A sudden flight disruption left me and my parents stranded in Barcelona, where we were supposed to catch a connection home. Since the flight was canceled, I decided to join my parents in Paris instead. After all, if you’re going to be stuck somewhere waiting for a reasonably priced flight home, you might as well wait it out in my favorite city in the world.
In the first few weeks I felt like a zombie, mostly busy with errands and remote work. But little by little I started coming out of my fog and began thinking about what I could do to help. Then, when we moved to an apartment near Place de la Concorde, an idea suddenly came to me.
Back when I lived on Guernsey, I used to run guided tours of Paris every once in a while for the followers of my website. It was a great way to help fund part of my trip costs and meet some fellow travelers. But since I moved back home, I stopped offering tours in Paris, since meeting people that way was no longer something I needed. Besides, I preferred to spend my precious time in Paris visiting places I hadn’t been yet and taking photos, rather than touring the spots most tourists flock to (the Marais, for example).
But now that my parents and I were stuck in Paris, I decided it was the perfect time to get back to walking the city with fellow travelers who, like me, found themselves stuck in the City of Light, but this time entirely for free. So I posted in a travel group chat, offering to walk with anyone who wanted to join me after my work hours in Paris.
A short time later, Dikla reached out to me. I later found out she works for the wine tour company Vinspiration, which had published this article on my site. Dikla told me that she, her partner Achi, and their 4-year-old son Rani were in Paris and would love to walk with me. At first I hesitated, since I’d never toured with small children before, but I told myself that, first of all, it’s a challenge to explore Paris with kids, and second, since I wasn’t charging for the tour, even if I didn’t shine, it wouldn’t be the end of the world (you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth).
We met at the entrance to the Tuileries Garden and walked for several hours, until we finished up somewhere in Saint-Germain. It was one of the most fun walks I’ve ever done. Rani was a little shy for the first few minutes, but we quickly became good friends, and even walked hand in hand.
Since this tour turned out so well, I decided to publish the route here, so that anyone touring Paris with kids can use it and enjoy it too.
Instead of a map: under each stop’s heading you’ll find its address, and every address is a link. Click it, and the place will open right away in Google Maps.
A walking itinerary with kids from the Tuileries to Saint-Germain
To start the tour, head to the entrance of the Tuileries Garden, right outside the Tuileries metro station. Since the apartment I was staying in was close to the gardens, I walked there, but if you don’t live nearby, take line 1 of the metro and get off at the station I mentioned.
The Tuileries Garden
I chose to start the tour at this garden, partly because it was close to where I was staying, but mostly because I remembered how much I loved visiting it as a kid. Back then you could ride pony rides there, and to this day I remember how, at around age 6 (if I’m not mistaken), they put me on one, and a photo even survived as a keepsake :-).
Today there are no more pony rides in the Tuileries Garden, but don’t worry, it’s still a perfect spot for little kids. We headed to the carousel, located in the northwest part of the garden, and as you’ll see, Rani had a great time.
And honestly, I don’t think his parents suffered much either 🙂
Beyond that, if you’re lucky, you’ll find not just a carousel in the Tuileries Garden, but a whole funfair that sets up there, usually around Christmas and in summer, which makes the celebration even bigger for kids. But even without a funfair, the simple fact that there’s room to run around and burn off energy makes this place perfect for children.
Before we move on, if you’d like to learn more about the fascinating history of this garden, I recommend reading the article about the Tuileries Garden here on the site, and if you want to understand how the carousel was invented, you’ll find the answer in the article how the carousel goes round and round.
The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
From the carousel we went straight to the Carrousel. The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is just past the eastern exit of the Tuileries Garden. When we visited (October 2023) it was under renovation, but I hope that by the time you get there it will be standing in its full glory.
This is a great spot to show your child not only this Arc de Triomphe, built by Napoleon, but also the more famous one further west, at Place de l’Étoile. If you want to give your child a quick history lesson, feel free to read the article Paris’s Arc de Triomphe: did you know there are four of them? and then tell them about it. I’m sure they’ll be very impressed by your scholarly explanation and become a Francophile on the spot.
The Louvre Museum
From the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel we continued into the Louvre’s main courtyard. I’m not sure most kids will have the patience to visit the Louvre itself (unless you’re planning to walk in just to show them the Mona Lisa and walk right back out), but if your kids like art more than I’m giving them credit for, feel free to check out the article on the Louvre Museum for all the practical information you need for a visit (opening hours, tickets, works not to miss, and more).
What’s certain is that the Louvre Pyramid is a perfect spot for photos of your kids, and of you too. Here’s an example, from another outing, of two tourists who posed there and for a moment made me feel like I was looking at a Caillebotte painting come to life.
Pont des Arts (Pont des Arts)
Once you’re done taking photos by the pyramid, head into the Louvre’s Cour Carrée and then turn south. After leaving the Louvre and crossing the street, walk onto the Pont des Arts, once known to many visitors as the “bridge of locks.”
Thankfully, the locks no longer mar this bridge, but here you’ll find some of the most magical views in Paris: the Pont Neuf to the east, the Institut de France to the south, the Louvre to the north, and the Eiffel Tower to the west (if you arrive after sunset, you and your kids can enjoy the sight of the sparkling Eiffel Tower).
It’s no wonder this spot is often considered one of the best places to get your very first view of Paris.
And before we continue, if you’d like to read about the bridge and the Institut de France building, I recommend checking out the article The story of the Pont des Arts and the Collège de France.
Pont Neuf and Place Dauphine
pont Neuf, and place Dauphine
Cross the Pont des Arts toward the Institut de France and walk east along the Seine. Along the way you’ll find the bouquinistes, and maybe you’ll buy your child a nice print or a comic book. Continue until you reach the Pont Neuf.
Despite its name (the New Bridge), this is actually the oldest bridge in Paris, and thanks to it we have bridges without buildings, sidewalks, and even stand-up comedy (don’t believe me? read the article Pont Neuf: the revolutionary bridge that changed Paris).
Here you have two options. If you’re tired and want to rest without stopping the walk altogether, head down to the small peninsula below (Square du Vert-Galant). Down there you’ll find the Vedettes de Pont Neuf, tourist boats that cruise the Seine (you can buy a ticket in advance and save time using this link).
On the other hand, if you and your little crown prince or princess have enough energy left to keep going, feel free to step into the crown prince’s own square, namely Place Dauphine, named after the son of Henri IV (r. 1589-1610) (did you know that the title of crown prince in France was “Dauphin”? I’m not kidding, if you don’t believe me, look up the word Dauphin in a dictionary and see for yourself).
This is a beautiful 17th-century square, where Yves Montand and Simone Signoret once lived. Did we happen to spot them at one of the windows overlooking the square?
Truth be told, the skeletons, brought in for Halloween, didn’t make much of an impression on little Rani, but he was certainly happy to run around in the small garden, so I’m sure your little ones will love it too.
The Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle
2 boulevard du Palais, and 10 boulevard du Palais
Leave Place Dauphine from its northeastern exit and walk along the Seine. On your right you’ll see the towers of the Conciergerie, once the palace of the French king’s chamberlain, which later became a famous prison (you can read about it in this article).
Continue to Boulevard du Palais and look up at the wall. You’ll spot the oldest clock in Paris there, created in the 14th century and renovated in the 16th century by King Henri III (r. 1574-1589).
To learn more about this clock, feel free to read Amiram Tzabari’s article: The oldest clock tower in Paris. Everyone else, continue along Boulevard du Palais and decide whether it’s worth visiting the Conciergerie. In my opinion, small children might get scared and feel uncomfortable, but older kids might actually enjoy this medieval building. If you decide to visit, you’re more than welcome to buy tickets in advance using this link.
If you continue along Boulevard du Palais, you’ll reach Sainte-Chapelle, a church built by Louis IX (Saint Louis, r. 1226-1270) to house what he believed was Christ’s Crown of Thorns. I’m not sure how suitable this church is for small children, but if you happen to be visiting when there’s good natural light, you really shouldn’t miss a visit to Sainte-Chapelle, thanks to its beautiful stained glass windows (if you’d like to visit, you can buy a ticket using this link).
Place Saint-Michel and Cour du Commerce-Saint-André (Cour du Commerce Saint-André)
place Saint-Michel, and cour du Commerce-Saint-André
After we finished admiring the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle (from the outside), we continued along Boulevard du Palais and crossed the Pont Saint-Michel to the Left Bank. There I had to pause the tour for a moment due to an urgent need to find a restroom. Luckily, right on the square there’s a large café called Le Départ Saint-Michel.
If you’re in the area and also need facilities, I recommend doing what I did: walk in confidently and just head downstairs. The restrooms there are clean and pleasant, and since there are plenty of customers, the chances of a pesky waiter stopping you are low. If you want to play it safe, sit outside, order a drink, and then go to the restroom.
After this methodical break, it was time to take a peek at this beautiful fountain, built here by Napoleon III during the construction of Boulevard Saint-Michel (originally he wanted to place a statue of his uncle here, but after receiving some strong advice to drop the idea, it was decided to put up a statue of the Archangel Michael instead).
By this point Rani was already hungry and tired, and it was time to find a place to sit down and eat. I absolutely did not want him to eat the junk served at the tourist traps of the nearby Rue de la Huchette, so I made the child and his parents an offer they couldn’t refuse: we’d walk another 10 minutes, and in exchange we’d eat a wonderful crêpe at one of my favorite crêperies in Paris.
The offer was accepted, and we headed off toward Rue Saint-André-des-Arts. We walked along this street until we reached Cour du Commerce Saint-André. Since Rani is a 4-year-old, I didn’t show him the erotic paintings at the café La Jacobine, and I didn’t tell him that the first guillotine was built and tested right here. But there’s no reason not to tell you all about it in the article Cour du Commerce Saint-André: the charming passage of the Left Bank.
Breizh Café
I promised a great crêpe, and it was time to cash the check I’d written. We left Cour Saint-André straight for Boulevard Saint-Germain, crossed it, and walked to 1 Rue de l’Odéon. There you’ll find the creperie Breizh Café (pronounced “bretz”).
True, the most authentic crêperies are on Rue du Montparnasse (not to be confused with Boulevard Montparnasse), where immigrants from Brittany (where the crêpe was invented) settled, but this restaurant is also very good, and it made for a great option for dinner with a small child.
We treated ourselves to a Sarrasin, a crêpe made from buckwheat (I had mine with salmon, but I forget what his parents ordered). Rani ordered a crêpe with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream, and as far as I’m concerned, he passed the Francophile test. I decided to finish with a Crêpe Suzette, which was simply wonderful.
By then it was already 8:30 p.m., Rani was nearly asleep, and we decided it was the best time to end the tour. So I’ll leave you here too, hoping you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Want more information about traveling to Paris with kids?
Here are some excellent articles on the topic:
- Attractions for kids in Paris
- Family-friendly hotels in Paris
- Disneyland Paris: a mom’s tips for the perfect visit
- Traveling in Paris with kids? Tips from an experienced Francophile mom
Related reading
