Paris: Je t'adore

There are few places in the world that I love more than Paris. It just has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find so intriguing and intoxicating. I couldn’t wait to bring my son to one of my favorite places and to experience Paris through his eyes.

Jai is now a full-blown toddler. He is high energy, strong-willed, and extremely curious. He wants to run everywhere, jump off of everything, and has big feelings when he doesn’t get his way. Taking this into mind, the days would need to be flexible and center around ways to keep him engaged and active. Luckily, this isn’t hard to do in Paris. 

At the Louvre

At Palais Royal

One of the many bridges crossing the Seine

Luxembourg Gardens

Let’s backtrack for a second and talk about geography. Paris is divided into 20 distinctive arrondissements, or districts, each with its own history, vibe, and attractions. They are organized in a clockwise pattern. It starts with the 1st in the center and spirals outward like a snail shell, with the 20th being the outermost one. While all arrondissements are worth exploring, with a kid, central Paris (the 1st to the 7th), and going to give you the most bang for your buck in terms of things to do. 

We rented an Airbnb in the 1st arrondissement. The 1st has an air of elegance and exclusivity, with the luxury hotels and exclusive boutiques lining its streets. Our place was literally across the street from the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens.  Just between these two landmarks, there is enough to keep a toddler busy for hours at a time. Jai loved running around the famous Louvre pyramids, chasing the ducks by the ponds, and riding the Carrousel in the gardens. Palais Royal, now made famous by the Netflix show Emily in Paris, also has beautiful gardens, but Jai’s favorite part was jumping off the black and white columns that make up French artist Daniel Burns’s contemporary art installation in the inner courtyard.

Palais Royal

Louvre

The 2nd arrondissement is often overlooked because of its reputation of being a business district. However, it is the perfect place to have a kid to explore when the weather isn’t perfect due to the Passages Couverts. Built in the 19th century, these enclosed, glass-roofed arcades and galleries are lined with unique boutiques, antique shops, and bistros and are the inspiration for the modern-day shopping mall. Also bringing you back to the Paris of old is the Marché des Enfants Rouge in the 3rd, which is the oldest covered market in Paris. At over 400 years old, there is a huge diversity of casual food options (helpful with a sometimes picky toddler) and is just a feast for all the senses. Jai’s head was on a constant swivel here, and no one cared that he wanted to try to touch and feel everything. This area leads into the rest of the Marais neighborhood in the 4th arrondissement, one of my favorite locations in Paris. Spared from the Haussmann renovations that reshaped most of Paris’ architecture, the Marais has preserved its historic character and architecture. There is less car traffic in this area, so it was much safer to free Jai from the stroller here. There were plenty of charming cobblestoned streets for him to stumble on, small parks to play in, cute bistros and coffee shops to grab snacks, and small unique boutiques for Mom to shop in.  The 4th is also home to Notre Dame, which needs no introduction and well worth seeing, especially after its renovation following that devastating fire.

Notre Dame

One of the many Passages

Jumping over to the 6th, you can’t miss the Luxembourg Gardens or the historic cafes along Boulevard Saint-Germain. I would be remiss to not mention the iconic Eiffel Tower in the 7th; Parc du Champ de Mars runs directly to its base and is the perfect place to have a picnic and let your kid run wild, but keep in mind, it can get extremely crowded. The Trocadéro, which is directly across the river from the Eiffel tower, is inthe 16th and offers those Instagram-famous views of the Iron Lady. A hidden gem here is Cinéaqua, the Paris aquarium. Looking at landmarks and parks can get monotonous for a toddler, so this was the perfect way to shake up our day, and in our case, warm up and dry up after an unexpected rain shower.

Luxembourg Gardens

Luxembourg Gardens

At the aquarium

One of the biggest misconceptions is that Paris is not kid-friendly, but I found the opposite to be true. Every bistro, cafe, and wine bar was so welcoming and had no problem accommodating Jai. I will say, highchairs are few and far between, which is why having our own chair was vital. We are lucky that Jai is not a picky eater (yet) and eats basically anything when he’s hungry; that being said, while I’m sure some of the more touristy places offer kid menus, it is definitely not common. From my numerous experiences in Paris, people are quite accommodating. We had some pretty special meals at Parcelles (a great classic bistro in the Marais), Juveniles (hello corn soup!), Willi’s Wine Bar (where Jai ate all the tin fish), Loulou (we had to cut him off from the pasta), and Racines (talk about amazing meatballs). On our date night, we went back to one of our absolute favorite restaurants, Vantre; if you’re looking for a ridiculous wine list and feeling like family, this place is it. 

I love Paris, and all my fatigue, anxieties, and problems melt away when I’m in this city.  But I’m not going to lie: we were tired. While Jai was living his best life and was the model child (for the most part) during the day, he also chose this week to be the one where he decided the crib was just not for him. Mind you, this is a kid who has been sleep-trained since he was 5 months old and actually dislikes being held to sleep unless he’s sick. So yes, this week he decided that he would only sleep next to us, and while he would immediately pass out, it’s hard to sleep when your child thrashes around like an eel in his sleep. Even with little restful sleep, however, this city has a buzz and an energy, and it just has a way of reviving you. 

In the words of Audrey Hepburn, “Paris is always a good idea.”