Hosted by Moxy Hotels Val d’Europe; opinions are my own

What a fun, whirlwind weekend in Paris! I visited Paris as a child with my parent when I was our oldest son’s age, around eleven, and I remember it not being my favorite trip. I had experienced a slightly odd bed and breakfast situation, several rude encounters with people and lots of beggars – that memory lives in my head. This time around, we had special plans to visit our previous exchange student from Kazakhstan but living in Paris as well as an opportunity to give the city of Paris a second chance. As a family traveling from our home base of Madrid, Spain, it cost us only $400/four flights on Iberia Airlines for this trip! Incredible!

The Hotel

When I first started to research hotels in the Paris area, I couldn’t find one that I loved. The prices were super high and they all seemed so small for what we would pay for a family of four. I found Moxy Hotels Val d’Europe through a friend’s referral on Instagram and immediately felt like it would be the best fit for our family. Located a one-hour train ride from Paris’ city center, this hotel is in the Val d’Europe area, a great suburban area providing more spaces to get outside and run around and a bit of fresh area from the city itself. It was worth the daily transportation to stay in the Val d’Europe area. The hotel itself had the perfect room for a family of four: the Family Sleeper room. This option gave us two beds and a comfortable resting spot after lots of sightseeing each night. We also loved the kid-friendly entertainment that we had at the hotel from a pool table to outdoor chess.

The Brunch with Didara

We were thrilled to see Didara, our exchange student from 2019 while in Paris. We actually had airline tickets booked to visit her in Kazakstan for April 1, 2020, but needed to cancel them due to the pandemic. It was so thrilling to see her again and get to spend the early afternoon hearing all about her life in Paris. It was definitely a memory that we will not forget.

The Walking

We, including the kids, walked 16 miles between the two days that we stayed in Paris. The boys were troopers and when we would start to lose our audience, we bribed them with the ability to visit a French toy store and spend some of the money their grandparent send to their checking account. Besides lots of walking, we really enjoyed the clear, concise transportation. We even found the transit system to be easier than the one in Madrid. We spent about $16 for four on a one-way trip from Paris to Val D’Europe so we were pleasantly surprised by both the process and the cost.

The Sites not to Miss: Day One

Use this itinerary when trying to fit in the sites in Paris (the center area) in one day:

Brunch at Immersion Verdome, walk to Jardin de Tuileres, walk to the Louvre, walk to Notre Dame, lounge on a bench in Jardin de Luxembourg, stop for acai bowls at Oakberry Acai Bowls, stop at a local cafe for a croissant, champagne and charcuterie board, walk to see the Eiffel Tower at night, walk to see Arc d’Triumph at night.

The Sites not to Miss: Day Two

Use this itinerary to spend the second day in the Montmartre district:

Walk the cobblestone alleys, going into local shoppes and trying samples of treats, roll on the grass in front of Sacre-Coeur (Griffin’s favorite activity), buy samples of macarons at Biscuitere de Montmartre, stop to split baguettes and some vin chaud (hot wine) at Grenouilles

We had a great family trip to Paris and fit in everything we hoped to in these 48 hours. This trip is one that we will remember forever! Oui, oui!