Our One Day in Paris with Kids Trip
Can you enjoy One Day in Paris with Kids? You sure can! The City of Lights has so much to offer with its timeless beauty, world-class art, rich history, and wealth of experiences even if you only have one day to explore. We had 24 hours in Paris and had the best time exploring everything that we could. I hope our one day in Pairs with Kids helps you plan your trip!
One Day in Paris with Kids
This trip was not only our first time in Paris but also our first time in Europe. We spent one day in Paris and then meet up with a good friend of ours at Disneyland Paris theme park. After a few days in Disney, we took a flight to Basel, Switzerland to stay with him for a week in Blotzheim, France. While staying with him he took us on some fun adventures to explore places in France, Germany, and Switzerland. I will be sharing more about our trip soon, so be on the lookout for those posts.
From the time we landed in Paris until we needed to meet up with our friends, we had about 24 hours. We wanted to make the most of visiting Paris during that time and I planned an easy but fun 24 hours in Paris Itinerary for us.
Of course, we have plans to go back to Paris and see the other Paris attractions and sites that are on our bucket list. We have many sites that are on our bucket list including the Notre Dame Cathedral, a Seine River Cruise, The Louvre Museum, and Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens) that we did not get to on this trip. And we plan to stop at the best photo spots in Paris to take photos of our adventure.
When that time comes that we go back we will be sharing about that trip as well. But if you are only going to have 24 hours in Paris and are wondering if it is worth planning to explore, let me tell you that 100% it is worth it. The whole family had a great time and has talked about our trip ever since we got back.
Where We Stayed in Paris
We booked 2 Club-Level rooms at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile and it was a great place for us to stay. I picked this hotel originally because I wanted to keep my Hyatt status and use Hyatt points to book it. It turned out that it was the perfect hotel for us. The hotel room was nice, the staff was super friendly and at check-in, we all were given Eiffel Tower keychains.
We had easy access to everything that we had planned on seeing during our 24 hours in Paris. The club-level access gave us an awesome view of the Eiffel Tower along with delicious snacks, drinks, and breakfast for our hotel stay. We arrived as they were serving the nightly snacks, which was more like a dinner versus a snack. It worked out perfectly.
The club-level breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile is amazing. It had everything you would think of being at a French breakfast. With fresh-made croissants, smoked meats, cheeses, breakfast sausage, yogurt, and more.
The metro station was only about a 10-minute walk from our hotel. It was perfect for us to navigate the city to see the things we had planned. I don’t worry about the older kids and walking when we travel but sometimes Hannah gets tired from walking so I try to make things easy for everyone.
Arriving in Paris
We booked our flights so that we would take off at night from New York City and then land around Noon in Paris. The timing worked perfectly. We all slept on the flight and were ready to go once we landed.
We started our trip by getting off the plane around noon and after getting our luggage. It took us a bit longer at the airport because we had a missing car seat, but once that was figured out we were on our way. Then we figured out which train to take to our hotel and headed on our way. We checked into the hotel around 4 pm rested for a little bit, headed to Club-level to get a snack and drinks, and then headed out to explore.
24 Hours in Paris with Kids
We had one night and until the late afternoon for our time in Paris. I say 24 hours in Paris, but really we had just a bit less than that. We arrived at our hotel at 4 pm and then had to leave the hotel at 3 pm to catch the train to meet up with our friends.
Our One Night in Paris with Kids Fun
Our plans for the night were to see the Eiffel Tower at night and then have some French McDonald’s. We headed out to see the Eiffel Tower and took the RER train on the Paris Metro from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower.
From the train stop, we walked to the Eiffel Tower with a stop at one of the public toilets. I will tell you that was a fun adventure and one that you will for sure want to try.
After the Eiffel Tower, we took the RER back to the area of our hotel and headed to the Mcdonald’s that was close to our hotel for a late snack. McDonald’s in France is nothing like McDonald’s in the United States. If you are in France I highly suggest trying it. While it might seem a bit silly, the flavors and options are totally different.
Then we all headed to bed. While we slept on the flight over it was a long day of travel and fun.
Our One Day In Paris with Kids Day Fun
We continued with our One Day Paris with kids exploring the next morning. We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before heading out. It was a nice sunny day which was perfect. It made walking thru the city very enjoyable.
Our first stop was The Arc De Triomphe. Just a short 15-minute walk from the hotel. We stopped for some bubble tea on the way.
When we arrived we found that the Armistice Day parade was going on and caught the end of it. The road was blocked off for cars so we were able to get close to the Arc De Triomphe. We grabbed some photos and then headed to our next stop.
Our next stop was taking a stroll on the famous street Champs-Elysees. We took our time to stroll down the famous street, looking at window displays and just enjoying the area.
We stopped for a visit at the Louis Vuitton Flagship store. Years before this trip was planned, visiting the store and purchasing a Neverful was added to my bucket list. Originally I was going to skip it the kids insisted that we go knowing that it was a bucket list item for me.
The kids enjoyed the experience as well. They walked around the store checking out all of the fascinating Lego Builds. The outside of the store was amazing as well. All of the windows had huge Christmas Lego displays.
They enjoyed drinks while we waited to be checked out. Each of them was given a small bottle of cologne or perfume as a souvenir by the woman who helped with my purchase.
French Crepes were on our bucket list. We stopped at La Crêperie des Champs-Elysees. They were seriously the best crepes I have ever eaten.
We headed back to the hotel and grabbed our luggage. We made a stop at a store for snacks and drinks. Then headed to the train station to go to the Disneyland Paris area.
Is it worth going to Paris for one day?
Personally, after spending one day in Paris I think it is totally worth it. Even if you only have a short amount of time to spend there I say go for it and make the visit. Paris is a kid-friendly city that is perfect for a family trip even if it is just a day trip. There is plenty to do if you are making a longer trip, but this is a destination that I think any amount of time that can be spent there is worth it.
Can you See everything In Paris In One Day?
Seeing everything in Paris (the French Capital) in just one day is practically impossible. Paris is a huge city with a multitude of attractions it offers. There is an extensive array of landmarks, museums, parks, and neighborhoods, each deserving of its own time for exploration. With that being said, with careful planning and prioritization, you can make the most of your day and experience some of the city’s highlights.
It’s important to manage your expectations and focus on a few key attractions. It is also important that you allow yourself time to savor the atmosphere and immerse yourself in the Parisian charm.
Tips for Visiting Paris with Kids
Visiting Paris with kids is a wonderful experience. The city offers a range of family-friendly activities and attractions that are perfect for kids of all ages. Here are some tips to make your trip to Paris enjoyable for both you and your children:
- Use kid-friendly transportation. Consider using the city’s efficient public transportation system. Kids might enjoy riding the metro or buses, but also keep in mind that walking can be a good way to explore certain areas.
- Involve your children in planning. To get your kids excited about the trip, involve them in the planning process. Show them pictures of the attractions, let them choose activities or landmarks they want to visit, and allow them to have a say in the itinerary.
- Wear comfortable shoes. If you plan on doing a lot of walking be sure to have everyone in the family wear comfortable walking shoes.
- Bring a stroller if traveling with young kids. Young kids have little legs that will get tired from walking. My 6-year-old did fine with all of the walking however she is used to walking a lot when we go on trips.
- Put the Google Maps app on your phone. Navigating the city and where we needed to go was super easy when we used the google maps app.
- Plan ahead. Take the time to learn how the metro system works and the locations where you want to go. Planning will make it so you are less stressed and are able to see everything on your list.
- Be reasonable about how much time you have. You want to enjoy the trip, don’t try to cram too much into where you are rushing and not enjoying the sites you are seeing.
