"Paris With Small Children"

When we researched a quick 3 day trip in Europe on our way from Zambia to USA, I spent a LOT of time researching. First it was Italy, then the French Riviera, then Edinburgh, then I was pretty set on Copenhagen. But so many reviews called Paris “the most kid-friendly city in Europe,” and that did it for me! I decided on Paris in March, and spent the next 4 months researching playgrounds and fun activities for the kids to do. Here are my pros/cons of the trip to Paris!

PROS

*Our hotel (Best Western at CDG Airport) was amazing. It was just an average hotel as far as amenitites, but the staff was overly helpful and kind. They all spoke great English and went out of their way to accommodate us when Caedmon was in the hospital, even giving us transportation to and from the hospital.

*There were lots of things for kids to do in Paris - tons of playgrounds, carousels, ice cream stands EVERYWHERE, etc.

*The people were SO friendly. I’m sure the locals get so sick of tourists, but everyone tried to help us, even if we didn’t ask but they could tell we were lost and confused!

*The hospital staff and nurses were great. We were not in a big international hospital in Paris. We were about an hour outside of the city in a small local hospital, and it’s quite possible we were their first international patients! From the admissions people dealing with our insurance, to the orderlies who served food, everyone was so helpful!

*Paris was SUCH a multi-cultural city!! We saw TONS of Africans and ladies in their chitengi dresses on the subway! There were also many Asians, Indians, etc.

CONS

*Walking, walking,walking... I would NOT call Paris a kid-friendly city for small children. Now if you had money to take taxis everywhere you went, definitely! But the long bus waits, subway rides, and then walking, walking, walking, were tough on our kids. (Most European cities are like this though, so it’s not really a downfall of Paris, just something hard for families with small kids!)

*I was not impressed with the food. (Granted, I ate two meals in a hospital, one at a carnival, and one at the airport!) I thought the bread would be soft and lush but it was very hard. I was disappointed in the cuisine!

*Overall the city is pretty grimy. Graffiti everywhere, it just wasn’t the gorgeous Paris I had imagined!

*French!! I had no idea how hard it would be to navigate everything!! Lesson learned - always take a phrase book or dictionary in the language of the country I am visiting!

All that being said, for us the cons outweighed the pros and I definitely don’t think we’ll be going to Paris again! BUT...our trip was definitely clouded by an emergency room visit, a 2 night hospital stay, and a surgery for Caedmon, so I’m not sure our review is completely fair! It wasn’t quite the 3 days of family time we were hoping for, but our kids LOVED the Eiffel Tower and the carousels, and it is definitely a trip none of us will ever forget!! :)