Where to Stay in Paris with Kids

Where you stay in Paris with children matters more than where you stay as an adult. A good base puts a park within five minutes, a bakery on the corner, a metro line that reaches the big sights without changes and a quiet street at night. A bad one adds an hour of travel and a lot of tired legs to every day. The good news is that several of the best family areas are also among the most beautiful neighborhoods of Paris.

This guide compares the areas that work best for families, explains which suit toddlers, school-age children and teenagers, and lists the few areas to avoid. It does not recommend individual hotels; it shows you where to look. Every area here is a short ride from the routes on this site, including Paris with kids, Paris with toddlers and Paris with teens.

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The best areas to stay in Paris with kids

💡 Pro Tip

Stay near a metro line, not just a station

Look at which lines stop near the hotel. Line 1 runs from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées and the Bois de Vincennes, line 4 from the Gare du Nord through the islands to Montparnasse, and line 6 to the Eiffel Tower. One good line saves a change on every trip.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Latin Quarter and Luxembourg: the all-rounder

The 5th and 6th arrondissements are the easiest base for most families. The Luxembourg Gardens have a large fenced playground, pony rides, puppet shows and the toy sailboats children push across the Grand Bassin; the Jardin des Plantes has a small zoo, the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution and greenhouses. Both are within walking distance of Notre-Dame and the Seine.

The RER B runs from Luxembourg and Saint-Michel to both airports, which makes arrival and departure simple with luggage. Streets are lively in the day and quiet at night, and there are bakeries, crêperies and simple restaurants on every block.

It is also the best area for following the kids route on foot: the Jardin des Plantes and its zoo are Day 2, the Luxembourg is on the way home every evening, and the boats on the Seine are a short walk down the rue Saint-Jacques. With teenagers, the Catacombs at Denfert-Rochereau are two stops away on the RER B.

Around the Eiffel Tower: space to run

The 7th around the Champ de Mars is one of the calmest parts of central Paris, with wide avenues, the lawns and playgrounds under the Eiffel Tower and the boats on the Seine a few minutes away. The rue Cler, a pedestrian market street, is ideal for picnic shopping and easy dinners.

It is less lively in the evening than the Latin Quarter or the Marais, which many parents see as an advantage. Line 6, line 8 and the RER C serve the area. The neighboring 15th, just south, offers similar calm at often lower prices, with the Parc André-Citroën and its tethered balloon nearby.

Staying here makes the Eiffel Tower an easy morning: you can be at the foot of it for the first slot without a metro ride, and come back to the hotel for a rest before the afternoon. The Disneyland route spends its third day around the tower, the cruise and the Champ de Mars, which makes the 7th a natural base for it too.

The Marais: for older children and teenagers

The Marais is central, beautiful and full of life, with the Place des Vosges playground, ice-cream shops, falafel for easy lunches and shops that open on Sundays. It suits families with older children and teenagers who enjoy a lively neighborhood.

With toddlers it can be noisy in the evening, especially around the rue Vieille-du-Temple and the rue des Archives, and the narrow pavements are hard work with a stroller. For a family, a room on the courtyard side of the building, away from the street, is worth asking for.

For teenagers, though, the Marais is hard to beat. The Marais and east Paris route starts on the doorstep, the Musée Picasso and the free city museums are a few minutes away, and the Canal Saint-Martin and Belleville, with their street art, are a short metro ride north. Teenagers who would be bored in a quiet residential area are usually happy here.

Staying near Disneyland or the Bois de Boulogne

For a trip with a Disneyland day, a base near the Gare de Lyon or the Bastille puts you on the RER A, which runs straight to the park in about forty minutes. Some families spend their last night at Disneyland itself and take the TGV to Charles de Gaulle the next morning, since the two stations are on the same line.

Families with toddlers often prefer the 16th near the Bois de Boulogne: quiet residential streets, the Jardin d'Acclimatation with its small rides and farm, and the Jardin du Ranelagh. It is further from the center, but line 9 and line 1 bring you in quickly, and the evenings are as peaceful as anywhere in the city, with early bedtimes undisturbed by street noise.

Areas to avoid with children

• Pigalle and the boulevard de Clichy at night: lively, but with sex shops and late bars.
• The immediate surroundings of the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l'Est: busy, noisy and not pleasant after dark.
• Châtelet - Les Halles: very central but crowded, with a station that is a maze with a stroller.
• Far-out suburbs chosen only for price: the savings disappear in travel time with children.

💡 Pro Tip

Read the street, not just the district

Every arrondissement has quiet streets and noisy ones. Once you have chosen an area, check the hotel's exact street on a map: a side street a hundred meters from a boulevard is often far calmer than an address on the boulevard itself.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

Hotel or apartment with kids?

For a three-day trip, a hotel near a park is often the simplest choice; ask for a cot or an extra bed when you book, because Paris rooms are small and family rooms sell out first. For five days or more, or a family of five, an apartment gives you space and a kitchen.

💡 Pro Tip

Ask for a room above the first floor

Rooms on the ground and first floor of Paris buildings are noisier and darker. A higher floor, on the courtyard side, gives children a quieter night, and it is a free request when you book.

Pro tip by: Alesia Vakula

Travel expert and itinerary planning specialist

What to look for when you book

Whatever area you choose, a few details decide whether a family stay in Paris is easy or hard. Paris hotels are often in old buildings, and what is standard elsewhere is not always standard here.

• A lift. Many small hotels have one, but it is often tiny; check that a folded stroller and a suitcase fit, and ask if there are steps before the lift.
• Air conditioning in summer. Older hotels and many apartments have none, and a hot room ruins a child's sleep during a heatwave.
• A cot or extra bed confirmed in writing, since family rooms are few and sell out first.
• Breakfast included saves a morning search for a café with children waiting.
• Luggage storage on the day you leave, so that the last morning can be spent in a park rather than in the room.
• A pharmacy and a supermarket within a few minutes' walk: they are what you need most often with small children.

Finally, think about how you will arrive. From Charles de Gaulle with children and luggage, a base on the RER B in the Latin Quarter or a short taxi ride from the airport matters more than a famous address. From the Eurostar, the Gare du Nord is on line 4, which runs straight to the islands, Saint-Germain and Montparnasse.