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We recently went on a family trip to France and had such a great time! Although this was my 3rd trip to France in the last 14 months, it was actually my first time making the trip with my husband and 4-year-old daughter (her first ever international trip)! From our perspective, we went “all out” for this trip. I know that “all out” can mean different things for different people, but we purchased the plane tickets last May and consistently saved money after each paycheck to put towards this trip. We wanted to be able to enjoy ourselves and say “yes” to all the fun things the city had in store.

When I say family trip, I want to mention that this was a REAL family trip. Our family traveled alongside my sister’s family (2 adults and 4 children) and my brother’s family (2 adults). My first cousin and his family (2 adults and 2 children) even met us for part of the trip as well. The benefit of traveling as a group is that we were able to save a little money by splitting costs for things like tours and taxis.

Want to know everything we did in France with this many kids and how much it all cost? Keep reading! Just want to see the exact dollar amount we spent? Scroll to the bottom.

6 Day and 5 Nights in France – Itinerary

Day 0/1 – Travel Day Overnight

We had a 10:20 PM EST British Airways flight out of Atlanta and landed in Paris at 3:30 PM CET the next day. We had a short layover in London. We booked basic economy flights which meant we were assigned our seats a few days before our flight AND our fare did not include checked luggage. We each traveled with a backpack and a carry-on suitcase.

I was shocked with how well our daughter did on the flight. This was her first time on a long-haul flight and she slept for most of it. Here’s what we requested from the airline and what we had on hand for her!

• We requested a kid’s meal ahead of time. Kids meals are the first meals to come out on the plane which meant she had an appealing and nutritionally balanced meal about 30 minutes after takeoff. She was fed and full before we even received our adult meals.
• Her own kids sized backpack stashed with snacks, kid-friendly headphones (bluetooth and wired for the plane TV), a sketch pad, and markers.
• A kids size eye mask and travel pillow. Having the eye mask was the real MVP. Our daughter typically sleeps in pitch black darkness so having the eye mask (combined with the hum of the plane) helped her fall asleep quickly (and stay asleep).

Shop Travel Supplies

Luggage

My husband and I traveled with Away carry-on suitcases that we borrowed from my in-laws. If you’re looking for a nice checked luggage size I recommend one from monos.

Our daughter traveled with a slightly smaller carry-on suitcase.

Space saver travel bags were also a game changer for us. Being able to remove the extra air from our clothing meant we had ample space to fit all of our clothing.

We booked a taxi from the airport to our first hotel, at Marriott’s Village d’ile-de-France near Disneyland Paris where we booked a two-bedroom townhome. The two-bedroom townhome is two stories with a full kitchen, living room with sleeper sofa, dining area, washer and dryer, two bedrooms (1 king, and 1 with two twins), two full bathrooms, and one half bathroom. This hotel is about a 45-minute car ride from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Once we arrived and checked into our hotel we ordered Uber Eats for dinner and settled in for the night.

When traveling, don’t forget your travel adapter and converter to charge all of your electronics. If your child uses a sound machine consider bringing a cordless rechargagble one with you.

Day 2 – Lunch In the City

Day two was a slow day for us. We wanted to make sure we allowed time to adjust to the time change and get a little rest. We shopped at the market at our resort and bought a frozen quiche which we cooked in our room for breakfast and then headed into the city via the RER line for our activity for the day.

Our activity for the day was lunch at Korus, a multi-course Michelin guide restaurant. My sister and I ate here during our sister trip to Paris last January and loved it so much we had to bring our family back with us to enjoy. And yes… you heard that right we planned our entire day around lunch – I think this is a perfect introduction into how much of our travel is structured around mealtimes.

All the adults opted for the €77, 7-course lunch and the chef specially prepared a €35 3-course meal for the kids.. It was worth every penny and one thing I love about restaurants like this is that the menu is different every day and you’re at the mercy of the (very talented) chef.

If you plan to visit you 100% need to make a reservation. If you have any food allergies or aversions (or if you have children with you or a big group) make sure you note this on the reservation so that they can accommodate you and your needs.

This was our only real activity for the day. We spent the rest of our day hanging out and then ordered Uber Eats for dinner.

Day 3 – Disneyland Paris

We spent the bulk of our day at Disneyland Paris. We knew that the kids would enjoy a day of pure fun and I’ll admit, the adults enjoyed it too.

We purchased the 1-day dated park tickets and we visited Disneyland Park (one of 2 parks on site). We arrived about 45 minutes before the gates opened. Although our day started with short lines the lines did get longer over the course of the day. The longest lines we stood in were for Peter Pan Flight and the Dumbo Ride (both at about an hour each).

Our family did have matching crew neck sweatshirts and hoodies! We purchased the blank sweatshirts from Threadsy and I used my cricut and heat transfer vinyl to add the design to the shirts!

Some thoughts on Disneyland Paris:

• You can’t beat the food and souvenir prices here! If you want Disney merch and magical food I found that it was much more affordable here than it would be in the states.
• The park isn’t as magical as Disneyworld in Florida. It’s a great park but lower your expectations when it comes to the “magic”.
• Pin trading isn’t really a thing here. There’s only 1 or 2 stores that sell pens and we didn’t see any imagineers wearing them.
• Take advantage of the single rider lines for the roller coasters. If you aren’t riding with a big group and are okay riding without a friend or family member you can generally reduce your wait time by half.
• Make sure you visit the dragon in the dungeon of sleeping beauty’s castle! It’s insanely realistic and was a great attraction.
• The Lion King show is a MUST. Get in line early because the line reaches capacity quickly.

Day 4 – Hotel Change, Paris Proper

Day 4 of the trip brought us into the official city of Paris. The first half of the trip was all about the kids and having plenty of so the second half of the trip was more about exploring the city and prioritizing the adults a little bit more.

We took a taxi from our resort and transferred to the Residence Inn Paris Didot Montparnasse in the 14th Arrondissement area of the city. We booked a one-bedroom suite with a balcony. This room has a single bathroom, full kitchen, living room with a pull-out sofa, and a private bedroom with a King Bed. It’s a great room for a family (or group) of four.

While we waited to check in we had lunch at Kim Ly, a Vietnamese restaurant just down the street from our hotel. They specialize in Bò bún. This restaurant is a hidden gem.

After checking in we rushed to our first official activity of the day, A family walking tour! This tour was great for our group. It’s aimed at children ages 6-12 but was enjoyed by your youngest (age 3) to our oldest, (age 38). The pace was perfect for all the little legs in our group and helped the kids experience a fun and educational way to explore the city.

After our walking tour we took the train over to Arc de Triomphe for our Dinner Bus Tour with Bustronome. This might have been my favorite thing that we did while on this trip (it’s a tie with the Catacombs – more about this on Day 5).

The Bustronome Bus Dinner tour was one of the most creative and enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had while on vacation. Yes, it is SUPER touristy but I mean, it was also super fun. We had a 6-course meal inside a double-decker, glass-top bus! We traveled by bus and saw 19 of the most popular sites in Paris including Notre Dame, the Louvre, the d’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, and of course, the Eiffel Tower where we arrived just in time to get out and take pictures as it lit up at the 10 PM hour. We called it the bougie bus tour and I mean that in the best way possible. We loved it and I hope to do the Bustronome tour in London sometime as well.

Day 5 – Catacombs and Photo shoot/tour

Like I mentioned previously, the Catacombs are tied with the Bustronome Bus tour for my favorite activity of our trip and I would recommend that if you’re visiting Paris you need to make time for this activity. The entire visit to the catacombs was about an hour. It was a little “intense” so we decided to leave the little ones at home and take my oldest niece (9 years old with us). We walked about a mile inside the tunnels and in addition to walking in the tunnels there are long staircases down and up (roundly 120 stairs down and then again up to get out). It’s dark, damp, and chilly, and obviously a little morbid but it was really cool to learn about the history of the tunnels and why the city decided to use the tunnels as a mass burial site.

The catacomb tickets book up quickly so you will need to book your tickets in advance. Tickets go on sale exactly 7 days ahead of the booking time. So depending on your time zone you might need to purchase tickets in the middle of the night. You will not be able to walk up and buy tickets the day of your visit.

After the catacombs, we headed to lunch at [insert restaurant name] to meet up with a friend we met on our recent trip to Nice, France.

After lunch, my husband and daughter met up with me and we headed to our final tour of the trip, Paris with a Photographer: Stroll, Taste, Click, which is a walking tour of the Montmartre area of the city. Our guide, Joao Luiz, runs such a unique tour where he gives you small tidbits about this area of town while capturing photos of you and your family. I love it because it was the best of both worlds. We got to see a fun area of the city while also getting a mini photo shoot. After the tour, Joao guarantees at least 25 high definition photos for you to download and use as you please! We wanted to make a lot of food stops so he customized the tour for us to ensure my husband got to try some freshly shucked Mediterranean oysters.

After our tour, we headed back to the hotel to pack to rest and then started to pack for our flight home the next day.

We decided that we wanted to have a family dinner with just the 3 of us for the last night so we made a reservation ahead of time for Bistrotters, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant. Bistrotters was just a 10-minute walk from our hotel and although we had to do the walk, with a 4-year-old, in the rain, it was 100% worth the visit. William and I opted for the 3-course meal, and the chef prepared child portions of the menu for our daughter. It was a perfect culinary conclusion to our trip. Bistrotters only has 25 seats so a reservation is required ahead of your visit.

Day 6 – Travel Day back to Atlanta

Our final day of the trip was a travel day back home. We had a relatively early flight, so we were up early to be ready for our 6:00 AM Taxi.

We were unsure if our continental breakfast would be ready before we left so I went grocery shopping the night before at the local market to grab some eggs and yogurt for us to have for breakfast.

After a quick breakfast, we took a taxi to the airport and boarded our flight! We flew from CDG to MIA and then MIA to Atlanta. Lunch and snacks were included on our long-haul flight. We stopped and grabbed takeout for dinner on our way home to enjoy before getting some much-needed sleep.

Looking back on our incredible journey through Paris, Disneyland, and the Catacombs, I’m just so grateful for the laughs, the adventures, and the amazing food we got to enjoy! From fancy meals to exploring hidden gems, every moment was a reminder of how awesome it is to travel with family. I hope our trop inspires you to go on your own French adventure and make memories that’ll stick with you forever. See you again soon, Paris!

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Total Cost and Breakdown for our Family of 3: $5,610.35

Our trip came out to an average of $1,870.12 per person. See the full breakdown below.

Flights: $1,698.75 – Round Trip on British Airways 

• $566.25 per person

Hotels: $1,429.02

• $892.90 – 3 Nights at Marriott’s Village d’ile-de-France (We billed our groceries, shuttle tickets, and hotel dinner to the room so those extras are included in this total)
• $536.12 – 2 Nights at Residence Inn Paris Didot Montparnasse

Matching Hoodies: $60

• Purchased Blank Items from Threadsy

Disneyland Paris: $251.09 – 1 Park 1 Day Dated Tickets

• $171.36 – 2 Adult Tickets
• $79.73 – 1 Child Ticket

Tours: $843.22

• $332.58 – With Locals 2 Hour Walking Tour with Family Photos
• $352.00 – Bustro Nome 2 Hour 45 Minute Bus Tour with 6 Course Meal (3 course for kids) & Drinks
• $127.50 – 2 Hours Family Friendly Walking Tour
• $31.14 – Self Guided Catacombs Tour (1 adult)

Transportation and Parking: $444.76

• Airport to Hotel: $71.22
• Hotel to Disney: $10.17
• Hotel to Hotel: $81.18
• Hotel to Airport: $74.70
• Uber (that I ended up having to cancel): $7.77
• RATP Public Transportation: $96.72
• Airport Parking: $103 (I accidentally pre-paid for an extra day)

Food: $883.51

• Day 0
  • Dinner: Dinner on the plane
• Day 1
  • Breakfast: Breakfast on the Plane
  • Lunch:  Due to the weird time change we didn’t eat lunch we just snacked on food we packed and had an early dinner. 
  • Dinner from Big Fernand Hamburgers (Uber Eats): $73.80
• Day 2
  • Breakfast: Leek Quiche and yogurt from the resort grocery store (see hotel note).
  • Lunch at Korus: $291.30 Two 7 Course prefix meals and one kids 2 course meal plus drinks.
  • Dinner from Warsi Pakistani Restaurant (Uber Eats): $81.87
• Day 3
  • Breakfast: Goat Cheese Quiche and Yogurt from the resort grocery store (see hotel note).
  • Snacks at Disneyland: 1 Crepe and 1 Bottle of Water (we also brought our own snacks and water with us in our bag) $15.10
  • Lunch at McDonalds: $33.88
  • Dinner: Hotel Restaurant Delivered to Hotel Room (See hotel note).
• Day 4:
  • Breakfast: Leek Quiche and yogurt from the resort grocery store (see hotel note).
  • Lunch at Kim Ly Vietnamese: 2 Bún bò $30.00
  • Snacks and coffee before Dinner: $11.60
  • Dinner: 6 Course Bus Tour Meal (see Tours section above).
• Day 5
  • Breakfast: Continental Breakfast at hotel (included with room)
  • Lunch for Lauren at LE BAR BAC: $34.69
  • Lunch for my Daughter and Drinks at La Mere Catherine: $28.19
  • Oysters and Wine at the La Mascotte seafood bar during walking tour: $26.89 
  • Macarons at Dolcezza During Walking Tour: $4.77
  • Sandwich at Pain Pain During walking tour: $7.89
  • Two 3-Course meals, one 2-course children’s meal, and drinks for Dinner at Bistrotters: $168.04
• Day 6
  • Assorted breakfast items and snacks from Franprix grocery store: $28.30
  • Lunch: Lunch on the Airplane
  • Water Bottles at the Airport: $6.71
  • Dinner from Top Spice after landing in Atlanta: $40.48