Katy
 |
At night, I WOULD NOT take your children walking around the darker edges of the Tuileries gardens. I'm not even sure that the little fairground is open that late. Walking through the main streets of Paris are quite safe at night, but the gardens aren't the greatest.
Do, though, take a boat tour on a bateau mouche, if you can. They run in the evening, and it's a great way to see the city. Also, for more money, you can get a very nice meal if you choose the right tour.
Try to visit Monmartre at night, too. The Sacre Coeur church is all lit up, and there are tons of artists waiting to draw your portrait, but it's also a pretty lively scene for the youth of the city--as my Deda would say--and it has a great energy. There are tons of little restaurants to eat at, and it's cool to walk around. Make sure you bring a map, though, if you walk up instead of taking a taxi--the streets up there are ridiculously confusing. Mostly you can follow the crowd, but it never hurts to have back-up. (Monmartre is also a great place to visit during the day--it has some cool shopping if you look around, and it's really fun to get lost by daylight.)
Also, if you do decide to visit Versaille, skip the palace (majorly boring tourist trap) and go for the village of Marie Antoinette. It's way cooler, and you can walk around more. Better yet, rent some bikes and cruise around the gardens when you're done with the village. It's all flat, so it's easy and you can go pretty fast. Plus, the palace is always crowded.
Another place that's always crowded is the Eiffel Tower. If you must, you must, but my advice would be to visit, look AT it, and then go up the Arc de Triomphe for a better view of the city.
The Louvre is another one of those tourist havens. Again, if you must, you must. Don't go with plans to see all of it in one day, though. Pick one exhibit beforehand--one that both kids are somewhat interested in--and stick to it. The Mona Lisa isn't all it's cracked up to be, so if nobody really wants to go see it, avoid it entirely and pick another part of the Museum. There's tons to see, trust me, but it's really tiring and frustrating for kids who aren't really all that interested in the first place.
Are either of your children girls? Great shopping to be had on the Champs-Elysees as well as the Latin Quarters. Do the kids not really care about shopping? Take them to Invalides (the military history museum), Cemitiere Pere LaChaise (it's a cemetary where a bunch of famous people are buried), or the Jardins Tuileries and Luxembourg (gardens--Tuileries is near the Louvre, and Luxembourg is closer to the Latin quarters. If you walk through Luxembourg to the other side, you can catch some awesome Petanque games. It's the French version of Bocce Ball.)
Mostly I would recommend walking around the city. Buy a metro pass for the time that you're there--between that and your legs, you're pretty much golden. Keep the museum visits at a minimum for the sake of your kids. Top three for me? Musee d'Orsay, Musee Rodin and the Louvre, of course. I wouldn't bother with most of the others.
The way to save money on food is to basically go grocery shopping at the open markets (for fresh fruits, veggies and meat) and Monoprix (for everything else). Splurge on croissants and pain au chocolats (choclate croissants) at a boulangerie (bakery) for breakfast occasionally, but buy a box of cereal, too. Lunch is ham and cheese (or whatever suits you) on a baguette and some fruit. And if you aren't going out for dinner, there's tons of stuff to buy premade--rotisserie-style chicken at the boucherie (butcher's), or whatever else catches your fancy. The more groceries you buy--provided you have at least a minifridge wherever you happen to be staying--means you're less likely to eat out, which can add up.
Good luck and I hope you have fun! |
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