My family is planning to visit Paris for two weeks in June with a 16 and 18 year old. Can we keep our teenagers happy for two weeks? What are the best side trips and should we stay in a hotel or apartment (recommendations also appreciated) Will we go crazy being in a city for two weeks or are there nice day trips to the country? All advice/suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks.
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I have a couple of suggestions. A Segway Tour through City Segway Tours. It is a great tour and it gives you an overview of the major sites. Do this early in your trip so you can decide what you want to go back and see. Our guide was an Americian college student and he was great. It is worth the expense.
www.citysegwaytours.com/paris
If your boys are good rollerbladers, on Friday nights starting at 10 pm they can blade through the streets of Paris with a whole crowd of bladers.
http://www.pari-roller.com/
I recommend a day out at the Chateu de Versailles. We spent about 7 hours there. Your museum pass gets you in without a line. There are extra fees for some of the rooms! Then we speent 5 hours with a golf cart touring the grounds. I have a walking problem so in order to see all of it we used this option. It was great, our favorite was the Queens Hamlet. You can also rent a row boat to row around the pond. It is a lovely spot for a picnic.
Challenge them to climb the first level of the La Tour Eiffel, Note: get there when they open and they will have the tour to them selves for a short while!
It could be hot during your stay it was for us last summer. We went to the movies a couple of times to beat the heat. There are theaters that show films from the states in english and the theaters have air conditioning. Get a Pariscope magazine and look for Climatise and language original (something like that).
The Canal St. Martin tour might be a good choice you go through a series of locks and the commentary is humorous. The morning tour takes you up river and you end up at the Science and Industry museum. This is worth the visit it has stuff for every interest.
An afternoon nap in one of the many parks is also pleasant. Make sure you take a picnic blanket with you, you know the kind with a moisture barrier it will be very handy amd umbrellas. It can rain in June!
I don%26#39;t think boredom will be a problem. But I do think an apartment is essential. Happy planning!
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I cant imagine a couple of boys the ages of your kids not having an absolute blast in Paris. They can go anywhere they want using the great city transportation, can eat great food, delve into fantastic history, great parks where they might join in some sports and will surely meet other kids their ages. Some great jazz concerts around the city (Bois de Vincennes free on weekends)and an amusement park set up not far from the Louvre where they can be brave on some of the rides.
Dont have any idea what size town you are coming from but Paris will surely give them a great deal of freedom and choice. Of course all of you will have to get used to a big busy city and that might take a bit of adjustment. There will be many English speaking teenages wandering around the city with whom they might hook up. A direct train ride (2 hours) will get you to Deauville/Trouville which is a lovely beach town and great for a couple days on the beach. And there are many many other sites and towns to visit. (Check this site for suggestions).
Might I suggest you get them to read a book or two about Paris or France. Even reading a travel book has a lot of history about buildings and places. There are also videos which can give them (and you) good information.
We have only taken younger kids (11/12) but both had a great time, would to go back anytime and want to live there eventually.
I just am certain they will just really love the whole adventure.
If you look up %26quot;apartments%26quot; on this site, you will find many places to inquire about places you might rent for your two weeks. Seems to me that is the absolute best way for you to go.
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Where to stay : Latin quarter. Surely an appartment is a better deal for a family.
What to do : Cité des sciences, Palais de la Découverte. Outside Paris : Versailles of course, also Giverny is nice. Fontainebleau if you like history. Rouen in Normandy is a verny nice city with many medieval houses, one of my favorites, easy to reach in one hour by train from Gare St Lazare.
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So far these are all great ideas and I appreciate all of them. Thanks so much. We are getting excited....
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There are so many things to do that my 16-year old son was reluctant to ever leave Paris, and we stayed a whole year. But if you are really outdoor-oriented and don%26#39;t like cities much maybe you should stay in Paris just one week and in a smaller town the second week.
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I took my 14 yr old son to Paris this past summer.
He liked the Catacombs ( human bones piled high deep underground).
He liked climbing up the stairs of the Arc D%26#39;Triomphe and the Effiel Tower( to the SECOND level, with me in the far rear!)We also climbed the towers at Notre Dame.
He liked going to Versailles and renting bikes in the gardens there and riding around the huge grounds.
He enjoyed the Louvre, enough to go twice!He liked Medievel Louvre, the Egyptian mummies, Napoleons Apartments and of course he had to see the Mona Lisa, the nude Greek statues were not his faves though, LOL, he said it was all nude men( remember he was only 14) ! I said go find a nude women, I wasn%26#39;t about to rush, as I love sculptures!
We also did a one day bus tour to the Loire Valley, ( Cityrama) which he also liked, but with the four of you I would rent a car and not do the tour, it was very exspensive. Renting a car would be cheaper for 4.
We didn%26#39;t have time but please look up FatTire Bike tours, they look great! They do Segways also. I would skip Giverny with teenaged boys unless yours really apprieciate pretty gardens( mine wouldn%26#39;t have) .
All in all my son really enjoyed our trip, but he liked the time we spent just wandering around , and we also purchased and used a two day Open Bus pass. ( Hop on and off as you wish)
Remember your 16 yr old will be free at many museums, as under 18s are, make sure you have his id with you to prove age. The Louvre is free for him. If you purchase a pass he can still go in with you. Also enter Louvre through shopping mall, we encountered no lines and just used the automatic ticket machines.
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WARNING%26lt;%26lt;Friday nights starting at 10 pm they can blade through the streets of Paris .....%26gt;%26gt; This can be fun, but be aware that it is VERY crowded and for VERY competent skaters ONLY. They are followed by an ambulance for a reason! For an easier skate there is another group that heads out on Sunday afternoons and travels at a more agreeable pace for the non-pros.
The Fat Tire Bike Tours are great. You can also rent bikes at roue libre and visit the city on two wheels through out your stay.
If they are into skate boarding they should bring thier boards along there are great areas to skate around Bercy, the Bastille and the Palais de Chaillot (with the Eiffel Tower as background... trop chic!).
If they are the slightest bit interested in movies the Cinematheque at Bercy is another great destination for all ages.
There is horseback riding in Fountainbleau, kayaking in the Seine (outside of the city) and all kinds of activities available for those needing a break from the city.
If you take them to Giverney to visit Monet%26#39;s gardens you can take the train to Vernon, rent bikes and go through a bit of Normand countryside along the way. Quite pretty.
If they like soccer there are often pick up games on the Esplanades in front and behind Les Invalides, as well as at the Champ de Mars of the Eiffel Tower. These areas also have petanque courts if they%26#39;d like to get into the culture of the place....
If they like music there are often drummers playing at the Palais de Chaillot. And here they should not have problem going to a jazz club.
Pack a frisbee and you are sure to find plenty of places to play.
Le tus know what they enjoy at home and we can give even better advice. (Cooking classes in Engllish with Anne Sfez may be fun for th eentire family!)
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If you%26#39;ll be in Paris June 21, you%26#39;ll be surrounded by outdoor concerts of every type of music imaginable! Your sons - and you - will, surely, find something you like. Check out the website:
fetedelamusique.culture.fr/index_flash.html for more info.
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We had 3-18 year olds with us in a Palais Royal apartment through www.parisvacationapartments.com (probably too late to rent now) for 17 days. We had a ball. We used a guide service-Michael Osman for 3 days and the teens loved him and learned so much more about the city. After touring with him they could go anywhere on their own. Be sure they get out on the 21st if you are around then--it is a fantastic party for the young. We took a LONG day trip to Loire and a LONG-LONG day trip to the Dordogne (visited 2 caves)via train and used the services of www.accodispo-tours.com and allophilippetaxi.monsite.wanadoo.fr which the teens loved. Both services are essentially taxi drivers and Philippe made our reservations for the caves. It was better for us than renting a car as there were 7 of us in all. 2 weeks is not too much.
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