Paris 2017
Pass the Escargot!?
We decided to change up our usual Thanksgiving by going to Paris. This was a family affair with my Love, Niece and Son. For my Son, it was his first time going to Europe and I was concerned if a trip like this would be appealing for a twelve year old. To my surprise, I was completely wrong… he loved it!
I read a ton of family travel blogs and articles as I did my prep work. I decided that unlike vacations for us adults we needed to prepare in advance, run ideas by Logan to get his “approval” – no winging it the minute we get off the plane. There were several things we did to make this trip a success.
1. When looking for a hotel, we wanted to be in an area that had shops and restaurants nearby, not to mention access to the train and Metro. These are big pluses to consider.
2. Book tours that appeal to kids.
a. We did not book tours that were strictly for kids however there were definitely appealing to a pre-teen. Below is a list of the tours we books and we ALL loved.
b. Use a reputable tour company – we always use Viator to secure our bookings. Their site is very informative and easy to use. And there are people there to answer any questions
c. Tripadvisor – before any bookings (and that includes where to go on vacation), I research here to see what others have to say. Word of advice – you need to read as many reviews as possible. There are many where the person has only given a few total reviews and while you shouldn’t discount that, don’t take it as gospel. I always read them and make sure the more seasoned traveler reviews are read
Paris Catacombs Special Access Tour: This was beyond interesting!!! I had no clue Paris was basically built on a Swiss cheese type foundation. Not only was this tour packed with super cool history it was sprinkled with a little bit of spooky information which we loved. Apparently, there is a culture of people call Cataphiles – they actually live or hang out in the catacombs under Paris. There are rumors that a famous serial killer who was released from prison lives in the flipping Catacombs.
Behind-the Scenes Eiffel Tower Including Champ de Mars’ Underground Bunker
My son was the one who told me about the Underground Bunker – I just loved that he was involved in sorting out one of our tours. We started it in the pouring rain than we were lead to the engine room that controls the tower’s important hydraulic lifts. Next, up to the 2nd level and enjoy privileged views from the rooftop terrace at the esteemed Alain Ducasse restaurant, Le Jules Verne. Highlights were to visit little-known sites that most Eiffel Tower visitors don’t get to see! We were disappointed that we could no longer visit the WWI underground military bunker located beneath the Champ de Mars Walk due to new security regulation. Access to the engine room was extremely interesting and the exclusive access to a private viewing platform was amazing and a little scary. The platform was made out of metal grates!
3. Made sure to include everyone in our plans for the days we didn’t have an excursion planned – we gave advance notice of what we were going to do that day so everyone was on board, and could give their feedback if they were interested. Not to mention we made sure we would have several stops that were kid friendly – make everyone happy:
