Paris is great at any time of the year. In the summer though, expect to see long lines at museums and popular restaurants, coupled with quite unpredictable weather. Parisians tend to escape Paris during the long summer school break, especially in August.
From our correspondant currently living in Paris – Here are 10 ideas to enjoy Paris this summer to avoid the crowds and the long lines, including some itineraries that you can do with or without children (check online for potential closures, especially in August).
1) Cruise the Canal Saint-Martin (10e arrondissement) and visit La Cité des Sciences (19e)
Enjoy a morning cruise on Canal Saint Martin, which departs from Bastille. The boat slowly moves north, crossing beautiful locks. You can enjoy a drink on board. (Re)watch the movie Amélie beforehand.
After the boat ride, visit the Cité des Sciences. If you have kids in the 2-7 years old range, book the “Cité des Enfants” experience in advance, they will love the water play and the construction play structure. You should also explore the Argonaute submarine right outside the main building.
After Cité des Sciences, there is also a nice playground nearby called Jardin du Dragon nearby.
2) Catch an Immersive show at Atelier des Lumières (11e), picnic in Buttes Chaumont (19e) and walk in Belleville (20e)
Start your day at Atelier des Lumières (38 rue Saint Maur), which brings a stunning visual experience inside a former foundry. Check what’s showing on their website.
Rainy day? You can grab lunch at nearby Chez Chouette (30 avenue Parmentier).
Sunny day? Go to Parc des Buttes Chaumont for a picnic. You can just grab sandwiches in a bakery beforehand and hop on the metro. It will be much less crowded than Jardin du Luxembourg or Tuileries.
After lunch, explore the up and coming hill of Belleville. A good coffee option is Candle Kids (107 Rue des Couronnes). And if your kids still have energy, visit the Cimetière of Père Lachaise.
3) Discover the Quartier Latin (5e arrondissement)
Start your day at Jardin des Plantes and its beautiful alleys. One quiet area of the park is Jardin Alpin, that you access through a small tunnel in the Ecole de Botanique section of the park.
Visit La Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, when it opens at 10am. In a stunning building, you can admire countless animal species. If you are visiting Paris with young kids, you can also visit la Ménagerie, a small zoo also within the Jardin des Plantes.
Walk to les Arènes de Lutèce (4 Rue des Arènes) to get a feel of the Roman era. Then climb up the hill to the Panthéon. Slalom through the Emily in Paris fans at Place de l’Estrapade.
Walk down scenic rue Mouffetard.
Reward yourself with a late lunch at Au Bon Coin (21 rue de la Collégiale, make a reservation). Save room for one their desserts.
If you don’t feel like walking, head to Le Bon Moment (24 rue des Bernardins) for lunch after visiting the Jardin des Plantes. It’s a café with a play area. Also has light bites. Or sip a delicious mint tea in the charming patio of the Mosque across the street.
4) Fun and art in the Bois de Boulogne (16e arrondissement)
Instead of crowded Disneyland, consider going to Jardin d’Acclimatation. Start when it opens at 10am for the best experience (metro Sablons on line 1, then short walk).
After Jardin d’Acclimatation, Fondation Louis Vuitton (closed on Tuesdays) is a great option for modern art lovers, all the more the Centre Pompidou is closed for renovation.
If your kids are a bit older, go to Musée Marmottan Monet (2 Rue Louis Boilly). It’s an alternative to Musée d’Orsay. It also has a cafe in the beautiful backyard.
5) Explore la Butte aux Cailles and “Chinatown” (13e arrondissement)
Start your morning at Metro Corvisart station (line 6), cross the boulevard Blanqui, and take the alley called Rue Eugene Atget. After walking up the steps, you can stop at Jardin Brassai that has a small playground.
After a short walk up, you will reach the Butte aux Cailles, which feels like a village, without the crowds from Montmartre. You can take pictures of the murals and drink a coffee at Chez Nénesse (23 Rue de la Butte aux Cailles). Can you spot the Shepard Farey mural?
Then you can head down to quartier des Peupliers and its beautiful houses. A colorful street is rue Dieulafoy.
Explore the small Chinatown (between Avenue d’Ivry and Avenue de Choisy). Get a Vietnamese lunch at Comme au Vietnam (195 avenue de Choisy).
Finish at Parc de Choisy, with has an old carrousel and a playground.
6) A stroll through the islands and le Marais (3e & 4e arrondissements)
Jetlagged? Start your morning with a visit of re-opened Notre Dame cathedral on Ile de la Cité. Remember to learn more by reviewing our article on Philippe Villeneuve, Architect of the Paris Monuments, who gave a lecture here in SF on the Notre Dame restoration process. Everyone will be astonished by its beauty. Admission is free. You can either reserve online, or simply show up before 9am, when there is usually no line.
Then head to Ile Saint Louis for coffee at Noir (63 rue Saint Louis en l’Ile). It’s a chain, but this location has a beautiful vaulted basement. If your kids like flags, stop at Komorebi (43 Rue St-Louis-en-l’Île, opens at 10.30am). They offer clothes with flags from all over the world.
Cross the Seine at Pont Marie and walk to Hôtel de Sully via Saint Paul. Enjoy the quietness of Jardin de l’Hotel de Sully. From there, reach Place des Vosges where you can dmire the unique architecture (young kids will prefer the sandbox though).
Wander the small streets of le Marais, with a stop at Square Leopold Achille, where kids can run around.
Get lunch at Marché des Enfants Rouges (39 Rue de Bretagne) with its many food stall options. If too crowded, another option is Lebanese “pizza” at Faurn (212 rue Saint Martin).
Watch the Défenseur du Temps clock coming to life when the hour rings (8 Rue Bernard de Clairvaux). Best with a pistachio ice cream on hand from Bachir (58 Rue de Rambuteau).
7) Stay in Le Marais and head straight to the Varda exhibition at the Musée Carnavalet!
First, because we love Agnès Varda, and second, because this exhibition is a poetic and powerful tribute to her work. “The Paris of Agnès Varda, here and there” immerses you in her view of the capital through 130 previously unseen photographs, clips from cult films, and personal objects. All set in the Musée Carnavalet, dedicated to the history of Paris — with free permanent collections. Don’t miss a stroll through the inner courtyard (Cour des Drapiers), and in summer, enjoy the pop-up lunch spot.
More info here
8) Swim in the Seine for the first time!
Starting July 5th, Paris will have three public swimming spots in the Seine, in the 4th, 12th and 15th arrondissements. This endeavor has been made possible by the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. It will end August 31st, when the Paris Plages event ends. There are no sharks expected so far.
It’s likely going to be crowded, but the spot in the 15th arrondissement might be the best bet for a family, as it will have a kids pool.
Note that you can also swim in Canal Saint Martin and Bassin de la Villette. These two spots return again this year, and might become less crowded, given all the attention on the Seine spots. Bassin de la Villette is kid friendly.
9) Visit the exhibition WORTH, Inventing Haute Couture at the Petit Palais
Co-organized by Marine Kisiel, currently an artist-in-residence at Villa Albertine SF, the exhibition WORTH, Inventing Haute Couture at the Petit Palais is an exceptional retrospective of the work of British designer Charles Frederick Worth, considered the founder of haute couture since 1858, featuring iconic pieces from Parisian museum collections — on view until September 7, 2025.
More info here
10) Enjoy cultural activities this summer
If you are fluent in French, consider visiting Hôtel Des Rêves. They currently run a theatrical show about the famous writer Jules Verne. It takes a place in a beautiful building in the 5th arrondissement.
Centre Pompidou (now closed for a long renovation) hosts a gigantic techno party on July 5th. Find a babysitter before hand.
Bonus: Get out of Paris: Saint-Germain en Laye
There is plenty to do close to Paris. Versailles and Giverny get crowded in the summer. Why not visiting Saint-Germain en Laye? This city can be reached thanks to a 30 min train ride from the center of Paris.
The park of the castle is right by the train exit. It has a beautiful panorama of the region. The castle itself now hosts the interesting museum of French archeology (fun fact: king Louis XIV was born in Saint-Germain en Laye, but in a different castle, now demolished).
Before the ride back to Paris, Saint-Germain en Laye has plenty of shops and restaurants, easily walkable from the castle.
Merci Sébastien!
