Paris, France

what we did

We packed a lot into our five days in Paris. I tried to break it up into neighborhoods as much as I could to ensure we maximized our time. Notre Dame had just reopened, and we were unsuccessful in getting tickets to see inside. We easily could have spent more time in the city, but now it’s a reason to go back!

We dropped our bags and immediately started our walk to the Arc. We arrived late, but I went straight up to the front of the line, told them in French I didn’t speak English (it’s the only French I know!), and asked if they spoke English, and explained our predicament. She opened the line right up for us!

Right away, the kids noticed the hills and a lot more stairs in Paris compared to Amsterdam. We’ve always made it a game to count stairs. I don’t remember the exact number in the Arc, but it’s a lot. Once inside the Arc, we read about its history, then climbed more stairs to the top. Mike and I were so excited to start our trip here because it has the most incredible views of the city. We arrived at sunset and watched the sun go down over Paris. The joy was visibly emanating from the kids upon seeing Paris for the first time, draped in late-winter sun as it went down.

We weren’t sure what the kids would be up for, but we were thrilled when they asked to walk along the Champs-Élysées. It’s perpetually packed with people, but it was still lovely to stroll this famous boulevard with my family. To give you some perspective, the main part is about as long as the Las Vegas strip (approximately 4 miles) from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre. We made it to Place de la Concorde before our feet started hurting, and we were ready for dinner. 

I booked Kapunka Thai for dinner. M loves Thai food, and it’s a 100% gluten-free restaurant. Overall, Paris had the best gluten-free scene of our trip. Everything we had was wonderful! It’s a balance to ensure R gets everything he wants while ensuring M can eat safely. Kapunka has a couple of locations; I booked dinner in the 2nd Arrondissement. The kids were shocked at how tiny the restaurant was, but our food was delicious. It was 8 tables and there was about two inches between each table. 

It’s been 20 years since I’ve been to Paris, and my metro skills were a little rusty. Once we figured it out (after asking for help), we all felt like pros getting around Paris. M enjoyed being our navigator and figuring out what trains we needed to be on, which platform to wait on, and how to exit to the right place. As parents, it was fun to see her take charge and figure it out on her own.

Day 1

After a blissful night’s sleep, we woke up to a foggy day in Paris. But, not to worry, we were going to be fueled with pastries & baguettes all day! Our first stop was Copains Bakery, a few doors down from our hotel. We wanted to buy everything in this bakery. It was small, one main aisle in the middle flanked by a cold case on one side and a countertop & shelves filled with baked goods on the other, and it was all 100% gluten-free. We settled on a bagel with lox, cucumbers, and arugula, a pear tart, and peanut butter cookies for later. I ordered a giant chai latte, which my son decided he was going to share with me. It was all delicious! The guys grabbed a smoothie and a baguette & croissant, and we were off. 

Our first stop was Sacre Couer. Once out of the Metro, we had a quick stop for a crepe before taking the stairs up to the church. Again, such a difference from Amsterdam, we now had hills and stairs! The wait to get inside wasn’t too bad, but then the kids decided they wanted to climb the dome. We snagged our tickets (you have to go down and around the outside of the church) and started the climb. I wish it were a clearer day to see the view, but we made due. The Eiffel Tower was half shrouded in clouds, but the view of the city was still spectacular. We were able to see the Seine and Notre Dame!

After our descent, we spent some time in Montmartre, which is so close to Sacre Coeur. This charming neighborhood is one of the most Instagrammable spots in Paris, and it was packed. The kids put together this was where Van Gogh lived after learning about him in Amsterdam. And, the only vineyard in Paris is in Montmartre. Sadly, we were there way too early (or is it late) for harvest. This is also the day I started taking photos of Parisian doors because they are stunning and I want my front door to look that fabulous. It became a running joke that I was always behind because I was taking photos of doors!

Our next stop was heading towards Notre Dame. The cathedral had just reopened before our trip, and despite our best efforts, we could not get tickets for the inside. We talked about the Il de la Cite being one of the oldest parts of Paris on our ride down. The cathedral was as huge as I remembered it. Along the exterior of Notre Dame, which is still under construction, is a timeline of the restoration and how it’s being restored. If you have the opportunity to read this online, please do. They are employing hundreds of tradespeople and artisans to restore the cathedral. Although some modern methods of restoration are needed, many of the practices are the same as when the cathedral was built. 

Along our stroll, I stopped for Vin Chaud (hot, mulled wine) and sipped it along the Seine at sunset. Can it get more Parisian than that?! The kids tried it and were not fans. This particular photo of me with my Vin Chaud is one of my favorites of the trip. 

Because it was Christmas Eve, I had booked a traditional prix-fixe dinner at a local spot, Bourgogne Sud. If you travel to Paris, make all your dinner (and lunch) reservations in advance. It’s not like the US, where walk-ins are generally welcome. The expectation is a reservation, and that you are on time. I love dining at local spots when I travel, and this was no exception. It was tucked away in the 9th, and we were the only Americans in the restaurant. I love having “restaurant kids”; they know how to dine, and always bring smiles to the other diners when they see my kids not acting terribly. The kids tried new-to-them food, laughed, and chatted with our table neighbors. We worked through language barriers and enjoyed our time together. 

After dinner, we strolled by Galleries Lafayette and the Palais Garnier Opera house. I wanted to go to the Opera House as I had never been before, but no tickets were available for the days we were in Paris. 

Day 3

It was going to be another packed day for us! Our first stop today was Versailles. Versailles is about a 45-minute train ride outside of Paris. We had to navigate our way on the metro, then a regional train, to make our way there. By now, we felt like total pros; the hardest part for me is making sure I’m facing the right direction!

We disembarked, I needed a coffee, and grabbed a French yogurt, because they are the best. I sipped my perfect cup of coffee while strolling the five minutes to the Palace. Versailles is always gorgeous, and when the sun shines on those golden gates, it is truly spectacular. The day was sunny & crisp and perfect to explore this storied palace. We had downloaded the audio tour on our phones and had our AirPods at the ready. We queued on the cobblestone drive and M & chatted about how hard it is to walk on them and tried to imagine how bumpy it must have been in a carriage 200 years ago. Once through the massive security line we made our way into the Palace. 

In the main courtyard one of the horses from The Olympics was on display. What a stunning piece to have at Versailles. The kids could not get over how many rooms and how over-the-top it was. The closest they’ve come to seeing this kind of opulence was visiting the “summer cottages” in Newport, Rhode Island. But learning that this palace was 100+ years older blew their minds a bit. There are only so many painting descriptions and paintings of Napolean you can visit before needing to get back outside. We saw the big stuff: the chapel, Marie Antoinette’s apartments, the King’s Chambers, and the Hall of Mirrors. Mike and I could have spent all day there but with teenagers in tow, managing them and ensuring they don’t suffer too much from boredom is important.

The kids wanted a golf cart to explore the gardens, but at over 100 euros and being the middle of winter we opted out. We walked around, let them hang out on a bench for a while, took some family photos, and then headed to lunch. I had booked Ble Noir, a crepe place in town. As usual, we were the only Americans inside this tiny restaurant. But, I had confirmed they could make buckwheat crepes Celiac Safe for M, so off we went. The menu is online, and we used Google Translate to try to ascertain what we were going to eat for lunch. We had a delightful French family next to us, and they assisted in ensuring we were ordering correctly, especially for M. They were incredibly patient and so nice! The crepes arrived, and they were bigger than my head! We drank sparkling lemonades and wolfed down these amazing crepes. R figured out how to pay online, so he took care of the bill for us!  

We walked back to the train station and had to wait a while before leaving for Paris. But, on the way back in were treated to a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower from the train. It was our first truly sunny day so it was a treat. We stopped off to grab baguettes from the boulangerie near out hotel. R practiced his French and correctly ordered the baguette tradicional. Then we went to the grocery store, bought butter for him, and of course more OJ. We had no flatware so he just scooped his baguette right into the butter; it tasted perfect. 

After a short rest, we headed to Galleries Lafayette. Full disclosure, not the best choice but we were there on a mission. We realized once inside that is was the day after Christmas and it was packed to the gills. But, M wanted to get a Pandora charm bracelet and buy a Paris charm. She and I waited to be helped and picked our her bracelets and charms. Once done, we hightailed it out of there. The stores are massive and you can find anything you need, but I do not recommend going on December 26th!

We wandered down the Champs-Élysées again on the way to dinner at Chez André. Although a bit touristy, the food is delicious, there were French diners, and it’s a classic French Bistro. And, if you love steak frites and steak frites only, Le Relais de Entrecote is across the street. M doesn’t eat steak so that was a no-go for us. While we waited for our table, we watched the ecailler prepare oysters, escargot, and shrimp for the restaurant. You’ll see this often in Paris, an entire station outside with someone shucking oysters and other seafood for the patrons inside. We made our way inside and scored a window table! The guys ordered escargot & prawns to start while M and I split a salad and oeufs mayonnaise. R loves escargot, but all the spots we have gone to in Seattle have already taken it out of its shell, which is half the fun. Not in France, he had to work for those snails! Luckily, no one was injured while eating the escargot. He also fought with the prawns, which came whole. We had to walk him through how to take the head, legs, and shell off and explain what the little black vein on the back of the shrimp was. It was an adventure for him for sure! Let’s talk about the oeufs mayonnaise for a minute. Fresh, hard-boiled eggs slathered in gorgeous French mayonnaise, so good. I ordered a baba au rhum (rum baba) for dessert and the kids were shocked when the server set down an entire bottle of rum on the table. It’s a very traditional French dessert invented around 1835 in Paris. It’s one of my favorites and always better soaked with a little extra rum at the table. Dinner was lovely, we took our time, enjoyed each other’s company, and the kids tried some more French wine. 

Day 2

Christmas & Hanukkah in Paris! We’re Jewish, so it’s not a big deal for us, but Paris (and London) were so festive. This was one of our biggest walking days, we walked all over the city! We spent most of the day in Le Marais, the Jewish Quarter in Paris. After grabbing breakfast from Copains and the local boulangerie, we popped into the grocery store for OJ. Most, if not all, Paris grocery stores have a machine to freshly squeeze your orange juice. We were slightly obsessed and bought it every day. It was 2 Euro for 16 oz, a total steal! We hopped on the metro to our first stop, Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme (the Jewish Museum) in Le Marais. Security is TIGHT at this museum, so be prepared. There is a free audio tour that I highly recommend. You will choose your own adventure on the audio tour. The museum is fascinating and contains thousands of artifacts from French Jewry over the centuries. Our family has not yet traveled to Israel together, so these were the oldest artifacts my kids have seen that relate to their religion. 

After a couple of hours inside the Museum it was time for lunch. Since we were in La Marais, it was imperative I eat a falafel. We meandered our way to L’as du Fallafel, one of the most famous spots in Paris. In fact, one of the restaurants (a French restaurant) I worked at modeled the falafel based on this spot. Beyond the classical French cuisine, Paris is home to a diverse & unique foodscape, with a heavily influenced Middle Eastern presence. Falafel is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, and one of my personal favorite foods of all time. The line was long, but a gentleman was coming through with tickets and a credit card machine. All I had to do up front was hand them my ticket and my falafel came out almost immediately. They had their system down perfectly. While in line, a pushy, yet friendly, Orthodox Jewish Man was giving away Hanukiah’s (candelabra for Hanukkah). He spotted my son, came right up to us and asked if R wanted to put on tefillin, which he declined (because he’s 16 and it would have SO embarrassing) but we came home with a new menorah that we will light next Hanukkah! R and I split the falafel, it came with perfectly fried falafel balls, grilled eggplant, shredded cabbage & onion, pickled veggies, and this gorgeous tehina sauce slathered on top and inside. It was SO delicious! But, I don’t know if it beat Eastside Pockets in Providence, RI. Meanwhile, my husband found a Jewish Bakery and walked out with a couple of sufganiyot for dessert!

Fueled up we kept walking towards the Louvre, but we needed to make a pit stop for extra OJ! The Louvre was closed on Christmas Day so it was less crowded for photos. I am so glad we decided to stop here because the day we went to the Louvre, it was packed, and there was no way we would have been able to get up close to the Pyramid at all. After wandering around the outside of the Palace, which is simply massive, we started our long stroll through Paris to the Eiffel Tower. We wandered through the Tuilleries, looked at statues, and spent some time around the ponds (le grand bassin). We walked along the Seine for a bit before crossing at the Pont Alexandre Bridge. This bridge is so impressive, and coming up from the Seine, seeing all the art on the side of the bridge, to then be on top is stunning. We took a lot of photos and were able to see the Eiffel Tower in the background. 

We did not purchase Eiffel Tower tickets in advance, so we waited for about an hour in line. It was completely fine and provided a bit of rest. And, we got to listen in on a few tour guides, so we were learning too! We saw the twinkling tower from directly below the feet of the tower, then inside of it, and later on, after dinner. We did the elevator ride up but ended up taking the stairs down. I’m really happy we did not climb the stairs up! We had a great time, but the kids said they’ve done it once, so they don’t need to go back. Next time they are in Pari,s they want to do other things; I love that! 

Our next stop was dinner at Tasca, a 100% gluten-free Italian restaurant a ten-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. Originally, the menorah was supposed to be lit at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, but it was moved at the last minute. So, we didn’t end up seeing the menorah lighting. I found Tasca from others in the gluten-free community, and it did not disappoint. We couldn’t dine at all the GF restaurants in Paris, but we will next time. The gluten-free community is small, but mighty. We sat next to a couple we had seen at Kapunka Thai, so one or both of them was likely Celiac as well. It made M feel like a part of a bigger community and I was happy for her. The food at Tasca was fantastic! We had fresh bread and cheese to start, burrata, M and I both had pasta, the boys had lasagna, and of course dessert. M had a tiramisu that was out of this world and R ordered some kind of sampler (we weren’t quite sure what we were getting) but it was delicious! It is a huge relief to dine somewhere where we have to worry about zero things. M could relax and enjoy herself and not wonder if she would get sick. Her joy was palpable, and I wish I could give her that experience all the time. We timed the conclusion of dinner perfectly, just in time to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 9 PM. It was a long day and we needed to get back on the Metro to our hotel because we had Versailles the next day and friends coming into town!

Day 4

After a late night, we slept in a bit, grabbed our now usual, Parisian breakfast, and hopped on the Metro to the Louvre. I had forgotten what I had learned about the Louvre from 20 years ago. It was the former palace of the Royal Family; they moved to Versailles, but the Louvre is much, much larger than Versailles. We were smart to come for photos earlier in the week because it was so busy. Mike and I are never quite sure how museums will be received by the kids, they could be a hit, or they will be bored. We’ve experienced both! The Louvre is massive, and one can spend days and days there and not see everything in its collection. We hit some of the more famous pieces, the Mona Lisa (the kids were SO underwhelmed), Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace (Nike), and we tried for the Egyptian Wing but it was closed! I loved seeing the dining room and dinner service for 30 at one table. I could envision what meals were like 200 years ago; so over the top & decadent. It must have been a sight! We spent several hours wandering through. R enjoyed it, and I can see him going back. M was into it for a bit, then she was ready to go. 

We hopped onto the Metro to head over to the 14th to grab lunch and meet our friends to visit the Catacombs. We swung by Copains again to grab lunch for M, I found a boulangerie and enjoyed a jambon beurre sandwich. This is such a classic, and I swear it only tastes that good in France! Eating a jambon beurre, on a sidewalk in Paris with the sun shining down on you, is one of the most delightful experiences. 

We met our friends in line at the Catacombs. They had just flown in from Seattle, and the girls were VERY excited to see each other. I had recently learned of the Catacombs from the show “Lupin” and was excited to walk through them. The catacombs are fascinating, and I encourage everyone visiting Paris to go. It’s a short, 45-60 minute self-guided (with audio) tour. While you can dive into the history of the Catacombs, in short, they contain the remains of over six million people. Burial grounds were overflowing, so in 1785, officials decided to move remains to the abandoned limestone quarries. The last people buried in the catacombs were in 1860. 

After coming up from underground, we wandered with our friends. The Jardin de Luxembourg and the Pantheon had closed, but we were able to snap photos. We meandered our way back towards Notre Dame with a stop at Shakespeare & Co. The line to get in was far too long, so we didn’t wait. The funniest thing happened: I was approached by a journalist to give an interview about traveling in Paris during the holidays. I can’t find the interview, but we all got a kick out of it! 

Dinner with friends was at Le Bistro de Paris across the Seine. A classic French bistro, white linens, burgundy booths, and servers in tuxes. Our big group settled in for a long dinner. Our server misunderstood my request for Lillet and brought me a glass of milk (la lait), we all had a chuckle, including him! My son ordered escargot (which he did as often as possible on this trip) and shared it with the girls who hadn’t tried it yet. We sipped on wine, enjoyed the company, and basked in the glow of being in Paris. 

After dinner, we left our friends (they were tired from their long travel day) and headed back over the Seine. I wanted the kids to see the Louvre at night. It was practically deserted, and the perfect way to end our trip to Paris. We hopped back on the Metro back to Av Victor Hugo to the hotel, aided of course, by our intrepid daughter. 

We are a family of walkers, and boy, did we walk all over Paris. The kids talk about how much they loved walking through the city. It takes longer to get to where you are going, but what a way to see such a spectacular city. We each logged over 20k steps per day but it was glorious!

If you are unsure if you want to take your kids to Paris (or anywhere!), don’t be. It is such an incredible experience for them and as parents. It’s a different trip with kids than if you were with other adults. But, kids are fun, resilient, and seeing them see things for the first time brings so much joy.