39Vaugirard

This is a good set of ideas for travel to Paris with kids, most of which I think is spot-on, especially advice to eat at big brasseries where noisy kids won’t even be noticed.

Be sure to buy a Pariscope and check the enfants section for a list of current events for children, including children’’s theater, circuses, special museum workshops, and all the puppet shows. Time your stints in the major museums carefully, and look into any children’’s tours they might offer. The ideas below focus on Paris proper; outside the city there’’s always Disneyland Paris.?

Day 1

Give your kids an idea of how Paris was planned by climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. From here work your way down the Champs-Élysées toward place de la Concorde. Stop for a puppet show at the Marionettes des Champs-Élysées, at avenues Matignon and Gabriel. Or head to the Palais de la Découverte, just off the Champs, to catch a planetarium show. Continue walking down the Champs to the Jardin des Tuileries, where kids can work off steam on the trampolines, ride the ponies, or spin on one of the prettiest merry-go-rounds in Paris. For an afternoon treat head for Angélina (on rue de Rivoli), a tearoom famous for its thick hot chocolate.

Note: If you want to see the puppet show, do this on a Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday. Skip this on Monday, when the Palais de la Découverte is closed.

Day 2

In the morning head to the Tour Eiffel for a bird’’s-eye view of the city. After you descend, give the nearby carousel a whirl; ride on one of the Bateaux-Mouches at place de l”Alma; or, for older kids who arelooking for a gross-out factor, brave Les Égouts, the Paris sewers. Next take the métro to the Parc André-Citroën, where there’’s a computerized “dancing fountain,” or to the Bois de Boulogne, where you”ll find a zoo and mini amusement park (the Jardin d”Acclimatation), rowboats, and plenty of wide-open space.

This won”t work on Thursday or Friday, when Les Égouts are closed.

Day 3

Start early at Notre-Dame Cathédral, climbing up the tower for the view of the city and the gargoyles. Have lunch in the area, and then head to Berthillon, on Île St-Louis, for some of the city’’s best ice cream. Afterward cross the Seine and walk or take the métro to the Odéon stop. From there walk around the colonnaded Théâtre de l”Odéon to the Jardin du Luxembourg, where there’’s a playground, a pond where kids can rent miniature boats, a café, a marionette theater, and plenty of places to sit. If you think your children would like to see the bustle of a local market, try the one on rue Mouffetard. Ready for more? Walk to the Centre de la Mer et des Eaux, an aquarium nearby, then continue on foot or by bus to the Arènes de Lutèce, one of the few vestiges of the former Roman city. Not far on foot or by métro is the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden with the state-of-the-art Grande Galerie d”Évolution, a museum exhibiting a collection of taxidermy of all kinds of animals. Also just a métro ride away in Montparnasse (métro Denfert-Rochereau) are the catacombs, dark tunnels filled with bones, which usually fascinate older kids.

Don”t try to see the Catacombs on Monday or the Grande Galerie d’Évolution on Tuesday, when they”re closed.

Day 4

Take a walk through the Marais, stopping early on at the Musée Picasso and keeping your eyes peeled for storybook architectural details. Nearby, pick up a sandwich to eat on a bench on the place des Vosges. Next, head over to the Centre Pompidou; either see an exhibit (often there are special kids” programs related to the shows) or simply ride the escalator to the top for a great view of Paris. Around the corner, on square Igor-Stravinsky, watch the imaginative, moving sculptures in the fountain. Another option is to take the métro from the Châtelet-Les-Halles station to the Porte de La Villette stop; in the whimsical park of the same name are an interactive science museum, a museum of musical instruments, an IMAX theater, and various innovative structures to play on and in.

Because of closings, do this between Wednesday and Sunday: the Parc de La Villette is closed Monday and the Centre Pompidou and Musée Picasso Tuesday.

With Children in Hotels?

Most hotels in Paris allow children under a certain age to stay in their parents” room at no charge. Hotel rooms are often on the small side, so inquire about connecting rooms or suites.

The budget-priced Hôtel Marignan (13 rue Sommerand, Paris, 75005, France. PHONE: 01-43-54-63-81) has rooms that sleep four or five, as well as access to a communal laundry room and kitchen facilities. The Hôtel Résidence Henri IV (50 rue Bernadins, Paris, 75005, France.PHONE: 01-44-41-31-81) has rooms with kitchenettes.

The chain Novotel (PHONE: 800/221-4542 for reservations; 08-25-88-44-44 in France) is a good bet as it allows two children under 16 to stay free in their parents” room; kids are offered free breakfast and gifts. Many Novotel hotels have playgrounds and children’’s corners with video games.

Renting a furnished apartment is a convenient choice for families. Weekly rentals can be as economical as an inexpensive hotel.

On the other end of the price spectrum, the palace hotels are increasingly attuned to travelers with children. Many have special activities geared to make kids feel welcome in the formal surroundings. The Four Seasons Hôtel George V Paris (31 av. George V, Paris, 75008, France. PHONE: 1-49-52-70-00, www.fourseasons.com/paris) has a “George the Frog” program which includes personalized T-shirts, in-room milk and cookies, and hotel-wide scavenger hunts. The Hôtel Meridien Montparnasse (19 rue de Commandant-Mouchotte, Paris, 75014, France. PHONE: 01-44-36-44-36, www.lemeridien.com) offers games, face painting, and a Sunday brunch where kids have their own buffet. The Ritz (15 pl. Vendôme, Paris, 75001, France. PHONE: 01-43-16-30-30, www.ritz.com) treats young guests like kings, with special cooking classes, gifts, and kids” menus.

With Children in Restaurants?

Although high chairsand coloring books aren”t standard except in overtly child-friendly chains such as Hippopotamus, which serves good steak-frites, some French restaurants can be warmly welcoming to budding gastronomes. You can help the experience by preparing the ground: Pack a folding booster seat for toddlers, since in the rare cases where high chairs are provided, they are usually missing pieces. Cigarette smoke is likely to be a problem, so ask for the no-smoking area.

Brasseries are one of the best choices for kids; they”re lively and noisy and provide familiar options, such as pommes frites (french fries), croque monsieurs (toasted ham-and-cheese sandwiches), and roast chicken. Creperies are also fun, fast, and quintessentially French: what child can resist a crepe filled with warm banana and smothered in chocolate sauce?

[From Europe > Paris - Travel | Terra]

Our friend Laila is so rafinée, with such discriminating taste. We’ve become closer friends since she and her family moved to Paris from San Francisco. As she is a French local, she has found for us several places in the neighborhood which are definitely great finds. One is a terrific gathering place for families on Sunday brunch. She found for us Le Pain Quotidien. She also had us meet at Bonpoint restaurant, which of course is housed in the Bonpoint boutique situated in the VIéme arrodissement, not too far from the Sénat, It is a welcoming place, at once sober and chic, with murals on the walls done with chalk, clearly at the hands of little artists. They serve creative Italian cuisine for the entire family. The space is underground, with plenty of space for kids to play and draw while the parents can eat and enjoy adult conversation.

It’s a great way to pass a nice afternoon with tea and snack, or for the children to enjoy the delicious house chocolate mousse or any of the goodies on the menu. The store and restaurant is housed in a grand hotel with a ample courtyard, where the large French doors are opened to the outdoors during the summer. Of course, after your respite, each of the rooms of the hotel/boutique is beautifully curated and showcases the entire Bonpoint children’s clothing and objet collection, as only the French can. 6, rue de Tournon, 76006.

Paris is lovely for children…. We had three families (twelve people) at Sunday brunch at Le Pain Quotidien where we sat at a grand communal table and enjoyed the all natural menu in a lovely, even joyful ambiance, if you can believe it. It’s decorated like a grand épicerie à l’ancienne with an incredibly organic menu. It’s the place to meet all the other families enjoying a relaxing Sunday, even on a wet raining winter day. Le Pain du Quotidien, rue Vaneau @ rue du Bac, 6me. Several locations throughout Paris.

What a delight to come upon a whimsical wall of handmade finger puppets? Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Bears, Pinocchio… one wall of the shop was covered with these little handmade toys which absolutely delighted my two kids. They had dreams of a MAJOR puppet theatre. As we entered the shop, we saw the creatrice sitting on her stool, knitting things even more interesting. Another wall of the little shop showcased her handmade children’s sweaters with every imaginable image including space ships, stars, you name it. Celis makes everything herself by hand and it shows. This is the place to go to find that absolutely special, one of a kind gift for the little ones. It was really hard to get my kids out of the little atelier without succumbing to the whimsy of the place. Celis, at 72 rue Vielle du Temple.

Early morning walks when I have Paris to myself is a great time to discover new places. Located in a two-storey loft, Bon Ton on Rue de Grenelle is a real charm. Clothes are carefully selected to suit contemporary mothers and their kids. The place also houses an art gallery with rotating exhibitions, with the top floor with its display of funky furniture, bed + bath, and objets. Four locations, including Bon Ton Bazar.

82 rue de Grenelle et 118 rue Vieille du Temple

Here I’m sitting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, leafing through a local magazine and I see a dispatch from Paris. What do you know. People barely make US$600 on average here but they aspire to visit Paris.

Don’t we all.

Their recommendations are terrific, and I agree with most of them. And think, I had to go all the way to Cambodia to discover a few things in my own neighborhood. Such is the life of a global nomad.

Deyrolle, the 170 year old establishment on rue du Bac (near Blvd. St. Germain) that is the most extraordinary taxidermy shop, a realm of French institution. Deyrolle.com,

Sennelier, debuted in 1887, by a passionate chemist Guastave Sennelier, is located across from the Louvre and nearby l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts. It is an atelier of all things colors, pigments, and creations, for any palette created by an artist. 3, Quai Voltaire.

Galerie Martine Gossieaux, opened in 1992, has regular exhibitions of graphic artists of international fame: Savignac “affichiste”, Sempé, Steig, Chaval, André François, Ronald Searle, Benoît and Pierre Le Tan.They are all regular collaborators for different and important magazines around the world, such as “New Yorker”. 56, rue de l’Université.

Hotel Verneuil, has almost the perfect location, in the quartier antiquaire, right on the boundaries of sixiéme and septiéme arrondisements. The hotel is blushingly romantic, bathed in history and discreetly housed in a handsome 17th century building, and stylish in a way that weds the past (miles of printed fabrics from France’s old-guard textile houses) to the present (iron cube tables with a deliberately rusted finish). Some of the 26 guest rooms are a bit tight, but Flore and Deux Magots are your local cafés— complaining seems like bad manners. 8, rue de Verneuil.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, is a must on a gourmet’s list. With a restaurant empire all over the world (Las Vegas, Macao, London, Tokyo, New York, and Monaco), Joel Robuchon this is chef and his Atelier is no ordinary dining experience. It’s a Michelin-star restaurant, in the Hotel du Port Royal, on rue Montalembert, in the tony septiéme. It’s a open kitchen concept, with only 36 seats, with tapa size beautiful food. No reservations are taken, so be strategic and get there early for a seat at the counter. It’s a favorite sport of chic Parisians to time a table just right. 5, rue de Montalembert, corner of rue de Bac.

La Hune, is an artist’s art bookstore. This place is part of the history of St. Germain des Prés with the likes of Max Ernst, André Breton and many other artists through the decades who have come to hang out here as well as Café de Flore which is next door. 170, Boulevard St Germain.

Astier et Villate, is the haute emporium of all that is beautiful about maison et objets of French china and things for the house. 173, rue St. Honoré.

Coton Doux, is a must if you’re stocking up on the most beautifully made, fantastic colors and design, in men’s shirts and pajamas. Boutiques throughout Paris. 68, rue Mazarine is in the neighborhood.

Leave it to the Cambodians in the know to reveal Paris to me.

Seeing a place through a singular lense of a person, especially the infamous and original designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, is to uncover a wholly different city. The New York Time article ‘Fashionista Paris‘ was fascinating and it conjured up for me, another Paris, than the one I know. It reminded me how a place, a memory, constantly evolves and changes. I don’t know if I would of appreciated his Paris few years back. Funny, I have been changing as his Paris looks all so interesting to me now. Reading about his Paris made me truly appreciate not only his fashion designs, which I am not a fan of, but to uncover the place which fed the dream of a little boy into becoming a world renown designer of singularly original couture and design.

Few highlights (where I definitely concur with Ms. Gaultier or will be on top of my list for my next trip to Paris)

1. Though there will be a busload of tourists, there is nothing more gaudy AND interesting than looking at Marie Antoinette at the Paris’s wax museum, Musée Grévin. Imagine. Not only the adults but the children love seeing these figures and they serve as an interesting discussion points to talk about Paris history and figures.

Musée Grévin, 10, boulevard Montmartre; Ninth; 33-1-4770-8505; www.musee-grevin.com. 19.50 euros.

2. One of my all time favorite discovery and places, Grande Galerie de l’Evolution in the Natural History Museum. The evolution building is a soaring, 19th-century iron-framed, glass-roofed structure with dramatic pools of light; where there is an entire installation of taxidermied animals from giraffes and elephants at the head of the pack to the little monkeys at the rear. It is an amazing site for the entire family.

Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, 36, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire; Fifth; 33-1-4079-5479 or 33-1-4079-5601

3. We love afternoon teas and it has become a sacred ritual for us in Paris, both for the parents and the children. It requires us to pause, during the day, to take in and appreciate the quotidian gestures and to recharge. The idea of mint tea and baklava in the mosque’s outdoor tearoom, sounds divine. This tearoom is located within the La Grande Mosquée de Paris.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris, 2 bis, place du Puits de l’Ermite; Fifth; 33-1-4535-9733; tea room: 33-1-4331-1814; www.mosquee-de-paris.org.

4. It seems Ms. Gaultier is deep down inside, still a little boy who loved hanging out with his grandmother. This is exactly the scene one enters at the tearoom Angélina, next door to the Meurice Hotel near the Louvre. To go to Angélina is to enter the grande dame of the tearooms, a world of yesterday, where ladies with gloves and hats sat for hours for civilized salades and a cup of tea. They are world famous for Mont Blanc, a ball of meringue that is topped with Chantilly and a lot of vermicellles of chestnut paste.

Angélina, 226, rue de Rivoli; First; 33-1-4260-8200.

5. Of course, Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt. My husband took me this famous flea market during our first trip to Paris together. It is not just one, but many different ones. It is worthy of just spending an entire weekend there. It is gorgeous, and a treasure trove of discovering and understanding of all the richness that is Paris and France.

Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt; Avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt; 18th. Located in the north of Paris, this is most easily reached by cab. Make sure to visit the Paul-Bert and the Serpette markets

WHERE TO GO (THE GAULTIER TOUR)

Crazy Horse Paris, 12, avenue George V; Eighth; 33-1-4723-3232; www.lecrazyhorseparis.com; The show, including a half bottle of Champagne, or two drinks, starts at 70 euros a person.

Bal du Moulin Rouge, 82, boulevard de Clichy; 18th, 33-1-5309-8282; www.moulin-rouge.com. The show begins at 9 p.m. and costs 99 euros, including a half-bottle of Champagne. An 11 p.m. show costs 89 euros.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris, 2 bis, place du Puits de l’Ermite; Fifth; 33-1-4535-9733; tea room: 33-1-4331-1814; www.mosquee-de-paris.org.

Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, 36, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire; Fifth; 33-1-4079-5479 or 33-1-4079-5601

Galeries de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée, 2, rue Bouffon; Fifth; 33-1-4079-5479; www.mnhn.fr. Admission is 8 euros.

Le Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower, second platform, Avenue Gustave Eiffel; Seventh; 33-1-4555-6144; www.lejulesverne-paris.com. Prix-fixe dinner 190 euros.

Casa Olympe, 48, rue St-Georges; Ninth; 33-1-4285-2601

Angélina, 226, rue de Rivoli; First; 33-1-4260-8200.

Hermès, 24, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré; Eighth; 33-1-4017-4717; www.hermes.com.

Jean Paul Gaultier boutique, 6, rue Vivienne; Second; 33-1-4286-0505; www.jeanpaulgaultier.com.

La Pagode cinema, 57, bis rue de Babylone; Seventh, 33-1-4555-4848.

Théâtre du Châtelet, 1, place du Châtelet; First; 33-1-4028-2840; wwwchatelet-theatrecom.

Musée Grévin, 10, boulevard Montmartre; Ninth; 33-1-4770-8505; www.musee-grevin.com. 19.50 euros.

Le Grand Rex cinema, 1, boulevard Poissonnière; Second; 33-1-4236-8393; www.legrandrex.com.

Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt; Avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt; 18th. Located in the north of Paris, this is most easily reached by cab. Make sure to visit the Paul-Bert and the Serpette markets.

Here is a short list of stuff for kids within a short distance from our apartment

1. Toy store (!) at the end of rue Cassette and the rue de Rennes.
2. Carrousel in the Square Boucicault in front of the Bon Marche.
3. 55th Floor observation deck at the tour Montparnasse. Not really a haunt of many US tourists, but the best view of all of Paris.
4. Sailboating at the main fountain at the Jardins de Luxembourg. Note: you can rent sailboats only on weekends and holidays. The toystore on the rue Cassette sells them, handmade from Brittany.
5. Kids park at the Jardin de Luxembourg. This is just a big playground with a few extra slides and a tie-line, but, warning: there is a 2 Euro entry charge (more if you want to go in and supervise). There is also an old carrousel for little kids (1.4 E), poney rides, and the famous marionette theatre, which kids love even if they don’t speak French.
6. Deyrolle outdoors store (46, rue du Bac, and rue de l’Universite) covers the outdoor life including butterfly-collecting and taxidermy. The attraction for kids is the many many life-sized (literally) stuffed real animals including a tiger, elephant, and giraffe.
7. Seine boat ride at the Vedettes de Paris – Quai at the Pont Henri IV.
8. Bon Marché toy store (basement level)
9. Montparnasse Cemetery – This nearby cemetery is a fun walk for kids with the final resting places of Charles Baudelaire, Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, Man Ray, Simone de Beauvoir, and Tristan Tzara, among many others. (Map in book in our apartment or available at Edgar Quinet entrance.)
10. Jardin des Plantes – Especially, la Grande Gallerie de l’Evolution with it’s stuffed huge animals on display walking almost among us, is fascinating for little kids. There is a small zoo in the this park as well.
11. Amorino gelato both on the rue de Buci and nearby on the rue Vavin (convenient to a Jardin de Luxembourg entrance). This is superior to Berthillon in our opinion and not yet a tourist cliché.

L’Épi Dupin is my idea of a great restaurant, and a neighborhood restaurant to boot. It has wonderful food, incredibly welcoming and gracious staff. At our dinner, the maître d’ was patient making menu recommendation for our children, as well as speaking fluent Japanese to the mother/daughter sitting in the booth and articulate English to the elderly American woman adjacent to us who was having trouble hearing above the din. The space has the cozy ambience of an auberge de provence with modern white painted walls with rustic beams. It’s clearly on the ‘it’ list as by 7:30 pm, the 45 seat restaurant was full, of a very cosmopolitan clientele.

It was clear by the menu that this is a place under the sure hands of a foodie chef. And it is. François Pasteau’s cooking is simple yet sophisticated, chosen from what is seasonal and from the local markets, and menu is changed daily with a prix fix menu of 35Euros for dinner and 19Euros for lunch.

The entire family recommends the porc with beet purée and mashed potatoes, and the red snapper served on spinach and mushrooms on warm vinaigrette was delicious. All of the desserts, which we ordered first, were beautiful and made the taste test, which were all made to order from the kitchen.

11, Rue Dupin, 75006 Paris +33 1 42 22 64 56

If you like crepes and the Breton specialty, buckwheat galettes, there is a street right off the Boulevard Montparnasse with at least ten restaurats, kind of like a mini Brittany-town.

The crepes and galettes here are authentic, with some original variations. Don’t forget to order a “bolee” (bowl) of cider and a dessert crepe with chocolate and whipped cream.