Mommy-Daughter Trip to Paris: 7 Activities You MUST Try (Besides Shopping)
Our eldest daughter Layla has always been a wise soul, wise well beyond her years. This year, she’s been learning French at her new school so our chocolate Fancy Nancy often comes home to show off her posh language skills and spares no expense at making fun of my American accent when pronouncing French words. One day, as she was clowning me per usual, I casually said, “Oh, you’re a hot shot, huh? Let’s go to France then. We can really see what your French skills are made of over there.” Her eyes immediately lit up and she started jumping up and down…Rut-roh…
So for her 6th birthday, my husband and I gave Layla two options: a party with friends, or a mommy-daughter trip to Paris. I have to say I was secretly thrilled when she enthusiastically picked the Paris option, because it meant a trip to one of my favorite cities for me. To make things even more special, Layla’s fairy godmother decided to join us and together, we planned out a 72-hour, fun-packed trip to Paris.
Here are the 7 activities you MUST try on your next trip to Paris.
Take a French Culinary Class
On the first day in Paris, my 6-year old made for me a partridge in a pear tree scrumptious, three-course meal. Wait, run that back. What?
Yes! We took a cooking class with this awesome, French culinary school called Cookin’ With Me that’s located in the heart of Paris. They offer their classes in English (thank God, because it turns out nobody–Fancy Nancy included–spoke real French.) The culinary school offers a wide range of cooking and baking classes: from croissant and macaroon-making, to three-course meals, to market-cooking classes where you learn how shop for fresh foods that are sustainable, seasonal, and locally-sourced at farmers’ markets and butcheries. Then, you creatively build a menu based off these finds.
Putting some garnish on our appetizer: Mimosa Eggs (aka deviled eggs)
The specific class we opted for was the Parent-Child, three-course cooking class, aimed at parents and children ages 6 and up. The class began sharply at 9am and we were able to eat our meal exactly at noon. The teacher, Chef Antonín, was phenomenal: easy-going, just technical enough, funny, and not overbearing.
Lucky for us, there were no other participants in our class, which made this a private class. Trés perfect! Layla —assisted by her godmother & yours truly— showed off her culinary skills to the max. :) Videos below.
The main course
2. Tour the city in a carriage for spectacular views
We rode in a carriage from the Seine River back to our hotel which was located on Champs-Élysées Avenue (so, about a 2.5km or a 15-minute ride), and it was such a beautiful, novel way to take in all the gorgeous architecture, scenic landscapes, and fashionably chic people.
Speaking of our hotel, we stayed at Hotel Marignan on Champs-Élysées Avenue as mentioned above and it was a phenomenal, 5-star boutique hotel. Marignan couldn’t have been a more perfect choice for a girls’ trip.
It’s sleek and modern and has a lot of really cute touches, like a display of adorable stuffed animals, a life-sized baby llama that Layla couldn’t resist sitting on, beautiful flavored water that comes fresh every morning, and unique, floor-to-ceiling paintings that greet you as you step off the elevator on each floor.
The staff is also incredibly caring and helpful. They upgraded our room upon arrival unprompted. They helped my husband and son surprise Layla with birthday balloons and an ice-cream cake when we got to our room after a long day out. Every member of their staff greeted us with a genuine smile every time we walked in and out. Two thumbs up! Thank you, Marignan friends!
The beautiful lobby <3
Surprise!
3. Go on a Seine River cruise
A bit cliché and touristy, but Layla was dying to see the Tour de Eiffel and since the time-slot we wanted was sold out, we went through a third-party provider to find an Eiffel Tour tour at a more desirable time. Unfortunately (or fortunately in hindsight!) that also included a Seine River cruise. And honestly, the cruise ended up being the highlight and I could have done away with the Eiffel Towel, considering 1) how cold it was in the morning when we went 2) how bored, cold, and annoyed the birthday girl was and 3) how both godmommy B and I are New York City natives where large, world-famous structures are abundant and don’t cause either of us to get starry-eyed.
On the flip side, the cruise was incredible. It was just over an hour long, we went under 22-bridges & saw everything from the Notre Dame to the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, and so much more. We took the tour at sunset and it was the most perfect way to end the day. Added bonus: downloading our tickets was really difficult with our spotty wifi, so we asked one of the tour operators for help. Little did we know that he was an angel in disguise and after patiently troubleshooting with us for 10-minutes, he walked us to the front of the line and let us have our first dibs for seating on the boat. How sweet!
View of the Eiffel Tower from the starting point of the Seine River cruise we took
4. Try a 4-course meal at a new-age, well-regarded restaurant
French food is all the ingredients a fat kid’s dreams are made of: cheese, bread, wine, and butter. HONEY! And if you go where they blend and meld these ingredients effortlessly, you will have experienced heaven on earth. I’m actually not a huge fan of escargot, caviar, and the more traditional french dishes, but I wanted to go to a restaurant with a well-known chef, delicious food, and a modern vibe. We went to Kitchen Gallerie Bis and tried their four-course taster’s menu. It was absolutely divine. You could taste the Indian and Mediterranean influences with the turmeric and other ‘worldly’ ingredients, but we still got a good dose of butter and cheese to clog our arteries for the next few months. Whoodie whoop! Bonus points for you if you order your kid ‘sparkling cider’ in a wine glass. Trés elegant!
Classy girl drinking her sparkling cider
5. Take an audio guided tour of the Louvre Museum
“Why are these naked women dead and smiling?”
A witty 6-year old’s commentary at the Lourve is all the abs workout you’ll need to cancel out the baguettes & cheese you’ve been downing. (At least that’s what I told myself.) Some of Layla’s comments had me laughing out (very) loudly and likely disturbing all the serious art aficionados.
Bonus points if you manage to take a picture with everyone’s favorite smirking homegirl, Mona.
6. Go to Le Jardin d’Acclimatation
Yes, we all know there’s a Disneyland in Paris but Le Jardin d’Acclimatation is the path less-traveled and the path we preferred for the purposes of this trip. Here’s the best way I can describe it: If Central Park (in NYC) and your local summer carnival with fun rides and fried oreos got married in France and had a gorgeous baby, it would be Le Jardin.
There was a modest amusement park with lots of rides fit for children that range in age from toddler to middle schooler. One or two rides that even managed to get a squeal out of me: a serial roller-coaster lover. It also has a modest zoo, a scenic, romantic boat ride on a small lake, snacks, and a gift shop. My nature-loving kid had a blast. Entrance and unlimited rides cost 45 euros per person. They also had an option to pay for a ticket book with a set number of tickets and a modest entrance fee if you don’t plan to go on every ride. Way less than Disney, I’m sure!
One of the handful of rides we went on
7. Check out Angelina Paris for brunch
My good friend recommended that we check out Angelina – a historic tea room, pastry shop, restaurant, and world renowned hot-chocolatier, located on the Rue de Rivoli. While I don’t take everyone’s recommendations to heart, the recommending friend is a fellow foodie and very particular, so we actively sought out Angelina and, wow, what an awesome rec. it was!
I was so distracted by eating that I forgot to take good photos so this comes from their website
The restaurant has a rich, vibrant, 120-year old history. Named after the daughter/wife of the founders, Angelina’s father and husband opened this iconic shop in France’s early 1900s. Think about the era from all the movies where people dressed fancy and smoked cigarettes out of those thin, long pipes.
All jokes aside, 1920s Paris served as a mecca to burgeoning artists, writers, politicians, and designers such as Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, Ernest Hemmingway (one of many American writers who lived in Paris at the time), Josephine Baker, and other creative elites. The gorgeous, elegant interior was designed by the famous architect Edouard-Jean Niermans, who also designed the Moulin Rouge and other well-known theaters and hotels in Paris. Anyway, the brunch was delicious, the place was beautiful and elegant, and our bellies had a great time.
All in all, we managed to cover quite a bit of ground in 72-hours, and we definitely took more steps each day than we do all week at home. Hope this guide is helpful to any readers planning a trip to Paris!