I did 5 weeks in Paris "school" through the accounting program in 2004 and there has been a shift for sure. Probably some of it was also some of my friends not giving a shit and acting like they were in East Texas that got us looks.
I kept trying, but was unable to get reservations to Notre Dame, so we missed out on that. We did eat dinner one night on Ile St Louis, so we were able to see the outside. I think the viewing areas up top are back open now, but they were still closed when we went.
The kids really liked:
- We did a private tour in the Louvre which was useful. We went in the side door and hit the high points pretty quickly. It was expensive (possibly not worth it), but we said Fuck It and it worked out well. The 8 year old liked it. Probably a little heady for the 5 year old
- The Pastries
- The L'Orangerie Museum and Musee D'Orsay both had great kid rooms where they could do crafts and games. It was a great place for us to reset and have them do something creative in the museums.
- The macarons
- I had a friend of ours use AI to put together a scavenger hunt at the Louvre, L'Orangerie, Orsay and Rodin. That kept them somewhat engaged and they enjoyed that
- the crepes
- My 5 year old is super into dinosaurs, so we went to the Galerie de Paleontologie, next to the Natural History museum. It's an old place (and in Europe), so it is tight, but they have some great stuff and the kids enjoyed it.
- As much of a pain as the Eiffel can be (especially with the new barriers around it), it was probably their favorite location. We just went to the first level and had a pizza up there for dinner. They loved it
- The pastries
- In Luxembourg Gardens, there is a big fountain where they could rent boats and push them around the fountain. There were a lot of people there and they really enjoyed it. Sometimes, it's the little things.
- Their favorite activity in Paris was a family cooking class my friend recommended. It was a lot of fun for all of us and a really cool experience. It's hosted by an Italian grandmother and she has a translator. We made some tarts and madeleines. Just a delightful experience all around.
- Oh, and the pastries
Through some friends, we had some connections at Fat Tire Bike Tours and they were able to find someone to watch the kids one night, so my wife and I could go out. That was my favorite part.