Things To Do In Paris
Just behind the Notre-Dame gardens, the Pont Saint-Louis pedestrian bridge leads to the atmospheric streets and lively shopping of the. A perfect walk for flaneurs just taking in the majestic facades and quiet courtyards of beautiful 17th-century mansions, this peaceful island is truly an oasis. Enjoy traditional Parisian fare at the Brasserie de l’Isle Saint-Louis or sample one of the 90 scrumptious flavors of handmade, all-natural ice creams and sorbets—in flavors like wild strawberry, noisette, rum raisin, and white chocolate—at Bertillon, Paris’s most famous ice-cream maker. The most recognized symbol of Paris is the Tour Eiffel, but the ultimate traveler’s prize is the Louvre. This is the world’s greatest art museum—and the largest, with 675,000 square feet of works from almost every civilization on earth.
The three most popular pieces here are, of course, the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. Beyond these must-sees, your best bet is to focus on whatever interests you the most—and don’t despair about getting lost, for you’re bound to stumble on something memorable.Related. The Eiffel Tower is to Paris what the Statue of Liberty is to New York and what Big Ben is to London: the ultimate civic icon.
French engineer Gustave Eiffel—already famous for his viaducts and bridges—spent two years working to erect this iconic monument for the World Exhibition of 1889. Today, it is most breathtaking at night, when every girder is traced in a sparkling cascade of lights originally conceived to celebrate the turn of the millennium. The glittering light show was so popular that the 20,000 lights were reinstalled for permanent use in 2003. The tower does its electric dance for five minutes every hour on the hour starting at dusk and lasting until 1am.Now surrounded by a protective glass wall, be sure to allow plenty of time for lining up. Or, better yet, make a reservation at Alain Ducasse’s gastronomic restaurant Le Jules Verne and forego the lines in the VIP elevator.Related. Since Paris Mayor Anne Hildago took charge of the greening of Paris, the city has never been so flaneur-friendly.
Avid d-command es 24. The Seine is a major focus: after opening the Berges de Seine in 2013, along the left bank between the and the, and the new Rives de Seine on both banks, it’s never been easier to stroll by the river and enjoy endless vistas without the noise of automobiles. Down in the sunken Petit Ceinture (little belt) park, an abandoned ring railway around the city, you can walk among ancient trees, wild greenery, bridges, street art, and neighborhood gardens.
Sections in the 12th, 15th and 16th are open with others on the way. And up on the, atop an old viaduct, you can take a 3-mile stroll 30 feet above Paris, from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes, through beautiful lush gardens with terrific views of the neighborhood. Then visit the Viaduc des Arts’ 45 artisan boutiques set inside the viaduct’s arches.PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit.
Posted in Thursday, Sep. 7th, 2017 byWhile traveling with toddlers and preschoolers was a challenge, opinionated tweens and teens can be just as challenging. We last visited Paris seven years ago. At that time, my kids were happy riding on carousels, running around Luxembourg Gardens and didn’t complain much that we dragged them from one attraction to another as long as they had crepes afterwards. Our revisit this past summer with almost 12 and 14 year-olds was a totally different experience.Want to minimize the eye rolling and exasperated sighs?
Try these family-friendly Paris tours and activities with your tween and teen. What to do in Paris with Teens and Tweens 1. Bike ToursMy kids’ favorite activity was a. It was the first thing we did to and it worked.
The tour was a great orientation of the city if it’s your first time. It was a fantastic way to reintroduce Paris to us.As suburban folks, it took some time to get used to biking city streets and crossing busy intersections.
It was a bit nerve wracking, but I was glad my kids were old enough to navigate the streets well. Carts are available to attach to bikes for younger kids.We loved seeing major attractions like the Invalides complex, Louvre, Place de la Concorde and the Eiffel Tower up close without walking too much. Biking along the River Seine was also a highlight.Our guide ensured our safety and informed us of some interesting history and life in Paris. Keep your anxiety level and your kids’ abilities and comfort level in mind when doing this tour. If you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s also a night version of this tour.We enjoyed this activity so much we did a few days later. It was the best way to explore this vast royal home.
Shopping for our picnic items and eating at one of Versailles’ parks was a major bonus.Read more. A Fat Tire bike tour is one of the fun things to do in Paris for teenagers. Take a Macaron ClassMy teen daughter has always enjoyed baking. The delectable French macaron treats are one of our favorite desserts. Of course, a macaron making class was at the top of her Paris wish list.There were other family classes offering this activity but it didn’t fit our schedule.
We ended up with. Their cooking studio/kitchen was located in the Montmarte area in the shadows of the Sacre Couer cathedral. There were only five of us in class including another teen girl.We learned the intricate techniques of making macarons and several different ganache fillings in 2 1/2 hours. Our instructor took us through each step until the finished product.
Must Do In Paris
We all enjoyed eating our delicious creations after class and took a box with us. This particular class was only for kids ages 12 and over. They also offer classes for other French pastries. If you’re wondering what to do in Paris with teens, take them to a macaron making class!
Go Up the Eiffel TowerWe skipped going up the during our last trip due to long waits and a tight schedule. We made going to the summit a priority during this visit since my kids actually wanted to go up. Despite buying our tickets weeks in advance, we still ended up lining up for quite some time at the elevators to get to the top.
It was expected during a summer visit with the tower being the world’s most popular paid tourist attraction.But, the stunning panoramic views were definitely worth the wait. It was interesting to see Gustave Eiffel’s restored office including wax models. Seeing Paris from above offered a wonderful perspective and helped us sort out the city’s geography. It was a fun experience, and we were glad we waited to take the kids when they were older since it helped them to fully understand what they were looking at.Read more. Get to the top of the Eiffel Tower for a fabulous view of Paris. Visit Musee d’OrsayWhile the Louvre and the Mona Lisa may get all the attention during museum visits in Paris, we found Musee d’Orsay also worthy of exploring.
My kids didn’t want to see the Mona Lisa again or show any interest in Egyptian artifacts. Luckily, Musee d’Orsay had an impressive collection of Impressionist art including Monet, Degas, Renoir and van Gogh. These were artists and masterpieces they were familiar and have grown up with through books and art classes.It was easier to keep my when they were younger through scavenger hunts and interactive activities. They’re too cool for that now.
Things To Do In Paris At Night
I’m glad we did the which made our visit more educational and fun.Our docent ensured we saw many masterpieces during our 2 1/2-hour visit. She kept my kids interested and engaged. It was an amazing experience to see these paintings up close and from a different perspective. We learned a lot about the artists, the Impressionist movement and art pieces we probably would have skipped.Musee d’Orsay was also much more than the masterpieces lining its walls.
The main building used to be the hotel and train station for the Gare d’Orsay railway built for the 1900 World Fair. We learned quite a bit about the building’s history and architecture. Their restaurants were some of the best decorated we’ve ever seen. Don’t forget to look up while shopping at Galeries LaFayette! Look for Instagram/Snapchat SpotsAs part of the social media generation, my kids got some ideas using the #igParis hashtag to find Instagrammable hot spots. There are countless places depending on one’s interests and style. These were a few of their favorite shots and spots.
Selfies are optional. The Eiffel Tower at various angles but especially from the gardens below or from Champ de Mars green space. Our favorite view of the Eiffel Tower has always been at the Palais de Chaillot/Trocadero area. The glass Louvre Pyramid is an iconic shot. My kids preferred to take jumping shots and trick shots pointing to its tip.
We saw plenty of other kids their age doing these pointing shots. Go to the Musee d’Orsay’s top floor. The giant clocks that look out into the Seine River and the Tuileries Gardens are quite popular. Go early to take this photo without crowds.
Buy some Laduree or Pierre Herme colorful macarons and take a photo in their beautiful containers or with any of Paris’ major attractions in the background. I preferred a combination of French desserts. The ornate Parisian carousels were great stops when they were younger. Now, the ride is a prop to get the ideal shot of them riding the colorful carousel with the Eiffel tower in the background.Read more.
Finding the best photo spots for Instagram is one of the fun things to do in Paris for teenagers! Tips to Plan a Great Trip to Paris for Teenagers. Book tours and attraction tickets in advance to minimize wait times. Waiting in lines makes for cranky teens and their parents. Look into the and to save time and money depending on your itinerary. Look into several Wi-Fi options.
Having an Internet connection is a must when trying to send Snapchat updates and Instagram posts or message friends and family back home. Involve teens in the planning process. They will be more invested in the family vacation and will actually be happy to have a say in it.You may have noticed that Disneyland Paris was left out here. The kids looked at the rides and decided it wasn’t thrilling enough. Ask them to research attractions they want to visit and apps that can be used for the trip.We loved our stay at.
It was a beautiful building and conveniently located to many attractions and transportation options.