Planning a trip to Paris with kids can feel overwhelming. Between the Eiffel Tower, museums, Versailles, pastries, parks and seemingly endless things to see, families often arrive in Paris determined to do everything.
According to Aly, founder of Paris for Kids, that’s exactly where many parents go wrong.
In this episode of La Vie Creative, Aly shares her journey from Canada to Japan and eventually Paris, where a combination of nannying, bike tours and working with traveling families inspired her to build a business specifically around helping children experience the magic of Paris.
Today, Paris for Kids has grown beyond family tours into a creative community centered around Atelier 48, where families can participate in art workshops and local artists can showcase their work.
It’s a conversation about traveling Paris with children—but it’s also about entrepreneurship, creativity and what can happen when you finally take an idea seriously.
From Canada to Creating Paris for Kids
Aly didn’t originally set out to build a tourism company in Paris.
After university, she moved to Japan to teach English. She eventually arrived in Paris around 13 years ago to pursue her MBA.
Like many international students building lives in Paris, she took on several jobs.
During the day, she worked as a bike tour guide. In the evenings, she worked as a nanny.
Those two seemingly unrelated jobs eventually gave her the idea that would become Paris for Kids.
While leading tours—particularly with families visiting Versailles—parents repeatedly noticed how naturally Aly connected with their children. Some even asked whether they could hire her for additional tours or babysitting.
Aly began realizing that families weren’t simply looking for tours where their children were allowed to participate.
They wanted experiences where their children were the main participants.
That distinction eventually became the foundation for Paris for Kids.
The Biggest Mistake Families Make When Visiting Paris With Kids
If you’re planning a family vacation in Paris, Aly has one major piece of advice:
Don’t overbook your trip.
Parents understandably want their children to experience as much of Paris as possible. But between jet lag, time differences, unfamiliar food, lots of walking and packed itineraries, children can quickly become exhausted.
Aly frequently sees families arrive with schedules filled from morning until evening.
Her alternative is refreshingly simple:
Plan one structured activity per day.
Then leave the rest of the day flexible.
Paris has more than enough museums, gardens, monuments and attractions to fill every hour, but Aly believes families often have a better experience when they stop trying to do everything.
Sometimes the secret to enjoying Paris with children isn’t adding another attraction.
It’s removing one.
How Do You Make Paris History Fun for Kids?
French history isn’t exactly short on drama.
Kings.
Queens.
Revolutions.
Palaces.
Guillotines.
Art.
And plenty of scandal.
The challenge is presenting all of that to a seven-year-old without making them feel like they’re sitting through another day of school.
Aly and her team design their tours around children’s attention spans.
Most experiences are approximately two hours long, and tours can include stops for treats, ice cream or playgrounds. The team adjusts for weather, walking distances and what individual children find interesting.
The goal isn’t simply to teach children facts about Paris.
It’s to make them feel like Paris belongs to them, too.
Aly describes children wanting to walk alongside their guides, talk to them and even hold their hands because they’ve found someone in Paris who is speaking directly to them rather than over them.
For parents, seeing their children genuinely enjoying a cultural experience can completely change the trip.
What Children Can Teach Adults About Paris
One of my favorite parts of my conversation with Aly was hearing what children have taught her about Paris.
Adults arrive worrying about logistics.
Which Metro do we take?
Are we going the right direction?
Are we going to fit everything in?
Kids can experience those exact same situations completely differently.
A crowded Metro can become an adventure.
An unfamiliar street can become something to explore.
A strange historical fact can become the beginning of 20 questions.
After years of guiding families, Aly says children have helped her see just how accessible and exciting Paris can be when viewed with curiosity rather than stress.
That’s a lesson that extends far beyond family travel.
Best Things to Do in Paris With Kids Beyond the Eiffel Tower
Of course families want to see the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and other famous Paris attractions.
But Aly recommends leaving room for places where children can simply be children.
One of her recommendations is the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne.
The park offers attractions, animals and splash areas and can provide a more relaxed alternative to dedicating an entire day to a major theme park outside Paris.
Aly also recommends exploring some of Paris’s beautiful parks and gardens beyond the most obvious choices.
While Luxembourg Gardens and the Tuileries are wonderful, families can also explore:
- Jardin des Plantes
- Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
- Parc Montsouris
- Bois de Boulogne and Jardin d’Acclimatation
Jardin des Plantes, for example, combines centuries of history with plants, gardens and other discoveries that can naturally capture children’s curiosity.
These slower experiences can sometimes become the moments children remember most.
Don’t Forget About Easy Day Trips From Paris
Another overlooked option for families?
Leave Paris for a day.
Aly points out that there are numerous destinations less than an hour from Paris where families can enjoy activities such as cycling, boating, canoeing or simply spending time outside the intensity of the city.
For children who have already spent several days visiting museums and monuments, escaping Paris for some space and outdoor activity can completely reset a family vacation.
You don’t necessarily need another major tourist attraction.
Sometimes everyone just needs a bike, some fresh air and somewhere to run.
Kids Ask the Questions Adults Won’t
Children also have a talent for noticing things adults have learned to politely ignore.
Aly shares hilarious examples of questions children have asked while exploring French history and classical art.
During conversations about the French Revolution, children want to know exactly what happened—and sometimes ask follow-up questions their guides have never considered.
When looking at classical sculptures, children are equally quick to notice the human body and ask why artists represented people in particular ways.
Those questions have actually pushed Aly to research subjects she might otherwise have overlooked, giving her new ways to understand the art and history she has spent years explaining.
That’s part of what makes experiencing Paris through children’s eyes so interesting.
They aren’t worried about asking the “right” question.
They simply ask what they genuinely want to know.
From Paris for Kids to Atelier 48
After years of running Paris for Kids, Aly decided it was time to take another entrepreneurial risk.
She rented a physical space.
What started as a practical home base for her company became something much bigger.
Atelier 48 now gives children and families a place to slow down, create and experience Paris through art.
One of the experiences Aly developed is an Impressionism painting workshop.
Children learn about the history and techniques of Impressionism before creating their own artwork. They might take inspiration from Monet or paint something unmistakably Parisian—like the Eiffel Tower—in an Impressionist style.
Instead of purchasing another mass-produced Paris souvenir, children leave with something they made themselves.
And that fits perfectly with what many modern travelers are increasingly searching for:
experiences rather than things.
Creating Something Meaningful to Bring Home From Paris
Travel has changed.
People can buy an Eiffel Tower keychain anywhere.
What can’t be mass-produced is the memory of sitting in a Paris atelier and creating something with your own hands.
Aly believes travelers are increasingly looking for authentic experiences that leave them with a deeper connection to the destination.
Atelier 48 allows families to create something personal while learning about the artistic history surrounding them.
But something unexpected happened after Aly opened the space.
It didn’t just become a place for tourists.
It became a community.
Supporting Artists in Paris
Atelier 48 began hosting exhibitions and collaborating with artists living and working in France.
Aly talks about working with artists including Rebecca McKay and illustrator Sonia Bajek, as well as Paris-based photographers.
But one of the most touching stories from the episode involves Aly’s 85-year-old neighbor.
He had been painting for more than six decades but had never publicly shown his work.
His atelier was in the same building.
Over time, Aly and her neighbor developed a friendship. He eventually admitted that he wanted to show his artwork but didn’t have the courage.
Aly encouraged him.
At 85 years old, he created a flyer, contacted his network and held his own vernissage at Atelier 48.
Around 40 people attended.
It’s a beautiful reminder that creativity doesn’t have an expiration date.
What Happens When You Finally Take Your Idea Seriously?
Near the end of our conversation, I asked Aly what she would tell someone who has an idea they keep dismissing as a “side project.”
Her answer?
Go for it.
If an idea keeps returning—whether for months or years—start talking about it.
Tell your partner.
Tell your friends.
Tell someone who believes in you.
Because the moment you begin speaking about an idea, it starts becoming something more tangible.
And sometimes the business you eventually create won’t look anything like the idea you originally imagined.
Paris for Kids began with a tour guide and nanny noticing that families needed something different.
Years later, that idea has evolved into tours, food experiences, art workshops and a physical creative space bringing travelers, children and local artists together.
Planning a Trip to Paris With Kids?
If you’re visiting Paris with children, Aly’s advice is worth remembering:
Do less.
Leave room for playgrounds.
Stop for ice cream.
Don’t schedule every minute.
Explore gardens.
Let your children ask weird questions.
Give them experiences designed for them rather than expecting them to tag along on an adult vacation.
And remember that a successful family trip isn’t necessarily the one where you checked the most attractions off your list.
It might be the one where your children actually had enough space to fall in love with Paris.
Connect With Aly and Paris for Kids
Aly and her team offer family-focused experiences through Paris for Kids, and Atelier 48 continues to expand its creative programming, collaborations and workshops.
Aly also shares that Paris for Kids is launching a newsletter with information about upcoming offerings and plans extending into 2027.
Listen to the full episode of La Vie Creative to hear more about Aly’s journey, building a tourism business in France, discovering Paris through children’s eyes and turning a successful tour company into something even more creative.
