Taking off on the zipline track at the Parc de Jeux
In my travels before babies, Jardin du Luxembourg was a favorite place to stroll and soak up Paris. And even with a baby in tow, we managed to carve out a little smooch time by its lovely Fontaine de Medici. With three kids along for the ride, however, I was thrilled—okay, we all were—to discover that the playground at Jardin du Luxembourg is perhaps one of the best you’ll find in the city.
Tired of your toddler climbing the walls of your Paris hotel or vacation rental? Let him climb here to his hearts’ content.
Know up front, however, there is an entry fee of around a couple of bucks for adults and children. And be forewarned that the Parc de Jeux closes promptly at 4 p.m. on weekdays. Be sure to plan your visit accordingly – especially if you want to spend some of your Jardin du Luxembourg time at the puppet theater right beside this playground (Les Marrionettes du Luxembourg).
Climbing like a spider at the Parc de Jeux.
That said, there were plenty of things to climb, explore, spin, and twirl upon for ages 1 to 12, including the hands-down favorite for this family: standing zip lines. A mom I met (who happened to be visiting from San Francisco!) said her son had been riding the zip lines for one hour straight, and he was not ready to quit.
The perfect reward for soldiering through museums and monuments for one week straight!
The paid playground is fenced and has its own toilettes and covered seating area, and drinks and snacks may be purchased at the entrance as well.
You’ve got to love this merry-go-round… more toddler play structures behind.
HOT TIP: If you end up there on a very cold day, don’t end up like me with four out of ten fingers going numb as you watch your kids play. Stop first by the booth near the large fountain and pick up a vin chaud to take with you. In Paris, you can be that mom at the playground. 
Do you have a favorite playground in Paris? Please share blow! And thanks for helping others find my Paris tips with your shares!
Related posts and pages:
- My recommended Paris airport shuttle with car seats
- Tips for taking the Paris Metro with a stroller (if you must)
- Tips for taking Paris buses with a stroller
- Paris: 5 Best with Kids Under 5
- Paris: 3 Best Autumn Outings for visitors with Little Kids
- Baby gear rental agencies in France
- Paris babysitter agencies for hotels / vacations
- Paris with Kids on Pinterest
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
www.travelswithbaby.com facebook twitter about the author
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
Oh, wait – there’s a bus! Forget about those stairs down to the crowded Metro…
As I mention in the previous post, Tips for taking the Paris metro with a stroller…if you must, getting about town “avec poussette” (with stroller) is much easier by bus. Most often, the entrance to the bus is near-level with the sidewalk, so pushing your stroller right on board is usually a breeze. Plus, easy bus lines breeze between many of the main tourist sites in Paris, such as the 72 line you can hop aboard by the Hotel de Ville, ride along the Seine, and exit at the Louvre, Touileris, Musee d’Orsay, or Tour Eiffel. Naturally, the views along the way are far more interesting for parents and toddlers than what’s to be found underground as well.
- You can view a map of the Paris bus routes here.
- You can pre-plan your jouney by bus here (and choose “by bus” from results).
GET ON THE BUS…
Generally, I’ve found Paris bus passengers are very good about surrendering the front seats of the bus to the elderly and those with a baby or toddler in tow, however, trying to board with your folded stroller and child and get seated with your stroller somehow beside you can be problematic, and you’re likely to bump someone near you (most likely the elderly) with the stroller at some point.
Although tickets are validated at the front of the bus, it is much better to board with your baby or toddler in his stroller at the rear doors of the bus, and park your stroller directly in the space allotted there for wheelchairs (be sure to set your stroller brake). If you can, have your partner take care of any ticket validation on your behalf, or take care of the stamp quickly once your stroller has been secured.
BEFORE BUYING TOURIST PASSES TRAVEL CARDS:
Again, I recommend for most families visiting Paris to purchase the book of 10 metro/bus tickets (carnet dix), which can be used on both metro and bus and can be purchased from agents or vending kiosks in metro stations. Your ticket is valid for transfers up to 90 minutes from the time of validation, so if you need to make a brief stop at the Tuileries playground before continuing on to other sites, it’s no problem. Even using public transportation each day, we found the “carnet dix” / book of 10 tickets saved us significantly over the prices of Paris Visite passes offered for transportation. Remember, each ticket in the book of 10 is valid for a one-way journey, and 2 parents can split the carnet for 5 rides each, and so on.
Paris public transportation fares: Metro, RER within the city, and buses are free for children 3 years and younger, and at a discounted rate for children 4 to 9 years. Currently one carnet 10 costs 12 Euros 70 cents for adults, and a children’s carnet 10 can be purchased at a discounted rate.
By the way, if you like this post and think it would help others, I hope you’ll share it with one of the handy buttons above.
Related posts and pages:
- Tips for using the Paris Metro with a stroller… if you must
- My recommended Paris airport shuttle providing car seats and booster
- 5 Best with Kids Under 5: Paris
- Follow Shelly’s Pinterest board: Paris with Little Kids – more coming!
- >>> See all Paris posts and recommendations in Destinations
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks
“Silly American… why must you insist on using the Metro with your stroller?”
If there’s one thing you can learn from Parisian parents about taking strollers on the Metro, it’s this: they don’t. Taking the bus at ground level (my bus tips here) or simply walking is a far more reasonable proposition in many instances, especially if you’re planning to get around the city on your own with your child. Not to mention, traveling above ground you’ll all have a much better view of the city.
But if you plan to use the Paris Metro at all while visiting with your baby or toddler—and your stroller, as some of us crazy visitors do repeatedly, here are some survival tips to help.
- Only take the Paris Metro with a stroller that can be folded compactly enough to carry through a turnstile and you could happily carry for a mile without setting down (if you’re unfortunate enough to enter the Eustache station or some others, you likely will).
- Wear only a purse or backpack you can keep a firm grip on and in your (front) view while carrying said stroller or your child. In my opinion, a shoulder carrying strap for the stroller is essential (see recommendations here).
- Never expect a ticket agent to be present at a turnstile to help buzz you through a special gate or otherwise assist your passage with your child and stroller—as you might in New York or San Francisco systems—because as a general rule they are nowhere near these locations, and handicapped entrances do not exist.
- Never try to force your way into a crowded metro car you can’t be certain everyone in your party will make it into. That may sound obvious, but you might be surprised how little Parisians will budge to help fit travelers with small children—especially those foolish enough to board the metro with their ridiculous strollers.
- Buy a book of ten metro tickets at a time (carnet dix) and keep them handy—the same tickets can also be used on the city buses, which you may decide are a much better way to get around Paris with your toddler after all. Each ticket is valid for a one-way journey for one individual, so you can share the book of ten if you like. A discounted “carnet dix” is available for children 4 – 9 years, and children 3 years and younger ride free on public transportation.
One final word of advice: Please remember to feel a deep appreciation everywhere you do find an elevator to assist in your strollering around Paris because, after all, it is a miracle any exist in some of these grand old buildings. And where they do… you’re likely to get special attention and even skip the queue!
Previous post: The ferry to Koh Phi Phi
Related posts and pages:
- Tips for riding Paris buses with your child and stroller
- See all Paris Travels with Baby Tips in Destinations
- See the Travels with Baby Paris Pinterest board
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
AA miles can be put to very good use indeed when you know your family-friendly airlines.
Having just recently flown from San Francisco to Paris with 4 out of 5 of us using AA miles, I had to smile when I saw this email waiting for me:
Hi Shelly,
I am planning a trip to see my grandmere in France with my husband and toddler. Chase will be 15 months when we plan to travel in April. We have AA points we would like to use. Unfortunately AA does not fly direct to Paris. We usually have a layover in NY when my husband and I have traveled in the past. I was wondering if you have any thoughts about how we should do this. BTW, our baby has not traveled on a plane yet, this will be his first experience. We will likely rent a car in France. Here are our options:
- 1. Round trip direct flight from SFO to LHR, then train to France, rent a car in France.
- 2. Flight from SFO to CDG with layover in JFK. Rent car in France to go to grandmere’s house 2 hours away.
I thought a direct flight (leaving in the evening) would be best. But, then we have to make additional plans to get from London to France. Or, am I over thinking this and should we just do the layover in NY like usual? If we go to London we would visit a day or two, then continue on.Also, I am seriously thinking about purchasing a seat for Chase (extra $1,000 with 75% off for infant – ugh) and taking his rear facing car seat (he’s a small baby).Thanks!Madeleine
While space remains (at the award level you need) on these flights, you can actually use AA award travel to fly SFO to Paris CDG on American Airline’s codeshare partner: British Airways. To see these BA flight options, go to the AAdvantage booking page at https://www.aa.com/reservation/awardFlightSearchAccess.do and search in your date range for flights from SFO to CDG. When you get your search results, de-select the boxes by American and Alaska Airlines to only leave British Airways flights showing in your results. These outbound flights are not available every day of the week, but hopefully with a little flexibility in your planning you can make one of the flights work for you.
I would highly recommend going this route with BA if possible for your family, for two main reasons:
- The overseas flight is timed very well for travelers with small children, leaving around 5 p.m. from SFO, which may be helpful for your family as it was four ours. I am a big fan of the overnight flight going to Europe because we A) Do not lose an entire night of sleep thinking about an early morning departure, B) get to the airport before crunch traffic, C) Have a chance to settle into the new and (for the little ones) very stimulating environment of the airplane before having dinner, then a movie…, and D) Sleep! And in an airplane that is kept dark for all passengers to do the same, and on a longer flight than you’ll get landing in Chicago or New York. By the time we get to our European destination, we are short on sleep but everyone’s ready for bed when it’s actually evening local time.
- I would especially recommend taking the British Airways overseas flight for your family for this reason: Britax toddler seats for lap-held toddlers, such as yours! Take a look at the one we used above, and get more details in the blog post One very good reason to fly British Airways with your lap-held toddler. This means you can have an actual place to put your lap child (up to 24 months) during the cruise portion of your flight, sitting up or reclined in his adjustable seat with a 5-point safety harness.
IMPORTANT: The trick is, you need to reserve seats along the bulkhead row where these are mounted, and because you will book your award flight(s) through AA, you will not be able to select these seats yourself. So when you call your AA reservations agent, as you’ll need to in order to notify them about your lap child and pay his 10% fee and taxes based on the “retail” ticket price, be sure to get the BA record locator number from the agent before you hang up (it’s different from the AA number). Then you’ll be able to call BA and have them assign your family appropriate seats–and also link your seats together in case you have purchased one in a separate transaction (not with miles).
Hope this all makes sense! Please feel free to comment back if you have any other questions or learn anything new you can share with the rest of us. Thanks for a great question and best of luck with your adventure!
Related posts and pages:
- France – My recommended Paris Airport Shuttle providing car seats and boosters
- France – Montmartre Carousel, Paris
- France – Car seat advice for Paris airport shuttle with baby
- France – Paris: 5 Best with Children Under 5
- France – Best baby-friendly cafe in Paris
- France – Finding diapers in France
- France – Tips for juggling toddler naps while visiting Paris
- France – The captivating carousels of Paris (with some free in December)
Have a burning question for me? See how to submit yours here.
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
Sorry, no kids splashing in fountains on a sunny day during this visit!
The great thing about dragging your three kids to Paris in winter? There is much to do inside! And no, thankfully, it didn’t rain the entire time. On this day, we took some obligatory photos by the Iron Asparagus before heading to the L’Aquarium de Paris (more commonly called “CineAqua” as it shows kids’ movies all day) located between our perch here at the Trocadero and the bridge to the Eiffel Tower behind us.
Sure, it would have been nice to see Paris when it sizzles, and take a romp through the fountains by the Louvre and Tour Eiffel like the kids pictured in our travel guidebook, but we had Paris without the crowds! In fact, when we called on the Eiffel Tower that evening, we waited a mere 5 minutes to ascend! Which brings me back to the next Ask Shelly question I’m working on… stay tuned!
How about you?
Do you prefer traveling in the “off season” or “shoulder seasons”? Does avoiding peak travel times help your family travel better – or farther?
Related posts:
- France – My recommended Paris Airport Shuttle providing car seats and boosters
- France – Montmartre Carousel, Paris
- France – Car seat advice for Paris airport shuttle with baby
- France – Paris: 5 Best with Children Under 5
- France – Best baby-friendly cafe in Paris
- France – Finding diapers in France
- France – Tips for juggling toddler naps while visiting Paris
- France – The captivating carousels of Paris (with some free in December)
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
What’s even better than a really cool old carousel in Paris? A TWO-STORY really cool old carousel in Paris!
Last December, we had a Travels with Baby Traditions guest post from Parisian mom Camille Spanjaard, who revealed her children’s three favorite carousels in Paris. She also shared tips about the many free carousels around the Paris during the month of December (read all about it here). So it was a great pleasure to be back in the city myself, discovering just how many carousels there ARE in Paris–all year!
While many of the old beauties enchanted my children, all three were momentarily speechless when we happened upon our first TWO-STORY carousel in Paris, located at the bottom of the steps leading down from Basilica Sacre-Coeur. A good thing, too, as the playground they’d been promised there had been removed in favor of open space for kids riding scooters (alas, we had no scooters).
For more Paris-with-little-kid tips and advice, visit the Destinations page. And for more Travels with Baby Traditions, celebrating family traditions the world over, click here.
Related: My recommended Paris airport shuttle providing car seats and boosters
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli
Author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
Free car seat or booster for your ride? Kids under 5 free? Merci!
Some time ago, I answered an “Ask Shelly” question regarding airport transportation in Paris with child safety seats (a.k.a. car seats). Here is an update on my recent findings…
As you might expect, having and traveling with three kids has been a real game-changer. Just figuring out a rental car that will fit two booster seats and a car seat—plus our baggage—can be a nail-biting and ultimately expensive challenge. And of course, there’s the thrill of driving in a different country after 24 or so hours of travel!
Taxis don’t offer much relief either when there are five of you needing seats. And in some cities, such as Paris, taxi drivers will not take more than 3 passengers at a time.
So for our recent trip to Paris, I was ecstatic to successfully plan more than a week’s vacation with zero driving required on my part. And no, we did not schlep all of us and our gear at night on the RER, nor did we walk from the airport.
After comparing a number of Paris airport shuttle services, I discovered Allonavette would not only provide a car seat and safety booster FREE for our trips, but they would also not charge for children under 5 years old! This fact alone shaved roughly 30 Euros off the each-way rate for us compared with quotes from other services.
Better still, we would not have to pay a dime until we were delivered to our destination (not so with some others), and even that we were allowed to pay by credit card rather than cash.
How did they perform? I received multiple emails from the company confirming our car seat/booster requests and travel details before both arrival and return trips. We had the option of calling the driver at the airport on arrival to have him meet us right at the curb outside, or to pay 7 Euros extra and have him meet us inside the airport with a rock star “name sign.”
Not sure what our cell phones (slash internet phones) would be doing inside Orly, we went with the rock star greeting (okay, I’ve done enough train and public transportation trips with baggage – I’m a sucker for the name sign!). The van, which in fact seats up to eight passengers, was parked just outside in a special waiting area. With a car seat already installed for my little guy, we were swiftly on our way.
Would I recommend Allonavette to my friends visiting Paris with kids? Absolutely. And no, they didn’t pay a dime nor provide a discount to be mentioned here. Thanks, Allonavette, for easing our family’s arrival in Paris. Find them online at www.allonavette.fr.
How about you? Are you planning a trip to Paris with your family? Have a great arrival tip to share? Please post a comment below!
More help for your trip? Remember, you’ll find more trips for Paris travel with little kids (and other European destinations) in Travels with Baby Destinations, plus all the help you need preparing for overseas travel with your baby, toddler or preschooler in Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide.
Previous post: Tips for carrying on excess liquids for flights with babies and toddlers
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli
Author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby
Above: Tick-tock, tick-tock… gazing out a clock at the Musee d’Orsay across Paris as our trip quickly comes to an end.
Nope, you haven’t heard much from me lately, and if you can see this photo, you can probably understand why. What once felt like a luxurient amount of time to enjoy “just being” in Paris is almost over for us now and, of course, doesn’t that always happen just when you find the best place in town for take-out sandwiches, not to mention the best playground in Paris? (Yes, and I finally figured out how to run this French washing machine, too!)
Still, we’ve got a short bucket-list left for this trip, and all I can say is those gargoyles had better be ready for team Rivoli.
If you thought I had great Paris travel tips for families with small children before, just you wait. I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings, and I’ll be in touch soon.
Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli,
Author of the award-winning Travels with Baby and Take-Along Travels with Baby www.travelswithbaby.com facebook twitter about the author
Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.
Bronze Award Winner in Travel Blogs from the North American Travel Journalists Association
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