When planning a trip I consult a lot of resources: people in my community, relevant articles, videos, inspo boards, any and everything to help me get familiar with the locations where we’ll be going. It’s especially helpful for me to get information on traveling to destinations as a family with younger teenage kids. With that said, it’s now my turn to be the one sharing inspiration and advice! I’m here to help you, dear reader, in planning your next trip to Paris, France. I’ve got tips from my own experience for choosing a window of time to go, where to stay, where to eat, what to do, and so on.
First off, when planning our trip I of course needed to choose a date! We were initially planning to travel in the summer, but when looking up flight prices I realized February travel is half the cost of that in July. Weather in Northern Europe isn’t awesome mid-winter, but it isn’t here where we live in Michigan, either, so that is kind of a non-factor. (Snow in Paris rivals snow at home!) We have a Delta credit card so we flew with them and got 30% off all our flights. Rather than searching for hours for the cheapest flights I rely on our mileage and discounts earned through Delta rewards.
Our little family (left to right) Jack (15), Kate (over 40), Dan (50ish), Willem (13) and Vivian (11) near the Louvre.
Because we were traveling with our kids (15, 13, and 11 years old) I chose convenient flight times rather than the absolute cheapest flights which saved us from having to make multiple stops en route to Paris. A plus to this decision is that it helped us not to get up at the crack of dawn to travel back home. We got back into life after the trip with one day to recover without school or work, and were not exhausted from a longer-than-necessary travel day.
The next thing I do when planning is choose our lodging. Despite the many Airbnb or alternative options out there, I’m partial to hotels. Ultimately I love connecting with the staff to get local recommendations, and to be honest I do just love fresh towels each day and a cup of coffee from the lobby. I booked via Hotels.com because again, we have rewards with the company. I found a great deal at the wonderful Pley Hotel. I always choose lodging in the city proper first and foremost, because the neighborhood where we stay becomes our home base and I typically enjoy walking most places during our trip. Half of the fun is in being fully immersed in the culture of the neighborhood (right near the Arc de Triomphe.
The Pley Hotel is in the 8th arrondissement (which translates to “district” in English — ie. “we stayed in the 8th!”) It is walking distance to the Arc de Triomphe, the Avs. de Champs Elysse, and near the bridges over the river Seine. This small hotel had great service, great breakfast and a vintage vinyl record and audio theme which provided a cozy ambiance and design. Our adjoining rooms were clean, bathrooms large and warm and the windows provided lots of breeze and the sounds of the city.
HOT TIP: Book your hotel for the evening BEFORE you arrive in a new city where you will arrive in the morning. With young teens in tow we all needed a shower after a long night on the airplane - which was there waiting for us when we arrived in our Uber car from the airport at 9am. Rather than locking our bags at the hotel and spending money on coffee to keep us awake all day I used a free Hotels.com reward night where we could all start the new day fresh, grab some hotel breakfast if needed and then head out for a light day of sightseeing to ease into the time-zone.
Once I know where we’ll be based, I always make my own Google Map (check mine out here) with restaurant and activity options. Some of my husband and I’s favorites from this trip included Le Ralais de Entrecote and Bistro de Augustins.While our kids likewise really enjoyed unnamed crepe stands anywhere they can be found in the city, Sancerre in Montmartre, and the boulangerie (bakery) which can be found by meandering any streets in the city but usually close in the late afternoon. Other places people suggested but we couldn’t get reservations to include Co.Co and Perruche (atop the renowned department store Printemps - with the best view of the Eiffel Tower in the city!)
I would have to say that my favorite meal during our time in the City of Light was the entire experience and the food at La Ralais de Entrecoteecote.fr/. I walked over to the eatery by myself to secure our spot in the popular line to get in because there are no reservations accepted at the establishment - and was the first person in line (1.5 hours early was sufficient). Before you judge me for being in search of an early bird special please know that the line had grown to 100 people when the doors opened for dinner service, my family came about 10 minutes before the place opened and I enjoyed an hour of quiet walking and reading my novel while I waited in line. They only serve a few things at La Ralais de Entrecote: simple walnut & lettuce greens in a tangy vinaigrette, lots of fresh baguette, perfect crispy french fries and sirloin steak in a secret herbal sauce that is all served family style and unending in how many refills the server suggests you pile on your little plate. The crowd was lively and happy, service perfect and well timed, wine list long (I got the house pour and it was perfect). The whole evening was perfect.
Getting around the city, for the five us, entailed a mixture of miles of walking and a few Uber rides. Due to my trusty map we had a plan for each day and a good idea of how far each walk would be. In our carry ons we had layers of clothing (perfect for the chilly winter temps) that we wore daily. Our pace was a slow stroll, stopping often to peer into shop windows and eat a macaron or two. Once in a while we were running late (can I blame this on teenagers? NO, nope - this is all me, the slowest to make a transition anywhere) so we called Uber just because it was much more reliable than the Paris taxi system. We could have taken the Metro but for some reason we didn’t - although I am sure it was a cheaper and more interesting option - we had to make life easier once in a while with a simple Uber.
One of many ceilings at the Louvre.
A memory I’ll look back on fondly from this adventure would have to be our day at the Louvre. Although there is so much to see in this big, famous museum the best part of the day really was just being together, laughing at how many people like to get close to the Mona Lisa painting (not us) and fighting the crowds. Although some people like the Musee d'Orsay better, I still love the Louvre because the building where it is located is so beautiful! Also note that we had a great time going up the Eiffel Tower at night but looking back I would skip this segment of the trip. There were SO many people crowded in the elevators, so many lines and waiting - and being in the tower doesn’t give us a chance to see the tower from the gardens below or from other locations like Printemps.
This unique mid-winter getaway brought me a new perspective on life in the winter - when in Paris one learns that being outside is ALWAYS an option - even for coffee in the sunshine when it is 30 degrees and about to snow!
Have you visited Paris before? If so, let me know what time of year you explored the city, and what some of your highlights were.
Interested in bringing a little Parisian flair to your mid-winter? Try one of these recipes here on livinglark.com: my Tarragon French 75 cocktail, my favorite mussels, and - my favorite the gratin very similar to that at Bistro des Augustins!