Paris with Children

Paris is a kids city.

We love to think of Paris as super glamorous, sophisticated and romantic, but that's not how it seems after 6 months here. There's so much to do for kids (and for our inner kid). Most French families have an average of 3 children - a jolly threesome of kidlets.

Dejeuner sur l'herbe for these school children at Giverny where they get in free under the age of 7. When I stopped in the tourist office why was I surprised to see a pretty green round table laid out with crayons and coloring pages of French historic sights? Kids get perks everywhere you go in France. Almost every exhibition I've visited has free games for kids related to the exhibits.

There's no reason to think twice about bringing children to Paris. And Kim Horton Lavasque's new Paris with Children lays it out for you area by area:Louvre-Tuileries, Marais and Bastille, Notre-dame, Latin Quartier, Saint-Germain, D'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Champs Élysées, Montmartre - where to play, stay, eat, shop in detail.

I've never seen a town with so many merry-go-rounds. If there's a park usually there's a merry-go-round somewhere. All aboard! Paris has like 600 parks. (Do get the wonderful free Paris park app called CityGardens) Who isn't a kid at heart anyway?

Nor have I seen so many scooters with both kids and grown ups.

Is there another town on the planet with as many pastry and chocolate shops? So much joy and whimsy.,

More whimsy. Why I feel so at home here. Ladybugs for everyone.

Red riding hoods galore whether on your back or in a theatre...

So much goofiness in Paris and great glasses for kids. I know, I'm wearing them.

Lunettes cookies! What's one to think? I really didn't 'get' it until living here fulltime how playful and childlike the French are...

So many toy shops to drool over. Wait I've already done that...

What I love about Kim's book is we can all get great tips from it. It's got the best collection of kids shops I've seen outside a Japanese bookstore and it's in English!

Is it only in Paris you see future ballerinas-to-be prancing down the street? I think so...