PARIS: 6 brilliant activities for families with autistic kids
- sunshinelayla
- Oct 10
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 24
Paris is probably the last place you would consider taking your autistic child. It is a large, bustling and sprawling capital - it just screams overwhelm. That said, we managed to find spaces of beauty, joy and peace among the crowds and noise, and you can too.
I remember reading family itineraries for Paris on other travel blogs and bursting out laughing - these neurotypical parents and kids were getting through in one day what it would take my autistic children a week to cope with! I quickly discarded the idea of an 'itinerary' and thought about how to achieve what it was we really wanted from the trip - which was basically to eat croissants and have fun.
When we narrowed our list down to just two actual tourist sites - Paris finally began to feel like something we could actually do. So although the main tourist attractions (and the streets around them) are horrendously busy and we say plenty of massive queues, our trip showed that as an autistic family you can pretty much avoid all this and still have a great time in Paris!
This is a great map which shows you the locations of the Top 20 Monuments / Attractions in Paris, - you should be able to find something that meets the sensory needs and particular interests of your family!
6 Brilliant Activities for Autistic Children in Paris
The Eiffel Tower
I don't think it would be possible to visit Paris and not at least go and see the Eiffel Tower, it is such a famous landmark, and looks beautiful in all weather at all times of the day!
Our boys were desperate to climb it, but I was unsure how autism friendly the experience would be - it is the most popular attraction in Paris after all. But we did manage to climb it and more importantly enjoy it!
If visiting the Eiffel Tower is top of your list then make sure to read my article: EIFFEL TOWER (Paris): Our family guide to visiting with autistic / adhd children
It covers everything you need to make the trip a success, from getting into the site to the cheapest way of buying tickets!
Tuileries Garden and Carousel
The Tuileries Garden is a fantastic 68 acre expanse of open space, and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located in the heart of Paris, between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde (Arch de Triomphe). Originally a private royal garden during the Renaissance (it was built for Catherine de Medici in 1564), much of its early formal planting remains and visitors can now stroll beneath avenues of perfectly manicured trees while enjoying the elaborate fountains and beautifully planted flower beds.
We made good use of this space, spending a wonderful afternoon relaxing by the ornamental boating lake and visiting the adventure playground. There are a number of cafes with alfresco seating, with plenty of picnickers and loved up Parisiennes reclining on the the grassy banks. But the best bit was tucked away in far north corner - a very lovely very French vintage carousel. It was all swirly confections of gold, cream and fantastical animals, and to be fair, moved around at quite a clip. The boys loved the carousel so much we gave in and let them have two rides!
On the other side of the garden to the Carousel you can visit the Musee da L'Orangerie, an art gallery home to many famous impressionist works including 8 of Claude Monet's lily paintings. While still a busy museum, this will be quieter than the Louvre, and could be a good option if your autistic child enjoys art but struggles with packed crowds.
Louvre Museum Pyramid
Unfortunately, as much as I'd have loved to have taken the boys to see the Mona Lisa, I just couldn't see a way of getting the boys into and out of the Louvre Museum without one, two or all of us losing the plot (I'm still haunted by a disastrous visit to the British Museum during the August summer holidays!)
So we compromised. We took them to see the famous Louvre glass pyramid - which they knew from watching endless reruns of the Miraculous TV series (a story of superheros set in Paris).
We started the outing by entering through the east gate of the Cour Caree, a huge courtyard that then leads you through to the plaza with the Pyramid in the middle. It was totally worth it to watch their faces transform with excitement and awe as it came into view - these plaza's and their magnificent architecture were designed to impress and it worked on us!
Despite the inevitable crowds there was plenty of space for the boys to run and feel free, particularly as we were not concerned about joining the entrance queues for any of the museums. As a free activity in Paris, it was probably one of my favourites.
Montmartre and the Little White Train
The hilly enclave of Montmartre is most famous for its beautiful cathedral, the Sacre Coeur and its colony of artists painting en plein air (in the outdoors). The artists share the tree lined streets with craftsmen working out of tiny studios and super cool wine bars that give off a bohemian spirit.
There a number of ways to get to the top of Montmartre - the winding staircases or funicular are popular choices or you can copy us and take the Little White Train from Boulevard de Clichy, opposite the Moulin Rouge nightclub in the Pigalle district at the bottom of the hill.
It is a fun, gentle and relatively inexpensive way of winding slowly through the streets to the top and the boys loved it. Your ticket allows you to 'hop on and off' so once at the top you can take as long as you like before catching another one down - they run approximately every 20 minutes. Alternatively you could get the train up and walk slowly down, there is lots of interesting things to see including a small vineyard, windmills, gorgeous shops, the Salvador Dali museum and plenty of locations from films like Amelie and Moulin Rouge.
While we decided not to join the long queue to go inside the Sacre Coeur we enjoyed the busker entertaining the crowds and made sure to admire its architecture. We also took our time taking in the stunning views across the rooftops of Paris from the various viewing spots, complete with the 1 euro binoculars! There are lots of lovely shops, including a famous French soap maker with bars of every shade arranged like sweet mountains in a candy shop - the colours and scents were so enticing my eldest couldn't resist and despite the crowds we had a wonderful time choosing presents for ourselves and family back home!
There are cafes and restaurants and wine bars galore, and of course the famous square with all the artists. For a deep dive into quintessential Paris, Montmartre is impossible to beat. Indeed, although we did not climb all the way to the top again, we did return a couple more times to stroll around the streets on its slopes and buy treats from its incredible bakeries and family run fresh produce stalls.
Boris Lume Boulangerie
If your kids (autistic / adhd or not) are fans of the Miraculous Ladybug TV series then this place is worth seeking out. Situated towards the base of Montmartre at 48 Rue Caulaincourt, the Boris Lume Boulangerie was the inspiration for the bakery run by Marionette's father in the show. The animation has faithfully copied the shop's architecture, including its distinctive three sided corner aspect, while Boris and his wife who runs the shop are very similar in appearance to Marionette's parents on the show.
Its popularity among Miraculous fans has certainly benefitted business, but it also attracts a loyal crowd of locals so expect to queue. The inside is tiny with little seating, but the cakes and pastries arr really delicious and the coffee was good. The prices are a bit on the steep side, but not enough to put you off a purchase.
Our youngest son absolutely loved posing for photos outside the bakery, although he was a little disappointed he didn't get to meet Marionette - he even tried to walk into the pastry kitchen looking for her - oops!
If you just want to try his exquisite pastry skills and are happy to miss the Miraculous fans then Boris Lume also has a second more modern patisserie a short walk away at 26 Rue Lepic - we stopped by there later in our stay to top up on treats!
Monet's House and Garden (Giverny)
Ok, so I know that Giverny is not actually in Paris, but at only around 1hr and 15min away by car, it makes the perfect day trip and I just had to include in our list.
I have wanted to visit Monet's garden since I first learnt about it at secondary school, and despite numerous trips to Paris have never managed to find the time. So on this visit I was determined to allocate a day for this trip, and ensured that we would be in Paris during the short season that it is open - which lucky for us started the week before we arrived.
I cannot tell you how much we all loved visiting Monet's house and garden. In fact the day was so special it requires it's own article. So if you are thinking of visiting Giverny but are not sure if it is appropriate for autistic children (mine were 5 and 7 we went) then read my guide:
How to plan a perfect, autism friendly family day trip to Monet's Garden
It outlines everything you need to help you plan a super special autism friendly day trip that you will remember forever.
SOME EXTRA THOUGHTS
It is obvious that we have left off some famous Paris attractions e.g. the Pompidou Centre, the Notre Dame (although this was still closed for renovation when we were there), Bastille, Champs Elysée, the Luxembourg Gardens, Pantheon, Musee D'Orsay and the river Seine. There is simply so much to do that with the boy's slow pace and limited capacity for stimulation / sensory experience we were never going to get through as much as J and I would have liked. However you plan your trip, just remember to take it at your own pace and make full use of the open spaces Paris offers - find those moments of quiet and then delve back in!
To see our itinerary and a detailed description of how we spent our 4 days / 5 nights in the city including where we stayed and what we ate read our 5 night Guide to Paris for Autistic Families.
ON OPEN SPACES......
We were pleased to discover that Paris has a number of open spaces where families with autistic children can go and enjoy being outside, including a lovely playground a few minutes walk from our apartment in the Pigalle district.
Another option is the free 600m long Open Air Sculpture Garden situated along the banks of the Seine near Notre Dame Cathedral. Opened in 1980 in the Jardin Tino Rossi, the museum displays sculptures by famous artists including César, Constantin Brancusi, Nicolas Schöffer and Émile Giliolibut. On this trip the weather was against us and we didnt have time to visit - but it remains on our to do list.
When researching Paris's green spaces I used the official Paris Tourism website which was very helpful.
Don't miss our other helpful articles about Paris:
