Parks in Paris with kids (by Robert)

[caption id="attachment_1201" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The rides were great fun at the Jardin D'Acclimation[/caption]

When you are on holiday as a family, it's always worth doing some research and finding local parks. Sometimes the kids just need to let off steam and it's a great way for them to do so. We were particularly lucky in Paris, because we found a few excellent places to visit. Here's Robert to tell you more...

In Paris my family and I went to two great parks. I liked one more than the other and this is why...

Jardin D'Acclimation

This park was amazing, right from the start, when we went on a little train to get there.

We came to the park. thinking it would be swings, slides and seesaws but we were wrong. The amazing place had everything, including a little farm/zoo. We saw goats, sheep and lots more.

There was also a mini fairground, full of carousels and carnival games from throwing to rolling. My favourite bit of the fairground was the rides, especially the ones which went up, down, back and forwards. I especially liked the Alice in Wonderland ride because it was fast and went in different directions - you even went down a drop backwards.

In the park there were also forest adventures, climbing, trampolining and much more.

Jardin du Luxembourg, or the Luxembourg Gardens

This is the second largest public park in Paris. It was very beautiful and had shows and pony rides. There were also these cool swings where you could go really high, and which you would not find in most other places. The only problem was that you had to pay for everything including the basic slides and swings. You had to pay for the Jardin d'Acclimation too, but you would expect to pay for fairground rides. Although this park was nice, it was wasn't as much fun.

We also walked through the Tuileries and I enjoyed that, particularly because there were sculptures in the park and you could actually go inside some of them.

There was a small park near Victor Hugo's house in the Place des Vosges and it was fun too, with equipment to climb on. But it wasn't the kind of place you could spend a lot of time at.

[caption id="attachment_1204" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The small park on the Place des Voges[/caption]

All the parks in Paris were fun but half of them were just like the ones you could find anywhere else. If you go to Paris with kids I would recommend going to the Jardin d'Acclimatation and for the grown ups I would recommend the Tuileries.

More by me Doctor Johnson's house and  Cadbury World.

Read a full account of our trip to Paris!

We've teamed up with the lovely Mari of Mari's World for some time travelling...

 

Parks in Paris with kids (by Robert)

At the Jardin D'Acclimation

When you are on holiday as a family, it's always worth doing some research and finding local parks. Sometimes the kids just need to let off steam and it's a great way for them to do so. We were particularly lucky in Paris, because we found a few excellent places to visit. Here's Robert to tell you more...

In Paris my family and I went to two great parks. I liked one more than the other and this is why...

Jardin d'Acclimatation

This park was amazing, right from the start, when we went on a little train to get there.

We came to the park. thinking it would be swings, slides and seesaws but we were wrong. The amazing place had everything, including a little farm/zoo. We saw goats, sheep and lots more.

There was also a mini fairground, full of carousels and carnival games from throwing to rolling. My favourite bit of the fairground was the rides, especially the ones which went up, down, back and forwards. I especially liked the Alice in Wonderland ride because it was fast and went in different directions - you even went down a drop backwards.
In the park there were also forest adventures, climbing, trampolining and much more.


Read more »

No 1 Royal Crescent - By Jessica

It's cold outside, but when we went to Bath, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and everyone was smiling - it was, to put it simply, beautiful. After a visit to the world famous baths, mum and I decided to take the sightseeing bus to No 1 Royal Crescent, a Georgian town house. This is what I thought...

The bus ride in itself was slightly boring, and much less interesting about the bus ride in Bristol. The bus smelt disgusting and instead of having a real tour guide, you had to plug in earphones and listen to some uninformative commentary. Although Bath probably has some amazing sights and facts to learn about, I definitely didn't get the impression of it from the bus. Plus, the bus sped by the sights really quickly, and we found it hard to spot what the audio-guide was talking about.

When we arrived at No 1 Royal Crescent, I was instantly struck by the absolutely incredible buildings and landscape. The green grass stretched out for miles, and the identical houses looked charming. We were greeted outside by friendly people in costume and, once inside, were given a booklet with a few key facts about the different rooms in the house.
Built between 1767 and 1774,  it was the first house built in the crescent, and is a Grade 2 building. I definitely think that it looks brilliant. It was stunning on the inside and outside, and I couldn't wait to start walking around.

First we watched a brief video introduction, before walking into the first room. It was exquisitely decorated, but you could only stand in a section of it, and was not interactive at all. The short, undetailed information in our booklet was not really enough to give us a good idea of what happened there.

The dining room

After a few more rooms, we entered the dining room, which was definitely the highlight of the museum. The table was set out with various dishes, and a well-informed and enthusiastic lady talked us through the various aspects of mealtimes. I found it fascinating,

We went through lots more rooms, which all looked  wonderful, but I wasn't being particularly enthused by much of it. I can only remember one fact, that servants were seen and not heard, so they entered through different doors to the owners of the house.

Most of the volunteers knew lots about the house, and were ready to tell you everything. However, some were not as familiar with the history, and the rooms felt awkward when they were in there with you. I definitely would have liked to learn more facts, so I think the introductory booklet we were given should really be more detailed, or information should be up on the walls. On the other hand, I enjoyed looking at some of the items in the house, including a lice comb for the lady of the house to scratch her head with, and the "cabinet of curiosities" which contained a dog tooth bag.

For only ten rooms and two galleries, No 1 Royal Crescent was quite a short place to visit, although it was fun. For a Georgian house, it looked pretty special but, it didn't seem that different to other historic houses I've visited. It was interesting, but I didn't find it particularly memorable. That might be my fault, but it hasn't really stuck with me.

6/10

(My mum says she enjoyed it more than me, possibly because she is more of a fan of museums and stateley homes!)

 

More by me:

Visiting the Sally Lunn teahouse in Bath

A brilliant time at Buckingham Palace

No 1 Royal Crescent - By Jessica

It's cold outside, but when we went to Bath, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and everyone was smiling - it was, to put it simply, beautiful. After a visit to the world famous baths, mum and I decided to take the sightseeing bus to No 1 Royal Crescent, a Georgian town house. This is what I thought...

The bus ride in itself was slightly boring, and much less interesting about the bus ride in Bristol. The bus smelt disgusting and instead of having a real tour guide, you had to plug in earphones and listen to some uninformative commentary. Although Bath probably has some amazing sights and facts to learn about, I definitely didn't get the impression of it from the bus. Plus, the bus sped by the sights really quickly, and we found it hard to spot what the audio-guide was talking about.

When we arrived at No 1 Royal Crescent, I was instantly struck by the absolutely incredible buildings and landscape. The green grass stretched out for miles, and the identical houses looked charming. We were greeted outside by friendly people in costume and, once inside, were given a booklet with a few key facts about the different rooms in the house.

Read more »

The Eiffel Tower - with our tips for visiting with kids

Before we went to Paris, we read an article on what you absolutely "must" do. It also had some tips on what you shouldn't do - what you could leave out without it affecting your trip. One of these was the Eiffel Tower.

I wish I could find the author of that piece and tell him straight. If you're in Paris, particularly with kids, you have to visit the Tour Eiffel. Otherwise, there's just no point being there. This may not be true if it's a place you come to often, but if it's your first time, then it's a must!

When my son asked if we could go to Paris. He said it was because he really wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower. Doesn't that say it all? Once the tallest building in the world (it's over 300 metres high) it's a brilliant place, with the most remarkable views. The word is often used, but this really is iconic.

We were very fortunate that we visited on a beautiful Autumn day, with a clear blue sky. We had also booked in advance and I can't stress how vital this is. As we neared the tower, we saw the queues snaking around and around. But there was literally no queue at all for us, with our pre-booked tickets. We simply walked through security and were in the lift after about, ooh, five minutes.

If you are with kids, you really won't want to hang around for hours before going up the Tower, so this is my main piece of advice. It was the only thing we pre-booked for our entire trip.

 We had booked to go all the way to the top, and you should definitely do this. Otherwise, if you (or your kids) decide that they want to go up another level while you are inside, you will have to queue again (sigh). The views at the top are also so brilliant. When you come down again to level 2, it actually feels quite near to the ground.

Of course, you can always walk, and many would recommend this, though probably not with young children. We decided the lift was a better option than hundreds of steps! We only walked between the two small parts of level 2.

Going up in the lift is a bit of a squash, but it only takes a minute or so before you are on the second level (the first level has a restaurant, but no one got out when we stopped there). We quickly took the lift up again to the top, although there was about a 15 minute queue for this, which would presumably be longer at busy times, such as the summer. If you are travelling with kids, this would be a good time to give them a snack/game/your phone to play with.

The Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for the World Exhibition in 1889. It's made out of 12,000 iron pieces, and at the time it was the tallest structure in the world (this title remained until the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930), but it was meant to be a temporary one. There were contemporary complaints that this huge "object" was not a suitable fit for Parisian architecture, but luckily those complaints are long gone. It is, instead, a symbol of the city, able to be seen from so many angles.

Despite the people at the top, many drinking a celebratory glass of champagne, we didn't feel rushed or hurried. It was, simply, beautiful.

After walking around the top, we did the same on level 2 where there are souvenir shops and food outlets. You may experience some pester power here, but there are some affordable things in the shops. Be warned also, that you may have to queue for the lift back down again.

We really loved our visit, from the walk from Bir-Hakeim metro station, across a small park, to the shadow of the Tower we could see reflected in the Seine. Paris without the Eiffel Tower? Unthinkable.

We pre-booked our tickets, which cost 14.5 Euros per adult and 10 Euros for children. We thought this was pretty good value.

Our tips for visiting the Eiffel Tower:

1) Do it!

2) Book in advance, and when you arrive, look for the signs for "Entree Visiteurs Avec Reservation" (Visitors with Reservations).

3) Go all the way to the top

4) Dress up warmly

5) Take your camera and video!

6) Go at night if you can or watch the sunset (we didn't do this, but know it would have been magnificent)

7) Don't rush it - take your time going round

8) Look around the base of the Tower too - the architecture is extremely impressive

9) If you want a brilliant view of the Tower afterwards (although there are many in Paris), walk over to the Trocadero afterwards and get snap happy.

10) The Tower lights up at night, for around five minutes each hour. Try to be outside to see this while you are in Paris. We saw it from Montmartre and it was fabulous.

Watch our video of going to Paris!

The Eiffel Tower - with our tips for visiting with kids

Before we went to Paris, we read an article on what you absolutely "must" do. It also had some tips on what you shouldn't do - what you could leave out without it affecting your trip. One of these was the Eiffel Tower.

I wish I could find the author of that piece and tell him straight. If you're in Paris, particularly with kids, you have to visit the Tour Eiffel. Otherwise, there's just no point being there. This may not be true if it's a place you come to often, but if it's your first time, then it's a must!

When my son asked if we could go to Paris. He said it was because he really wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower. Doesn't that say it all? Once the tallest building in the world (it's over 300 metres high) it's a brilliant place, with the most remarkable views. The word is often used, but this really is iconic.

We were very fortunate that we visited on a beautiful Autumn day, with a clear blue sky. We had also booked in advance and I can't stress how vital this is. As we neared the tower, we saw the queues snaking around and around. But there was literally no queue at all for us, with our pre-booked tickets. We simply walked through security and were in the lift after about, ooh, five minutes.

If you are with kids, you really won't want to hang around for hours before going up the Tower, so this is my main piece of advice. It was the only thing we pre-booked for our entire trip.

Read more »

We've been to Paris (and made a video!)

Did you guess where we spent last week? We put some clues on our Facebook page, and also in the post below, and the answer is... Paris!

We had a great time in this beautiful (but very expensive!) European city and will be writing more about our travels over the next few weeks. We especially loved going right up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and were lucky enough to do so on a beautiful day, as you can see from the picture above.


The children made a video of our trip, and if you can excuse the shaky camera, please take a look and see what we got up to. And please leave us any comments too.

Thank you.

We've been to Paris (and made a video!)

Did you guess where we spent last week? We put some clues on our Facebook page, and also in the post below, and the answer is... Paris!

We had a great time in this beautiful (but very expensive!) European city and will be writing more about our travels over the next few weeks. We especially loved going right up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and were lucky enough to do so on a beautiful day, as you can see from the picture above.

Read more »

We've been away, but where?

This statue is of a famous monarch

We're lucky enough to have been on holiday during half-term. But where do you think we've been?

Here a few clues, all pictures from the city we very much enjoyed visiting.

Isn't this beautiful? We were delighted to see a rainbow in the fountain at this palace...

We'll let you know where we went soon, but if you have any thoughts, please put them below.

Thanks!

We also saw a statue of a very famous British Prime Minister

 We think this thinker is the one which will give it away!

UPDATE: The answer is....Paris! Please see our new post for more.

We've been away, but where?

This statue is of a famous monarch

We're lucky enough to have been on holiday during half-term. But where do you think we've been?

Here a few clues, all pictures from the city we very much enjoyed visiting.

Isn't this beautiful? We were delighted to see a rainbow in the fountain at this palace...

We'll let you know where we went soon, but if you have any thoughts, please put them below.

Thanks!

Read more »