France’s vibrant capital is full of quaint streets, grand boulevards, handsome parks, and fascinating museums. And, of course, there are plenty of gorgeous hotels. But when it comes to visiting Paris with kids, finding the right hotel can be challenging.
In North America, many hotels offer rooms with two queen or double beds that can easily accommodate a family of four. (Adjoining rooms, pull-out sofas, and the option to request cots are also not uncommon to help with sleeping arrangements for larger families and groups.) But more spacious, family-friendly hotel rooms are much harder to find in the heart of Paris, where hotels are set in centuries-old mansions or narrow townhouses with smaller footprints. (You’ll have an easier time finding large accommodations if you don’t mind staying in a chain hotel closer to the airport, but those will lack the charm and convenience of boutique properties located in the center of the city.)
To prepare for a recent trip to Paris with my husband, tween son, and teenage daughter, I scouted several hotels—from over-the-top luxury properties to trendy and cinematic boutique outposts—that offer plenty of character and space, whether you’re a couple traveling with one kid or a clan of six. Here are five great hotels for families looking for a fun and stylish place in Paris to rest their heads.
The effortlessly cool Hotel Babel offers family rooms that sleep up to four.
Courtesy of Hotel Babel
Hotel Babel
What to expect: A hip hotel with a multicultural spin to its cuisine and decor
Neighborhood: 20th arrondissement
Set in edgy Belleville and surrounded by artist studios, bars, patisseries, synagogues, and halal butchers, this newly opened boutique property offers 31 guest rooms. Four of them can accommodate groups of four. Though small, family rooms are warm and cozy thanks to patinated walls in hues of terra-cotta, azure, and ochre, luxurious bed linens, and flea market finds sculpted in wood, ceramic, and bronze. Inspired by the Tower of Babel, this is a place that brings together different cultures and ideas, and those can be felt in the design (kids will delight in the textural aesthetic of Morocco meets Turkey by way of India) and tasted in the restaurant’s dishes, such as the spanakopita or mezze. (The kids’ menu features fish and chips and a mini chocolate mousse.) Breakfast of housemade juices and flaky croissants is a must.
After a long day of visiting the Paris sights, the fam can relax and unwind with a movie in their Hotel Paradiso room.
Courtesy of Hotel Paradiso
Hotel Paradiso
What to expect: A cinema-themed hotel that encourages family movie night
Neighborhood: 11th arrondissement
Designed by movie lovers for movie lovers (France’s MK2 cinema chain are owners), Hotel Paradiso offers 35 guest rooms fitted with laser projectors, screens, and 3D surround sound systems. There’s also a rooftop terrace with an open-air cinema, and a private karaoke room for up to 10 people—for a fun night with the whole fam. For a family of four, the Grande Suite Cinema features two bedrooms (one of which converts into a screening room) that look out to a Charlie Chaplin mural by French street artist JR. Meanwhile, Le Loft is a room designed for up to six guests and features a lounge, dining area, arcade games, PlayStation 5, and a giant movie screen. Located on a tree-lined boulevard near Place de la Nation, the hotel is a 16-minute walk to the Paris Zoo and 18 minutes by metro to the Louvre.
Family members with a sweet tooth can indulge in delicious patisseries at the Cake Shop at Mandarin Oriental Paris.
Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Paris
Mandarin Oriental Paris
What to expect: Impeccable five-star service with decadent rooms to match
Neighborhood: 1st arrondissement
Situated on Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris’s priciest shopping street, this hotel with “palace” status (a coveted title assigned only to a handful of ultra-luxury hotels in the city) is the epitome of elegance. Family rooms connect a king bedroom to a twin bedroom, each with its own bathroom. The decor is modern with retro and playful touches—a reproduction of Man Ray’s photograph “The Kiss” is incorporated into velvet headboards in the guest rooms. There’s a spa with an indoor pool open to guests of all ages, a gym, cocktail bar, and various dining options, including the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Sur Mesure by Thierry Marx. The hotel offers a kids’ menu for in-room dining as well as babysitting services for an additional charge and with 24-hour notice. If your pockets are deep and you want to spread out, book the Parisian Apartment, a 4,628-square-foot suite on a single level that offers four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a dining area, a kitchen, two living rooms, and a private 754-foot landscaped terrace furnished with loungers, sofas, and dining tables perfect for entertaining en plein air.
A pool in a floating hotel on the Seine? What’s not for the kids to love?
Courtesy of Off Paris Seine
OFF Paris Seine
What to expect: A floating hotel moored on the banks of the Seine
Neighborhood: 13th arrondissement
There are Paris hotels that are near the Seine, then there’s OFF, a hotel that’s literally on the Seine. The city’s first boat hotel feels like a sleek glass and steel cocoon, though it is a barge designed by a nautical architect. But don’t worry, you might be sleeping in a floating hotel but a cheesy cruise ship this is not. Instead, the 54 rooms and four suites feature comfy beds and walls decorated with playful gold stencil motifs, and kids will love novelty of sleeping on a boat. If you’re a family of three, book the Horizon Suite facing the river, or opt for connecting rooms for a bit more space. The highlight of your stay will be cocktails in the lounge bar right next to the pool, where your kid will most likely be chilling on the inflatable gold swan.
You can pretend you are staying with your eccentric French aunt at Saint James Paris hotel.
Courtesy of Saint James Paris
Saint James Paris
What to expect: A gorgeous château where every room is entirely unique
Neighborhood: 16th arrondissement
Imagine if you had a wealthy French aunt—with impeccable taste and an eye for detail—who lived in a magnificent château tucked away in an exclusive corner of Paris. The estate would be decorated with a modern yet timeless touch—velvety textiles, antique objets, chinoiserie wallpapers, sofas and armchairs upholstered in whimsical geometric patterns. The bathrooms? Marble, of course. The staff and service gracious but efficient. That’s exactly what to expect at the Saint James, where you can savor your petit déjeuner on the terrace, sip a cocktail surrounded by leather tomes in the library, or enjoy the spa’s swimming pool (where kids are allowed, too). There are 22 guest rooms, but if you are traveling with one or two kids, you’ll want to book one of the suites, which range from 450 to 850 square feet and offer separate living areas.
