What can a large family do in Paris for less than a day?

Question

My parents have organized a day trip to Paris next week (we intend to be back in London by night), and I just want to know what we can pack in in about 10 hours (unfortunately that's an early arrival and a late departure! Oh goodie!), because I want this to be fun. So? Answers please! And no stupid and/or sarcastic answers!

Answer 1

Why go to Paris, it is a toilet. You can always make a sport of dodging the beggars which are everywhere.  And you could play spot the pickpocket.  And I'm not being sarcastic either!

Answer 2

We went to Paris for the day and did the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and then Arc de Triomphe walked down the Champs Elysee to the Louvre had dinner and went to the station.  Get to Eiffel Tower as early as you can as queues get quite long although they move quite quickly.  Dont take too many bags, look out for the beggars at the Eiffel Tower are they are quite aggressive and intimidating especially if you have kids with you.  Plan your route on the Metro before you leave. Probably need about 2 and half hours for Tower, 30 minutes to get to Notre Dame 2 hours there at least.  Notre Dame good, cheap to go up to see Gargoyles free for under 18s, fantastic views and magnificent building.  Have good time we love Paris.

Definitely worth going up Tower, I been there three times and only went to the top last time we visited and it was amazing  a bit windy and wobbly but worth it, you really got to be aware of the beggars though, we had a bag stolen and the kids were trying to eat their lunch and anything they were not holding the beggars were trying to take from them.  Be careful if you got kids with you.

Answer 3

I'd suggest looking at the Artists' Quarter in MontMartre and visit the Sacred Heart Basilica which is nearby. The Artists' Quarter would be a good place for lunch and I think it's close to Pigalle Metro (a bit seedy). An alternative for lunch would be the Bois de Boulogne (also some dodgy areas, but this is France) and you could take a rowing boat on the lake. Apart from that just stroll through the centre and sit in cafes; it's not as interesting as London. There is the Arch of Triumph that you could see and it's near the main shopping street.

An alternative would be a day trip to Versailles from Paris: enquire times from the translien website.

http://www.transilien.com/web/site/accue...

You could spend a day there, hire bikes to get around the grounds or take a boat on a lake. It would be well worthwhile. I think that's probably a better bet for a large family provided the weather is fine. In the city you'd be likely to have different interests and get under each other's feet.

Answer 4

There is so much to see and you do not have much time.  Most of Paris is accessible by subway.  Get a map and map out your route.  You could spend 10 hours just in Louvre, but what we did was find the famous stuff we wanted to see (I.e. "mona lisa") then we headed out for the cathedrals,  Saint Chapel is a very beautiful church and there's Notre Dame.  The Rodin garden is nice and has lots of his sculpture so you can say you saw The Thinker.   We took the train out to Versailles, but I don't think you will have time for that.  The Orangerie was closed when we were there, but I would have liked to see the Monets.  I think it is near the Rodin garden and the Eiffel Tower.  Plan plan plan!!

Answer 5

Well, just walking around Paris is an experience. It's beautiful and there's always something going on. They could take a bus tour of all the famous monuments. But don't let them eat in the big places like Champs Elysées, Eiffel Tower. It's extremely expensive, not friendly, and that's not where you eat the best.

Here are a few folkloric areas in Paris :

Quartier du Marais

Montmartre (where all the biggest poets, painters had lived. It seems their souls are still there, protecting it)

Quartier Latin

Les Puces (the flea market, it's huge !)

Whatever they do, they''ll enjoy it. And if they want to visit the Louvre, I advise to buy the tickets in advance so they won't wait in line (sometimes for hours !)

Have fun

Answer 6

look at the eiffel tower

Answer 7

Eiffel Tower, maybe one of the smaller museums like the Marmottan or the Rodin.  Les Invalides, the Opera House, the Madeleine, Notre Dame, the Ste. Chapelle, the George Pompidou Centre, the Sacré-Coeur.

There are some nice, inexpensive cafés on Ile de la Cité.

I'd pass up on the Louvre and the Musée D'Orsay for now.  You'll need at least a solid day for each of them.

Answer 8

visit the amazing louvre's museum (i shud remind u that leonardo davinci was the smartest person in the world with an iq of 220 and has done magnificent things which u are able to see in his museum) and afterwards enjoy a nice posh french diner or lunch at one of the fancy restaurants next to the eiffel tower(don't go up on the tower, if u do that u will realise that it didnt worth it its just amazing to see it from a distance)

Answer 9

Plan in advance. Pack well, wear comfortable shoes, expect to walk alot. Get a Metro Pass for the day for the lot.(the subway)

Change your money at the airport if you can. Deduct travel time from -to airport to Paris city. Use backpacks. Buy Evian & baggettes (long bread). Get a map or bring one of Paris. Must see: Eiffel tower, go to top, buy stuff enclosed level stop before.

Take pics best view in the city. If kids get scared the elevator is old. But it works quite well. Plot it out from where you start. It is do able! There is an old train station now a museum. The Louvre also a must. There was an alternate entrance to the right of the Pyramid. That line will waste alot of time. Walk around to the Champs-Elysee. Window shop & check out the architecture. Notre Dame. Go up the tower if you can but do not  miss inside. Eat at an outdoor cafe keep kids well mannered and don't speak high school french. Your waiter will take forever to get you served. If you can at dusk get to the boats on the Seine. That's tuff but enjoyable.  Give little ones that care less something to do (toy game?). Grab extra pillows and blankets on the plane as you will all sleep with the angels after a day of magic in Paris! Enjoy. Be nice to you Flight attendants they probably did the same thing that day:)

Aloha from this Hawaii Kai rat!!! Kudos to Tracy sounds like another ex Continental F/A.

Answer 10

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g18714...

That site has 100 things to do in Paris.

Some cool suggestions they made were:

1) Lunch or Dinner at Jules Verne

2) Buy Bertillon Ice Cream on lle St. Louis

3) Shop on Lue Repic

My advice is since you only have a limited amount of time, pick some things you really want to do and plan out your day.

Print out maps and directions beforehand so you're all prepared.

Answer 11

i havent been there so i cant offer much help.. thought i'd tell you that my folks went with some friends and they said everything was super expensive.. so be prepared!