I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Paris with kids, without, and in every season. Every visit to Paris is magic AND there was something extra special about having a spring girls’ trip to Paris.
If you’re looking for a more complete guide to visiting Paris with kids, check out this family vacation in Paris post!
Paris Maps: Girls’ Trip to Paris
See THIS MAP to view all the best sites for a girls’ trip to Paris!
What to Pack for Paris
Packing for Paris depends on the season, but in general, you’ll want to focus on comfortable clothing, weather-appropriate layers, and essentials for walking-friendly days. For some specific ideas, see this post that details everything I wore for a trip to Paris with N, our oldest.
And here are a few basic essentials that I bring on virtually every trip!
- Merino Wool Base Layers, Socks, & Sweaters: Here are my favorite base layers to use as pajamas or to layer under clothing in cold weather. All our favorite merino wool base layers and wool socks for the whole family are linked HERE!
- Packing Cubes: I love packing cubes for keeping things organized, contained, and compact. These are my favorite expandable packing cubes, and I also love these.
- Lightweight Women’s Pants: I absolutely adore these pants for travel because they’re SO comfortable, fold super small, and dry in a flash. More about why I love them HERE.
- 3-in-1 travel charging station for phone, AirPods, watch (love this thing) and a Universal travel adapter.
- Rain Gear: For European destinations in spring, it’s best to always be prepared for rain showers. I love this women’s rain jacket.
- Shoes: I often only take one pair of shoes – either my favorite white sneakers or my beloved black Chelsea boots. More about both shoes HERE.
- 40L Backpack: I love this kids backpacking backpack because it’s roomy, easily fits in most carry on requirements on airplanes, and fits really comfortably.
- Favorite duffel that packs down small – this weighs almost nothing, takes almost no room, and allowed us to fly back with souvenirs.
For more packing ideas here’s what I packed for:
Girls Trip in Paris: Best Places to See Around Paris
Here’s everything I did on my 6 day girls trip to Paris!
Day 1: Paris Itinerary
- Arrivals (I took the train from London)
- Check into flat
- Lunch at Kubri
- Wander – Merci, Du Pain et des Idees, La Tresorerie, E.Dehillerin, covered passages
- Dinner at Verjus
For this trip to Paris it made the most sense for me to take the train from London. The ride is about 2.5 hours, prices are reasonable, and it’s super easy to navigate the stations.
I rode the train with a friend from London, and then we met up with two other friends who were also arriving this day. We checked into our group flat when we arrived – we annoyingly had to wait a little longer to drop our luggage but it worked out fine. This flat ended up being perfect for our group – spacious, clean, and an absolutely fantastic location. It was a great mix of charm but also being modern and functional. We all loved it and it would be a great option for large families or other groups.
After checking in, we headed to lunch at Kubri. I’d heard about this Lebanese restaurant from Deb of Smitten Kitchen, who I trust completely for all food recs. Sure enough, it was fantastic and one of the best meals of the trip! We all loved it and I’m anxious to return.
After that, we wandered around city, enjoying some of the many charming shops and sites. Here were the stops we visited:
- Merci – concept store is known for its stylish home goods, fashion, and design items.
- Du Pain et des Idées – famous bakery near Canal Saint-Martin and beloved for its escargot pastries and traditional bread. I loved my almond pastry!
- La Trésorerie – gorgeous home goods store. We all loved picking up a few little things here.
- E. Dehillerin – legendary cookware shop. I’d visited here ages ago and it was fun to return (I grabbed a set of tiny spoons).
- Covered Passages – historic, glass-roofed shopping arcades built mostly in the 19th century. Worth visiting for the ornate architecture, mosaic floors, and charming storefronts.
We finished our first day with dinner at Verjus. We all had the tasting menu and it was terrific! Fun mix of flavors and solid, lovely meal.
Day 2: Paris Itinerary
- Sleep in + other girls arrived
- Sandwich lunch
- Bike tour
- Angelina’s for hot chocolate + Librarie Galignani
- Dinner at Cafe Varenne
- Walk over to near Invalides to see Eiffel Tower lights
On day 2 in Paris, those of us who arrived the day before took advantage of being able to sleep in a bit after being up chatting, which was lovely. The rest of the girls arrived later in the morning, which gave us enough time to wander and grab sandwiches before walking to our bike tour. We loved doing this! Super fun, and we really liked having a French guide. He was really knowledgeable and super helpful with photos (he took a bunch on his phone for us and sent them all to us after). We were also only our group on the tour, which was nice!
It was chilly so we headed over to Angelina’s for hot chocolate and treats, and stopped in next door at Librarie Galignani, a delightful English-language bookshop. Get your Angelina’s to go – the queue was MUCH shorter!
We had dinner at Cafe Varenne. It’s well-known for its excellent food and service. Highly recommended! Then we walked over to the Invalides area to see the Eiffel Tower lit up for the night. I always love seeing it sparkle!
Day 3: Paris Itinerary
- Church
- Lunch at Miznon
- Sainte-Chapelle + Conciergerie
- Berthillon ice cream
- Croissant-making class
- Dinner at Bistrot de Poemes
We spent the morning at church and then grabbed falafel at Miznon. This was my first time trying it – we usually eat at L’As du Fallafel or King Falafel. Between the three, I think I like King Falafel the best!
After lunch, we walked over to Sainte-Chapelle for a tour. This Gothic chapel is known for its breathtaking stained-glass windows, which depict biblical scenes in vibrant colors. We then headed next door to visit the Conciergerie. It once served as a medieval palace before becoming one of Paris’s most notorious prisons during the French Revolution. It is best known as the place where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before her execution in 1793. It was my first time going there and it was really interesting!
From there, it was time for another treat! We headed to one of my favorites, Berthillon for ice cream. I love the caramel au beurre sale, pistache, and noisette, and my kids love the mangue. This time, I had the amandine (a marzipan sort of flavor) and loved it.
Next, we walked over to our croissant-making class. It was such a delight! Our teacher was wonderful super thorough and detailed in her explanations. We all learned so much and had the best time. It was such a wonderful experience and was almost everyone’s favorite activity of the entire trip. I think it would also be terrific to do with kids ages 7/8+ – there was a mom and daughter about 10 years old in our group and they loved it, too!
Then we headed back to our flat and went right next door to dinner at Bistrot de Poemes. It was quite nice and great to be so close to home as we were all tired after a big day of walking and exploring.
Day 4: Paris Itinerary
- Breizh Cafe
- Shopping – Citypharma, Chocolat Alain Ducasse, Monoprix
- Wander St. Germain
- Luxembourg Gardens
- Marin Montagut and Boulangerie La Parisienne
- Dinner at Cafe du Commerce
We had a slower morning and headed to brunch at nearby Breizh Cafe. Known for its galettes, I eat here almost every time I come to Paris – don’t miss the caramel au beurre sale.
Then this was our day to wander and pop into shops! We spent some time in Citypharma, a well-known discount pharmacy. So fun – especially sans kiddos. We also went to Chocolat Alain Ducasse, a chocolate shop, and the Monoprix supermarket before stopping back by our Airbnb to put our stuff down.
It was the MOST beautiful day so we loved wandering St. Germain. Located in the 6th arrondissement on the Left Bank this neighborhood is known for its artistic and literary history. The area is filled with cafés, boutiques, art galleries, and historic landmarks, including the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the oldest church in Paris. It was lovely to take a break in the sunny flat to have a tea and sit and chat for a bit.
Then we headed back out and walked through Luxembourg Gardens, which were right outside our flat (so convenient). It’s a perfect place for a stroll or picnic! From there, we stopped at Marin Montagut and Boulangerie La Parisienne, whose scent (and culinary accolades on the window) lured us in. We ate maybe the best chocolate chip cookie of our lives. The baguette was also excellent.
Then we headed to dinner at Cafe du Commerce, which has typical French cuisine with vegetarian-friendly options. It was a lovely setting and they had good French onion soup. On the way back, we headed over for an Eiffel Tower view that was spectacular. We loved seeing it sparkle up close!
Day 5: Paris Itinerary
- Notre Dame
- Musee d’Orsay
- Shopping – Jacques Genin, Bobine, Poilane, La Parisienne, Monoprix, La Tresorerie, Red Cross charity shop, Mora
- Dinner at Juveniles
One friend left early this morning and the rest of us headed to Notre Dame. We had gotten a (free) reservation for first thing in the morning at 9am, which was perfect. It was so lovely to go inside after several years of it being closed for renovations after the 2019 fire. The windows looked absolutely gorgeous!
From there, we had planned to visit Musee de l’Orangerie, but I had forgotten it’s closed on Tuesdays. Darn!! Instead, we pivoted and went to Musee d’Orsay instead. Since we didn’t have advance tickets, we waited about 30-40 minutes in the queue, but it was lovely being inside. The museum has an incredible collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art – Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, and Renoir, among many others. The top floor offers a beautiful view of the Seine and Paris through the iconic clock window. It was so fun to wander as I hadn’t been there in years! We ate lunch in the cafe there, which is really fun because you can see the inside of the old clocks and the food was actually great.
From there, we split up for a bit as a couple of girls wanted to hit a few shops on Rive Droit and the others of us needed to grab a couple things at the flat (it was much colder than anticipated and I for one was freezing!). On the way, we stopped at Jacques Genin for their amazing caramels and pates de fruit, into Bobine to admire the darling children’s clothes, into Poilane bakery to pick up some punition cookies to take home, and back to La Parisienne to pick up some treats to take home to our families.
We ran a quick errand into Monoprix and then headed back up to meet the other girls at La Tresorerie again and the Red Cross charity shop.From there, we walked over to Mora kitchen shop to pick up a couple things (we’d been inspired by our croissant-making class!).
Finally, we headed to dinner at Juveniles. Dan and I had eaten here years ago and loved it, so I was really hoping it would still be good. Turns out it was a total winner – we all LOVED this meal. The truffle gnocchi starter and the green risotto special were excellent, and the rice pudding with caramel was amazing.
Day 6: Paris Itinerary
- Check out and drop off luggage with LuggageHero
- La Parisienne (yes, again!!)
- Petit Palais
- La Galerie Dior
- Pick up luggage and head to train station
Most of the rest of the girls left early this morning. A couple of us took an early walk back to La Parisienne to pick up treats to take home so they’d be as fresh as possible. Sadly, it was closed!! Fortunately, we found another location at Chatelet, which just so happened to be right near where we were storing our luggage for the day. So we finished packing up and checked out, then went to drop our luggage and pick up treats to take home. (We used LuggageHero, which was convenient and affordable. They have tons of locations and it was super simple and terrific to not lug our stuff around, especially since most museums in Paris don’t have luggage storage.)
One friend headed back to the airport from there, so the two of us left (who were taking the train to London that afternoon) headed over to Petit Palais. It was a delight exploring the museum, which is a mix of different periods and styles, not crowded at all, in a gorgeous space, and has a beautiful garden (that was all in bloom when we were there). It’s relatively small and less crowded than other museums in Paris, making it an easy and enjoyable visit. Plus, it’s free! It’s been on my list for years so I was thrilled to finally make it over. The weather could NOT have been more perfect – sunny and warm and so so lovely. I Highly recommend this one.
After that, we headed over to La Galerie Dior for an immersive perspective on the history and artistry of the House of Dior. This museum showcases stunning haute couture pieces, sketches, accessories, and behind-the-scenes insights. This is another spot that’s been on my list for a while so it was fun to finally check out and see the progression of fashion. So fun seeing the beautiful (and some not-so-beautiful) pieces!
Finally, we grabbed our luggage and headed to Gare du Nord (the train station) a bit early. We wanted to leave plenty of time to validate our VAT refunds, but turns out there are just machines and you scan your form, so it was very easy. We had plenty of time so were able to relax before taking the quick train back to London!
IF YOU LIKED THIS POST ABOUT THE BEST GIRLS’ TRIP TO PARIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE POSTS, TOO:
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