Planning a trip to Paris with teenagers and want some ideas of what to do in Paris with teens? Keep scrolling to check out this list of awesome things to do in Paris with teens that they will actually love!
This list of amazing things to do in Paris with teens was co-written by family travel expert Marcie Cheung and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
Guest post by Jessica Sanders
Planning a trip to Paris with teens and tweens?
Our family spend two weeks in Paris with an 18-year-old, 15-year-old, and 12-year-old and we made memories to last a lifetime! It was each of our first time traveling to Europe and the perfect “starter course” for us.
As we dive into our Paris with teens’ top picks, it’s important to note that we flew to Paris from Salt Lake City overnight. We slept during our entire flight but the time change was significant and jet lag lingered for several days.
Keep reading for our hits and top picks in this detailed Paris with teens guide. We strolled through the city streets, rode the Metro, took two-day trips, and ate some amazing Parisian food.
Follow along below to see what we enjoyed in the City of Love to plan your epic Paris with tweens and teens vacation.
Don’t have time to read a bunch of Paris blog posts and reviews? Here are some of our top picks for visiting Paris with kids.
Popular Paris Tours/Activities
- Scavenger Hunt at the Musee d’Orsay (my kids voted this the BEST thing they did in Paris)
- Paris Food Tour (We ate SO many yummy treats on our Food Tour)
- Tootbus (this is a kid-friendly hop-on-hop-off bus)
- Eiffel Tower (skip the line and go straight to the top)
- Day Trip to Giverny and Versailles (it’s a great city break)
- Flytographer photo shoot (they are easy to book and really affordable)
Kid-Friendly Paris Hotels
- Hotel Aiglon (this is a quiet area near Luxembourg Garden, and it’s perfect for families)
- Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower Hotel (there’s a shuttle to Disneyland or Giverny from here)
- Newport Bay Club Resort (this is our favorite place to stay at Disneyland)
Paris with Teens: Museum Highlights
Museum options are near endless in a city that is truly a museum itself. I suggest putting a list together of museum options you think your teens will enjoy and allowing them to explore the museum websites and/or Instagram accounts to narrow it down further before your trip.
Louvre Museum
One of the most well-known museums in Paris, Europe, and likely the world is the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa. It is also the world’s largest museum. Let that soak in for a minute.
In fact, if you spent 30 seconds looking at every piece on display in the Louvre it would take you over a month.
There are plenty of Louvre Museum tours that can cater to your group including teens. Check out the latest rates and availability.
We left most of our day open to explore the Louvre and instead of a guided tour, we booked our tickets in advance and purchased the audio tour on-site.
Depending on your background and interests in art, you may want to plan out your day step by step. We instead chose to let our teens take the reins by guiding us via audio guide with their in-house Nintendo 3DS!
Our first stop was the Mona Lisa. There are signs everywhere directing you to Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. There is often a queue to see Mona up close, but it moves quickly and she is always ready for a selfie.
It may seem overdone and overhyped, but I have to say seeing the Mona Lisa in person was surreal and a huge highlight of my trip. Our youngest (tween) kept asking if it was the “real-real” Mona Lisa.
Seeing photos or copies of the Mona Lisa and other art your entire life, it’s truly incredible when you see the original in person.
After meeting Ms. Lisa, the kids each chose something of interest to them. We let them find the route and guide us through the many halls and rooms of the Louvre.
On our way, we lingered at several notable pieces and listened to their stories via the audio guide.
- The Winged Victory of Samothrace is on display in The Daru staircase.
- Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix is located inside the famous Red Rooms.
- Royal Furnishings of Marie Antionette, King Louis XIV, XV and XVI, and more.
All teens agreed they would lead us to the Egyptian Antiquities section of the Louvre. It is one of the world’s largest collections with almost 5,000 years of Egyptian art.
Their fascination had us wandering for well over an hour in this section alone. You can truly spend as little or as much time as you desire inside this massive space. For us, it was purely our appetites that dictated our departure.
Book a Family Photo Shoot
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Eugène Delacroix Museum
After strolling the Louvre for hours on end, you might crave something off the beaten path. The Musée National Eugène-Delacroix is exactly the ticket. In fact, your admission here is included with your Louvre ticket.
After viewing his artwork in the Louvre, we wandered to the other side of Paris to find this tucked-away oasis. It is more about the building and the scenery than the artwork inside.
The museum was actually once home to Eugene Delacroix who wrote in a journal entry, “My apartment is decidedly charming […]. Woke up the next day to see the most gracious sun on the houses opposite my window. The view of my little garden and the cheerful appearance of my studio always make me happy.” (Journal, December 28, 1857).
We spent an hour sitting, meditating, and relaxing in that very garden. Afterward, we walked and dined on sorbet in the nearby vibrant neighborhood.
This uncrowded gem took us all by surprise and help us soak in the Parisian artist lifestyle, if only for a few moments.
Musée de l’Orangerie
Having been a fan of Water Lilies by Claude Monet for years, I knew this was a stop we had to add to the Paris with teens itinerary.
The audio tour enhanced our visit and got our teens involved in pieces of art they otherwise would not have explored.
We spent the first part of our visit enjoying the quiet stillness of Water Lilies. It was incredible to see them on a full scale and in the way Monet himself chose to have them displayed.
With audio tours and headphones in hand, we went room by room. Each of us chose two or three pieces to discover and learn about via audio tour per room. This let the teens have some independence and choose artwork that spoke to them directly.
When we finished one room, we moved on as a group to the next.
Musée Rodin
The Museum itself was the former residence of sculptor Auguste Rodin whose famed work includes The Thinker.
As a young artist, Rodin was three times denied admission to École des Beaux-Arts, a prestigious institution in Paris.
Years later as he became a notable figure in the art community, “he bequeathed all his works and possessions to the French state which, in exchange, purchased the Hôtel Biron and committed to turning it into a museum dedicated to the artist” (Source).
We all found the irony quite entertaining.
We spent a bit of time inside the residence, but most of it was spent exploring the sculptures on display in the beautiful gardens surrounding the estate. They even have a small cafe in the back for you to dine or snack on your own food.
Musée d’Orsay
Fancy some Vincent Van Gogh? Inside this architectural gem, you’ll find some of his most notable pieces of art.
- Portrait of the Artist and other self-portraits. Insert Dad Joke about original selfie artist here.
- Starry Night Over the Rhone is one piece of the Starry Night collection and is a more cheerful version when compared to his other famous night work, also called Starry Night, that was painted during his time in an asylum.
- La Méridienne.
- Van Gogh’s Room in Arles.
While my teens loved taking a trip into the mind of someone as curious as Van Gogh, I personally loved the pieces by Edouard Manet. Le Balcon easily caught my eye.
Our strolls through the many museums of Paris gave us great conversation starters over dinner and into breakfast the next day.
Paris with Teens: Top Tours
The best money I spent in Paris would have to be on our guided tours. We took two day trips outside the city to make it happen and also used the free service from Paris Greeters Walking Tours.
Mixed in with our museum days we traveled to Versailles and Normandy for some unforgettable adventures.
Palace of Versailles Bike Tour
I knew early on this would be part of our Paris vacation with teens. I loved the option of biking around the palace property and outer gardens.
Having bikes changed up the pace of our everyday walking, plus we got a free metro ride to Versailles included in our tour price.
While some people visit Versailles for only a couple of hours, we chose this as a full-day adventure. Biking tours happen rain or shine, and rain it did! But more about that later.
We met our English-speaking tour guide in Paris and boarded the metro together to Versailles where we were outfitted with bikes and helmets as needed. Brief instructions were given on navigating the short way through city streets to the palace entrance.
Our first stop was a small marketplace filled with pop-up shops and brick-and-mortar bakeries, cafes, and more. We purchased our go-to and classic Jambon-Beurre (French ham & cheese) on baguettes to take with us for a picnic lunch during our tour.
The bike ride took us on a guided tour of the Royal grounds, Marie-Antoinette’s Private Hamlet which is straight out of a Disney fairytale (or maybe it’s the other way around?), the Grand & Petit Trianon, a picnic (bring your own food and drinks) as well as access to the Palace of Versailles and gardens itself.
Our particular tour did not include a guided tour inside the palace. We opted to wander and skip any formal or audio tours for this portion.
We loved the contrast between the palace grounds and Marie-Antoinette’s Private Hamlet in comparison with the packed hallways of the chateau.
On our ride back to turn in the bikes a massive rain storm began. We had ponchos and umbrellas (a must for any time of year in Paris) and laughed pretty much our whole way home.
Shoes were soaked, hair was damp, and smiles were broad. It’s always those unexpected moments that seem to make the best memories. Check the latest rates and availability.
Normandy D-Day Tour from Paris
Every day we spent in France seemed to get better and better. We were becoming more confident speaking basic French phrases (I bought this French Conversation Guide for Kids) and loved being part of the culture surrounding us.
The D-Day tour was on my husband’s wish list. I wanted to make the most of our time and money since it required a long drive passed many toll booths along the way.
Ultimately I decided to spend the money on a small group tour which is capped at 8 guests and included comfortable luxury van transportation.
We also happened to go on the actual D-Day which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you happen to go during any special dates that are not closed to the public due to visiting government officials and dignitaries you might experience some of the following.
- Commemorative speeches (we heard an inspiring speech of remember and courage by Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff).
- Military airplane flyovers.
- Wreath-laying ceremony.
- Choral performances.
And the highlight, meeting some of the more than 20 WWII veterans present for the 2022 ceremony. We got to meet them, shake their hands and learn about their service.
But even for those visiting on other days, the tour was incredible.
The D-Day invasion of Normandy, France was filled with death and heartache but also the beginning of liberating so many. Our teens were in awe of:
- the historic knowledge of our tour guide.
- walking on the actual beaches our armed forces arrived at many years ago.
- crouching through actual bunkers remaining on the coastline.
- looking out over the beaches from the vantage point of German troops.
- walking the peaceful grounds of the US Cemetery which has so much symbolism in design and structure.
Check out the latest rates and more information.
After our tour, our guide took us to a beautiful family-owned orchard. It was secluded, gorgeous, and best of all had just opened a summer pop-up al fresco restaurant where we dined on the best French cuisine.
Paris with Teens: Free Time
Two weeks in Paris gave us plenty of time to soak it all in. We rode the Metro plenty and found it to be the easiest to navigate even over Washington, D.C. and New York City’s public transportation systems.
Give it a try at least once, but you may find you don’t mind walking. We often chose the leisurely route to walk, stumble upon something new and take in all the sights and sounds of Paris.
Our most enjoyable free time activities are listed below. I suggest setting aside time to unwind and free play (even with teens!) in some of Paris’s famous gardens:
- Tuileries Garden, which is next to the Louvre.
- Eiffel Tower of course! Take the climb or sit on the grass at the base of this famous landmark.
- Luxembourg Garden with play sailboats to rent for a few Euros, I was surprised how much my teens enjoyed this.
Paris with Teens FAQs
One hundred percent! There are so many Paris locations to explore with teens. My top tip is to vary your activities as you visit Paris with teenagers. It can be easy to overload your itinerary with museums but planning down time, shopping, and even things that seem too young for your teens might be a huge hit.
Are you wondering what to do in Paris with teens? Itineraries are often packed full of historical tours, museums, and language lessons which makes planning feel overwhelming. A few of my top suggestions for teen-friendly Paris activities include hiring a guide for your top interests, making use of audio tours in your native language, sampling favorite Parisian pastries, even going grocery shopping, and unwinding at one of the many gardens throughout Paris.
There are plenty of attractions in Paris for teens. A few of the top things to do with teens in Paris include checking out iconic views of the city (like the Sacré-Coeur or the Arc de Triomphe), seeing the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre, and exploring Jardin du Luxembourg.
Paris with Teens Vacation Wrap Up
I hope this article has helped you sort through the massive amount of ideas on what to do with teens in Paris! This was our first family trip abroad and our kids handled it like champs. The experiences we had have truly opened the door for more foreign travel in the future.
There are so many more Paris top spots for teens. Keep a running list of anything Paris related they send you while scrolling Instagram and keep them involved in the planning.
My teens were also pleasantly surprised with an outdoor tour of Notre Dame and our look inside the breath-taking Sainte-Chapelle. These were some of our favorite Paris teenager activities.
Help us add to our collection, what else is on your list of things to do in Paris for teens?
About Jessica
Jessica Sanders (@DisneylandPlan) writes at The Happiest Blog on Earth and is co-founder of “Disneyland with Kids” Facebook group. She loves being with family, sipping a Coke Zero, watching Dodger baseball and lounging on the beach.
Looking for more Paris content? Check out this Paris 5 day itinerary, Paris tips for first-timers, how to book a Paris photographer, day trips from Paris, best Paris Instagram spots, things to do in Paris at night, visiting Versailles with kids, hidden gems in Paris, places to stay in Paris for families, Paris vs London, things to do on a Paris family vacation, Paris 2 day itinerary, and the best kid-friendly Paris tours.
