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.
Alice à Paris
Here is yet another gem of a boutique/brand for boys and girls that is a great representation of French children’s clothing style. In this case, without a hefty price tag attached to it!
If you don’t happen to be in Paris, you can also have a virtual browse on the online shop.
Le Bonbon au Palais
I am one of those rare people who doesn’t like sweets and chocolate (unlike Courtney, who has a chocolate box full of fabulous looking chocolates which comes out after every dinner). It has never occurred to me to wander down the sweet aisle in a supermarket… but my daughters are very, very different from me!
Nowadays when I am in a supermarket I am actively circumventing the bonbon aisle, because if I don’t I will be stuck there for hours explaining that I really don’t think it is a great idea to buy a cartload of sweets every time we shop. But, there is a place that I do like to take them to every once in a while. It is a little sweet shop called “Le Bonbon au Palais” in the 5th arrondissement. The owner has travelled the whole of France to find the best bonbons from every region. The collection is pretty impressive.
The goodies are displayed in big glass vases and the shop is decorated like a 1950’s school room. It is so French, so old-school and so pretty that I get carried away every time we go and buy loads more than I planned! (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Natural History |
Kids and the City
If you have any spare time between the 3rd and 5th of June and happen to be in Paris, do check out the children’s fair “Kids in the City” on rue Francs Bourgeois in the 3rd. The fair was put together by the lovely Estelle who also runs Nordinary — one of my favourite webshops here in France.
She has managed to group together some of the best and innovative brands in France and all will have a little stand at the fair, some with collections designed exclusively for the event. You will also be able to pick up some yummy cupcakes and some bonbons from my favourite sweet shop Le Bonbon au Palais.
I am really looking forward to discovering lots of new companies, many of whom I have never heard of.
See you there!
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Sweden in Paris | New Bonton store | Merci |
Wowo
Since the arrival of the Bonton “Mega” Store on boulevard Beaumarchais, the “North Marais” in the 3rd (around Rue Vielle Du Temple and Rue de Bretagne) has become a very dangerous place for parents (specifically mothers) to visit. One beautiful little children’s boutique is opening up one after the other.
The shop has only just opened and the stock is only slowly trickling in but it already promises to be a must-stop shop, if you are indeed in the market for funky kids clothes whilst visiting Paris. I have to admit I always am…
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Marché des Enfants Rouge | Sweden in Paris | Pink Flamingo |
Parc de Belleville
The Parc de Belleville used to be just a normal city park, nothing to write home about. But thanks to strict safety laws, the play area in the park had to be closed down and it re-opened last year with a completely new play structure that is worth a visit, especially if you have boys with a surplus of energy!
It is called the “village en bois” — the wooden village — and is built on a side of a hill so you have to climb up a fair few steps (hence the before mentioned energy burning). On the way down the children are rewarded by a massively long slide that goes all the way down again.
The whole play structure is divided into three parts, depending on the age of the children. There is a whole philosophy behind this structure — city children don’t often have the chance to push themselves physically and learn how far they can go. This structure is designed for children to push themselves a little bit further than they would normally do and learn to be more confident. When you are done exploring the play area (it isn’t huge) I highly recommend climbing to the top of the hill, as you will be rewarded with one of the best views all over Paris…
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Les 400 Coups |
The Argonaute
A girlfriend of mine came to visit us in Paris with her 2 boys who were 8 and 10. I was at a complete loss on how to entertain them. Playing with my girls entertained them mildly, but when their mother and I suggested hitting the shops we had a bit of a mutiny on our hands…and who could blame them?
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Parc de la Villette | Butte de Chaumont | La Maison des Petits at 104 |
Butte de Chaumont
FINALLY we have been having a few days of sunny weather here in Paris. And as we live in a typical Parisian apartment with no outdoor space, the main thing I have been yearning for is a spot of grass I can plop myself and my 2 girls on to enjoy some rays of sunshine.
Finding that is easier said than done, as most Parisian parks are made out of gravel, and grass is generally off-limits to walk or sit on.
So I decided to get off the beaten track of the centre of Paris and head over to the Butte de Chaumont, a park in the 19th arrondissement. It is lovely! It was built about 150 years ago on what used to be the city’s gallows and wasteland. Today it looks like a Gothic dreamscape — complete with waterfalls, a temple and a grotto. (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| The Argonaute | Parc de la Villette | La Maison des Petits at 104 |
