Fall in Love with Paris as a Family

Paris, the city of lights, is renowned as a romantic destination.  It is also, surprisingly, one of the most pleasant cities to visit with children. For one thing, the French adore children and you will often find waiters and hotel staff who dote on your charges and plenty of local children to play with them at the many parks and playgrounds. The city also has thousands of delectable patisseries, unique toy stores and gorgeous children’s clothing boutiques found on almost every corner. We have traveled with our son to many cities in Europe and so far, Paris is our favorite. 

While Paris is never a cheap vacation, certain times of the year are less expensive. Mid-October is a great time to go with cheaper fares and crisp air that becomes warm when sunny. In October of 2006, my son and I boarded the Eurostar from Waterloo station in London to meet my husband who was already in Paris. The Eurostar is the best way to travel from London to Paris. It’s a clean, fast train (arriving in two and a half hours) with fairly good food and wine to be purchased in its cafes.

Our tickets cost £199 round trip for both of us, converting to $371.57. One way to find cheaper tickets is to book through www.lastminute.com where you can find deals combining hotel stays with Eurostar tickets. One word to the wise however: don’t assume that your Eurostar seats will be together–even if you purchased them together online. As was our case, my four-year-old was assigned to be in one row and I in another, two behind. In William’s seat was a British man who refused to move, even though he was squatting in my son’s seat. Luckily, a kind Frenchman gave up his seat so William and I could sit together–spouting off French expletives and shaming the Englishman for taking a child’s seat. (The French love children, which is not always the case with the English, as you’ll undoubtedly notice when traveling in both countries.)

Another tip for a smooth arrival with children: exchange money (at least €25) before you arrive in Paris’ Gare du Nord station, as there is only one cash machine in the station. If you are seated in the back of the train, you’ll be last to enter the station, last to enter the long line for cash, and then last to enter the even longer queue for taxis–adding up to an hour of waiting for your antsy children.