great to be able to do laundry when needed, and we had a grocery store next door so we had breakfast everyday and a few meals in the apartment. The apartment was tiny by American standards but very, very comfortable and charming (and much bigger than any hotel room).

My favorite restaurant is Le Comptoir. Very close to the apartment where we stayed. It does not exactly cater to children, but we took ours there and we had no problems. The nice thing about staying in an apartment with little ones is that you can feed them what they like and not worry too much when they won't eat what is offered at the restaurants. My foodie DS1 loved eating out and would eat anything, but my picky DS2 was happier eating at the apartment. It was nice to have fresh fruit and cereal and snacks for when we came back from our long walks.

Hope this helps!

[anamika]

We rented an apartment near the Louvre through VRBO. I can send you details if you want.
It was fantastic! DH would go buy fresh bread and eggs from the local bakery for breakfast - so good. There was always a long line - Europeans buy food fresh everyday apparently!
The apartment had a tiny washer which perfectly held one day's clothes which we then hung out to dry.
If you like yogurt (and I am very particular about my yogurt!) they have the best kinds.
And do not miss L'As du Falafel!! Best falafel in the world. Drooling on the keyboard now!

[anamika]

BEST PLAYGROUND ever is in Jardin du Luxembourg -- we hit this playground a couple of times and from there you can walk to the Bon Marche (great food court -- saying it is a food court is really not right -- is awesome -- and large high market brands).

There is a place near the Jardin that sells candied fruit and pastries. We bought food and had a picnic in the garden. Such a great memory.

[ged]

a little late to this thread, but i can recommend the apt we stayed at this past april.

http://marais-beaubourg.com/Vacation_Rental/HOME.html#1

4th floor walk up, but since we live in Europe, it's not really a big deal for us. no place to leave the stroller in the entry, so bring a folding umbrella and you're good to go. lot's of great restaurants nearby.

[citymama]

We rented an apartment near the Louvre through VRBO. I can send you details if you want.
It was fantastic! DH would go buy fresh bread and eggs from the local bakery for breakfast - so good. There was always a long line - Europeans buy food fresh everyday apparently!
The apartment had a tiny washer which perfectly held one day's clothes which we then hung out to dry.
If you like yogurt (and I am very particular about my yogurt!) they have the best kinds.
And do not miss L'As du Falafel!! Best falafel in the world. Drooling on the keyboard now!

We're leaving for Paris this month and are conveniently located close to l'As du falafel - my favorite place to eat in Paris! Can't wait!