Before you go, make a reservation for the Eiffel Tower. This will save 4 hours of waiting in line or 50 flights of stairs.

Day 1:

First, start at the Louvre. Why? Kids arrive in Paris, ready for action, and they will soak up the most from the museum while they are still fresh. Now here is my best tip, spend LOTS of money here by hiring a family tour guide. Your kids will get so much out of this by listening to someone like Claire from the Paris Muse. Yes, it’s frightfully expensive, but so is Paris and this is an educational experience that is best done with a guide who knows how to make it exciting and interesting for kids. We did the booklets that were more like hide and seek games that were free at the museum, this was good but we realized there was a better way when we saw a family getting a private and very interesting tour made for kids.

Then, the rest is easy, once you leave the Louvre, you will be ready for some treats:

Immediately outside the Louvre are the Jardin Des Tuileries Plantations in other words, Tuilerie Gardens. Walk through the gardens taking breaks for snacks or ice cream, play near the fountains and recharge. You can even rent sailboats by the fountain and there are some great playgrounds.

Once you walk to the other side of the gardens, you will find bike cabs waiting to take you to the shopping portion of Champs-Élysées. They will bike you 1/2 mile which is just enough to recharge the kids for walking the Champs-Élysées is the most famous street in Paris as you walk down past the most expensive boutiques in Paris, it’s mom’s turn for a little browsing. There is plenty of street entertainment for the kids, but watch your wallet.

At the end of Champs-Élysées, you will end up at the Arc de Triomphe, which was built to honor the victories of Napoleon Bonaparte. Here you can climb to the top of the Arc and look out over Paris.

By now you are exhausted, so we recommend a Paris Boat Tour such as the Bateaux Mouches Paris boat tour on the Seine.

Day 2:

Start the day at Notre Dame Cathedral. At breakfast, you can tell the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and tell the real story of Notre Dame. Mornings are quieter at Notre Dame, and Notre Dame is across the river from the best ice cream in Paris at Berthillon. This is a good place to get off your feet too. Before you leave Notre Dame, head to the gardens and take a break in the playground.

From here you grab a cab and hit the Jardins du Luxembourg for another fabulous playground or visit Rodin Museum garden or go straight across from the Eiffel Tower to Palais de Chaillot to see the Eiffel Tower from the best views on top of the stairs or go to the Cineaqua Aquarium there (I did not go there personally).

Finish off with the best part: A trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Be sure to walk across the street and take a ride on the carousel then head up the steps for the best pictures of your family in front of the Eiffel Tower at Palais de Chaillot if you didn’t do that first.. or you could head behind the tower for Champs due Mars.