Paris with kids — 5 days including a Disneyland day

The monumental heart of the Right Bank — I.M. Pei's glass pyramid, the Tuileries' gravel allées and fountains, and the Palais-Royal's quiet arcaded garden, all walkable along the Seine.

1. 08:30
   Tuileries GardenPark, 1h

   Paris's oldest and largest formal garden, laid out for Catherine de' Medici in 1564 and redesigned by Le Nôtre in the 1660s — gravel allées, chestnut trees, round and octagonal ponds, and a vintage carousel and Ferris wheel near Place de la Concorde. Free entry, open daily from 7am; closing time shifts with the season (as late as 11pm in summer, 7:30pm in winter). Paved main paths are wheelchair-friendly; some side paths are loose gravel.

2. 10:00
   Musée de l'OrangerieMuseum, 1h

   An intimate museum built to house Monet's Water Lilies (Nymphéas) — two oval rooms of monumental panels the artist donated and installed here himself, plus the Walter-Guillaume collection of Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse and Modigliani downstairs. Closed Tuesdays; occasional late-night Friday openings run until 9pm during special exhibitions. Buy a timed ticket online to skip the queue at the Concorde end of the Tuileries.

3. 11:30
   Palais-Royal GardenLandmark, 45m

   A quiet arcaded garden one block north of the Louvre, framed by uniform 18th-century galleries and shopping arcades. In the entrance courtyard, Daniel Buren's 1986 Colonnes de Buren — 260 black-and-white striped columns of varying height — is one of the most photographed contemporary art installations in Paris. Free entry, open daily from 7am.

4. 12:45
   Lunch Angelina1h

   A Belle Époque tea room on Rue de Rivoli since 1903, famous for its rich, pudding-thick hot chocolate (l'Africain) served with a side of whipped cream, and the chestnut-cream Mont-Blanc pastry. Expect a queue for a table at peak times; vegan and gluten-free options are on the menu alongside the classics. Coco Chanel was a regular, reportedly always at table 45.

5. 13:45
   Louvre MuseumMuseum, 2h

   The world's most-visited museum, home to the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and I.M. Pei's glass pyramid entrance in the Cour Napoléon. Closed every Tuesday; book a timed-entry ticket online well ahead, especially in high season, to skip the queue at the pyramid.

6. 17:30
   Dinner Café Marly1h 15m

   A contemporary brasserie tucked under the Louvre's Richelieu-wing arcade, its terrace looking straight across the Cour Napoléon at the glass pyramid — one of the most photographed dinner views in Paris. French classics (steak, seasonal fish, a signature Pavlova) at a price that reflects the location. Reserve ahead for a terrace table, especially at sunset.

Europe's biggest theme-park resort, 35–40 minutes east of central Paris on the RER A: Disneyland Park's classic castle rides, the newly relaunched Disney Adventure World (the former Walt Disney Studios Park, reborn in March 2026 with World of Frozen), and the free-to-enter Disney Village for dining and shopping. Each park is a full day on its own — buy a dated ticket ahead and pick one per visit.

1. 10:00
   Disneyland ParkTheme park, 10h

   Disneyland Paris's original castle park — Sleeping Beauty Castle, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain — done in the wide-boulevard, daily-parade European Disney style. A full-day outing: buy a dated ticket ahead, either 1-park or the pricier 2-Park Hopper that also covers Disney Adventure World; both price and hours are date-based and swing hard between a quiet Tuesday and a peak Saturday, so check the official calendar before booking rather than assuming a flat rate. Extra Magic Time gives hotel guests and Annual Passholders one hour of early entry. Premier Access — paid queue-skipping, sold per-ride or as an all-day Ultimate pass — is optional, demand-priced, and climbs steeply on busy dates; it guarantees a shorter wait, not instant boarding, and you still need a same-day park ticket. Strollers rent for around €25–30/day near the entrance (no doubles, and a security deposit applies if you plan to take it outside the park).

The Eiffel Tower rises straight from the wide lawns of the Champ de Mars while, across the Seine, the Trocadéro's terrace and the Palais de Chaillot's twin curved wings frame the postcard view every visitor comes for.

1. 08:30
   Champ de MarsPark, 45m

   A long green lawn running from the Eiffel Tower's feet to the École Militaire — Paris' go-to spot for a picnic with a tower view, especially in the early evening when locals spread out blankets. Unlike most Paris gardens it's never gated, so it stays open day and night.

2. 09:45
   Eiffel TowerLandmark, 2h

   Paris' 330-metre iron icon rises straight from the Champ de Mars; ride the lift to the summit or climb the stairs to the 2nd floor for skyline views over the city. Tickets sell out same-day in high season — book online well ahead for a specific time slot. Floors 1 and 2 are wheelchair accessible by lift; the summit is not.

3. 12:15
   Lunch Maison Othon (boulangerie)1h

   A century-old Art Nouveau storefront on the corner of Rue Saint-Dominique and Rue Cler, listed as a historical monument, baking sourdough loaves and butter-laden croissants each morning. Grab a pastry to eat on a Champ de Mars bench — it closes for the weekend, so visit on a weekday.

4. 13:15
   Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (World Cultures Museum)Museum, 2h

   Jean Nouvel's building holds an outstanding collection of indigenous and non-Western art and artefacts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, displayed thematically along one long suspended gallery above a lush garden. Closed Mondays (it opens on Mondays only during spring school holidays); Thursday evenings run until 10pm, the rest of the week until 7pm. Timed-entry tickets are best booked online in advance; the museum is fully step-free with lift access throughout.

5. 15:45
   Trocadéro & Palais de ChaillotViewpoint, 30m

   The terrace between the Palais de Chaillot's two curved wings delivers the classic head-on Eiffel Tower photo, especially at sunset and after dark when the tower sparkles on the hour. The palace itself houses the Cité de l'Architecture and the Musée de la Marine; the esplanade and gardens below are free and open around the clock.

6. 17:30
   Dinner Les Cocottes1h 15m

   A cast-iron 'cocotte' bistro a few doors from where the original Café Constant used to be (that spot has since changed hands and names). Hearty South-West-leaning dishes — braised beef cheek, veal blanquette, country pâté — arrive in the pot they were cooked in. Open continuously all day, every day, from noon to around 11pm, so it's a reliable option outside the strict French lunch/dinner windows. Reservations are recommended for dinner, but walk-ins are generally accommodated.

Two Seine islands cradle Notre-Dame's rebuilt spire and Sainte-Chapelle's stained glass, while the steep, market-lined lanes of the Left Bank climb past the Panthéon's dome to Rue Mouffetard's crêpe stands and the Sorbonne's oldest bookshops.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Shakespeare and Company Café30m

   Tucked beside the legendary English-language bookshop facing Notre-Dame across the Seine, this small café pairs specialty coffee with a mostly vegetarian and vegan menu of soups, salads and daily-changing lunch specials. Grab a window seat for a view of the cathedral, or carry your coffee upstairs to read among the shop's stacks.

2. 08:30
   Luxembourg GardenPark, 1h 30m

   Gravel paths, the octagonal Grand Bassin where kids sail toy boats, and the shaded Medici Fountain make this 23-hectare garden the Left Bank's favourite escape. Gates open and close with the season — in July that's roughly 7:30am to 9:15pm — and the free green metal chairs can be dragged anywhere for people-watching.

3. 10:30
   Musée de Cluny (National Museum of the Middle Ages)Museum, 1h 30m

   Home to the six 'Lady and the Unicorn' tapestries in a purpose-built rotunda, plus a Gallo-Roman frigidarium — one of the best-preserved Roman bath halls in France — built right into the medieval mansion. Closed Mondays; the ticket desk shuts at 17:30 though the galleries stay open to 18:15, and the museum stays open until 21:00 on the first and third Thursday of each month. Full price is €12 (free the first Sunday of the month and for under-18s). The frigidarium closes for a few weeks in July–August 2026 for an exhibition changeover — check ahead if that hall is your main draw.

4. 12:30
   Lunch Brasserie Balzar1h

   An Art Nouveau brasserie steps from the Sorbonne, serving daily since 1894 — order the choucroute (from €25) or a grilled entrecôte (from €26), and expect the house's famously brusque-but-fond waiter banter as part of the experience. Continuous service from 08:00 to 23:45 every day of the week, so it's a reliable fallback outside the usual French lunch/dinner windows. A vegetarian plate (€15) is on the menu, but this is classic Alsatian-brasserie cooking built around pork and cured meats, so options are narrow. Reserve ahead, especially for dinner and weekends.

5. 13:30
   PanthéonHistoric site, 1h 15m

   Voltaire, Rousseau, Curie and Hugo rest in the crypt beneath Soufflot's neoclassical dome, reached via a steep spiral or monumental staircase that isn't wheelchair-friendly. The rooftop colonnade view is currently closed for restoration work, but the nave and crypt alone are worth the visit.

6. 15:15
   Arènes de Lutèce (Lutetia Arena)Historic site, 25m

   Paris's oldest structure — a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre that once seated 15,000 for gladiator fights — sits genuinely free and unfenced inside a quiet garden (Square Capitan), complete with a children's playground and pétanque pitches where locals play most afternoons. Gate hours shift with the season: as early as 08:00 on weekdays / 09:00 weekends, closing as early as 17:30 in winter and as late as 21:30 in high summer, so check the posted board if visiting at the edges of the day. There's no on-site signage explaining the history, so a quick read-up beforehand helps.

7. 16:10
   Grande Mosquée de Paris (Great Mosque of Paris)Mosque, 45m

   Non-Muslim visitors can walk the marble Grand Patio and the gardens daily 9:00–18:00 (closed Fridays and Muslim holidays) for a small entry fee (€5, €3 reduced); cover shoulders and knees, and women should bring a headscarf. The mint-tea salon and hammam sit around the corner at 39 Rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire and run on their own separate hours: the tea room serves mint tea and pastries like baklawa daily until midnight, no booking needed. The hammam (10:00–21:00 daily, walk-in only, no reservations) is women-only most days — men only Tuesday afternoon and Sunday. 2026 is the mosque's centenary year (inaugurated July 1926), so expect occasional extra closures around anniversary events on top of the usual Friday/holiday closures.

8. 17:30
   Dinner Au P'tit Grec1h 15m

   A walk-up window on Rue Mouffetard turning out oversized savory galettes since 1981 — try the feta-and-eggplant or the classic ham-egg-cheese, folded thick enough to eat one-handed while you keep browsing the market street. Cash only, and there's almost always a short queue after dark.

The historic aristocratic quarter turned Paris's hippest district — 17th-century mansions, Picasso's private townhouse, and the Pletzl's falafel counters packed into a few walkable, car-light blocks straddling the 3rd and 4th arrondissements.

1. 07:40
   Check out of your stay
2. 08:30
   Marché des Enfants RougesMarket, 45m

   Paris's oldest covered market, trading since 1615 — a produce-and-flower market by day that doubles as a lunch spot, with small stalls cooking Moroccan tagines, Japanese bento, Lebanese mezze and oysters side by side around shared tables. Busiest (and best) at lunch; closed Mondays, shorter hours on Sunday afternoon. Most stalls take cards but keep some cash on hand — a few still prefer it.

3. 09:45
   Place des VosgesLandmark, 45m

   Paris's oldest planned square (1612) — a perfect quadrangle of pink-brick arcaded mansions wrapped around a garden of lindens, fountains, and an equestrian statue of Louis XIII. The arcades and perimeter are open around the clock; the central lawns close in the evening (20:30) and open a little later on weekends.

4. 11:00
   Victor Hugo's HouseMuseum, 1h

   The writer's apartment on Place des Vosges, where he lived for 16 years and wrote much of Les Misérables — Chinese-inspired salons, his own drawings, and the desk he wrote standing at. The permanent collection is free; closed Mondays, and a paid ticket currently applies only to the temporary exhibition.

5. 12:30
   Lunch Breizh Café1h

   The crêperie that brought Brittany's buckwheat galette upmarket — thin, lacy, naturally gluten-free savoury galettes (ham-egg-cheese classics alongside more inventive fillings) and sweet crêpes, poured over Breton cider by the bowl. Open every day, same continuous hours from morning to late evening — no lunch/dinner split to plan around. Vegan and vegetarian galettes are on the regular menu.

6. 13:30
   Musée CarnavaletMuseum, 1h 30m

   Paris's own history museum, free to enter, tracing the city from prehistory to today across two connected mansions — highlights include reconstructed period rooms and Marcel Proust's actual bedroom. Closed Mondays; the permanent collection needs no advance ticket.

7. 15:30
   Musée Cognacq-JayMuseum, 1h

   A department-store magnate's private collection of 18th-century art and furniture — Fragonard, Boucher, Reynolds, Chardin — installed in a Marais mansion exactly to the scale of a real home rather than a grand gallery. Free entry to the permanent collection (a paid ticket applies only to temporary shows); closed Mondays. Not wheelchair accessible — the historic townhouse has stairs throughout.

8. 17:30
   Dinner L'As du Fallafel1h 15m

   The queue-out-the-door falafel counter on Rue des Rosiers since 1979 — a pita stuffed with fried falafel, grilled eggplant, hummus, and pickled cabbage. Kosher-certified, so it closes Friday evening and all day Saturday for Shabbat; cards and cash both work, and there's a sit-down room behind the takeaway window.