Paris, France
Tue, Jan 30, 2024
During the summer of 2022 we took Dean on his first trip to Paris! We were only there for a short time before heading off to Spain but as always…Paris delivered. At first we were a little nervous the city of lights wouldn’t be quite as “light” with a 2 year old in tow but somehow it was. Paris is pretty similar to New York in a lot of ways, which made our time there relatively relaxing. Dean has only ever known life in a city and the rhythm of our days was much the same as being at home, so we hit the ground running as soon as we landed! We started everyday stopping for a pastry and some coffee and then head straight to the garden, park, or playground of the day. On this trip we also brought our babysitter so we got to go out while Dean napped at the airbnb in the afternoons and in the evenings when he went to bed. It was great to have help with us when Dean was this age because he slept so much and instead of being stuck inside we got to take that time to explore the city just the two of us. It was a wonderful three days and just writing this I am dying to go back!
We stayed in the 7th arrondissement so a lot of my recommendations are in this area as well as the 6th. This is definitely not a comprehensive list of where to eat or what to do in Paris but they are the places we enjoyed on our short trip there this time!
Eats & Treats
Coffee: Noir, Certified Café
Pastry: Des Gaâteaux et du Pain Claire Damon, Boulangerie Poilâne
Breakfast: Coutume, Treize Bakery, Café de Flore
Lunch: La Fountaine de Mars, Le Petit Varenne, Café du Trocadéro
Dinner: Les Deux Magots, Allard
Drinks: La Grande Crèmerie, Perscription Cocktail Club
Dessert: Le Bac à Glaces, Le Glacier Farmers
Activities
- Luxembourg Gardens, we spent a lot of time here when we had Dean with us since we stayed nearby. They have a playground, carousel, pony riding, mini boat sailing, ice cream, and a few cafes to stop at for lunch. Apart from those things it’s just a beautiful spot to walk around and admire the gardens. There’s lots of places to sit and relax and take in this gorgeous place!
- Tuileries Gardens, another great spot for adults and kiddos alike…lots of room to run, a carousel, playground, mini trampolines, lots of spots to stop for coffee or ice cream…and in the summers a small amusement park for kids. The gardens lay in the shadow of the Louvre and the backdrop of the museum with the flowers and walkways in front of it are stunning. With or without kids, this is an idyllic spot to wander.
- Trocadero Gardens, this place is more touristy but it has an awesome view of the Eiffel tower and the city behind it. It’s defintely worth seeing if you haven’t yet!
- Palais Royal Garden, another adorable garden to explore, stop to see the art, flowers, fountains and grab a coffee or afternoon spritz at one of the cafes looking onto the gardens.
