Paris for lovers, tick. Paris for gastronomes, tick. Paris for the fashion-conscious, obviously. But children? Funnily enough, I find it one of the most child-friendly cities we go to. The proprietors of grand boutiques and restaurants who cold-shoulder grown-ups are all smiles when it comes to children. Propping up a bar with my two on the Rue St Honoré on a damp Sunday evening, the young man sitting next to us with his girlfriend chatted with my five-year-old daughter, treated her and the brother to an orange juice, presented her with €10 to buy a croissant and was rather hurt when I gave it back. Not many people dish out cash to strangers’ children and I’m not saying it’ll happen to you, but Parisians do treat children well — if they’re well-behaved in turn. After one weekend, mine were begging to go back.
The downside is that you’ll probably be made to go up the Eiffel Tower.
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