Paris is on fire this summer. And taking two kids on a trip there, via trains from
Brussels, is no easy task. First, there’s the heat, which is not to be taken lightheartedly. Second, there are two children, ages 8 and 10 who want to be entertained.
The older one, my daughter, likes hanging out and shopping and likes walking around with me.
The youngest, my son, on the other hand, likes to play Nintendo games in the hotel room and the most he will do is walk to the closest Lego store for a leisure activity. Take him to a mall, like the Les Halles mall, and you got yourself a nightmare in the making. Drag him on a walk through the streets of Les Marais, and you got yourself a full-blown shit show. Excuse my French.
I gave in in a big way and took them to Disneyland Paris. And let me tell you…don’t do that. At least not as a solo parent who is trying her best and complying with the needs and wants of two kids, all the while, a bit hung over from going out the night before to the bar at the Four Seasons George V.
So, the first thing you should know about Disneyland is that they will do all that is in their power to squeeze the next Euro out of you.
The second thing you should know is that kids there get so worked up some start crying and rejecting the whole experience (like my son did at some points) and some get so riled up they can’t get enough (like my daughter). In any event, be prepared to work your ass off.
Now, there are lines, crazy two-hour lines for the popular rides like the Space Mountain for instance, but you can cut them short by going on the Disneyland Paris app that you download from your app store. Thing is, and it’s a big thing, if you want to skip the lines, which I highly recommend, you have to pay anywhere between 8 euros all the way to about 18 euros per person to obtain what the Disney folks like to call a Premier Access to the ride.
On the up side, you’ll save time and gain the sanity of yourself and your children. On the downside, every little burger in Disney costs more than it does on the outside, and don’t forget the memorabilia and the ice creams and the water and the rest of the crap your children will want to consume. So, all in all we’re talking about a day that will cost you like crazy.
I do recommend getting the two-park pass, besides Disneyland, there is the Disney Studios Park, which offers more rides and some shows.
It’s a bit smaller that the Disneyland Park but has a lot of rides that don’t have long lines, especially not in the afternoon. We squeezed in like four rides just in about an hour there, which is a good rate. Really good.
What other attractions are there for kids in Paris?
Well, I took them to the zoo. Parc Zoologique De Paris in Vincennes, is about half an hour into the outskirts of Paris, and believe me when I tell you there’s lots of traffic to get there. But it’s worth it.
My eight-year-old stubborn son, who kept screaming he wants to go home at Disney the day before, loved it.
There were Pinguins, Giraffes, all sorts of monkeys and even lions and pumas. On the plus side, the place is spacious and not packed. On the down side, it’s a bit far away from city center (like a 30 euros drive with a taxi and a 20 euro ride with Uber).
I took them to the zoo on a Tuesday, a day in which most family-friendly (if there is such a thing) museums are closed in Paris. So, it was a good few, relatively relaxing hours with the kids, a good experience all in all.
I have to say this isn’t our first time in Paris. Let alone my first time with the kids there.
On other occasions, I took them to the Pompidou Museum, a modern art museum with an indoor Gymboree-like area. And some of the art, poppy in nature, is very interesting for kids.
Also, the building itself is quite the attraction, with its array of see-through escalators on the outside that offer quite the view of Paris, especially on its upper floors.
Paris offers a lot of attractions, but mainly it is a city that is an attraction all throughout. Try to get your kids to enjoy it and appreciate it.
Good Luck!
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