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A bigger challenge was sourcing somewhere large enough for six children and two adults—and still affordable. Perseverance and research (via the Internet) led us to La Ville de Bois—a beautiful six-bedroom gîte with a large garden. The house is in the quiet rustic town of Ste. Genevieve de Bois in the Essonne area of the Ile de France (Paris zone 5), eight miles from the city outskirts. Monsieur Meslin,
the owner, sent through stacks of pictures—the kids were thrilled to discover
there was a tree-house in the garden and that the neighboring village (Longjumeaux)
had an outdoor swimming pool. House rental for nine days cost $1,344—including
a $310 security deposit to cover any breakages. (Thankfully we got our
deposit back!) Renting direct from the owner cuts out the middleman—and
in my view saved us at least $2,400 (if we had booked our flights through
a travel agency, the cost would have been around $5,000).
Free fun for the kids In the end, the real challenge came once we’d arrived. Keeping one child amused is problematic enough—nevermind keeping six happy. (Jack is 5, Tara is 7, Cassie is 8, the twins Harry and Paddy are 11, and Thomas is 13.) But Paris is swamped with enough activities to keep little monsters of all ages engrossed. Your aim should be to vary activities—and to take some time to enjoy the ambiance yourself. Children often don’t pay a cent to enter the many attractions Paris has to offer. I was amazed that Louis XIV’s magnificent Chateau Versailles didn’t charge for under 18s. (Adults pay $13.60.) For my brood—even the little ones—it was like stepping into a page of history. With its ornate water fountains and mazes to disappear into, Versailles’ 18-hectare gardens were also a big hit. We fitted in
most of the major highlights: the Tour d’Eiffel, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame,
and Disneyland Paris. Euro-Disney was reasonably priced at $297 for a one-day
pass for the entire family. Endless fun but not enough time...
For another blast of culture, we went to Place du Tétre. This is the artists’ square near Sacre Coeur, where the kids pleaded to pose for portraits. Don’t be tempted to fall for the first price— for us this would have cost a staggering $558. Browsing around, we haggled a price down to $149. The Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle went down well with the older children. It has several museums gathered within the Jardin des Plantes (botanic garden). The enormous Grande Galerie de l’Evolution is jaw-dropping with its Noah’s Ark-like stream of animals—displays are fantastic. Plus the children loved using the microscopes and playing the interactive games in the Espace Découverte. Located in the 5th arrondissement, take the metro to Gare d’Austerlitz or Jussieu. Bones and body
parts! The Galerie d’Anatomie comparée et Paléontologie is
sure to capture the imagination of older children with its eerie and grotesque
pickled samples; skeletons galore of every creature imaginable are the
other main attraction. This is also located in the 5th arrondissement.
Where And What To Feed The Kids For me, the big benefit of a self-catering holiday is that you can eat in after an exhausting day. And if you have picky eaters, at least they won’t starve. Within walking distance of Ste. Genevieve de Bois, our local supermarket was Carrefour. Food costs a fraction of the price back home in Ireland—a bag of 20 mini-croissants costs $2.48; 12 ice creams: $1.61; bottle of wine: $1.23 to $3.90: 1 kilo of mussels $4.20. One of the
biggest expenses was drinks. All my kids are Coke fiends—in a café
it can easily cost $45 for six Cokes and a couple of beers. I learned fast—it
costs only around $3.75 to buy six cans of Coke from a small corner shop.
If money is
tight, lunch in central Paris is far less expensive than evening meals.
Many restaurants offer plats du jour (dish of the day) from $10.80. These
menus are excellent value: Sardegna a Tavola does a superb three-course
menu for $17.35. A Sardinian restaurant, it features delights such as thinlysliced
salami and other charcuterie...chunky vegetables...ravioli stuffed with
ricotta…farfelle pasta with mint, crushed almonds, and chilies. Looking
as dramatic as it tastes, the black pasta with squid in its ink is divine.
Dinner costs about $37 per person. (Sardegna a Tavola, 1 Rue de Cotte,
12th arrondissement; Metro: Ledru-Rolin.)
It’s official:
Paris does love children. Locals fondly called us la grand famille—and
we even had Japanese tourists taking our photographs. Best of all, I returned
home to Ireland with money in my pocket.
If you’re in the city longer than a week, you can cover any additional traveling with carnets priced at $12.40 for 10 tickets. Under 4’s travel free on public transport, while 4- to 10-year-olds are eligible for a carnet at half-price. These tickets can be used on the whole Paris network: metro, RER, bus, and the Montmartre funicular. One final tip:
If you have young children, try to travel between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to
avoid rush hour.
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