In May half term we visited Disneyland and Paris with our two autistic children (8 & 10). In the end we decided to drive, whilst it took a long time this was much easier for our family than flying. The boys are pretty happy in the car although my youngest was not a fan of the channel tunnel (thankfully that was the quick bit).
Where to stay in Paris
You can find out all about Disneyland in my previous post, this year whilst we wanted to do Disneyland Paris again we decided to combine it with a trip to the city too. The first day we travelled straight down to Disney and stayed Hotel Premiere Classe, Marne la Vallee – Bussy Saint Georges. This was a good option for the one night before going to Disney, it was reasonably priced, clean and had options for breakfast and parking. The room was on the smaller side but it was close to Disney and didn’t break the bank.
For our couple of days at Disneyland we opted to go back to Hotel Cheyenne it was familiar for the boys. Find out more about Disney and the hotel here.
For the rest of our week in Paris we opted to pay a little more to know we had a good place to stay so the boys would feel comfortable if they were struggling with the city. The hotel we stayed in was Novotel Paris 20 Belleville whist it wasn’t in the nicest Paris neighbourhood the hotel was right next door to the Metro and had parking on site.
The hotel staff were really friendly & helpful, rooms were lovely and spacious. The only downside to the family room was the boys had to share the double sofa bed and they are not fans of sharing but it worked fine. The breakfast had great options and there were supermarkets nearby where we could pick things up easily.
There was also a McDonalds down the street, whilst I would rather not eat out at McDonalds while on holiday it is somewhere familiar for the boys with food they are comfortable with so we often try to go when we are somewhere new so they can have a meal they are happy with. However we did notice that it was much more expensive to eat out in Paris even McDonalds was significantly more than we would pay at home.
Metro
As our hotel was right next door to the Metro station Couronnes it made getting around Paris much easier. It was around 25-30 minutes on the Metro to the Eiffel Tower and around 15-20 minutes to Montmartre.
Sightseeing in Paris with the Kids
As this was our first city break with the kids we decided to keep it light as my husband and I have been to Paris before. However we did want to see the sights especially the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately it was very rainy while we were there so we decided to find some indoor options too.
Aquarium de Paris
On our first day we headed down to the Jardins du Trocadero where there are great views of the Eiffel Tower. As it was raining our first stop was Aquarium de Paris. The Aquarium was not cheap although we did get a discount when showing our Access Cards but it was a great option for a rainy day. The Aquarium was a good size with lots to see and great for our sensory seekers. The youngest did whip round it quickly but my eldest took time and really enjoyed the sharks.
Eiffel Tower & River Cruise
Next we walked over to the Eiffel Tower although we decided not to go up we just wanted to take a closer look. Then we opted for a boat trip along the Seine. Right next to the Eiffel Tower and Pont d’lena (bridge) you will find the River cruises. There is a hop on hop off option but as it was raining we went for the Bateaux Parisiens sighseeing cruise which I would highly recommend. There were also some snack venders down by the boats with things like pretzels – much cheaper than the ones by the Eiffel Tower.
After the river cruise we walked up along the river and at Pont de l’Alma we stopped to enjoy some macarons from Le Cafe Pierre Herme – delicious. We headed down Rue Surcouf for some lunch at Au Canon Des Invalides which was a lovely family friendly brasserie. Then we crossed back over the river at Pont des Invalides and walked up to Av. des Champs-Elysees where you can see the Arc de Triomphe. Satisfied with just the view we carried on towards Place de la Concorde, the jardin des Tuileries and the Musee du Louvre. At this point the boys we were pretty wet so headed back to our hotel.
Whilst we didn’t venture in this time there are lots of fantastic museums in the city, the Louvre can get very busy so plan any visit in advance. I have also previously visited the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris, whilst it is still currently closed for restoration they have information boards around the Cathedral about the fire /restoration etc and the Cathedral is expected to re-open by 2025. I had wonderful visits here in the past so would go again next time we visit the city.
Montmartre
For our second day we went to Montmartre to visit Sacre-Coeur. Montmartre is pretty steep so may be difficult for anyone with mobility difficulties. We started at Metro station Anvers and headed up towards Sacre-Coeur passing lots of great shops to pick up gifts and souvenirs. At the base of the steps to Sacre-Coeur is a beautiful old carousel which the boys enjoyed.
There is a funicular for anyone that will struggle with the steps up to Sacre-Coeur however we opted for the steps – the boys bounced up happily whilst we were a little slower up the 200+ stairs. The climb was rewarded by fantastic view across the city. The Basilica was stunning, it was busy but well worth a visit.
Then we walked behind Sacre-Coeur to rue du Chevalier dela barre and rue du Mont Cenis which were full of more shops, restaurants and art galleries to keep us occupied – including another Pere Herme which we couldn’t pass without getting more macaroons.
We spent some time exploring the streets of Montmatre and visited a small park next to metro Abbesses which has the I Love you wall – a wall covered with I love you in multiple languages and a play park for the kids.
A great find at the base of the steps to Sacre-Coeur was a lovely family friendly patisserie called Felicite Paris. They had the most beautiful Paris-Breast and my eldest ate pastries whilst my husband loved his coffee and our youngest enjoyed a break from the shops!
If you are planning a trip to Paris check out my post on Disneyland Paris and Flying with autistic children too. Happy travels.
