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Notre Dame Cathedral – Slowly walk through the cathedral,
soaking up the glorious stained glass windows and those airy Gothic stone
arches that gracefully bridge the empty spaces and somehow meet in the
middle at the keystone. When this cathedral was built in the Middle Ages,
there were no digital architectural drawing programs, no cranes to hoist
everything up, no nail guns, no steel, and yet, Notre Dame de Paris stands
as a stunning example of the lightness of stone. |
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 Tower
Tour – One of the best things to do in Paris with kids is to
go up the South Tower to see the gargoyles on top of Notre Dame
(Quasimodo territory). Climb up the tower, 422 steps, round and round,
until you reach a landing, and there are the gargoyles! Some gargoyles
are skinny, with shoulders hunched, hoping for their next meal, while
others are chomping on grapes and chicken, and looking very well fed.
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After you've goggled at the gargoyles, step into the belfry to see the Emmanuel bell, the huge 13 ton bell that's rung for great occasions.
(There are 11 great bells of Notre Dame, and at various times of the day,
you'll hear the bells rung.) |
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For the piece de resistance, climb up the next steps to the very top
of Notre Dame, with fabulous views of the cathedral spire, flying buttresses
that keep the church from falling down, and fabulous views of Ile de la
Cite and Paris in all directions. |
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The South Tower is something for kids of all ages (even petulant teenagers
will be impressed), and it's not a guided tour per se, so children can
go at their own pace. Wire netting is put up at all open-air places, no
there's no worry about little kids getting too close to the edge. The
steps up the tower are easy to climb (we saw lots of little kids going
up), but the steps are quite narrow, and it wouldn't be easy to manage
with an infant in a baby backpack. The tower is open daily. |
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Tip: Tower Tour is free with the Paris Museum Pass. |
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Notre Dame play place – After you’ve
visited the cathedral, there is a charming little play area on the south
side of the church, with little bouncy things and park benches. Any exhausted
parent can sit peacefully to watch the boats on the Seine, while the kids
play under the shadow of this magnificent cathedral. |
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Sainte-Chapelle – Don't miss this luminous gem of 13th century
Gothic architecture. In the Upper Chapel, sit down briefly to gaze
at the ethereal blue and red stained glass windows. Go down to the Lower
Chapel, originally a shrine to display holy relics. On the ceiling,
gilded stars sparkle in a deep blue ceiling, supported by columns covered
with golden fleur-de-lis and painted castles. Tip: Free with the Paris Museum Pass. |
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Go for an ice cream – Walk over to the Ile St-Louis
for an ice cream at Berthillon (right next to the bridge that connects Ile
de la Cite with Ile St-Louis). Delicious flavors of ice cream and sorbet
– chocolate, vanilla, nougat, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, pear, orange
and more. Long lines in summer, but a fun treat. Kids can sit on the embankment,
munching their ice creams, with Notre Dame in the background. |
