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.
Chez Bogato, a patisserie just for kids
You would think that in a city like Paris the patisserie market would be saturated. But there was one thing missing — a patisserie specializing in kid’s cakes! Now we have Chez Bogato, a fabulous kids bakery that makes the best birthday cakes ever! Castles, crowns, tigers and shoes…there is nothing they cannot make into a cake.
If your little one is such a cooking enthusiast that only a cake he has made himself will do, you can throw the birthday party at the Bogato atelier where the kids get to decorate their own cakes. Another option is to have the team come to you with all the equipment needed and throw a party in the comfort of your own home. (more…)
Firmaman
I have been trying to travel a bit further a field, leaving my usual habitat of North-Eastern Paris, to try and discover new places for Babyccino. On one of my trips I met up with Estelle from the lovely e-shop Nordinary and she took me on a whistle-stop tour of the 17th arrondissement.
One particular shop deserves its very own Babyccino post: the fabulous maternity shop Firmaman, Paris’ first concept store for pregnant ladies.
I had been looking for a place just like this during my pregnancy in Paris and never found one. It is a lovely boutique, full of great clothes — some of which are maternity clothes, some of which are not, but all of which will look great on a pregnant woman. You can find great coats, jeans and dresses. There is also a great newborn baby section, a gift section and a lingerie section with some beautiful nursing bras. (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Zara Home | Le Marchand D’Etoiles |
Neuilly Swimming Pool
The summer is almost over, and we are trying to use every available ray of sunshine before the leaves start falling off the trees and the cool weather starts creeping up on us. Last weekend we headed off to the swimming pool and the aim was to go swimming outside and nothing was going to stop us! Turns out swimming outside in Paris is actually not that difficult. All we had to do is jump on the line 1 metro (the fastest metro in Paris) and jump out in the very chic Parisian suburb of Neuilly. The public pool there has an outdoor area, a sun lawn, a toddler paddling pool and, to everyone’s great excitement: a big waterslide. It is great to go with kids — enough to keep them entertained for a few hours and not too much to bring on a sensory overload. The swimming pool does tend to get a bit crowed so I would recommend going earlier rather than later in the day. (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Jardin de L’Acclimatation |
Paris Plage
It is that time of year again here in Paris: the right bank of the Seine has been taken over by lounge chairs, palm trees, sun and sand.
If you happen to be in Paris for the month of August (most Parisians have left for the country and the city is spookily quiet) Paris Plage is the place to be. It has something for everyone: bars, a swimming pool and a great play area.
If you go in the mornings the “beach” is relatively quiet, even on the weekends, and it is a perfect place for kids to get rid of some excess energy. This year the place to be for kids is the area around the Pont de Sully at the eastern edge of the beach.
The other area of Paris Plage around the basin de la Villette is great too, there is even a sailboat you can rent! I loved the idea of sailing around a canal in the middle of Paris, but so apparently do a lot of people so it is completely overbooked. If you have kids from 6 years upwards, there are some fantastic little pedalos that they can peddle around in, in a supervised area of the canal. All of this has been sponsored by the Mairie of Paris so almost all the attractions are free!
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Petit Pan | Ice Cream Island | Le Loir dans la Théière |
Marché des Enfants Rouge
Courtney and her family were over in Paris visiting from London and we wandered around the North Marais, doing a bit of shopping, people watching and coffee drinking. It really reminded me about how much I love this little area. I want to write a thousand and one posts on all the lovely little places you can find around here…
I cannot believe I have not written a post about the Marché des Enfants Rouge yet. It is one of the oldest markets of Paris, founded in 1647 and has been converted into a fabulous market/food hall.
Food from all over the world is available… from Morocco, the Caribbean and Japan and it all gets consumed on big communal tables outside the food stalls. There is also a great organic fruit and vegetable stall and a beautiful flower stall. (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Sweden in Paris | Merci | Wowo |
Soeur
The concept of being chic starts early in Paris. As you can imagine even little girls have an innate sense of style, so their older sisters are off the chart!
Luckily enough there is now a shop just catering to the 10-14 bracket. Soeur was opened by two sisters, one, the co-founder of Bonton and an ex-designer for Bonpoint, the other a child psychologist. As you can imagine from two ladies with such a background, the designs are right on the mark. Tunics, skinny jeans, little skirts and shorts; they have completely managed to capture the style of the Parisian teenagers.
They have a great sale on now, if you happen to be down in St Germain….
- Emilie
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Ladurée Macarons | Luxembourg Gardens | Bonpoint Restaurant |
Parc de la Villette
It is finally warm here in Paris and we are all loving getting out there amongst the action and not being cooped up inside. This is the first year that I have two mobile children who both want to explore the world, so I am getting to know the parks in Paris better and better.
I have just discovered the great outside play park at La Villette. La Villette is the place you can find the fantastic Science Museum for kids (I still have not been, but I need to go, so I can let you guys know my verdict on it). There are more than 10 different themed gardens at La Villette — the one my kids loved is called “Jardin des Dunes et des Vents”. (more…)
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| The Argonaute | La Maison des Petits at 104 | Butte de Chaumont |
Moi et ma fille
Receiving packages in Paris is a nightmare! The post is notorious for losing most packages. The other option is private delivery companies, but the delivery times are often between 8 am and 6 pm. There is no way that I can stay in my flat for a full 10 hours, so I always miss the delivery and spend hours on the phone trying to rearrange redelivery.
Now, there is another option… which is to have your package delivered to a shop near your home so you can drop by and go pick it up. Normally that means turning up at some dodgy mobile phone shop! But I was very, very agreeably surprised the other day when I went to pick up my package at the most lovely little boutique just up the road from me: Moi et ma Fille.
It is so nice to discover little gems in your neighbourhood. Moi et ma Fille (Me and my Daughter) was started by the Taiwanese designer Yafei Tsai after the birth of her little girl. She has created some lovely pieces both for mothers and daughters, and sometimes you find a adult and a children’s version of the same design. The collections are fresh, quirky and affordable.
I am certainly not going to wait for another delivery to visit her boutique again!
- Emilie
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Paris Plage | Paris Plage | Lilli Bulle |
La Maison des Petits at 104
I have received several emails from you guys asking if I know of a good indoor play area for toddlers… and I didn’t! There is a serious lack of them here in Paris. That is… until now. On Saturday I took my girls to the brand new play area called “la maison des enfants” in an amazing new arts centre in the 19th arrondissement of Paris called 104. Granted, it is a bit off the beaten track in a residential part of Paris, but it is worth visiting if you need your little one to get rid of some surplus energy on a rainy day.
All the equipment is brand new and fantastically well designed. There are drawing pods for older kids, a soft play area for smaller ones, dolls, tea sets… The centre is free, though they do limit the amount of kids coming in, so that it doesn’t turn into complete madness. The “maison des petits” is also planning to host ateliers lead by the artists in residence of 104.
On the same premises there is a great bookshop with a huge kid’s section and reading area, and out in the courtyard there is a pizza van and a café. As of yet, most of the centre is still empty and undeveloped but I reckon that in a few months it is going to be buzzing and full of life.
- Emilie
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Parc de la Villette | Butte de Chaumont | The Argonaute |
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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| Tags for School | Paris Plage | 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 |
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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| Paris Plage | Tags for School | Le Pain Quotidien |
Le Pain Quotidien
Le Pain Quotidien now has branches in 15 different countries and long may it continue expanding.
We are loyal customers at our nearest branch in the Marais. There are several reasons for our frequent visits: the food is healthy, fresh and simple and my whole family, young and old, loves going there. They serve great grilled sandwiches and salads, which are a little bit different from the usual bistro fair.
But the great food is not my main reason for recommending the Pain Quotidien. It is one of the rare places you can find a changing table in the toilets… and high chairs! I know that for most countries this is so normal it is not worth mentioning, but in Paris this a phenomenon!
So to paraphrase: it’s a cafe that serves great food and is child friendly. It doesn’t have much going against it, does it?
- Emilie
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Paris Plage | Niou | Le Loir dans la Théière |
Rue Vavin
Just south of the Luxembourg Gardens you can find the Rue Vavin, a mom’s dream of a shopping street. Along the rue Vavin and its side street, the rue Brea, you will find some of the best Parisian children’s shops. From the affordable — a great DPAM baby shop– to the more expensive — Jacadi and Catimini both have a branch on this street– there is everything you could wish to get for your kid. Paris’ first children’s hairdresser Simon is based in the rue Vavin (16 rue Vavin. Tél. : 01 53 10 08 12). There are also toy shops, chain shops, shoe shops and other cute, little individual boutiques.
I personally recommend dragging the family for a quick shopping mission around the rue and then heading off to the playground in the Luxembourg Gardens — a great day out for the whole family.
- Emilie
ALSO IN THE AREA:
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| Ladurée Macarons | Le Marchand D’Etoiles | Luxembourg Gardens |
