To get into paris we decided to drive to a train station Mitry-le-Neuf, from where we took the RER into paris. The station should have been about an hour and half drive, but it was a bit longer as the GPS became confused by a new section of road, and the detour took us quite a long way round. We were travelling after rush hour to avoid traffic problems, and a crush when on the train / metro, although inevitably we were still on the metro during the evening rush hour. The station had a large free car park which was full, presumably with commuters. We were however able to park in a space which was alongside a construction site fence within the car park. Driving into the car park was a bit of a challenge, as for some reason large concrete blocks were arranged around the entrance which left little space to manoeuvre around them.
There is a map of the RER and Metro networks online.
We had already bought a light weight buggy (stroller),
Bruin Alpine Stroller, which was invaluable for travelling around paris. We had some stairs to climb up out of the car park, but the barriers were opened for us as we went onto the platform. We used a velcro strap around the push chair as (similar to most pushchairs), the catch to hold the pushchair closed was not very good.
We purchased one day Paris Viste which cost 16.65€ per person for zones 1 to 5. This is not necessarily the cheapest way of travelling around Paris, but it was more convenient than buying individual tickets.
It took over an hour on the train, after which were were in central Paris. We could have changed onto the Metro at Gard du Nord, but we stayed on a little further to Saint Michel Notre Dame, from where we started our exploration of Paris.
One of our first stops was somewhere to eat, as by the time we arrived it was lunchtime for us and our baby. We went into a restaurant at the side of the cathedral (to the left as you look towards the cathedral). The restaurant was on the corner at the junction. I don't remember the name, but if anyone knows what it is please let me know and I'll update the entry. The staff were very helpful and the restaurant included a non-smoking area where we were able to sit with the pushchair. We were using cartons of baby milk which we gave at room temperature so didn't need to have the bottle heated.
When we were travelling on the metro we used a Tomy baby carrier this is a similar item, although we did not buy it from John Lewis as per the link. Having a carrier was extremely useful as it meant that the push chair could be folded and carried separately whilst the baby was carried by someone else in a carrier.
We managed to visit a few different places of interest, but far less than we would have been able to cover if we didn't have a baby with us. This was not a problem as we'd foreseen this already and accepted it as part of taking the baby with us.
We did get to visit
- Notre Dame Cathedral
- Place de la Concorde
- Jardin des Tuileries (where we stopped at one of the small cafes for a drink and to feed the baby
- Place du Trocadero
- Eiffel Tower
When we went from the Trocadero to the Eiffel Tower we walked down, as it was probably easier than the hassle of getting back on the metro. We ate on the floating restraunt near the tower. This provide cheap, but nice canteen style food. It did not however cater for babies very well. There is a seating area that can be accessed without stairs, but they closed that section whilst we were there, and they did not have any no-smoking areas so there was smoke in the restaurant.
After a night trip up the tower (the baby stayed with the less adventurous members of our party at the bottom), we travelled back on a fairly late train, and didn't get back to the caravan until very late at night. It was a very long but enjoyable day out.
- Part 1: Travelling with a Baby: Before the holiday
- Part 2: Travelling with a Baby: Travelling by Car and staying in a Caravan
- Part 3: Travelling with a Baby: Travelling around paris by RER, the Metro and Push chair
- Part 4: Travelling with a Baby: Disneyland Paris
Also see:
Holiday with a Baby, Center Parcs Sherwood Forest Nottingham UK
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