Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle). Disneyland Paris. All photography is ours.
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France with Kids
If you’re planning France with kids, give Paris most of your time and don’t try to see everything. Book a walking tour or a food tour, ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and take the train out to Versailles for a day.
The Louvre can be a lot for kids, so the Musée d’Orsay is a more manageable art stop. Disneyland Paris is a short train ride from the city, and the cafés, macarons, and baguettes are reason enough to linger. No matter the itinerary, Paris is one of the great cities every family should visit.
Destination guide · Updated November 2026 · Last visited May 2025
Best months
April–June, September
Fly into
CDG · ORY · NCE
How long
5 days for Paris, 2 for Disneyland, 10 with a region
Getting around
Metro in Paris, trains between regions
Book ahead
Eiffel Tower summit · Louvre timed entry · Disneyland Paris hotels
Carrie and Carrick had been to Paris before, and going back with the kids was the point of our 2015 Europe trip, which also took us to London and Dublin. We stayed five nights over Bastille Day, which meant crowds, closed shops, and fireworks unlike anything we’d seen. We took the Paris Walks French Revolution tour (the kids’ favorite part was Napoleon’s hat at Café Procope), rode the Metro up to Sacré-Cœur to watch the parade fly overs from above, and spent an afternoon in Luxembourg Garden. The Louvre was hot and crowded, but still worth visiting at least once.
Ten years later we were back for Disneyland Paris. We let Cadence pick a destination, and she chose Disney. The trip we built around it started in Amsterdam, then Belgium with a bus day trip to Luxembourg, the Eurostar into Paris, two days at the parks, and a short Eurostar from the park to CDG for the flight home.
Your France guide
Enjoy exploring France with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three trip itineraries, and where to stay.
Essential France
Why we love France
We think you’ll love it too.
France is where we’d send a family that wants a big city trip with art, food, and history everywhere. Crêpes from a street stand, a boat ride on the Seine, and fireworks over the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day are the kind of moments that make Paris so fun with kids. Years later, Cadence picked Disneyland Paris for her graduation trip, which brought us right back. Scroll down for the essentials we’d plan a France trip around.
Paris on Bastille Day Guide
We stood shoulder to shoulder for an hour, then watched one grand finale after another as the Eiffel Tower lit up with fire and lasers to pop music. We talked about it for days, and it’s almost worth planning a whole trip around.
The Louvre Guide
The Louvre was hot and crowded, and it’s still Cadence’s favorite part of Paris. Pick the pieces you want to see ahead of time, make a game of finding them, and leave when the kids are done.
A Paris walking tour Guide
Paris Walks ran their French Revolution tour on Bastille Day, and the kids absorbed more than we expected. We saw the oldest café in Paris and the Latin Quarter, and we heard the story of Napoleon’s unpaid bill.
Disneyland Paris AftT Visit
Cadence picked Disneyland Paris in May 2025, and it was the finish line of our train trip from Amsterdam through Belgium and Luxembourg. There are two parks and a pink castle, and the train station right at the gate runs straight to CDG.
And the rest we’d cross the country for
Versailles AftT Visit
The palace, the Hall of Mirrors, and gardens big enough to rent bikes in make Versailles a full day trip from Paris by train. Go early and do the gardens first.
The Eiffel Tower Guide
Summit tickets sell out weeks ahead, so book as soon as you have dates. On Bastille Day the Trocadéro is the classic fireworks spot, but plan on it taking the whole day.
Musée d’Orsay Guide
The Musée d’Orsay fills an old train station with the Impressionists. The view toward Sacré-Cœur from the upper floor is worth the trip up.
Sacré-Cœur and the parks Guide
We skipped the Champs-Élysées crowds and watched the Bastille Day flyovers from Montmartre. Afterward we headed to Luxembourg Garden and the Tuileries, which has a summer carnival with a Ferris wheel.
Normandy
The D-Day beaches and Mont-Saint-Michel are a few hours from Paris by train. They’re high on our list for a future trip.
The Loire Valley
The Loire Valley has châteaux you can bike between, about an hour from Paris by train. Chambord and Chenonceau are the two on our list.
Provence and the Riviera
Nice has the beaches, Avignon has the history, and the lavender blooms in July. It’s a five-hour train ride or a short flight from Paris.
Strasbourg at Christmas
Strasbourg has the oldest Christmas market in France, just two hours from Paris on the TGV. It’s on our list for a December trip.
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Paris with Kids: Bastille Day and Beyond
When we planned our trip to Europe last year, we knew that we wanted to go back to Paris with…
Routes
Three France trip itineraries
France is one country with three very different trips. Pick Paris with day trips, the train loop we did from Amsterdam to Disneyland Paris in 2025, or the south. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
Paris
Plan on five nights, with a walking tour on day one, then museums in the mornings and parks in the afternoons. Our Paris guide has the plan.
Then head to
Versailles
Versailles is a day trip on the RER. Do the gardens first, then the palace once the tour buses thin out after lunch.
Add on
London by Eurostar
It’s two and a half hours to St Pancras on the Eurostar. We did both cities on the same trip. Our UK hub picks up from there.
Start
Amsterdam
Fly into AMS and start with the canals and bikes. Everything after this is by train, so pack light enough to carry it up a platform.
Then head to
Belgium, with a day in Luxembourg
Train south to Belgium and base there for a few days. We did Luxembourg as a guided bus day trip, which was easier than working out the trains for one day.
Then head to
Paris by Eurostar
The Eurostar from Belgium to Paris costs more than the regular trains, but it gets you there in under two hours. It’s worth it if you’re short on time, and we were.
Finish
Disneyland Paris and home from CDG
Spend two days at the parks, then take a short Eurostar ride from the park’s own station straight to Charles de Gaulle for the flight home. It’s very convenient.
Start
Nice
Fly into NCE. Plan on the beach, the old town, and a day trip to Monaco. It’s warm from May through October.
Then head to
Avignon and Provence
Avignon is three hours by train. See the Palais des Papes, the Pont du Gard, and lavender fields in early July.
Finish
Paris by TGV
The TGV takes under three hours from Avignon. Finish with two or three nights in the city and fly home from CDG.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We’ve done Paris in mid July and Disneyland Paris in May. July was hot, crowded, and worth it for the fireworks. Spring and September are the months for the city, the south is a summer destination, and Paris at Christmas is on our list.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
April – June
Spring brings long days, the gardens in bloom, and manageable museum lines. This is our pick for a first Paris trip.
July – August
Hot and crowded, and Bastille Day on July 14 is worth it anyway. Many Parisians leave in August, so some small restaurants close.
September – October
Fall brings comfortable weather, kids back in school, and lower hotel prices. The Riviera is still swimmable.
November – March
It’s cold and gray but cheap. Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Paris’s department store windows make December the exception.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your France adventure
In Paris, stay near a Metro stop on the Left Bank or in the Marais and walk to most of it. Here’s where we’d stay for each.
City trips
Paris, Left Bank
The Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain put you within a walk of the Louvre, Luxembourg Garden, and Notre-Dame. Apartments are the family move for the extra space and a kitchen for breakfast.
- Our Paris guide
- Latin Quarter for walking, the Marais for food
- Book early for Bastille Day week
Normandy trips
Bayeux
Bayeux is the small town base for the D-Day beaches and the tapestry, with Mont-Saint-Michel ninety minutes away. It’s half the price of Paris and a good place to slow down.
- Bayeux for the beaches
- Mont-Saint-Michel for one night on the island
- Rent a car here, not in Paris
South trips
Nice
Nice is a real city with a real beach and a train station that reaches the whole coast. Pick the old town for character or the Promenade for the sea.
- Nice for the coast without a car
- Avignon or Aix for Provence
- Chain hotels along the Promenade for points
Good to know
Questions families ask us about France
France at a glance
The practical stuff families ask us before they book.
Language: French, English in tourist areas
Population: About 68 million
Capital: Paris
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Power outlet: Types C and E, 230 V
Time difference: 7 hours ahead of Central (summer)
Entry for US passports: Visa-free up to 90 days, ETIAS expected late 2026
Driving: On the right
Emergency number: 112
Tipping: Service is included, round up or leave a few euros
Yes, it is, with a plan and a flexible attitude. It’s a big city with the same challenges as any other. But the parks, the boat rides on the Seine, the crêpes, and the museums all worked for our kids. Pick a few things, don’t rush, and build in park time every afternoon.
For us, it absolutely was. Shops close, the Metro is packed, and the museums are busy, but the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower were unlike anything we’ve seen. Plan on standing for an hour or more before the show, or book a dinner or river cruise with a view. Our guide has the details.
We enjoyed it, but we didn’t fly over just for the park. We flew into Amsterdam, took trains through Belgium with a bus day trip to Luxembourg, rode the Eurostar into Paris, and finished with two days at Disneyland. The park has its own train station, so a short Eurostar ride took us straight to CDG for the flight home. If you’re already in Paris, it’s forty minutes on the RER and an easy add on. Expect a smaller park than Florida’s, with rides, food, and attractions that are uniquely French.
Yes, you should. Research a short list of pieces ahead of time, make a game of finding them, and leave when everyone’s done. Even hot and crowded in July, it was Cadence’s favorite part of Paris. The Mona Lisa is smaller than they expect and they’ll remember it anyway.
You don’t need one in Paris, ever. Trains connect Paris to Normandy, the Loire, and the south in a few hours. Rent a car only once you’re in a region, and only if you’re going somewhere the trains don’t.
No visa for stays up to 90 days. Europe’s ETIAS travel authorization is expected to start in late 2026, so check the current rules before you fly.
Map
Essential France, mapped
Keep exploring
Where to go next
United Kingdom with Kids
The UK is two and a half hours by Eurostar, with London, day trips, and the Highlands.
Iceland with Kids
Iceland’s seven day loop takes in waterfalls, glaciers, and puffins.
