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.
Le Loir dans la Théière
I had a coffee with the lovely Kirby from Petite Alma this morning in one of my favourite cafés and I suddenly realised that I have never written a post about it! It is called Le Loir dans la Théière on 3 rue des Rosiers in the Marais (Tel : 01 42 72 90 61).
We go there with friends and family for the fabulous brunch on the weekends (get there early, or risk waiting in a huge queue), we also go for lunch and we especially go there to have a big piece of cake in the afternoons. The lemon pie has a meringue crust that is at least 10 centimetres high! I have had friends refuse to leave town before having a slice of this pie! I am also very partial to their Tarte Tatin — it’s really incredible.
The thing I like almost as much as the food is the atmosphere and decor; it hasn’t changed a bit in all the years the café has been around. You will find mismatched, big leather armchairs and old tables. Laptops are not allowed, and even when there is a huge queue snaking out of the café onto the road, every customer is allowed to take as much time as he needs.
There is no special kid-friendly equipment but the staff are really nice and try to accommodate you as much as possible, though it is best to avoid turning up with a big pushchair during the peak hours.
- Emilie
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Niou | Le Pain Quotidien | Paris Plage |
Jardin de L’Acclimatation
Imagine a tiny Disneyland on the outskirts of Paris, but run by the city and founded a good one hundred years ago. So, actually not like Disneyland at all!
The Jardin de l’Acclimatation in the Bois de Bologne is Paris’ own kiddie fun park, and it is great. My eldest daughter is finally old enough to enjoy it, so this past weekend we headed off for a day of fun-filled activities. I really recommend a visit if you ever happen to be in Paris with kids.
I will say it has the most random mix of attractions I have ever seen, but who I am to complain? The kids loved it.
These are my top tips to visiting the park: (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Neuilly Swimming Pool |
Velib’
Though this is not strictly something you can do in Paris with small kids, I do have to sing the praises of something that has very quickly become a Parisian institution: The Velib‘.
You see, all over this wonderful town you can find bicycles belonging to the city council. With a swipe of a card that costs me all of 25 euros a year, I can jump onto an elegant grey bike and cycle (in my case kamikaze style) to my destination. There I find the nearest point and drop off the bike. Nothing could be easier.
The Velib is now as much a mode of transport as the metro and the bus. It is really interesting to see how every Parisian from every walk of life has taken too it. (more…)
Du Pain et Des Idées
I stumbled across the Michelin’s top ten bakeries in Paris report recently and was almost disappointed to see my favourite bakery in Paris listed as the first of the top ten. I thought it was my little secret that no one knew about! Though Du Pain et Des Idées is a tiny, unassuming bakery, the bread and patisseries are out of this world. I found it purely by chance: I was working in a studio on the same street and was looking for the local bakery to take home a baguette one evening… and I was in for a surprise. The baguette had a wonderfully crisp, but not hard, crust and the inside was so delicate!
Christophe Vasseur, the owner of Du Pain et Des Idées started off as a fashion house sales executive when he had a change of heart at the age of 30 (as you do) and decided to become one of the top bakers in the capital. He has more than succeeded. Voted best baker of Paris by Gault and Millau (a famous food magazine) last year, this year he was voted one of the 10 ten bakers in Paris by the Michelin guide.
If you are ever in the area I personally recommend the baguette, the orange blossom brioche called a ‘mouna’, or the apple turnover with a whole baked half-apple in it.
I can only repeat — out of this world!
- Emilie
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Antoine et Lili |
COS
H&M was one of my favorites shops for years and years. On the money, on style and on trend. I didn’t really care that everything fell apart after a few washes.
Over the last few years I have been buying less and less stuff from there. Try as I might, I could rarely find things I wanted. Maybe I have started outgrowing H&M? I must not be the only one, as H&M themselves spotted a gap in the market: a higher end, though still affordable clothing label. And so COS was born.
I love their designs, classic pieces with a modern twist. They are well made and infinitely wearable.
Now, though you cannot find it yet on their website, COS has also brought out a children’s line, reflecting the style of their adult clothes. Cute designs, made out of good quality materials and strong colours and without any logos or fluff you often find on kids clothes… (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Niou | Le Pain Quotidien | Le Loir dans la Théière |
A flower to celebrate spring
Today is the first of May! All over the world people celebrate Labour Day and here in France it is a bank holiday accompanied by demonstrations by all the labour unions. But in typical French fashion, politics are mixed with romantic gestures…
It is customary here to give ladies a small bouquet of Lily of the Valley (known over here as le muguet) on the first of May. It dates back to the court of Charles de IX who decided to present every lady at his court with a bouquet of Lily of the Valley to celebrate the end of winter. The tradition stuck and, being a republic now, the custom is not reserved to the fine ladies of the court but to the fine French ladies everywhere! It is so lovely to walk around Paris on the first of May and see Lily of the Valley being sold on every street corner. You suddenly realise that spring is here and summer is just around the corner….
- Emilie
