Hi All!
Going on our first trip to Paris for the upcoming 4 day weekend and just wondering if anyone knows if Paris is "stroller friendly". I know many other places are cobblestoned in Europe and aren't worth the trouble with a stroller. Thought I'd bring one along if a kid gets tired.
Also, if you have any other good tips about seeing Paris with preschoolers, please pass them on.
Thanks!
Well we took 2 umbrella strollers to Paris. (one for each kid age 2&3) The strollers were great for stowing on the train and getting around town. We walked a lot. We only had a little trouble with Metro stairs. Sometimes the escalators were out of order and they were VERY narrow staircases straight UP to get out to the street! Some of the Metro entrances were attended and had a stroller entrance, which was great. Some were not attended and had no access door! It was difficult to get the stroller, kid, and adult through the turnstile together. Some friendly Parisians would see we were having trouble and open up the exit door from the other side so we could go through! If you needed to make a train change there was always LOTS of stairs up and down to get through. We learned NOT to take the Metro near the Champs-De-Elysse during rush hour time when its raining- VERY crowded. It scared the kids a bit being so crammed in the train.
Anyhow, if you go and have a kid that doesnt like to walk all day, TAKE A UMBRELLA STROLLER to Paris!! The tall McClarens or European umbrella strollers are great so you don't break your back hunched over on the short American style umbrella strollers!
We are off to England and Austria next!!
Cheers!!
K.
Yes!! I brought my stroller for my then 22 month old and she slept through the whole Louvre! Priceless!!
You will definitely want a stroller there and perhaps a backpack carrier if you have a younger child. We went when our kids were 4 and 18 months and ended up buying a backpack carrier for the 18 mo old at a mall in Paris and let the 4 yr old ride in the stroller when he got tired...we got an umbrella stroller as it was easier to fold up when using the Metro. If your kids are train-crazy like mine, be sure to keep a good hold on them as my son (4 at the time) jumped on one and took off while I had my back turned, helping my husband who was stuck in the turnstile thing with the stroller, diaper bag and 18 mo old! Thankfully the train employees found him at the next stop and we got our son back. AHHHHH. Not to scare you, but just be aware of the fast pace and excited kids! :)
Also we went at Thanksgiving time and I really want to go back in the spring/summer when there are supposed to be lots of great things for kids in the parks - marionette shows and carousels, ice cream, people watching...Look up on Ricksteves.com for some ideas and other Paris websites! Rick Steves has ideas on stuff to do with kids.
Have fun! We are also in the Kaiserslautern area.
I would say that yes Paris is a very stroller friendly place. The sidewalks are very wide for the most part and there are not that many stairs. Except the louvre however they always have elevators right next to them. I live in Italy and it is not friendly for strollers. hope this helps.
We spent the weekend in Paris in May 2004 and loved it! We were child-less at the time.
You can buy bus passes that will literally take you all over the city. You hop on and off at the sights you want to see.
We got the information from the embassy when we were there and the bus picked us up just out front of the bldg.
Have a great time!
S.
You can take a stroller but just be aware that there are a lot of steps in and out of the metro (subway). So you will need one you can fold up and carry easily or two people to carry it up and down the steps. Otherwise, it is great to have because as with most places in Europe, there is a lot of walking.
Some parts are. If you have a jogging-type stroller that would be best. Go to the Jardin du Luxembourg it has great playgrounds and a puppet show. There should be at least one carousel as well. Plus beautiful gardens. Also you might try the forest that is in the middle of the city I think it's the Bois? Can't remember the name. A great museum is the Rodin because it's small and interesting and has a great grounds with sculpture. Also they would like the Centre de Pompidou, very colorful and unusual to look at. I would skip the Louvre with then--it's over-crowded and hard to navigate with so many people. You will wait in line for everything for long periods of time and your kids will go bananas. At least mine would! I have not done one of the boat rides (Bateau Mouche) but have heard they're fun and I bet little kids would like it.
Have a great trip!
Euro Disney is there. Not sure what you are wanting to do but Im sure that would be fun for them. My friend took her 3 year old and 5 year old to it in Feb. and they loved it. Hope this helps.
K.,
I would have to say that we just went to Paris over Spring Break with a 9 year old and a 1 year old. We were able to find a stroller that turns into a backpack. This worked out great, given the fact that not all places were stroller friendly. If you go to any of the major attractions there is really no place to put them, and you end up getting stuck on little elevators in most of the places you go to visit and can't see everything when using a stroller. I hope this helps, and you are able to enjoy Paris.
~K. P
The streets in Paris are definitely stroller friendly. The metro system however is NOT. We took an umbrella and it would not go through the gates and there are almost always stairs to get down onto the platforms. The museums were great with a stoller but you can not obviously take it up the Eiffel tower. Good luck and have a good trip.
Okay, my kids are 9 and almost 6, so I haven't actually used a stroller in Paris, but I think it might be difficult. I don't remember as many cobblestones as we have here in NL, but we took lots of stairs, especially on the metro. If you take one, I would take something light and easy to fold and carry. There are a couple of companies that have sightseeing tours that you can buy one or two day passes for and you can get on and off at all the stops, spend time at a sight and get back on the next bus that comes. That would save some of the walking. My 5yo walked all day in Paris and did really well, but when he finally had to go to the bathroom (2) it became a desperate need and we made it to a bathroom but just barely and later that night he had a bad accident. I think all the walking really loosened him up. I think I'd consider one of those tour services with younger kids. Either way, you'll love it. Have now been twice and would go back as many times as possible. Thought I'd be dissapointed after all the hype it gets, but it truly is a beautiful city. And the people are much friendlier than they are given credit for. Both trips to Versailles, we were asked by locals if we were American and they told us welcome and enjoy your time here. Versailles has a wonderful outdoor market on Sundays if you can make it.
Absolutely! My husband and I took our son when he was 1.5 to Paris and we definitetly took our stroller! AND BOY was I glad we did. We made extensive use of the public transport and we never had any issues. People were very understanding of the space we took up and were often helpful. Have a wonderful time in Paris! =)
Yes it is......and I did take my jogger onto the Eiffel Tower!
I took my double jogging stroller to Paris 3 years ago and didn't have a problem even on the cobble stones. Now, obviously it did get tight in some places on the sidewalks, but the most part people were helpful and it was completely doable.
A.
