Paris

I'll be showing my mom and 8 year-old niece around both England and Paris this coming May.  I'm wondering what may be of interest to a child in Paris.  Neither Sean nor I have been there and are somewhat at a loss when finding things to do that a child would enjoy (aside from euro-disney  , which I won't consider.  I didn't bring her 6,000 miles across the world to take her to something similar that she has 6 hours' drive away back home).  I'm not big into museums.. I like getting to walk around the streets as a resident would and experiencing what life there is like.  Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated.  (BTW, our itenerary at the moment only includes 2 days there.  We're only intending it to be a side-trip.  England is the main focus). Thanks all!  

The Eiffel Tower is amazing and would create a life long memory for her.
While living in America, I lived about 7 hours from Disneyland and would go once a year (Disney addict) but found Euro Disney different and interesting – apart from the pushy people there.  
Notre Dame would be neat too.

I'm with Missy...the Eiffel Tower would be good.  Boat trips down the Seine aren't too expensive and could be nice.  Notre Dame is always worth seeing.  Maybe a good idea would be to get some books with pictures of Paris and go through them with your niece and ask her what she would like to see.  I know you won't be able to do that until she's here, but a definite thought.

All good ideas.  The Eiffel Tower was the top of the list.  We'll be getting some travel books in the coming weeks, as well as looking online.  A boat ride sounds fun as well  Any recommandations on where to or NOT to stay on a budget?  Any parts of town that I should stay clear of with a child in tow?

There's a really good book called 'Take the kids to Paris/Disneyland Paris'  that's well worth buying.  It has all sorts of ideas for days out and resturants.  We took the kids there for a weekend a few years ago and it was really fun.  We did do the Disneyland thing-so much fun that we went back the next year.  

We have been to Disney Paris twice since living here.  Although we have visited both parks, we were a little disappointed with the Walt Disney Studios Park.  We found the Studio Park in Florida to be excellent and this did not even compare.  

With three children we always have to plan our trips around things they would enjoy.  Their favourite thing about Paris is the Eiffel Tower.  Its a definite must do with kids.  

We arent too fussy about accomodations, depends on where we are and our plans while we are there....So on several of our trips to France ...with and without the kids ... we have stayed at a Formula1 Hotel....VERY CLEAN and NO THRILLS.   Its a self-service, very inexpensive hotel.  

We arent too fussy about accomodations, depends on where we are and our plans while we are there....So on several of our trips to France ...with and without the kids ... we have stayed at a Formula1 Hotel....VERY CLEAN and NO THRILLS.   Its a self-service, very inexpensive hotel.  

That sounds ideal really  I tend to look at a hotel more as a place to sleep and bathe.  Obviously I want it to be clean, but I definitely don't look for all of the added extras.  I'm taking a holiday to see the people and places, not the inside of the room    BTW, what area of Paris was this in?  I'd be interested in finding out more.

I've found things for her to do in England, but haven't really looked much into Paris yet.  Besides the obvious couple of attractions, maybe a picnic in the park or a walk along the river is best-suited.  

I don't know if they have these in Paris, but they're all over the big cities in Germany...Street artists and performers.  I know that sounds dumb, but I was absolutely amazed at some of the chalk masterpieces they were making on the ground.  (Think the art on the ground in Mary Poppins).  Plus some of the "human sculptures" were amazing as well, and most of the children seemed to stare in awe at them.  Anyhow, that might be something to stop and watch for a few minutes when walking from one sightseeing place to another.

http://www.parisbreak.com/leisure/kids.asp  This is a good site for things to do with kids in Paris.  Sorry, but Disney is listed as one of them, the rest look like good things to do though.

http://travelwithkids.about.com/library/gallery/paris/blgalleryseinebikes.htm  Here's another good site with some links of things to do with younger kids in Paris...even talks about where you can go to scenes from the Madeline books, very cool and popular with girls about your niece's age.

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/France/paris.htm  Another excellent site.  I think the carousels look like a lot of fun, personally...hehehe.

Hope that helps you get a start with your planning, Terinth.  I think you'll have a spectacular time there.  (very jealous).

Wow.. thanks very much!  I'll definitely look into some of the suggestions.  The street performers and carnival-type stuff is exactly what I had in mind.  Maybe a boat-ride and ice cream and all that good stuff.

I'm sifting through these from work... I'm not so sure the bosses would entirely appreciate my efforts.  

And with that post, I'm officially now a UKY "Junkie"