Paris!

When our son was 12 months old we went to Paris, France.

We took off in February. Travel to Paris is cheaper during off season and can be the cheapest during February when it’s colder. There were benefits to traveling during that time because we were able to stay in a four star hotel near Trocadero for a reasonable price. There were also fewer tourists so we did not have to wait in long lines to see any of the attractions. We had an opportunity to see many the attractions on a relatively short trip (six days, five nights).

Sleeping baby on the plan

We booked a night flight from Phoenix to London on British Airways. I recommend that airline for families. They were very accommodating to us. The plane had bassinets where our baby slept. We were given seats with more foot space and the stewardesses were very child friendly. When our baby became fussy, they brought some toys to calm him down. Because it was a night flight, he slept most of the flight. We arrived in London the next day (10 hr flight) and then took a 45 minute flight into Paris. 

Prior to leaving, I researched major attractions in Paris through a simple Google search “top tourist attractions in Paris.” If it seemed reasonably priced, I booked the activity, tour or excursion online (try Expedia.com activities). I learned some French during high school so I was able to communicate basic concepts such as “Ou est le rue…” (Where is this street?).

Trocadero

I recommend doing a two hop-on hop off tour around Paris. It was very practical. We had a map and a list of places we wanted to see and got around on the hop-on hop-off bus. We did not bother with the subway or with cabs (for the most part). We relied on the hop-on hop-off bus. As I mentioned before, we stayed very close to Trocadero, which was a stop on the hop-on hop-off tour. During our trip, we would walk to Trocadero and get on the hop-on hop-off bus. During our first day, we visited the first four stops on the hop-on hop-off route-Tour Eiffel, Champs de Mars, Musee du Louvre, and Notre Dame. On the second day, we visited the next three attractions- Opera, Champs Elysees, and Grand Palais. I really wanted to visit Montmartre so we took cab from the Opera to Montmartre (since it was the closest location on the hop-on hop-off route). During the other two days, we visited walking locations around our hotel. Doing a hop-on-hop off tour is really practical when you are traveling with children. They are very affordable ($30 for 48 hours) and self-guided. We could ride and get on and off conveniently. I do not recall waiting for the bus to arrive.

Baby on "backpack" inside The Lovure

We took a "backpack-like" baby carrier which was also very helpful. We could get around Paris very easily and our baby wasn’t too heavy. We also took a small stroller for convenience. It is easier to travel around with a lightweight umbrella stroller. It was very cold, so we put several layers of clothing on baby to keep him warm.

Looking back, I think the baby was jet lagged during our trip. He spent a lot of time sleeping while we were sightseeing. But he also slept well during the night, so I’m not sure what was going on. He was very observant of the environment and realized that he was somewhere different. When he heard someone speaking French for the first time, he giggled. 

He ate well during the trip. We hadn’t switched him off the formula or bottle yet so we took a lot of baby formula and baby food from the United States. We did not want to cause more disruption to our baby’s schedule. I ate well too. I think my husband was the one that least liked the French food. 

Overall, it was very easy traveling with our 12 month in Paris. He was not walking well yet and did not need too much play time. He slept most of the trip and would sight-see along with us. He wasn’t very demanding. He was just happy to be with us in beautiful Paris.

Observing inside Notredame

Sleeping inside The Louvre