Paris with your kids

Yes. As you may have guessed, we left the main attraction of Paris (if not of the whole France) for the last part of our vacation. Dulcis in fundo , as the Latins said. But it was not easy to contain the curiosity of our children, who often asked: where is it? Can we see the Tour Eiffel from where we are today? How far are we from the tower? Actually, the original idea was that of almost touching it along the first day. Do you remember that in my first post I told you about the metro 6, which passes just a few hundred meters from the Champ de Mars? Well, for our misfortune, we came across a period of railroad maintenance and closing of the section between the Montparnasse station and Trocadero station and we had to renounce to see the  monument and change our programs, but just for that day. Consequently, the meeting shifted to the last part of the journey. And that's precisely what made it so special: on the penultimate evening (day 5), after dinner, we took the metro to the ...

9 km. This is the straight line distance for the city radius, also known as Axe historique, which goes from the famous Pyramide commissioned by Mitterand, to the famous Arche du Triomphe by Napoleon and which goes beyond the peripheral boulevard till to the Grand Arche de la Défense, its modern reinterpretation. An uninterrupted and "monumental" path, which unites ancient royal palaces with ultra-modern neighborhoods, where finance and skyscrapers stand out, passing through the elegant Champs-Élysées, the true heart of Paris and France, which is also the scene for national holidays celebrations and large popular gatherings. Actually, we reccommend to start your fifth day from the Palais Royal (here the quite elegant metro station), the seat of the Council of State and of the Constitutional Council, in whose entrance courtyard there is the installation of the "columns of Buren". It is an original work of modern art with a strong visual impact, thanks to the 26...

 I'm a fan of canals and rivers and I'm strongly supporting the idea of full recovery of the navigli system in the historic center of my city, Milan. Walking for kilometers along the great Canal Saint-Martin has been a very exciting experience: I said to myself, here it is an example of how you can transform and enhance a periphery, giving it a soul and a distinctive character. Really well-done! The Canal Saint-Martin, in fact, gives work to many people and is today the "sea" of the Parisians, thanks to its artificial beaches, with umbrellas, deckchairs, cabins, but also swimming pools, sports facilities, boats to rent and other equipment for the fun to live strictly within the canal. A popular place for recreation for those who cannot afford holidays outside the city but for tourist toos. I definetely reccommend to start your fourth day from Jaurès metro station and see what I mean! Continuing north-east you'll reach the Parc de la Villette, one o...

Along this third day you will cross a quartier of the city but also centuries of city history: from the roman Paris (well, it remains very little, most of that is in the toponymy), to the medieval Notre-Dame, till the magnificient residence du luxemburg built under Maria de Medici in the early XVII century. But before crossing the Seine and venturing along the streets of the Ile de la Cite, it's worth to get off at the Chatelet metro station and take a look at the crazy facade of Rue de Rivoli 59. The building is a Berlin-style squot that for over 15 years it has been considered the temple of alternative art in Paris You can now head to Notre-Dame. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, after the fire of April 2019 the famous gothic cathedral is closed to the public and it can therefore be admired only from the outside, walking along the fences. If, however, before the trip you have reminded to watch Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" animated movie with you...

During the first day you have focused your attention on the quartiers périphériques and you have had the opportunity to get a general impression of the city while comfortably watching the show from the windows of the circle line metro trains. Now it's time to approach and walk through the city centre. The second day should start from "Terrain d’aventure Nelson Mandela", a 2500 square meter adventure park next to Les Halles malls, where your children can play for a couple of really exciting hours. There are different games for the little ones (2-6 years) and a playground for the older ones (7-11 years) with incredible games like trampolines, installations and bridges to climb, rotating machines and other devilries. There are also a football ground, basketball ground and table tennis courts. In short, the realm of entertainment... and everything is for free! Then you can (well, you must!) visit the church of Saint Eustache, in Gothic-Renaissance style, with its...

From Place Bastille you can walk through the Promenade Plantée, also called Coulée verte René-Dumont. It is an old railway line raised above the street level, regenerated and transformed into a long linear park, rich in vegetation, flowers and enchanting views. A copied idea soon revisited in New York, Chicago, London and various other cities around the world. The route crosses public parks equipped with playgrounds for children and green and wooded areas where you can enjoy some fresh air. Once arrived in Place Félix Eboué, take the Metro "6" from Dausmenil to Charles de Gaulle Étoile and then the Metro "2" from Charles de Gaulle Étoile to Anvers. These two lines constitute a circular railway route that makes the complete tour of the city. Developed on an elevated viaduct for more than half of the route, it is a cheap way (and in some parts very spectacular... for example when you come out to the surface just a few steps from the Eiffel Tower) to get...

Let's begin with a map of Paris with the main points of interest recommended by this blog, grouped in seven areas to visit. One for each day of our holiday. In the next posts, I will give you more details for each of them: Promenade Plantée, Montmartre, Campagne à Paris (and the circle line) Les Halles, Beauburg, Marais Notre-Dame, Île de la Cité, Quartier Latin Canal Saint-Martin, Parc de la Villette, Parc des Buttes Chaumont Louvre, Tuileries, Champs-Élysées, Defense Berges de Seine, Tour Eiffel, Opéra - Grand Boulevards What else? Legend: the red dots indicate the targets you should not miss to visit, while the blue dots indicate the presence of areas where children can play or specifically designed for their amusement. So, start exploring, enjoy! *** Come tutte le guide che si rispettino, eccovi una mappa di Parigi con i principali punti di interesse, raggruppati in sette aree da visitare. Una per ogni giornata. Nei prossimi articoli, vi darò ma...

Paris certainly needs no introduction: everyone knows at least the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Montmartre and many other places and monuments that make the French capital one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. But if the trip has to take into account the needs of the whole family, you could start facing some doubts like this: will the Paris that I have in mind be suitable also for my children? How can I structure the visit so that the holiday is pleasant and enjoyable for both adults and kids? So here is a ready-to-use guide that reflects an experience experienced by our family consisting of me, my wife Manuela, our little boy Pietro (8) and our little daughter Giulia (6) at their first travel abroad. For us it has been a really exciting week, so we hope that this blog will give you useful ideas to build your itinerary and live an unforgettable experience as well. Before starting, an important note. This blog is dedicated to the city of Paris, so you will not fin...