Traveling to Paris with kids? Here's an insider guide for what to do and where to go, tested by us and proven to be kid-friendly and cool.
Paris Plage
There is no way the Parisians are going to be outdone by the Dutch. Amsterdam might have Strand Zuid, but we have Paris Plage — at least 2km of golden sand and palm trees all along the right bank of the Seine with scantly clad Parisians and Parisiennes sunning themselves. There are bars, there’s music, an exercise area and lots of other entertainment. It is great fun, but really hectic and so packed that it is difficult to relax there with kids in case they might mistake the Seine for the Ocean and decide to go take a dip….
This year the city council here in Paris has cleverly put up an outpost of Paris Plage off the beaten track on the basin de la Villette in the 19th (metro Jaures) which is hugely kid-friendly and a huge amount of fun. The ubiquitous manege, big trampolines, a waterplay area and a little beachy sand area all geared toward kids. You can even rent pedalos! It is incredibly clean (even the toilets), relatively empty and what impressed me the most are the organizers (or animateurs as they are called over here), who are incredibly good with kids and make sure that the kids know how to use the facilities and are properly supervised.
So why go to the beach if the beach comes to Paris?
- Emilie
P.S.: all of the facilities are free and the beach is around until the 21st of August
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Tags for School | Niou | Paris Plage |
French Pharmacies
I LOVE my local pharmacy. Whatever problem I have, they always seem to have the right cream, lotion or potion for it. I think that part of my love affair for pharmacies is because roughly 80% of my French family are pharmacists. Then again when you look at the amount of pharmacies in France, 80% of the population must be pharmacists… but I think there is more to it than that. In France we are medication mad; maybe due to the socialized health care system, but here in France more people visit doctors than in any other part of the world. For every ailment, no matter how small, there is a cure you can pick up at your local pharmacy.
But it does not stop there – pharmacists are not only at your beck and call when you have a medical problem, but also when you want to indulge yourself. I buy most my creams, shampoos and the kids’ creams and shampoos at the pharmacy. Most pharmacists, even in tiny villages, stock La Roche Posay, Nuxe, Caudalie etc. and if they don’t they can almost always order the product you need within 24 hours. (more…)
Chic Shopping Paris
Here is a must-have for any self respecting shopper coming to Paris. Our friend, Rebecca Magniant, has put together her hard-earned knowledge about shopping in Paris and has published a shopping guide “Chic Shopping Paris”
It is lovely! It is a great read just on its own and makes you want to visit every boutique. The advice is priceless if you are fed up with the big department shops and want to venture out beyond the obvious. It has beautiful photos and I love the way it is small enough to fit into any handbag!
Available through Amazon UK
- Emilie
Vive le café
Every country has its own coffee etiquette. The US has given us the coffee chains with the ubiquitous paper cups in different sizes. The Italians have given us the no frills espresso and the cappuccino. But what about the French? What is the difference between a noisette, a crème and a café au lait? What is the difference between ordering at the bar, in the sitting area or on the terrace?
After having innumerable visitors come to stay with us and witnessing the confusion when ordering a coffee, I have decided that it is time to shed some light on the situation. (more…)
Mini Me
I have noticed a growing trend in fashion labels over here in France (and it might be the same all over the world):
Grown-up designer women labels have started to produce small collections of little girls’ clothes in the signature style of the label. Comptoir des Cotonniers, Maje, Sandro, Zadig et Voltaire and Paul and Joe to name but a few, have started to make clothes for girls mostly from 4 years onwards. They often use the same fabric and always recreate the same look. It feels like kids (esp. girls) are dressing more like adults… or maybe adults are dressing more like kids? I guess a pair of jeans and a T-shirt works for any generation!
Anyway, if you ever feel like creating a mini version of you, it has never been easier……
- Emilie
Bonpoint Restaurant
Since I have been living in Paris, Courtney has been nagging me to visit one of her favourite shops, Bonpoint. I have always resisted… too far to go I have been saying and just not my style! But a couple of days ago I got my act together, got on a bus, crossed the river and visited the legendary shop. It is quite incredible to visit, even if you don’t buy anything. There are rooms after rooms of exquisite (if expensive) children’s clothing from newborn to teenager.
BUT I am digressing as I actually went to Bonpoint to check out the restaurant in the basement; I have been desperate to write a review about a kid-friendly restaurant with charm. In true French style it is a good restaurant that happens to accommodate kids, as opposed to a restaurant catering to kids to which grown-ups can also go. But for that, it is exactly what you need. (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Cirier Candles | Berry’s Berry | Le Marchand D’Etoiles |
Agence Ludique
Organizing a kid’s birthday party is always a logistical nightmare in Paris. How do you fit all of these little people who take up so much space into a flat!? Lets face it, I love to throw a party, but not enough to have my flat turned into a bomb site.
This is where the Agence Ludique comes in. A little house hidden down a shady courtyard in the Marais district hosts birthday parties and ateliers for kids.
My friends, Rebecca (of the Chic Shopping Paris fame) and Heather cleverly outsourced their kids’ birthday party to the Agence Ludique and it was a huge success. The girls got to make magic wands and play at being fairies. In our house this is still the most talked about event of the year.
Birthday parties can even be hosted in English and Spanish. They also offer workshops on weekends and Wednesdays from the age of 3 onwards. The workshops vary from fun activities like dancing lessons to having a professional cocktail waitress teach kids how to make fruit cocktails, depending on the day.
I almost wish I was a 3-year-old myself so I could go…
- Emilie
