Paris is only 1h20 min away by fast train from Brussels so we do end up there quite often. We prefer Spring or Autumn as the day is longer and there are hundreds of options for Outdoors sightseeing to choose from. By now we have done all the ‘big hits’: Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Musee du Quay Branly, Centre Pompidou, Versailles and ticked off all the landmarks (mostly in our pre-baby days). The thing about Paris is, it never gets boring.

There is always a new  restaurant, playground, exhibition that keeps return tourists interested and busy. Since about three years now, we are re-discovering Paris though its child -friendly and off-the -beaten path activities, museums and restaurants. It is exciting and great fun for the entire family.

Last time we were in Paris over the week-end the weather was extremely rainy and windy. Which is to be expected in the end of January. But this did not stop us from enjoying some indoor activities and even discovering a lovely brunch place in an old convent.

We were staying with friends, in the South of Paris so the activities we choose were concentrated in this area to limit travelling time. Traffic in Paris can be quite a headache so public transport is  always our first choice. However, due to the particularly rainy and cold weather,we did use the car this time around to move between places. That proved to be a good choice, especially to reach the Sunday brunch location that is a bit outside the city If you do go for the Metro, do bear in mind that the Paris Metro is anything but stroller friendly. Take a carrier if at all possible.

A kid-friendly program for a rainy day in Paris:

Spend the first part of the day in Ground Control, a revamped old factory, now transformed into a multi-activity space. The address is: 81, rue du Charolais 75012 Paris and closest Metro stop: Métro Gare de Lyon / Reuilly-Diderot.

The Program changes weekly and you should check what is on the Agenda for the day you want to visit. Saturdays, there is usually one activity starting at 11h15 for kids as of 2 years old. The Saturday we visited it was a drawing class that lasted about one hour. Registration is done in advance by e-mail and it costs about 15 Euro. There are also concerts and projections being organised in the big common space. What I liked about this place  is that it is a short of food stall gathering as well. On one side of the space you will find small kitchens offering different types of small dishes: from fish and chips to Mexican burgers to Pizza. So all is in easy reach during/after the activities have ended.

High chairs are provided and it was full with families when we visited: there is plenty of space for the small ones to run around too. When we went, there was a section of the common area build to resemble a long haul airplane. Our LO was super excited to walk though the ‘airplane’ and spend at least 20 min playing there.  Starting Spring, they also open a terrace, with even more food options and kids play areas. Here’s an idea of how the place is laid out and the types of food that are on offer.

Prices are reasonable and you can buy a half liter of water from the bar for 1 Euro. Not all the food stalls accept the card so you might want to have some cash with you, just in case.

After you spent the morning moving around and discovering the Spaces in Ground Control, time to head to the Natural History Museum for some (stuffed) animal spotting. The Museum is located in Jardin des Plantes, the main botanical garden of France, situated in the 5th arrondissment of Paris. The entrance to the Museum of Natural History is at 36 rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 75005 Paris. Closest Metro stops: Line 5 Gare d’Austerlitz, Line 7 Censier Daubenton, Line 10 Jussieu or Gare d’Austerlitz.

The main attraction for young kids is the  Gallery of Evolution. There are more than 7,000 lifelike specimens in the Grande Galerie de L’Évolution. It is a fascinating place, renovated in 1994, that showcases the great adventure of biodiversity. There are several levels of this exhibition.  On the ground floor, you are greeted by two marine mammal skeletons – the gigantic southern right whale and the blue whale – the largest I have ever seen exposed in a natural history museum around the world. On the first floor, the elephant heads the caravan of animals from the African savanna. Large mammals and their predators follow closely. Buffalos, bubals, gnus, giraffes and zebras, hyenas, wild dogs and cheetahs. On the upper balconies, you will find out more about species diversity.

The museum deserves at least two hours. It has elevators if you are vising with a stroller and a changing station on level one. Our LO was really entertained by all the animals he saw and started asking questions about where they lived and what they eat. I can really recommend this Museum even from as early as two years old.

For older kids (as of 6 years) there is a special learning space on the third level. It carries an additional charge and should be bought on top of the normal tickets. It only opens once per hour so if you are interested to visit this space as well, ask at the ticket desk. Regular adult price is 10 Euro. It is free for kids under 3 and 7 Euro for older children. You can buy your tickets online in advance and save a bit on the queues.

So that is our suggestion to keep you and the kids busy on a rainy day in Paris. As it happens, our Sunday was pretty rainy too  so we decided to leave the city for something with a bit more fresh air and outside the main tourist destinations: Brunch at Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay.

This is a monastery plus castle located in Domaine de l’Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, 78720 Cernay-la-Ville about 22 Km South from Versailles. We had already visited the park and did a walk around the lake in Summer. The old castle how houses a hotel and a couple of gourmet restaurants.  During this visit, we noticed that they organised an amazing brunch, in a charming medieval location, that looked like an old monastery food hall. This place quickly made the top of our list of destinations we wanted to revisit.

We booked the brunch about 3 weeks in advance on their website. We indicated the number of adults and kids. They do have high chairs and even space for buggies although you need to bring it down to the main dining hall via a flight of stairs.

The adult price is 52 Euros, including drinks. Kids under three eat for free. The food was really good, with a buffet of different salads and seafood for starters, a main dish served at the table and then another buffet of deserts and a huge cheese plate. All was fresh, huge choice and delicious. Especially bread and cheese I found outstanding..but then we were in France so that should not have come as a surprise. For drinks, we were served water, wine and natural fruit juices. Only champagne was paid extra at 12 Euro per glass.

The staff was nice and relaxed considering the fancy location. We were 6 adults and 3 kids under 3 years so things were getting a bit loud at some moments :). Staff was also helpful in explaining the different options and with warming up the baby food. If you are in the area or are heading to the castles on the Loire Valley, do give this place a look. The gardens, the castle and the lake are great for a stroll and the restaurant deserves at least a lunch break.

Do you have any tips for kid- friendly brunch places in Paris? Let me know. We are always looking for cool brunch places, wherever we go.

Happy travels!

CGK