Spending family vacations in Paris doesn’t have to be as expensive as most people think, and despite its reputation as the city for lovers, Paris is kid-friendly and there are tons of things to do with your children.

From museums, to picnics, puppet show, to very inexpensive barge cruises on the waterways surrounding Paris, this’ll be their most memorable of family vacations.

Family Vacations in Paris - spend two and a half hours with your kids aboard the Hidden Paris barge cruise was fabulous and relaxing

Above: the fabulous barge I love cruising on for 2.5 hrs, across and UNDER Paris!
Psst – bring a picnic!

Planning family travel can be a real headache or a real joy – and the choice is yours. There is so much you can research online to make it easier for you in advance, and if you involve the kids, they will look forward to it with anticipation too.

A couple of great things you can do are:

explain how long the wait will be at the airport/s
explain how long the flight will be
and clearly outline how to fill in the time.

Make suggestions for things to do to engage them. One of my suggestions is:

Make kids a Travel Journal – they’ll thoroughly enjoy this!

Accommodation for your family holidays

This need not be overpriced, and our Hotel Search Engine can help you find the most budget-friendly place to stay. You might prefer to rent an apartment to make it feel more like a home away from home while you’re in Paris, and you’ll be able to cut down on eating-out expenses.

If you don’t find accommodation with motel-like facilities, you can also save money on food by preparing picnics and taking to the parks where the kids can run around and burn up all their energy.

Hotels with indoor swimming pools (a new window will open)

Hotels with wireless/WIFI (a new window will open)

Adaggio Apartment/Hotel with kitchenettes (a new window will open)

Family-friendly hotels near Disneyland (a new window will open)

Family trips around Paris

Check out all the great kid things to do, no matter what the weather is – take mini family trips around Paris, and remember kids get tired so build in some rest time in your day, or only do half-day adventures then go home for a nap. If you’re in Paris in summer, you can go out for a second adventure in the afternoon when it’s cooler :