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Family Friendly Paris

Indagare member F. G. recently traveled to Paris with her husband and three daughters, ages seven, eight and ten. Here are her impressions of the trip.

We surprised our three daughters with a trip to Paris over Columbus Day weekend and it was a fantastic trip. We took an Air France overnight flight arriving in Paris where we checked into the Hotel St. Vincent. The hotel is in a perfect location on the border of the 6th & 7th arrondissements. We had two small adjoining rooms but found the hotel perfect and well-priced.

Our first stop was brunch two blocks away at Ladurée in a pretty sunlit room with tons of treats to choose from—a must stop for the kids. After brunch we took a walk across the Seine, past the Louvre, through the Palais Royal, back across the river and into the Tuileries. There are these amazing trampolines in the northwest corner of the Tuileries that the girls loved. We went almost everyday! We then walked to the Musée D’Orsay for a quick visit. The kids were losing steam by 5pm so we grabbed an early dinner at Lipp (151 Bld. Saint-Germain; 33 (0)1 4548-5391) which was so-so; not many restaurants are open that early. We were all asleep by 8:30 and everyone slept until 11am the next day. From then on we really didn’t try and change their time; we all stayed out until midnight and slept until 11ish everyday and it worked really well.

Each morning we ordered hot chocolate and croissants up to the room which was very snug but perfect. In an effort to teach the kids about the arrondissement system, we promised the girls that we could stop and buy a chocolate at one chocolate shop in each arrondissement—they loved this and it was easily accomplished and fun.

Saturday we visited the Luxembourg Gardens which has a great playground in the southwest corner. We then headed up to the Centre Pompidou and while we didn’t go in, we took the escalator upstairs to the roof which has a beautiful view. We also walked through Place Vendôme and peeked into the Ritz. On our way back to the hotel we stopped in at Deyrolle to pick up some souvenirs.

On Sunday we went to The Bird Market behind Nôtre Dame and the pet stores on the other side of the Seine which the girls loved. Then we walked around the Marais and Eiffel Tower. We should have made lunch reservations in the Marais as it is the open neighborhood on Sunday and thus very crowded. The Place Des Vosges was so pretty.

On Monday we had a tour with the Indagare recommended guide, who was perfection. She took us to see the windows at Sainte Chapelle, the Conciergerie (Marie Antoinette’s prison cell) and then a very fast tour of the Louvre. The tour was 3 hours in all and she kept the girls’ interests the entire time. We will definitely call her again on our next trip to Paris. We ended the day with a walk around the Île St. Louis and ice cream at Berthillon.

Some other restaurants we visited: Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte in St. Germain was one of our all time favorites and great for kids. All they have is steak and frites. They take no reservations but the line moves quickly. L’Ardoise, a small place near Place Vendôme has fabulous food and does take reservations. Le Timbre (3 Rue Sainte-Beuve; 33 (0)1 45 49 10 40) is a tiny spot near Luxembourg Gardens which had great food but was not kid-friendly. We wanted to take the girls to Breizh Café for crepes for lunch but found we couldn’t get in without a reservation! Thiou (49 Quai Orsay; 33 (0)1 40 62 96 50) had great Thai food on the Seine near Musée D’Orsay. Stella (133 Avenue Victor Hugo; 33 (0)1 56 90 56 00) is not in the most convenient of locations but worth the trip for the plat du Mer.

Overall our trip was fabulous. The only thing we would do differently is consider getting a car and driver for one or two afternoons. For the most part everywhere we went was walking distance but it takes twice as long with kids. While they were troopers we could have seen that much more with a car readily available. Taxis in Paris are a pain and only some will allow five people.

If you are planning a trip to Paris, contact our Bookings Team for help with your itinerary.

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Indagare’s London-based contributor Elena Bowes recently returned from Paris and shares her impressions of the city in this transitional season.

Early March isn’t a time I would normally choose to escape from my home in chilly London to visit equally chilly Paris. But my beau and I were recently invited to a birthday dinner at the 1920’s Art Deco–style Le Prunier on Avenue Victor Hugo.

What we discovered on our trip—which ran approximately 48 hours—is that Paris is virtually tourist-free in March. Thus we were able to pack a lot in while still moving at a leisurely, pleasant pace. Museum lines are short, taxis readily available, corner cafés are filled with locals; Paris in winter belongs to its own, and its few lucky visitors. The city’s sweeping majestic views by day and twinkling monuments by night was ours for the taking.

The two-and-a half-hour Eurostar train from London to Paris is a quick and easy trip. To avoid the inevitably long taxi lines at Gare du Nord, we booked an EcoCab (www.ecocab.fr). Our driver met us on the platform and whisked us to our hotel, the Hotel Saint Vincent, a small boutique property on Avenue Pres aux Clercs in the 7th. It’s an intimate hotel with a lovely staff. The fantastic concierge booked all our taxis and dinner reservations and was exceedingly helpful with our various requests. The minute hotel might not be for everyone but I loved the intimacy. Thierry, the concierge and the breakfast waiter from Mallorca both became our friends by day two.

On our first night we walked into and got seats at the buzzy counter of the normally packed L’Atelier de Joël Robouchon on rue de Montalembert. The menu, while pricey, is worth every cent and the service is equally wonderful.

Day two started with a walk to the nearby Musée d’Orsay where we immersed ourselves in the world of the macabre at Dark Romanticism from Goya to Max Ernst. Inspired by English Gothic novels of the late 18th century, the show looks at how visual artists across Europe played with the underbelly of our imagination. Goya, Gericault, Delacroix and others painted and sculpted images that both horrified and fascinated viewers, with subjects like fatal temptresses, lecherous Satans and gruesome witches. No skeleton is left unburied in this exhibition.

The winter day turned glorious and warm so we lunched in the Tuileries, soaking up rays and admiring views of the Louvre, our next stop. We were headed to see the extensive new Islamic wing, beautifully situated under an undulating white roof-like structure. The two-storied exhibition includes stunning examples of Islamic crafts and textiles dating back thousands of years.

Once we’d seen about a hundred bowls we hopped in a cab and headed to the Marais. We strolled Rue de Bretagne full of beautiful, young, achingly-cool people chatting at cafes (Café Charlot was our pick), and a wide array of unique shops, such as Les Iles Grecques. This good-looking Greek deli mesmerizes with shelves stocked with colorful tin jars of olive oil. Not far from Rue Bretagne, we strolled past the Carreaux du Temple, a covered market that is being transformed into an entertainment center. Next up was the new concept shop, The Broken Arm. Housed in a century-old building on Rue Perree, with Janis Joplin 70’s music playing in the background, The Broken Arms consists of a busy café with delicious looking cakes, and two floors of jewelry, hip fashion-ware, eclectic books and stylish pieces for the home.

On our final day we enjoyed seeing Soleil Froid at the Palais de Tokyo. The very fun, sensory show is by Argentine-born, Paris resident artist Julio Le Parc. He works with light, darkness, movement, mirrors and color to confuse and fascinate the viewer.

We’ll be certainly back, hoping to avoid the crowds again. After all, the long-awaited Picasso Museum re-opens next month after three years of renovation and The LVMH Foundation for Contemporary Art is slated to open this year in a Frank Gehry–designed building in the Bois de Boulogne.

Read Indagare’s Paris destination report

From N. Walker, New York, NY. February, 2009

Just back…we had a great time. Thank you for your suggestions!

Didn’t know if you were interested in getting Paris updates, but here are a few thoughts in case you are. The Crillon was kind of tired (carpet and bathroom fixtures a bit outdated), but we got a great deal on rooms, so no complaining here. We had some delicious food.

Benoit was delicious – best cassoulet I’ve ever had. Nicest waiters. Would go back any time.

Atelier Robuchon was great—highly recommend it. The miniature lamb chops were the best.

Hotel Costes had great ambience and was fun place for dinner after drinks at the Bar Hemingway, but the food was mediocre.

Brasserie Balzar was good and with very nice service, food was simple – nothing spectacular.