OMG I’m from Paris and you have to try Berthillon ice cream on Ile Saint Louis in Paris center… chocolate sherbet, wild strawberries and grapefruit.

enjoy france! take that cutie to the ice cream cart at the entrance to luxembourg gardens on boulevard saint michel. it’s the best!

I was just in Paris recently and had the best time. I would definitely recommend the cafe from Amelie and Le Refuge De Fondues, both in Montmarte. There are tons of lovely little boutiques and vintage shops in that area as well. Here are some more recommendations and photos from my trip! We went to so many amazing places 🙂 http://traceytilley.com/where-french-people-gave-me-the-crepes/
Oh and DEFINITELY get a nutella crepe on the street. You won’t regret it.

if you’re into visiting churches sainte chapelle has the most amazing stained glass I have ever seen – and it’s a really quick activity! (it’s also near the famed ice cream berthillon which is SO WORTH the line! just make sure to google their hours cause they can be strange times)
street food – falafel or crepes (nutella or savory) so yummy!!
luxembourg gardens cannot be missed – such a great place to sit on a bench and people watch, let ruby run around, and have a picnic lunch!
shakespeare and company is a great little bookstore to stop in – not only do they have the greatest books but they have a borrowing section upstairs.
and save the best for last marche aux puces is the best antique/flea market i have ever been to in my life. great finds – vendors willing to ship larger items home to you, etc. even if you don’t buy anything there’s great photo opportunities, interesting things to see, and yummy food along the way. it is hard to find so make sure you have good directions and a cab lined up to take you there and back. http://www.bonjourparis.com/story/marche-puces-paris-st-ouen/

Ruby is just the cutest! <3 And how lovely you have a family holiday planned to France! Paris is just beautiful, I love every single bit of it! I think Ruby would love the beautiful jardins and parcs, where she can run around freely and splash around the fountains! ;D

Just a tip for traveling with little one’s. Book aisle and window seats, leaving the middle open. If it pans out then you’ve got a whole row to yourself and if not you can always trade 🙂
Happy Travels!

Yay! We took our first international flight to Brazil when my daughter was 18 months old. I just stumbled across her passport the other day, and I forgot how tiny she was when we did that adventure. I don’t know if this will be the case in France, but we ran into a lot of hotels that didn’t have a crib, or didn’t have a crib that I felt was safe for her. We bought something like this, just in case and were SO glad we had it: http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-Kidco-Peapod-Cranberry/dp/B00CCKC108/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1374851250&sr=8-9&keywords=kids+travel+bed
We set it up in our living room and played on there before we left, so it wasn’t a traumatic experience when we tried to stick her in there on the other side of the world. She went in happily after long days of sightseeing.

That sounds like such a blast – pleeeeeease dress Ruby in stripes and cutesy Parisian dresses!!

I love Ruby’s Dancing Dot Dress! I like when baby girl clothes have hints of pink rather than pink overload. So cute how much she’s lovin that ice cream!
xo kristen genevieve
sunnywithachanceoflemons.blogspot.com

berthillon for sure!
one of my favorite bakeries we visited was le patisserie des reves on rue de bac. it is super cute and everything is so tasty. be sure to try some kouign amann somewhere, as well as st. honore and paris-brest pastries.

you’ll have such a lovely time! enjoy -and the best place for ice cream is of course Berthillion. A little something for Ruby at BonPoint – its’ an investment but so gorgeous, Jacadi too.

Herb Lester has an awesome map called Paris en Famille! Maybe it would give you some ideas!
http://www.herblester.com/blogs/journal/7891223-about-our-latest-guide-paris-en-famille

amorino gelato for flower-shaped cones (i think they have a location in ny though) & musee de l’orangerie to see monet’s water lilies. saint chapelle to see the beautiful stained glass windows and shakespeare & co for a magical book adventure. there’s also a lot of great street art in the belleville and menilmontant neighborhoods. always keep a look out for the Space Invaders which are on nearly every street sign.

So cute! Hope you have a wonderful time!

So fun you’re heading to France this fall! Perfect family vacation spot. In Paris, L’as du Fallafel in the Marais is a MUST! The best falafel in the world – I fantasize about it, and their hot sauce, weekly. All the little boutiques in the Marais are fab, too. Poilâne for the most amazing levain bread and other little pastries. Alain Ducasse’s new chocolate factory, which is another place I fantasize about. And for a candy adventure, though it’s out of the way from most things, A l’Etoile d’Or. It’s kooky, fabulous and magical. It’s the only place outside of Lyon that carries Bernachon chocolate, but since you’re going to Lyon you should hit it up there! But A l’Etoile d’Or is a wonderful candy shop with old timey candies produced in little cities all over France (cassis pâte de fruit filled with liqueur, bergamot candies, salted butter caramel spread) – it’s candy heaven and the shop owner is a hoot. Jacques Genin for some of the best pastries and chocolates, Maison Kayser for excellent chocolate financiers (and ice cream) and Blé Sucré for heavenly croissants. I echo others with Berthillon, but David Lebovitz has a great post on the best ice cream spots in Paris http://bit.ly/15kST7x. I could go on forever but those are the places I would say you shouldn’t miss. Can’t wait to see the post that follows your trip! xo

I was going to recommend the same thing. Plus the carousel in Montmartre is near the cafe. Paris is so charming.

How fun!! We took our then 2 year old to Paris last October for 3 weeks. We rented an apartment in the Marais across the street from Place des Vosges. Previously we stayed in the 7the. Apartment are great. You feel like a parisian. Go grocery shopping, go to markets. He loved it and even learned some French. Locals were enchanted by him saying Bonjour, Au Revoir, Enchanté. The locals were very nice, make sure you use these greetings as well, think of is as if you are going into someones home.
Go to the bathroom whenever you get a chance! There is one behind Notre Dame and a playground. There are playgrounds everywhere. They are good spots to give Ruby some time to get out her jiggles. Its fun to see them interact with locals. Also its amazing to see your little one playing and have the eiffel tower in the background. In the Marais, Musée Carnavalet, is free and has a bathroom, nice garden for Ruby to run around. We changed him in the parks on benches in discrete places. Had no issues. Brought diapers and wipes for the first couple days and then bought them at Monoprix, french target.
Take the Batobus at least the first or second day you are there. Helps to get you orientated and see the main sites. Can hop on and off. Ruby will love the boat, and at night can see the Eiffel Tower Twinkle. We mostly walked and used a Maclaren stroller (he took naps in the stroller-nice to relax at a cafe or do some adult sightseeing). Our son loved the bus. #69 #42
We would go to nice restaurants for lunch, people are more patient or have crepes, picnics. Bring a bottle of water, you will look like a tourist but you need water! Cafes/ restaurants are skimpy on giving out water. Get her used to sitting in your lap or sitting in a chair. Bring some small toys. At night we eat stuff from the markets and shops, Poulet and potatoes were our sons favorite, cheese, Falafels etc. In the morning we would get stuff from the patisseries, we did get chocolate croissants from 4 different places to compare and find our favorite. We did go back to the same local restaurant, the food was good, they got to know us and they were patient and loved our little guy. Don’t feel you have to do too much. Part of falling in love with Paris is feeling like a parisian, cafes, shopping, exploring and getting lost and discovering things. I can make more recommendations based on which Arrondissement you are staying in.
We went to jardin d acclimatation. Which is an amusement park. We loved it as much as our son. A little out of the way. But my husband and I still talk about the horse ride. We will go back next time. In Paris there is a zoo, many playgrounds, gardens, carousels, rides… so many things to do with little ones. Berthillon! Go when you get a chance it may be closed the next day you go by. Same with lots of the shops people take days off… read, The Sweet Life in Paris, David Lebovitz.
So excited for you!! In the fall we are going to start planning our trip back to Paris for the following year. You can’t do and see everything but if you fall in love with Paris, know that you will be back.
Les Marionnettes du Marais- they have hand crafted finger puppets and mittens with a finger puppet attached. These were my favorite purchases we made this last visit. I wanted every puppet! http://memitherainbow.blogspot.com/2011/10/treasures-of-paris-6-les-marionnettes.html

For ice cream, hands down, Amorino. They even shape their ice cream into a rose shape. There is one across the street from the Jardin de Luxembourg, the second largest park in Paris. (It also has a small scale Statue of Liberty) http://www.amorino.com/fr/les-boutiques/liste-boutiques

Ice cream – Grom, Pozetto, Berthillon, and the cart outside the luxemburg gardens (corner of Gay Lusuc and Saint Michel streets).
The are parcs and playgrounds anywhere, so you can take several breaks. Caroussels, including the one across from the Eiffel Tower (such a classic). Little ones can also take pony rides at the Champ de Mars and Luxembourg gardens. Feed the ducks in the fountains (less gross than pigeons) and rent a tiny sailboat (again, Luxembourg gardens – I grew up next to it and it was my favorite area as a kid.
For eating, I would recommend picnics. Places with outdoor terasses are usually more relaxed about kids running around, unless they are super crowded.
There is stroller rental company in Paris – I can’t remember what its called, but a number of my friends have used it when they didn’t feel like lugging their strollers in the plane.

I just went to Paris in mid-June, so here’s what I found: As for ice cream (my favorite!), it is pretty much always good wherever you find it.
Now for some tips for museums. Since, of course, I don’t know how much time you’ll spend museum-hopping (especially since kids + museums does not always equal a good time), I’ll just give you some tips to maximize the enjoyment for everyone if you decide to go to a few musees 🙂
1) I found Orangerie far more “approachable” and enjoyable than the Louvre. The Louvre was absolutely packed to the rafters with people. People who were just taking pictures and video instead of enjoying the art; that’s sad, at least to me 🙁 Not to mention that The Louvre is just so massive it can get to be overwhelming. I felt more at home in Orangerie.
2) I bet Rodin would be good for the little Miss Ruby, since it’s outdoors and you can run around and get close to stuff!
3) The Paris Museum Pass is a little pricy but you can skip the line for entrance, which might be nice if Ruby isn’t feeling the whole “wait in line for up to an hour” thing. I was there in mid-June, though, so perhaps line jumping won’t be necessary in September.

Thank you! So helpful!
Did you use AirBnB to find an apt? Trying to find one now!
Joy

We’ve used Paris Perfect and Haven in Paris. Can’t say enough good things about both places. Especially if new to Paris. Depends on where you want to stay. Lots of nice places on AirBnb too. Just check out what’s in your price range, what’s available, and area you are interested in staying.

Salon Castiglione at La Duree (Champs Elysees)…

I thought you traveled out of the country recently–Japan? I thought you posted about your travels on here. Enjoy France! Eat lots of truffle-infused meals.

The Petit Trianon on Versailles is also beautiful!!! It was Marie Antoinette’s refuge;D Little Ruby will enjoy the grounds–loads to see and experience! It is very charming. As an homage to the orange trees on the property, a vendor right outside the doors sell freshly squeezed OJ–squeezed with an antique juicer! FUN!
It is close to Jouy en Josas where Marie Antoinette used to purchase her textiles!!! I think they still sell textiles there. My biggest regret was not seeking and purchasing fabric–if you go I would love to hear about it! 😀 HAPPY TRAVELS!!!!

Non, non, non!! Not Berthillon or the other ice cream/gelato spots. It’s Pozzetto you must visit!!! It’s at 39 Rue du Roi de Sicile. You won’t regret it and neither will Ruby!!!!!

‘Paul’s’ is a bakery chain in Patis and I love it! They have great macarons and eclairs and they’re not expensive! Enjoy the beautiful city! Love, a dutch girl who loves visiting Paris!
And PS. If you have the time and money, Disneyland is a must! Get your tickets in the little green information-house in front of the parc. Each morning they have a certain amount of tickets with a great discout, up to 50% off!

One of my favourites in Paris is Suffren, a little restaurant about a 15 min walk from the Eiffel tower. They served the best house wine ever ( and dirt cheap) and the most amazing seafood! Ann x
http://www.quirkylifestyle.com/

I am so envious! There is a book called Paris with children that has gotten good reviews: http://kimlevesque.com/?page_id=246 I am sure there are some great ideas in there for Ruby!

Paris’s list is indefinite and I’m sure more people will give tips on your visit here, so I’ll share my favorite spot in Lyon….! It’s called Crock ‘N Roll, and it’s a fantastic croque monsieur place, that is not only delicious but has wonderful déco. DEFINITELY WORTH A WHIRL, and in central Lyon. Basically French extravagant grilled cheese… just too good to be true!
Crock ‘n Roll link on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-crock-n-roll-lyon
Bon voyage!

Paris is my favorite city! I’ve been several times but spent 3 weeks there for our babymoon a few years ago. Staying in an apartment and living like a local is the best way to experience Paris, IMO. Here are some tips:
1) Paris is best seen on foot. Some of my favorite experiences were discovering the non-touristy areas just outside the touristy areas such as Montmartre, Le Marais, and Canal St. Martin. Super cute shops, especially kids clothing stores. Let’s just say that I had to buy another suitcase. Rick Steves has some good free self-guided tours to navigate the more touristy areas.
2) Ethnic food in Paris is quite good, which makes sense since there are so many immigrant communities. I had the best Middle Eastern food there, including the falafel at L’as Du Fallafel, which is probably the most accessible. (Since we had so much time there, we would plan an entire day around eating some obscure Algerian food in some Muslim suburb)
3) Restaurants: We were on a budget and so we cooked most dinners at home. Lunch is a lot cheaper than dinner, so that’s where we splurged. I remember Le Reminet and L’Agrume being particularly good. A lot of people, including Anthony Bourdain, recommended Robert et Louise, but I thought it was whatevers. If I had more money, I would have checked out Frenchie and Mama Shelter.
4) Bakeries: Here’s where I went crazy. My husband was a trooper following me to over 20 bakeries. Rose Bakery and Secco are adorable and delicious. Pain et Chocolat is super cute for breakfast. Hugo et Victor is the most beautiful chocolate shop in the world. Eric Kayser is a chain but I thought their pastries were the BEST, especially their chocolate almond croissant, OMG. Of course you have to get macarons at Laduree or Pierre Herme and tea at Mariage Freres. Oh, and Aoki Sadaharu for amazing Japanese French desserts.
5) Shopping: Le Printemps and Galarie Lafayette are right next to each other and are the 2 big department stores in Paris. Beautiful architecture and very Parisian. My favorite store, however, is Monoprix which is like the Target of Paris. No guidebook will tell you to go there but it is an affordable chain. Their kids clothes are adorable and for whatever reason, each Monoprix is different. The most overrated thing of all was definitely the big flea market. The Pasadena Rose Bowl flea market is a gazillion times better, so maybe I’m spoiled.
6) If you’re planning on cooking, Picard, which is basically just a frozen food store, is surprisingly amazing and delicious. At least check it out to see how the French do frozen food– super gourmet and beautiful. We had these amazing French dinners at home but we would have never had guessed it was frozen.
Woah, I really did not mean to write this much. Have fun!

This girl is lovely!!!!! 🙂
Visit:
http://mademoisellejuliet.blogspot.com/

Hi Joy,
Do you remember me, I won -thanks to you- a lovely round pink pillow et a lovely dotted pillowcase since a while now, but they are still my faves =)
I am Parisian.
Unfortunately I can’t have kids, but I think Paris is Ok with them, even with the tiny ones as Ruby.
I think, Le Parc de La Villette may be a nice place to hang around with her. There is a huge science museum (great for older kids) and a huge park. It can be nice to take a little rest there.
We don’t have these amazing museum think for kids in Paris like in the US, but you can go everywhere in my town.
You just need to be really careful in the subway and in touristic places, as Les Champs Elysées, as there is some bad people who love tourists’ bags if you see what I mean.
Anyway, Paris is safe, by day and by night, and a beautiful town to visit.
You should try the double decker bus which are crossing the town through every places of interest, then choose a spot to stop.
I think the tickets are available during two days, and you can go down and stop you would like to.
My favourite place in Paris is Le Marais, the Gay area. It is full of lovely buildings, restaurants & stores.
You know, don’t hesitate to contact me by email, if you have any question before and during you trip. It would be a pleasure to help.
But I am sure you will love it =)

I’m so envious of your trip!
My husband and I booked an apartment through lodgis and stayed in Montmatre. It was absolutely perfect and we loved being able to do some cooking. We used Clotildes Edible Adventures in Paris to find some sweet little spots around the city.
My own recommendation is to try the Rose Bakery. It will be ought up your alley, I promise.
Enjoy!

You probably already know that blog, but in case you don’t, you should go check on http://ohhappyday.com
She and her family did spend a year in Paris and she did some posts on “Paris with kids”.
Have a great trip!!!

Oh I’m so jealous! Have fun you guys…can’t wait to see your take (no pun intended) of Paris via pictures.

Thank you Nadia! The apt we are staying at in Lyon is right near there so I am excited to have that for Ruby!
Joy

we used vrbo for an apt in paris in the latin quarter. It was up the street from the stairs owen wilson sat on in “midnight in paris.” we even took a picture on the steps at night 🙂 no car came to pick us up though. It was on the top floor of a building. It did get kind of noisy though because it was right by the university, but it was convenient to get to alot of places.

Oh that’s sound good ! Almost everything is already said, but in Lyon, you have to try the organic icecream Terre Adélice in Vieux Lyon too. I’m sure Ruby will love the théâtre de marionnettes, (Les guignols)…
If you are in Croix-Rousse (my place, yay!!), you definitly have to eat at the Bistrot du Boulevard, everything come from the market and the kids are welcomed !
You can find a lot of things to do on the website : mylittlelyon.fr
And, you will see, the Rhône bank are really kidfriendly with a lot of kid area !
Hope you will enjoy your trip in France and particulary in Lyon.

Two of my favorite restaurants in Paris: Pramil (so delicious, try the young calvados that they also sell in their shop across the street!) and playtime (inventive kitchen and great design).
also check out the merci concept store.
have a great time!

hi joy!
my husband and i are lucky enough to visit paris every year. berthillon does indeed have lovely icecream, and it is also sold by lots of vendors around the city but the original shop is on the ile saint louis.
our favourite restaurant (which we notice is also frequented by lots of families with kiddies) is Cafe Constant near the eiffel tower. it is one of alain ducasse’s favourites too, however the prices are very reasonable. they don’t take bookings, however if you go before 7 you shouldn’t run into many problems with a table (most of the parisians don’t eat dinner till about 9)/ another one that is a bit harder to get into is Frenchie, near Les Halles (although they do have a little casual cafe-type establishment offshoot now called Frenchie to Go, which is right next door).
one of my favourite resources for paris is Carin Olsson’s blog (Paris in Four Months).
i’m sure you have lots of plans for other sweeties, but do give Laduree a miss (I knew something was afoot when their stores started popping everywhere likes daisies, but last year they actually sold their recipe to Mcdonalds!!). Instead, Patrick Roger (in Saint Germain) and Jacques Genin (Marais) are a much better bet, though they specialist in chocolates and confectionary. Sadaharu Aoki combines the best of french patisserie with japanese flavours and innovation, and is recommended too. My favourite is La Maison du Choux (also in Saint Germain), which specialises in the most sublime choux cream puffs.
Place des Vosges is a favourite spot to sip cafe and people watch amongst the Parisians i know, and is surprisingly devoid of tourists whilst being central.
hope you have a wonderful time!!! x

A creative cityguide with photo’s, addresses and a great vimeo movie:
http://kinomiblog.blogspot.nl/search/label/City%20guide

Hello Joy,
Parisian girl speaking here.
Everybody says Berthillon is the best but it’s not true. Jadi wrote it before and I agree, Pozetto is the best. There are less flavors and only one location (in Le Marais) but it’s reaaallllyyy good !
In Lyon, I recommend you “Les enfants gâtés” (it means the spoiled children) on place Sathonay (1st). They make very good and beautiful “coupes glacées”.
Have fun !

Lyon is known for its puppet shows. In Parc de la Tête d’Or there are (I think free? I was there in 2000!) shows. And the park itself is huge and beautiful – but don’t forget it’s a park in France. We got in trouble (okay, just gently nudged) for sitting on the grass in the area that wasn’t for sitting… But especially with a little kid, the puppets could be a big hit. We loved ’em as young adults.

Hi!
a nive and cool place to eat:
Colorava
47 rue de l’abbé Grégoire
6ème arrondissement
And, always and forever, to have a walk and chill out, streets of the “quartier Saint Michel”.
And for delicious pastry, just go to “Un dimanche à Paris”,
Cour du Commerce Saint André
6ème arrondissement
enjoy, love from France!

oh and maybe you could find some more good adresses here http://lazylisa.wordpress.com/category/food-travel/voyages/lyon/
especially about restaurants, as I use to work for a website about Lyon restaurants…

Hi Joy!
I see you’ve gotten a ton of recommendations so I thought I’d throw one more in the mix. 🙂
I’ve had George + Co recommended to me. Apparently it’s an amazing stationery store for people who love all things ink and paper. It sounds like it has a kids corner too. Might be worth and try…
George & Co 
90 rue du Bac – 75008 Paris
http://promostyl.com/trendview/en/2012/05/24/georges-co-le-concept-store-de-la-papeterie/
Have so much fun! France is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve visited.

Hi Joy !
I’m an art student living in Paris (so excuse my awful english). If you want to have a good time away from the very touristy places, I would definitely recommend you the 14th arrondissement, more specificly the Denfert-Rochereau station and the Rue Daguerre, where you can buy excellent wine, eating ice cream on the street at Amorino, take a drink “en terrasse” in a quiet and very friendly atmosphere. There are also small clothes shops very sympatiques like Emarobe, and a discrete but nice restaurant called Midi Trente, where you can enjoy homemade pies. There are plenty of other things to do all around Denfert Rochereau, but this street is worth the trip. (There is also a nice restaurant not far away from la rue Daguerre, called Rubis – is it a sign? 🙂 -, avenue du Maine, with very sympathic people)
Passez un bon voyage !