My parents inspired my travel dreams. They began their travel journey the day they married and took my sister and I along for the ride. Despite limiting travel to the US 48 in the early years (until my sister and I were grown), they visited 65 countries after turning 50. Somehow, in all those travels, they never got to Paris. My mother dreamed of going there, but it just never happened. So I planned 5 days in Paris with the parents!
Some people think it is crazy that I enjoy traveling with my parents so much. Maybe it’s because I’m the baby of the family and waited to marry until nearly 40. But honestly, I just love hanging with my Mom and Dad. They are super fun and we always have a great time. No matter how old I get, my parents still know and have experienced things I don’t have a clue about. Traveling inspires conversations that really brings that to light. I also enjoy breaking away and having my parents all to myself and I HOPE I am better behaved toward them now that I am no longer an angsty teen! Most of all, I love all the memories we make. Those memories will last a lifetime.
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Things to Consider When Planning a Trip to Paris with Your Parents
There are a few things you need to consider as you travel with aging parents. My parents approached international travel differently than I did. They come from an age before internet and cell phones. This made it more challenging for them to feel comfortable venturing off without a tour guide and a strict itinerary. However, I mostly go it alone with a loose plan and utilize public transportation to get from site to site. Also, there are A LOT of stairs in Paris – particularly leading down to the Metro! As your parents age they will have increased mobility issues making it more difficult to deal with stairs. They may also need a few more rest breaks built into the itinerary. Heck, I am already experiencing that myself!
While many think of Paris as an iconic city of romance, I loved exploring it with my parents. Check out my 5 days in Paris with the parents below!
Day 1 – Arrival, Versailles, and Princess Diana
My parents and I arrived in Paris early on a Saturday morning feeling refreshed and excited to begin our 5 day adventure. We dropped our luggage at the hotel and walked to the nearby Réseau Express Régional (RER) train station at Pont de l’Alma. The RER connects central Paris to the surrounding suburbs. After about a 30-minute ride, the we arrived via the RER C Line at the Versailles-Chantiers Station. From there we enjoyed a 10-minute stroll to the golden gates of Versailles.
Versailles was one of my parents top 5 Paris must see sites and it didn’t disappoint. The sheer opulence of the chateau is over-the top, but add the breath-taking gardens and it really is a site to behold. It helps me understand why the peasants revolted! I have never seen so much use of gold in interior design before or since. The splendors of Versailles are incredible! After touring the state apartments, gardens, and all the adjoining grounds, including Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet, we enjoyed a much needed rest while we watched the water show. Then we reversed our path for a return to Paris.
Near the train station at Pont de l’Alma is a Memorial to Princess Diana. Princess Di was killed in a car accident in the nearby underpass. The bronze Flame of Liberty, a replica of the one atop the Statue of Liberty, serves as a memorial.
Day 2 – Hello Paris!
We spent Sunday afternoon orienting ourselves to the city. My parents and I planned to use public transportation for the majority of our 5 days in Paris, but due to mobility issues, we looked for an easier option for day 2. The Big Bus Tours Hop-on/-off Bus took us by all the popular tourist sites with the option to hop-off for a closer look at the places we wanted to see most. We knew we would not have time to do it all so it was great to at least ride down the Champs Elysees, as well as by Place de Concorde and other sites we might otherwise have missed.
The Big Bus is included in a Go City Paris All-Inclusive Pass and an option if you elect the Go City Paris Explorer Pass instead. Whether you plan to use the hop-on/off bus or not, I highly recommend the Go City Paris All-Inclusive pass if you plan on entering a lot of places as it will save you both time and money!
The Masters
Our first hop-off was at the Musee d’ Orsay to check out works of the masters such as Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and others. We are not big art buffs, but we appreciate the classics. If art doesn’t draw you to the Musee d’Orsay, then go just to see the building. It is housed in the former Orsay Railway Station built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. Whether you enjoy art or not, it is worth the time just to enter this stunning building. Grab an audio-guide or use their app for information about the most famous pieces in the museum, but don’t feel tied to seeing every piece. You can hop around to the artists you most want to see. My Mom and I took a little more time here than expected, but my Dad found a great chair to sit and people watch (from behind his eyelids)!
Check Out the View at the Arc de Triomphe!
No-matter how much your feet hurt or how slowly you might climb, it is totally worth the 284-step spiral staircase climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe! The terrace provides great views of the city, including the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysees, and the twelve radiating avenues. Under the Arc de Triomphe, you will find the Tomb of the unknown Soldier from World War I.
Day 3 – Museums, Gardens, Cathedrals & More
We arrived early to get in line at the Louvre Monday morning. The Louvre is one of the most outstanding and well-known museums in the world. It is home to famous pieces such as the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and many others. Like everyone else in that long line, we ran (relatively speaking) from famous item to famous item until we checked them all off our list. Then we took a deep breath and enjoyed the remainder of the museum. I particularly like seeing the items from ancient Assyria. Nearby, the Jardin des Tuileries connects the Louvre Museum, the Musee d’ Orsay, the Jeu de Paume Museum, and Place de Concorde. It is one of the city’s most popular green spaces we found it to be a wonderful place to take a break and enjoy a baguette after our visit to the Louvre.
Notre Dame
We were fortunate to visit the Cathérale Notre-Dame just before the tragic fire of 2019. This medieval Catholic cathedral is the most famous of Gothic cathedrals from the middle-ages due to its size, antiquity, and architecture. I suspect it also owes a lot of its infamy to the classic tale, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” This beautiful cathedral is currently closed to the public but expected to reopen in December 2024 so be sure to put it on your list when you visit Paris.
Medieval Art
The Musee de Cluny (National Museum of the Middle Ages) is lesser-known, but absolutely worth visiting. We visited specifically to see the tapestry collection. My Mom was told that we must read “The Lady and the Unicorn” prior to our trip to Paris. I do not recommend the book as it was terrible (in more ways than one), but I do recommend visiting this museum to see the actual Unicorn Tapestries. The Museum houses one of the best collections of medieval art in the world with many important pieces dating from antiquity to the Renaissance. I wish I had scheduled more time to fully enjoy the museum but we couldn’t delay as my Mom and I left my very tired Dad on a park bench to hop the metro to the museum. We were afraid he might fall asleep and get rolled if we delayed!
The French Revolution
Wherever you go in Paris, you are reminded of the French Revolution and its aftermath. The Conciergerie held many prisoners from the Revolutionary Tribunal, including Marie Antionette. We felt like the ghost of Marie followed us throughout our visit but never more so than when visiting the commemorative chapel on the site of her cell at the Conciergerie. The Hotel de les Invalids was built to house disabled war veterans. On July 14, 1789, a mob converged on the site and seized 28,000 weapons before storming the Bastille. The remains of Napoleon Bonaparte, encased in six coffins, are housed under the central dome. We enjoyed walking through both of these sites.
After an exhausting day, we boarded a Bateaux Parisians Seine River Dinner Cruise at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. This slow evening cruise allowed us to see the sights from the river during daylight, but also enjoy night views on the return voyage. My parents and I agreed this was a wonderful way to end day 3 of our 5 days in Paris.
Day 4 – The Eiffel Tower to Montmarte
The Eiffel Tower served as our central landmark throughout the trip. No matter where we went in Paris, my parents and I were able to see this grand structure all 5 days. We saved a trip to the top of the tower until Mom and Dad’s 56th wedding anniversary on day 4. It was worth the wait! We purchased round-trip tickets on the lift to the summit. The view from the top of the tower is gorgeous! The only drawback to the view is that you can’t see the Eiffel Tower when standing on the Eiffel Tower. It was incredibly cold and windy on that day in May, but it was well worth the chill.
After our Eiffel Tower experience, we hopped over to the Musee Rodin. The museum displays many of the artist’s bronze and marble sculptures, including “The Thinker.” There is also a lovely garden with sculptures and shade trees. This is a nice quiet place to rest and contemplate what exactly “The Thinker” is thinking about.
Montmarte
Next we hopped on the Metro and headed to Montmarte and the Sacre Coeur Basilica at the summit of Butte Montmarte. From the highest point in the city, the basilica looks out upon Paris. It is quite a climb up so we opted to take the the furniculaire up the steep incline. Afterwards we walked around Montmarte to take in the neighborhood, including a peek at the Moulin Rouge.
On the way back to the hotel and some much needed rest, we stopped by the Place de la Bastille to see the Colonne de Juillet (July column). A day in Paris would not have been complete without a little reminder of the French Revolution.
Day 5 – Gardens to Opera to the Egouts (sewers) de Paris!
We began our final day in Paris at Jardin de Luxemburg. This beautiful garden includes over 56 acres of lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, tennis courts, and the Medici Fountain. This was a great place for a slow morning walk to work off our breakfast of croissants. Next stop was the Opera Garnier. The opera house is stunning and Mom and I particularly enjoyed seeing the central chandelier that was made famous by the Phantom of the Opera and Box 5 which belonged to the Phantom!
Our last museum stop was the smelliest but also the most fascinating. The Musee des Egouts de Paris (The Paris Sewers Museum) is a working museum featuring Paris’ original sewer system, from the 1200s, that continue to flow today. It all sounds pretty nasty but it is amazing to see this underground world.
As the sun set, we paid a night visit to the top of the Eiffel Tower. What a beautiful view and what a wonderful way to end 5 spectacular days in Paris with my parents!
The Logistics of 5 Days in Paris with Your Parents
I recommend keeping your logistics as simple as possible for this trip. One way to do that is to purchase a Go City Paris Pass. The All-Inclusive Pass is typically the best bang for your buck, but the Explorer Pass can also save you time and money if you don’t want to do enough sites to justify the All-inclusive Pass. For more details on planning your trip, check out Planning a Trip to Paris? What You Need to Know and One Week in Paris: the Best Sites to See.
Public Transportation
The Paris Public Transport Network is one of the largest in the world. It combines Metro, RER Train, and Tramway into a system that allows you to easily move around the city and between the connecting suburban areas. The Metro is a cheap, easy and fast. That said, sometimes it was difficult for my Dad to climb up and down all the stairs, and escalators/elevators are not common. Also, my parents are not as accustomed to traveling via subway so we were a bit nervous about becoming separated. We climbed on and off most trains while holding onto each other to avoid any moments of panic as the doors close rapidly. The RER network connecting Paris to Versailles and other areas operates similar to the Metro.
There are 64 bus lines throughout the city to complement the Metro network. These are very easy to ride and electronic signs at stops are extremely helpful in determining wait times. The Noctillien is a night bus service that operates overnight. You can use your travel pass or a metro/bus ticket if it covers the zones you wish to use.
Transit Tickets
Tickets for public transportation can be purchased individually, in books, or as a pass. We purchased a 3-day pass since we went to Versaille on the first day and then used the hop-on/off bus for day two. It was more affordable to purchase RER tickets to Versailles separately than to purchase a 5-day pass. If you plan to rely on public transportation, purchase a Paris Visit Pass. This grants you unlimited travels in Paris and the surrounding areas including Charles de Gaul Airport, Disneyland, and Versailles.
Where to Stay for 5 Days in Paris (with or without your parents)
There are a host of accommodation choices when visiting the City of Lights. For my 5 days in Paris with the parents, we elected to stay at the Hotel de la Tour Eiffel. This hotel offers doubles, triples, connecting family rooms, and upper floor rooms with views of the Eiffel Tower. It is reasonably priced, sparkling clean, and only a 5-minute stroll to the Eiffel Tower. What more could you ask for on your Paris vacation?
Tell us your thoughts about spending 5 days in Paris with YOUR parents?
Whether it is Paris or some other destination, I encourage you to take advantage of any time you have to spend quality time traveling with your parents. Let us know where you have gone – or wish to go – with your parents!
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