Can’t believe no one has mentioned…Switzerland! My kids loved it! We did swimming/mountains and are wonderful food! It is gorgeous. So much to do.

In general, I think the question is whether the things you want to do in a place would be amenable to your particular child’s needs. So if I went to Paris, I would be sad not to visit the museums and the nice restaurants which my kids would hate. If I go to Yellowstone or Ireland, my children would enjoy most of the things I want to do. There are so many places to go that it seems easy enough to pick a place that works for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:went to Paris with 18 year olds recently, I honestly would wait until they are are least teenagers. I will never forget the poor mom trying to deal with unruly elementary aged kids in the Louvre. I'm sure it was not a fun experience for anyone.

how clueless of you
actual children live in paris

paris plage
ice cream @ berthillon
picnics along the seine
jardin du luxembourg
parc monceau
strolling w a crepe in hand
tour eiffel

bon voyage!

I'm pretty sure the PP recognized the mom with her kids as not French but another tourist family. Shouting in English probably does the trick.

Living in one place is very different from being a tourist in the same place. Paris can be great. But traveling with young children, regardless of where you go, is never easy.

+1

Especially with the time change!

I have a kid who has always been obsessed with museums, and it’s fine to take her, but I have another one who won’t be ready for a non-kid specific exhibit for a while.

I am not the PP and she certainly could have been more polite but I think her points was there are plenty of child friendly activities in Paris without dragging them thru the Louvre for hours.

Who knows how long the family was in the Lourve. Who knows what else they did in Paris.

Children are different from teens and adults. There's a reason why the most popular vacation for young children is the week at the beach. Being constantly on the go, constantly on planes and subways and taxes, being in unfamiliar places, not sleeping in your own bed, not eating "normal" food, can all add up quickly for many children. Some are better than others. And I wouldn't say no to a family trip overseas at a younger age, but you generally do end up doing a lot of activities you can easily do at home. Playgrounds, plain food, limited activities, don't require a trip to France.

When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, my parents left my sister and me with our grandparents when they went to Europe. It wasn't until late middle school that they started taking us with them. I do remember some resentment that I wasn't going with them but looking back I now understand why. It also made a difference that it was much more expensive to travel due to the high cost of flights. Being 13/14 is when kids really start learning to appreciate the differences in culture and travel

If OP really wants to go, that's fine but she should also be a bit realistic about what they can do and where they can go and how much the kids will get out of the trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:went to Paris with 18 year olds recently, I honestly would wait until they are are least teenagers. I will never forget the poor mom trying to deal with unruly elementary aged kids in the Louvre. I'm sure it was not a fun experience for anyone.

how clueless of you
actual children live in paris

paris plage
ice cream @ berthillon
picnics along the seine
jardin du luxembourg
parc monceau
strolling w a crepe in hand
tour eiffel

bon voyage!

I'm pretty sure the PP recognized the mom with her kids as not French but another tourist family. Shouting in English probably does the trick.

Living in one place is very different from being a tourist in the same place. Paris can be great. But traveling with young children, regardless of where you go, is never easy.

+1

Especially with the time change!

I have a kid who has always been obsessed with museums, and it’s fine to take her, but I have another one who won’t be ready for a non-kid specific exhibit for a while.

I am not the PP and she certainly could have been more polite but I think her points was there are plenty of child friendly activities in Paris without dragging them thru the Louvre for hours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:went to Paris with 18 year olds recently, I honestly would wait until they are are least teenagers. I will never forget the poor mom trying to deal with unruly elementary aged kids in the Louvre. I'm sure it was not a fun experience for anyone.

how clueless of you
actual children live in paris

paris plage
ice cream @ berthillon
picnics along the seine
jardin du luxembourg
parc monceau
strolling w a crepe in hand
tour eiffel

bon voyage!

I'm pretty sure the PP recognized the mom with her kids as not French but another tourist family. Shouting in English probably does the trick.

Living in one place is very different from being a tourist in the same place. Paris can be great. But traveling with young children, regardless of where you go, is never easy.

+1

Especially with the time change!

I have a kid who has always been obsessed with museums, and it’s fine to take her, but I have another one who won’t be ready for a non-kid specific exhibit for a while.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:went to Paris with 18 year olds recently, I honestly would wait until they are are least teenagers. I will never forget the poor mom trying to deal with unruly elementary aged kids in the Louvre. I'm sure it was not a fun experience for anyone.

how clueless of you
actual children live in paris

paris plage
ice cream @ berthillon
picnics along the seine
jardin du luxembourg
parc monceau
strolling w a crepe in hand
tour eiffel

bon voyage!

I'm pretty sure the PP recognized the mom with her kids as not French but another tourist family. Shouting in English probably does the trick.

Living in one place is very different from being a tourist in the same place. Paris can be great. But traveling with young children, regardless of where you go, is never easy.

Anonymous wrote:Mildly curious, what makes Vienna particularly child-friendly?

We have been to Vienna and very much enjoy the place, but it never occurred to me that it would be more child-friendly than a bunch of other cities. If anything, Vienna seems very grown up.

The best playgrounds I have ever seen, tremendous amount of child specific cultural events like museums just for kids, easy getting around, in summer amazing and accessible places to swim right in town, food that is accessible to children (Hello schnitzel and fries) and its not too big, unlike Paris and London. Even if you dont speak german its a great town.

Keep in mind that there is no chance your 4 year old remembers this trip. We went to London with our then 6 year old and at 12 she barely remembers the trip but remembers her trip to Paris at 9 clearly.

The classic: London & Paris
Or if you can manage it: London, Paris, Rome
When: Always now. Except for any covid concerns, always now.

Anonymous wrote:went to Paris with 18 year olds recently, I honestly would wait until they are are least teenagers. I will never forget the poor mom trying to deal with unruly elementary aged kids in the Louvre. I'm sure it was not a fun experience for anyone.

how clueless of you
actual children live in paris

paris plage
ice cream @ berthillon
picnics along the seine
jardin du luxembourg
parc monceau
strolling w a crepe in hand
tour eiffel

bon voyage!

Mildly curious, what makes Vienna particularly child-friendly?

We have been to Vienna and very much enjoy the place, but it never occurred to me that it would be more child-friendly than a bunch of other cities. If anything, Vienna seems very grown up.