Travels w/ Kids: France
2025: Paris, Nantes, Carquefou, Rochefort en Terre, Pornic, Tours. 2016: Paris, Versailles, Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin.
After almost a decade, we’ve finally returned to Paris with both kids!..coincidentally also during France’s National Day fireworks. Of the 10 days we had, we spent 4 of them based in Nantes and got to visit Carquefou, Rochefort en Terre, Pornic, and Tours as well.
Some notes from 2025-07 for future visits:
Languages we used: French, English, (surprisingly) Mandarin & a little Cantonese. Signage and public transportation announcements in Paris included Mandarin.
Exchange rate: 1 Euro = 1.16 USD
Book & DL EU Rail Pass app on phone (only available to non-European citizens) ahead of time to travel within/across Europe. Kids ride free.
Accommodations: Appart'City Collection Paris Grande Bibliothèque (organized by INALCO)
Getting around: Uber from CDG to hotel for families w/ car seats & luggage…worth it (€55-€62). Metro/bus/tram/RER via Navigo Day Pass (€12 / adult & kids) obtained at any Metro station or downloadable by phone via RATP app. Paris-Visit Child’s Pass (€22.20 - €38.10) for 2 - 5 days is a better deal for 4-9 YOs. Recharge passes via RATP app via “Ticket” section by tapping on each tangible pass to read it (or via mobile phone), paying, then tapping again to load money in.
Itinerary (by Days): Video description lists specific locations.
Get Day Passes, figure out metro/train/bus system, visit train stations in preparation for Nantes via EU Rail, explore neighborhood.
Brunch aboard a boat, tour the city by bus to Jardin du Dragon for the multiple free giant play areas w/ seating for parents everywhere. Dinner & dessert in and around Place des Vosges. Secret Garden for drinks, an aperitif, and more desserts.
Pastries for breakfast near L’Opera, Carousel de Louvre area for Louvre museum alternative, Cat Cafe for lunch surrounded by cats! More exploration of Ile de la Cite & Ile Saint-Louis.
Chinatown & Parc de Choisy for 3 different kids’ areas - all free - including a castle-themed playground w/ carousel and misty cloud-like spray area. Luxembourg Gardens for sailing ships and giant playground w/ entrance fee (€3/kid, €1/adult) and other pay-to-play areas.
National Day: Get organized and picnic-prep for fireworks extravaganza at Eiffel Tower, best viewed from Parc du Champ-de-Mars or Trocadero. Though it was the first time the fireworks featured a drone show, it didn’t start until 11pm and streets/metros were extremely crowded…parents beware…but what an opportunity!
Stroll & snack down Avenue de Champs-Élysées starting from L’Arc de Triomphe. Head to Sacred Heart Basilica & Montmartre via the Funicular tram, rather than hiking hundreds of steps uphill. Introduce meat, potatoes, and cheese fondue to kids for dinner, while drinking wine out of baby bottles at La Refuge de Fondue.
Places we didn’t make it to that could’ve been fun for all: Puppet Theater on Champ de Mars, Atelier des Lumieres, Cafe 1902, picnic at La Defense (modern arch) while looking at Arch de Triomph, Neuilly-sur-Seine (where JYM lived), Science Museum in Jardin du Dragon (€15 euros pp) w/ submarine parked out front.
Nantes Accommodations: Seven Urban Suites
Getting around: Uber to/from hotel (€14 each way). EU Rail Pass (3-day Flex mobile pass) for trains to Nantes, Pornic, Tours, and back; tram/bus/water taxi free on weekends in Nantes; Alex drove to/from Rochefort; Family of 3-4 hour-long pass is €2.90 for trams/buses in Tours.
Itinerary (by Days): Video description lists specific locations.
Morning train to Nantes. Explore downtown and play in the fountains outside the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. Dinner on Rue Maréchal Joffre.
Half-day visit to family farms in Carquefou. Half day in Rochefort en Terre. Evening in Nantes around the Elephant Park.
Beach day in Pornic. Back to Nantes for the Botanic Gardens and playgrounds.
Half day in Tours en route back to Paris.
Places we wish we had more time to visit: Castle of Pornic, water taxi ride in Nantes to neighborhoods farther away, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.
2016-07 By Comparison
We stayed in Montmartre with JP and did lots more walking around Paris. JYM made TJM climb all 300 steps up the Abbesses and several hundred more up to Sacre Coeur…and we had the energy to do so. Saw July 14 fireworks and joined the townspeople’s parade in Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin…with the French flag painted on our cheeks. Lots more wine was consumed. We ate so well because of JP and his Food and Wine Tour business, took the RER out to Versailles, and didn’t have to worry about kid-friendliness, cleanliness, ease of access, etc.
For visuals, see slideshow memories by Google Photos (https://photos.app.goo.gl/hjFc2niS4q8in3Wm6).
Truly a fantastic guide! btw, I hiked up to Sacre Coeur when I was 61.
While you’re in Paris,
Père-Lachaise Cemetery is the final resting place for many famous individuals. Besides those already mentioned, notable figures include writers Honoré de Balzac, Marcel Proust, Colette, Oscar Wilde, and Richard Wright; composers Frédéric Chopin, Georges Bizet, and Gioachino Rossini; painters Eugène Delacroix, Georges Seurat, and Amedeo Modigliani; and performers Edith Piaf and Marcel Marceau.
Of course, I went there to see Jim Morrison’s grave.