By: tkonter
Bits & Bites, Uncategorized

Travel Journal: Paris, France – The Itinerary

How me and my 4.5-year-old spent five nights in the city of lights

This trip was better than I imagined and went off without a hitch. It showed me that young kids can handle travel and just might thrive. It’s already got me thinking about our next one because there WILL be a next one. We got back over 6 weeks ago and I still can’t stop gabbing about it because it was an actual dream.

This post lays out the day-by-day, but check out my earlier one about the why and how of this epic vacay here.

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Our flight departed at 7:15pm. Even when it’s just me, I’m a big advocate for the overnight flight when traveling to Europe. It’s the easiest way to get your body to the new time zone and you arrive with a full day of adventuring at your fingertips. Finn watched some movies, picked at his in-flight meal, and slept on my lap for a few hours. I finished a book and watched a Pitch Perfect marathon.

Sunday, August 30, 2026

We arrived around 9:30am Paris time, ready to rock. We didn’t check any luggage so we headed straight to customs where, unfortunately, we ran into some major delays. It meant we didn’t arrive at our hotel until around 1:45pm. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we got changed in the lobby bathroom. Once freshened up, I took a few minutes to charge my phone and then we went out to explore the neighborhood.

My original plan for Sunday was to do an Eiffel Tower picnic followed by a boat ride on the Seine. Alas, Finn was not feeling that plan so we decided to hang around the hotel. Luckily, our hotel was in a great area so he found no argument from me.

The lesson here is that, when traveling with a little kid, just go with the flow. Don’t force it. The schedule was loose and when I didn’t require we stick to it rigidly, everyone was happy. Follow your kid’s lead when it comes to energy levels. Push too hard: you’ll both be miserable. Let go a bit, and you’ll both be relaxed and wind up spending the time more like a local anyway.

We were staying right by two shops I wanted to check out: RSVP Paris (handbags) and Merci (a fabulous, multi level concept store). Finn helped me pick out a bag and then we spent some time walking around Merci just ogling at the space.

When it was time to eat, we popped into the first place we saw near our hotel, Le Progrès. It’s a bar, “tabac,” and brasserie that looked lively and was guaranteed to have the kind of food Finn likes. We sat down and immediately stood back up to make a quick run back to the hotel for my bag of tricks. I could tell Finn was going to get antsy and needed to be prepared with games and activities when the food was not going to come immediately. That’s the thing about France: they have plenty of things designed for kids (like the most amazing playgrounds), but they don’t kiddify the adult experiences. Children are raised to participate in the adult world, and their whims don’t dictate everyone else’s schedule. Restaurants don’t speed up service to accommodate children because the experience is not designed to revolve around them. And if there’s a kids’ menu, you ain’t in an authentic spot. Kids become more comfortable playing by themselves to combat boredom because adults won’t pause a conversation to entertain them, nor will they toss a screen at them. And the kids adapt beautifully. I have somewhat tried to raise Finn this way, and from a young age we took him to restaurants, refused to cook separate meals, and ventured to museums – he was even sleeping in his own room at 2.5 weeks old. Admittedly, it’s easier to adopt this parenting style with one kid. I also recognize that it’s not France, and we’re still raising a kid in an American culture so he’s got his limits. Think of it as French parenting lite. Enter: my restaurant games. I was absolutely not going to be the awful American handing him an iPad, but I was prepared with some crayons and travel magnatiles to ensure he stayed seated at the restaurant, which meant I could leisurely enjoy a glass of wine…which was as cheap and delicious as I remembered.

Finn ordered a cheeseburger with fries, and I got the beef tartare. This is when Finn discovered he liked dipping fries in mayo and fully endeared himself to the waiter who we joked with for the remainder of the week.

After supper, we grabbed desserts from a nearby patisserie (I got an amazing clafoutis) and then it was bath and bed.

Monday, August 31, 2026

We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel, which had a beautiful spread. Then it was off to the metro. As a New York City kid, Finn is very comfortable taking the subway, so getting around Paris was no-fuss for us.

I only booked one tour for the trip and it was a walking tour of Montmartre designed for kids. The woman who runs the company is an expat who has been living in Paris for 15 years with kids so she designed the tour from a local perspective with kids in mind. It was an absolutely fabulous tour. Mandie, our guide, is a former elementary school teacher so she was great with Finn. After a quick stop for coffee and a juice, she showed us all the artsy landmarks in the neighborhood. We saw where Van Gogh lived and then stopped in front of Picasso’s apartment where Finn did some of his own art with a notebook and colored pencils Mandie so thoughtfully brought.

We learned about Invader, a graffiti artist whose pieces are all over the world and capture-able via app to gamify the whole thing. Learning about this made the entire tour worth it. That is not an exaggeration. We spent the entire trip looking for Invader pieces – it was probably Finn’s favorite thing.

Also along our tour we stopped at a garden commemorating a nunnery that was destroyed during the French Revolution, took pics at a photomat, saw the I Love You wall, rode a carousel, climbed the steps to Sacré Coeur, and walked around artists square. We did a ton in a few hours and Finn was engaged the entire time. Then we we said goodbye to Mandie and thanked her for an amazing morning.

Finn chose a piece of art and asked the artist to sign it before we took the funicular down and made our way to lunch, stopping at a playground along the way. We tried to stop at Le Bon Georges, but the wait was too long so we walked to the first brasserie that looked good, La Rimaudière. Finn got chicken fingers, and I got a croque Monsieur that he tried and loved. (What’s not to love?)

After lunch we walked to le Passage Verdeau to check out a toy store, where Finn picked out his first souvenir: a knight and horse figurine set. Then it was time for me to get a souvenir so we went to the Maille store to get some mustard on tap in a crock we picked out.

For our last big activity of the day, we made it to the boat ride we skipped the day before. Finn didn’t pay a ton of attention, but after being on our feet all day, it was nice to just sit for a bit. Afterwards, we started to walk to the Eiffel Tower because there was miraculously no line, but on the way Finn decided he was too tired and was ready to head back toward the hotel. He got a stellar look at the monument from the boat so he was good. He walked over 18k steps so of course he was tired!

By the time we got back to our neighborhood it was 7:30pm so we headed to supper. Finn wanted to go back to Le Progrès and I wasn’t about to argue. This time he got ham and fries and I got pasta. I also got a glass or two of wine and toasted with our favorite waiter friend.

Back at the hotel, it was bath and bed. Because we were sharing a small room (and sharing a bed), our routine was for Finn to go to bed first and then I took my own bath while he fell asleep. I sipped on some wine, read my book, and did a face mask – happy as a clam.

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Disney Day! Disney is crazy accessible from Paris – a very quick ride on the metro. We stopped at our hotel for breakfast first and then made another stop for a croissant outside the metro station. Then we spent 8.5 hours across the two parks. Disney is actually very doable in Paris. It’s not too big AND if you strategically plan to go on La Rentrée (the day every French child returns to school), you can largely avoid lines. We only waited for one or two rides and even then it was minimal – and I didn’t pay for any fast passes or anything. Finn loved it all, but the fan favorites were definitely the Buzz Lightyear and Spider-Man rides – honestly, I had a blast on those too.

When we got back to our neighborhood, I knew stopping at the hotel would be the kiss of death – we’d done more than 23k steps! – so we went straight to dinner. Finn begged to go back to Le Progrès, but I convinced him we should mix it up a bit and we went across the street to Café Charlot. Finn ate a massive piece of salmon, and I had a delicious pasta with mushrooms. The restaurant is a touristy/influencer type spot for people who want “le Marais” experience, and I have to admit it was super cute…but the prices definitely matched the scene.

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Disney had been a long day and we didn’t have anything with a time slot planned on Wednesday, so we didn’t rush in the morning. We had a quick breakfast at the hotel, but didn’t leave until after 10. When we did leave, we realized this neighborhood really comes alive. Though I had been to Paris before, I had never spent time in Le Marais, and I loved it. We didn’t realize how lovely it was when we were previously only spending time there on Sunday (when everything in France is sleepier) or early morning/late night when most places are closed. We spent a while in a local bookstore called Comme un Roman and a housewares store (Bathroom Graffiti) where Finn picked out his next souvenir, a craft kit so he can make art that looks like the Invader pieces he’d become obsessed with.  

We hopped on the metro and went to La Grande Épicerie so we could get snackies for a picnic. Finn had a blast just picking stuff out. While there, I snagged five tins of fish to take home as a souvenir.

We took our food to the Jardin de Luxembourg but quickly learned there were so many bees who homed in on us the minute we took out the food. Our picnic was kind of ruined, but we still managed to eat on the run. V loved the mangoes and shrimp; I loved my €3.95 pâté. The gardens themselves were stunning and getting a sailboat for 30 minutes was probably the best €8 I’ve ever spent.

After the boats, we hit up a truly epic playground in the park. Most playgrounds in Paris are amazing and free; this one is so good it costs €4. Worth it. They gave V a cirque de soleil clown nose that he wore on the carousel, which is very cool and old school and even has a baton/ring game for the kids to play while they make their rounds. I bought 10 rides without realizing just how long each turn would be – after two, Finn was done and I paid it forward with the remaining tokens.

After all that, V said he needed to rest so we went to hotel for an hour. On the way back, I popped into a teeny jewelry shop I had seen in a TikTok rabbit hole and after quickly buying some earrings realized I wanted to do a little more shopping so I struck a deal with Finn and he agreed to stop by two stores I really wanted to check after our rest: Officine Universelle Buly (where a got a personalized French hair pin) and Le Nom (where I got a customized handbag).

Le Nom was a particularly good stop because it meant I got to see the small Jewish Quarter. Sadly, the famous l’As du Falafel was closed.

For dinner, we stopped at the first place that grabbed V’s attention along the walk back to the hotel, Bar du Marché des Blancs Manteaux. Old fashioned…dark wood…classic. Just what we like. We got a shrimp avocado tower, carbonara, and steak, but V’s favorite was the mango juice. 

When we got back to the hotel, Finn snacked on some gummies before bath time and then passed out. When it was my turn to take a bath, I somehow managed to flood the hotel. There must have been a leak somewhere because the side of the tub was completely dry and the water hadn’t been that high, but when I got out of the tub, our floor was covered in at least an inch of water. Since it was the one night I didn’t have any wine, I can’t even claim tipsyness as an excuse.

Thursday, September 3, 2026

There was no breakfast at the hotel…for anyone. My little flood knocked out the power in the basement level and everyone suffered. I felt AWFUL.

We needed breakfast so we stopped at a tabac for coffee and possibly the worst croque monsieur ever…so we went next door for a great croissant and broccoli chicken quiche. From there, we hopped the metro to the wealthiest Parisian suburb to hit up the Jardin d’acclimatation, which is a full-blown amusement park basically in the city. Because the kids were all in school and it wasn’t spring break time in other countries, it was eerily dead with several rides closed. It was still a very good time with some cool vintage games and rides – we particularly liked the roller coaster. 

Back in the centre ville, we went to the musée en herbe, which is a children’s museum that was currently running a Pokémon exhibit.

Then we strolled. We made a croissant stop at Petit Manis. Finn got a plain, but I got their new coffee flavor that had a crackle top – it was fabulous. 

We walked past the Louvre to go to the Jardin de Tuileries. Our first stop was the playground, where we made friends with a mom and daughter who live close to us in NYC and spent the next couple hours together. We hit up the carousel and trampolines with them before all heading back to Le Marais together. We made a Monoprix stop followed by a chocolate shop stop.

Then it was time to eat and V picked the first restaurant he saw, Fontaine de Sully. I got escargot, Finn got a cheeseburger, and we split a massive plate of meats and cheeses. Everyone else at the restaurant was astonished by the amount of food we ordered and tickled pink by how into it Finn was.

When we got back to the hotel, Finn watched a bit of tv before [very carefully] taking a bath and going to bed.

Friday, September 4, 2026

Our return flight was scheduled for 2:40pm (landing 5:10pm NYC time), but it was delayed. That meant we didn’t have to rush. We had a small breakfast at the hotel and then walked to two different spots to taste two more croissants. Land & Monkeys and Moon Croissant were both great so it’s tough to pick a favorite, but Land & Monkeys may have won me over thanks to their overall selection. I tried to hit up a third spot, but I had a minor freak out thinking I lost my engagement ring so we ran back to the hotel to confirm that I actually just didn’t put it on during the morning rush.

We hunted for some more Invaders, stopped in the bookstore to get a little souvenir for Albert, and ran into Franprix to get souvenir snacks (always better in other countries!). Just before getting into the cab to the airport, I stopped in a jewelry store (Bubble Rock) directly across from our hotel that sold only pearls at great prices.

We arrived at the airport relatively quickly and then breezed through security, which meant we had loads of extra time since our flight was delayed 2.5 hours. Finn spent most of that time playing video games at the airport and then it was home sweet home. The timing of the flight worked out well because it meant it was nearly time for bed when we got home all exhausted from traveling so we were able to slip right back into nyc time. We avoided jet lag, and it meant we got to spend the whole long weekend together as a family with Albert.

Paris Details
  • Accommodations:
    • Maison Saintonge: The hotel we stayed at was an actual candy shop and cutesy country perfection. The location was perfect, the staff lovely, and amenities great.
    • Other Options
      • Solly: This hotel in the 3rd is beautiful and becoming quite popular
      • Le Clark: This one was in a similarly great location in Le Marais and is circus themed.
      • Hotel de Suede: I was pretty set on staying in Le Marais, but Saint Germain is another highly recommended area and this hotel is a reasonable price in the monument/museum-heavy 7th.
  • Food & Drink:
    • Fruit juice: There is some great fruit juice/nectar in France – not all fizzy – and Finn loved it.
    • Croissants and baguettes: Duh. Make sure you get the traditional for the baguette.
    • Jambon et beurre: This sandwich is great in its simplicity. And with mustard and cornichons? Yesss
    • Escargot, tartare, and croque Monsieur: Brasserie faves are faves for a reason.
    • Clafoutis and tartes: I prefer these over the trompe l’oeuil pastries that are so popular
    • Popsicles: The flavors are just better in France. Even a grocery store crème caramel is better. And while we’re on the topic, you can get great inexpensive…anything – even pâté – at the grocery store or Monoprix.
    • Martinis: Wine is my go-to because you can find very high quality glasses for very low prices. But at a brasserie, it should be noted that you can get a mini martini for cheap.
    • This is a great guide to La Grande Épicerie
    • Alain Miam Miam: epic sandwiches
  • Activities: This is very Paris-with-kids specific
    • Disney: It’s so much more manageable than the US parks and your child will LOVE it.
    • Playgrounds: There are playgrounds everywhere and they’re pretty amazing. Many of them have zip lines and generally larger climbing structures that will keep the kids entertained.
    • Museums: Of course you could go to the louvre (which I believe has a kids area), centre Pompidou, and musee d’orsay, but you could also go to cité des enfants, philharmonie des pendants, or musee en herbe, all of which are designed for children.
      The Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in le Marais, which is a kinda kooky old mansion dedicated to hunting, but in a fun way.
    • Flea Markets: These are highly dependent on what day you can go, but they’re highly Google-able. This is something that did not make sense with Finn, but would be the perfect adventure for a romantic.
    • Vintage Shopping: Sadly, I couldn’t do much of this and there is far too much to list. I could recommend a trip to Paris where you do nothing but shop vintage and antiques.
    • Stone Cutting Workshop: How cool is this ?!
    • Resources: @the.petit.guide knows their stuff. They curate memorable, not cheesy, activities. In Zoe we trust.
  • Shopping: (In addition to the ones mentioned)
  • Tips:
    • Bring Your Bag of Tricks: This is not new for any nyc mom, but I always bring a tote bag filled with snacks, matchbox cars, coloring materials, books, mini games, and flash cards. Keep them entertained on the metro, during a playground picnic, and while waiting for food at a restaurant. And don’t forget to throw a water bottle in there – there are water fountains to refill all over the city.
    • Stay at a Hotel That Offers Breakfast: I almost said the breakfast wasn’t worth it, but I did NOT want to get stuck in a situation where Finn wouldn’t leave the hotel to GET breakfast if he didn’t get a small breakfast there first. It also increased our chances of easily scoring fresh fruit – and my child can straight up tear through some fresh fruit. Plus, it could be good to save some of the stuff for snacks/bed picnic – my kid loves a hotel bed picnic. The hotel was offering a deal: $50 total for breakfast each morning of the trip; however, if we bought ad hoc when there, it’s $25/person/day. So basically if he has one day when he wants hotel breakfast, this was cheaper. And it should be noted that euro hotel breakfast is far superior to American hotel breakfast, especially in boutique hotels. This was one of the best decisions I made, and I’m so glad my mom convinced me to do it.
    • Buy a Navigo Easy Card: You can load up with tickets vs. weekly passes. The card works on métro, buses, and RER. Just tap and go. I found it tough to get multiple cards in my app to cover both me and V so I ended up wasting money attempting to do a weekly pass – learn from my mistake!
    • Download Apps in Advance:
      • Bonjour RATP
      • Bolt
    • Don’t Overschedule: It’s important to know your limits. With a not-quite-five-year-old, pushing too hard to see and do everything will result in a breakdown. This was not the trip to wait in long lines or visit art museums. I basically picked one (maybe two) big things per day and if that’s all we made it to, so be it. I had a list of places/activities in my back pocket that I could slot in if we had downtime and were bored. I also had a list of stores that looked interesting (handbags, pottery) and pinned them on a map. That way if we happened to be in that neighborhood, I could pop in for a souvenir. And most of the days were planned leisure time. Yes, I scheduled hours of “no plans.” When the parks and playgrounds are as stimulating as the ones in Paris, that’s all you need.