7 of the best things to do with kids in Paris

10.08.2023 - 15:59 / lonelyplanet.com

Paris is a fabulous place to travel en famille (as a family), with a host of specially designed activities for kids of all ages, both inside for rainy days as well as out and about in the city.

From the best places to go with kids to top planning tips on accommodations and how to travel around, here is our guide to exploring the French capital with les enfants (children).

As Europe's most densely populated city, Paris is well practised in catering to kids' – and parents' – needs. There are parks and playgrounds galore, many restaurants have children's menus (though high chairs are less common), plenty of hotels can arrange lits bébé (baby cots) and/or interconnecting rooms, and numerous museums and cultural spaces have specific activities for kids.

All of Paris' arrondissements (city districts) are well connected but the most central – the 1er arrondissement to the 8e arrondissement – are especially well suited for families to minimize time spent traveling and allow you to pop back to your accommodations for supplies or naps. The 5e (aka the Latin Quarter) and 6e (St-Germain) are ideal for their proximity to the Jardin du Luxembourg, many family-friendly restaurants and hotels, and a wonderful French geography–themed sweet shop, Le Bonbon au Palais.

Paris' most enchanting park is the 23-hectare, chestnut-shaded Jardin du Luxembourg, which Napoléon dedicated to the city's children. Delightfully old-fashioned activities include prodding 1920s sailboats on its octagonal pond, riding ponies or its carousel, and catching a marionette show at its theater.

Other Parisian parks with puppet shows include Parc Monceau, Parc Montsouris, and, by the Eiffel Tower, Parc du Champ de Mars. Parc de la Villette has futuristic playgrounds and attractions, music venues and museums.

For a memorable overview of the City of Light, a river cruise through Paris' heart is hard to beat. Companies include Bateaux-Mouches, Bateaux Parisiens and the hop-on, hop-off Batobus, as well as Vedettes de Paris, which has hour-long tours tailored specifically to families with children.

Another engaging journey is a canal cruise with Canauxrama from Bastille through an underground section then passing through the locks and swing bridges of Canal St-Martin en route to the Parc de la Villette.

The city's botanic gardens, the Jardin des Plantes, contains a small zoo, the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes. At Paris' edges are two rambling forests, Bois de Boulogne in the west, and Bois de Vincennes in the east. Younger kids will adore amusement park Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, which has 44 individual attractions such as "rafting adventures", "speed rockets" and funfair rides, and is most endearingly reached by taking a mini train