2 Day Paris Travels with our Toddler!
While returning from a two-week trip to visit Adam in Bahrain we took a long layover (2 days) in Paris with Milo. Adam came with us for the Paris portion, and having a long stopover to to break up the flights was just what our little dude and mama needed. Flights from Bahrain to Paris are about 6 hours, and then flights from Paris back to Newark are another 8 hours on top of that, so this was a great interlude!
Our first day in Paris began with a taxi ride from the Charles de Gaulle airport to the Eiffel tower. We got caught in traffic en route, so the ride was doused with a Cocomelon soundtrack to keep little bubba happy. We arrived at the doorstep of the Eiffel tower and stopped by a nearby café to load up on the most delicious pastries. Then we lounged, ate, chased Milo between the tulips. Right beside the gardens at the base of the Eiffel Tower is a small, sandy playground fit for toddlers (literally), where Milo could actually climb and slide independently. This was AWESOME, and allowed for parents to take a more passive role at the playground and enjoy the giggles and epic sights simultaneously.
Next we took a stroll along the Beges de Seine (One of the many pedestrian walkways in Paris). We stopped in the Marché Saxe-Breteu, an open air market near the Eiffel Tower, and enjoyed the smells and snacks along the way! But the next highlight that we LOVED was visiting the Tuileries (the gardens outside the Louvre). This was a huge, meticulously groomed, and gorgeous garden complex that Milo could go crazy in. He loved collecting the rocks and we loved the greenery and flowers. A traveler could spend a whole day at this spot, and it came highly recommended by Adam’s boss. By the time we had gotten back to our Airbnb that night we had walked over 10 miles and were all beat. I wish I could say that we wined and dined the night away, but we in fact fell asleep within an hour of checking in and slept for a solid 12 hours, Milo included. It was perfect.
The next day began with early crepes near our AirBnB in the 2nd Arrondissement, off Rue de Clery, continued with a walk to Notre Dame and then a leisurely stroll along the Left Bank of the Seine until Milo fell asleep and we were able to enjoy a quiet sidewalk cafe lunch. Escargot was on the menu, and it was delicious. We even found another playground complete with dogs for Milo to play with, and then finished up with a romp through the Jardin des Plantes near the Sorbonne, which was actually the prettiest garden we saw the entire trip! After that was the moment we had been dreading, so we booked a cab, rode to the airport, and Adam saw us off before heading out to catch his own flight back to dusty Bahrain.
All in all Paris was wonderful. I don’t think I would consider it the most Toddler friendly city because of the heavy traffic and lack of public bathrooms, but still there were many Milo friendly spots along the way.
Favorite things to do in Paris:
1. Parks! Especially parks near traditional Parisian sights.
2. Gardens
Jardin des Plantes
3. Cafes (any of them)
4. Pedestrian Streets
Rue des Rosiers for the extravagants
Rue Montorgueil for history buffs
5. The gorgeous architecture and just spending the day walking the entire city.
Milo’s favorites of Paris:
1. Playgrounds: Miniaturized playgrounds that he as an 18 month old could traverse independently. And playground dogs!
2. Running in the Tuileries.
3. Pastries with fruit on top!
Bloopers:
1. Not being well dressed for Paris. So much colder than Bahrain!
2. Lack of child-friendly seating in restaurants. Paris is a compact city where there are tons of children, but as a parent restaurants do not seem as equipped to have kids.
3. Off limits grass. This may seem like an odd thing to note but amidst the gorgeous gardens of Paris, the grass was frequently off limits to maintain the pretty appearance. For adults this isn’t anything to take note of, but for a tiny human like Milo we continuously had to corral him away from the spots he was most accustomed to running through in the U.S.
4. Lack of public bathrooms makes it challenging to discreetly change a toddler in diapers. Or to pee.
Tiny Treks 