Last week, I shared Part I of our weekend adventure in Paris and today, I’m sharing Part II, including my love for French department stores, Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower, and more.
How to Spend a Weekend in Paris with Young Kids, Part II
You can read Part I, including Les Halles, Le Marais, Marché des Enfants Rouges, Tuileries Garden, Palais Royal, and The Louvre, here.
A Weekend in Paris, Part II: French Department Stores, Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower, and More
The Best Shopping in Paris
French Department Stores
The next day in Paris, we went shopping! I am in love with French department stores, and made it a priority to visit at least one this trip. If you’ve never been to a French department store and you love shopping, you must visit at least one department store on your visit to Paris. Some of my favorite French department stores include Lafayette Paris Haussmann, Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, and Printemps. I especially love discovering new-to-me brands as the buyers at the Paris department stores have an unmatched ability to source absolutely gorgeous clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories.
This trip in particular, we were able to spend a lot of time at Lafayette Paris Haussmann and we absolutely loved our visit there. This department store is made up of 7 floors of gorgeous and unique merchandise, colorful displays, and boasts some of the most incredible 360° views of Paris. (More on that below.)
I fell in love with the kids clothing brand Sergent Major and bought the girls a few dresses and cardigans for spring, there is a huge childrens’ toy department that the girls had a wonderful time shopping in (and choosing their own Calico Critters from), and there is also a Gourmet food hall, so many great restaurants, and even a decadent French bakery, making French department stores the perfect pit stop for families traveling to Paris with young kids.
The rooftop views from the top of Lafayette Paris Haussmann – the rooftop Terrasse – of Paris absolutely took my breath away.
It was such an incredible experience viewing Paris with such a birds-eye view, and our kids absolutely loved feeling the wind on their faces and looking out over the city. Bonus: it’s totally free to visit the rooftop at the top of Lafayette Paris Haussmann.
Vintage Street Shopping
Notably, around the major department stores are often daily vintage shopping markets that are pretty unrivaled in terms of all of the eclectic and unique finds being sold on the little tables temporarily set up just outside the shops.
Our Favorite Macarons
Wander all of the incredible vintage wares and pick up a box of macarons from Pierre Hermé or Ladurée.
Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées, a.k.a., the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, is home to a huge variety of luxury shopping, and chain stores (think Zara, the Disney Store, H&M), cafes, and theaters. The famous avenue stretches between Place Charles de Gaulle – where you’ll find the Arc de Triomphe – and Place de la Concorde. This is a fun, albeit busy area because the views and shopping are both equally iconic.
High end designer stores like Louis Vuitton also regularly decorate in big, over-the-top art installations that make the views all the more incredible. When we visited in the Spring, an enormous sculpture or artist Yayoi Kusama had been erected on rue du Pont Neuf, between the headquarters of Maison Louis Vuitton and La Samaritaine in honor of the fashion accessories created by LVMH for the capsule collection with the artist.
The Eiffel Tower
We took the girls to see the Eiffel Tower, on the Champs de Mars in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, though we decided not to actually try to go up into it. Seeing the Eiffel Tower “in real life” was plenty exciting for our kids, and of course, we snapped all of the fun pictures and got warm crepes nearby.
After that, we walked along the Pont Alexandre III, where you can still get such great views of the Eiffel Tower.
Sacré-Cœur
Though we ran out of time, we’d also heard that Sacré-Cœur is a really stunning place to visit. Sacré-Cœur sits atop the Butte Montmarte, and has one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the capital. Montmarte is also in a lovely neighborhood with plenty of shopping and dining all around.
And there you have it: how to spend a weekend in Paris with young kids. Have you been to Paris? Did you love it? Any plans to travel to Paris with family in the future?
Head back to the beginning→ How to Spend a Weekend in Paris with Young Kids, Part I, including Les Halles, Le Marais, Marché des Enfants Rouges, Tuileries Garden, Palais Royal, and The Louvre.
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