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Rating: 
Summary: I LOVED THIS BOOK
Review: My husband and I actually took our three kids (ages 9,8,6) to France last year for three weeks. We were in Paris for a week. I thought this book was one of the best I'd ever read about traveling with children. It is a book that helps you understand the philosophy behind successful family travel. Great tips on budgeting, packing, scheduling and how to avoid killing each other. It also functioned as a "what to see guide" and it gave us great suggestions about things to do in Paris. I'd recommend it to anyone who is planning a big trip with children even if you are going no where near Paris.
Rating:
Summary: Paris for Families
Review: Paris for Families is the right guidebook for you if you can answer "YES" to at least one of the following questions: I'm traveling with my children to Paris; I want to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and someplace I never knew Paris could offer me; I do not have $25,000 to spend on my vacation and/or I am Bill Gates and/or Bill Gates owes me $25,000. Two things make this book better than the others however: 1) the book entertains you with suggestions on special places, odd museums you will otherwise stroll past and gives you the information you need to locate an apartment or smaller hotel that makes kid maintenance easier and 2) the author traveled over many years to many places with his own kids and wrote down stuff of use to the rest of us. Enough philosophy. On to the details. Where to Stay The book sorts out the advantages and disadvantages to staying in a large hotel and recommends you book a short-term apartment instead. The author gives you specific addresses to write to and websites to look at to find the right place at the right price. Then the author gives you fill-in-the-blank sample letters in French to FAX to the hotel to make reservations or get more info (for example, in French, "How much will ___ nights cost?", or, more to the point for parents, "Does the apartment face the street or a courtyard?", "How quiet is it?", "Does the apartment have laundry facilities?", "Are rollaway beds available for extra people?". Maybe your French is better than mine, but for me, the terms "ex. Laverie (self-serve launderette)" and "tarif reuit (reduced price)" are going to come in handy. How to Get Around Lain again is ready with the details, including specific directions from the major airports and rail stations into/around the city, as well as a kids-in-mind look at using taxi versus the subway (Le Metro) versus buses versus trains versus walking. Is it better to go from Famous Place A to Famous Place B by taxi, or would a short walk take you by something interesting? If the route is long but scenic itself, maybe the bus would allow you a more interesting jaunt than the Metro? The author also provides pages of detailed self-guided walking tours. Here's a sample: gStroll the Jardin des Tuileries (Ch. 14). There was once a royal palace here, too. Watch the children sailing boats in the fountains and walk all the way to the end of the gardens. The building at the end, on your left, is the Musée de l'Orangerie (Ch. 13), devoted to impressionist painting. If you go up the embankment here, you have a splendid view of the Place de la Concorde (Ch. 11) with the ancient Egyptian Obelisk in its center. From here you can look straight down the Champs Elyses (Ch. 16) to the Arc de Triomphe. We'll be there in a little while. gGo back down the embankment and into the Place de la Concorde. (Before you do, there are public toilets just inside the gate if anyone would like to stop a moment.) Turn left and walk toward the river and stroll along the quai.h (I gotta love the guy for mentioning the public toilets. Our first daughter was four when we first went to Paris and we ended up paying for an amazing number of tiny little cups of coffee at gigantic prices to buy our way into cafe toilets all over the city.) What to See These eight chapters are the bulk of the book, and contain enough highlights of Paris to keep a family busy for several trips. For those who prefer a fixed price set meal, Lain offers sample itineraries for a one and two week stays in Paris. He has a "Paris at Night" itinerary to offer and, Hello Parents! one just for rainy days. For those who prefer their touring a la carte, Lain offers chapters of good stuff. Chapter 11, entitled "Graves, Ghosts, and Ruins", starts you underground, in the Catacombs. As a parent I can read the descriptions and know that the Catacombs would be perfect for my mystery-loving, Goosebumps-reading eight year old and absolutely wrong for my still frightened at lots of stuff five year old. For example: gArees de Lute is a Roman theatre almost 2000 years old. If there are ghosts anywhere, there must be some around the Arees de Lute. If you have an imagination and any sort of interest in history, this is a place that ought to put them both into overdrive. Because the arena just sits in the middle of the park, it's always free and open to the public during the daylight hours Talk about what it might have been like to live in earlier times: Roman Paris, medieval Paris, and revolutionary times. It helps make places come alive for kids and will help them make the same sorts of connections in school.h The rest of the book is equally full of good stuff: A whole chapter on the Notre Dame Cathedral (Chapter 12), one on the art of Paris (Chapter 13), a section on Parks and Diversions (Chapter 14, to include a nice section on the Bateaux-Mouches, glass enclosed sightseeing river boats that pass up and down the Seine.)
Rating: 
Summary: Could be better
Review: The aim of this book is admirable, but it promises more than it delivers. Although I do believe that chapters on preparation, airport transfers, french food, etc. are of value, I was disappointed that in a 276 page book, only about 100 pages are actually devoted to specific destinations within Paris. The information offered is good, I just wish that there was more.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs serious reorganization
Review: This book holds some useful information for families traveling to Paris. However, the presentation of the book holds little promise of finding that information quickly. There is no index, so it is extremely difficult to look up specific subjects. Although I certainly appreciate books with a biting attitude and strong opinions, unfortunately, this book contained a lot of platitudes that simply took space where more valuable information could have gone. With all due respect to the author, his quips weren't humorous and only made it more difficult to find the helpful information that is all-too-often buried. I think he was trying to combine a reference book with a narrative style, but the result would have been more successful concentrating on one over the other. Information is too scattered. In chapter two (Coming Home to Paris), there is a great suggestion of renting an apartment (which I've done and highly recommend), yet only in another section of the book does it gives suggestions on where to look for that apartment. After conducting a great deal of research on this topic myself, I will say that the author's suggestions on rental agencies are some of the more expensive options. Personally, I found the best deals when dealing with owners directly, thus bypassing all commissions. It's rather surprising that a book on Paris for families contained nothing about finding temporary childcare for a parents' night out. Although this is not applicable or important for every family, a book on families traveling to Paris should have some mention of childcare, which this did not (unless it were somehow missed -- yet it cannot be easily found without an index). There was also no mention of where one can find items that travelers with children may need: diapering supplies, medicine, and any special foods. Also surprising is the fact that the author strongly discouraged bringing any electrical equipment. Any frequent traveler knows that a small adapter on a hair dryer which converts to 220v power is really no big deal at all, and personally I've found that hair dryers are invaluable for helping to dry underwear or other clothing that may still be a bit damp from the previous night's laundering. The book recommends taking traveler's checks to Paris and also converting US cash to Euros before the trip. I could not disagree more. It is expensive to cash traveler's checks in Paris, that is, when one can even find a bank that will cash them; many will not. Also, I've found that it is usually more expensive to pay for Euros in the States than simply using an ATM machine in Paris. The books also warns of the long lines at the Tour Eiffel but gives no ways to avoid them, which I found disappointing. My solutions: pay for a moderately inexpensive city tour of 2 hours which includes the Tour Eiffel - the tour guide leads you past hordes of tourists who have been waiting for hours while you walk right past them and up the tower. Another way is to go late in the day. Not only do you get in much quicker, but the Tour Eiffel at night is absolutely magnificent. The book did contain some valuable information, including informing readers that when they emerge from the depths of the Catacombs, they are on a completely different street from the entrance! It is easy to get lost, but the book gave easy directions to find the way back to the Metro. As one who has traveled to Paris numerous times (twice with children), I simply can't recommend this as a reference book at all because of its organization and complete lack of index. But if you sit down and read it cover to cover and make lots of notes, then the book may be useful in planning a trip to Paris with the children. However, I would highly recommend reading one of the major travel guides (personally, I prefer Time Out, Lonely Planet, DK, and Let's Go) in addition to this book, as there is much information that is simply not included that a traveler needs to know before arriving in Paris.
Rating:
Summary: Needs serious reorganization
Review: This book holds some useful information for families traveling to Paris. However, the presentation of the book holds little promise of finding that information quickly. There is no index, so it is extremely difficult to look up specific subjects. Although I certainly appreciate books with a biting attitude and strong opinions, unfortunately, this book contained a lot of platitudes that simply took space where more valuable information could have gone. With all due respect to the author, his quips weren't humorous and only made it more difficult to find the helpful information that is all-too-often buried. I think he was trying to combine a reference book with a narrative style, but the result would have been more successful concentrating on one over the other. Information is too scattered. In chapter two (Coming Home to Paris), there is a great suggestion of renting an apartment (which I've done and highly recommend), yet only in another section of the book does it gives suggestions on where to look for that apartment. After conducting a great deal of research on this topic myself, I will say that the author's suggestions on rental agencies are some of the more expensive options. Personally, I found the best deals when dealing with owners directly, thus bypassing all commissions. It's rather surprising that a book on Paris for families contained nothing about finding temporary childcare for a parents' night out. Although this is not applicable or important for every family, a book on families traveling to Paris should have some mention of childcare, which this did not (unless it were somehow missed -- yet it cannot be easily found without an index). There was also no mention of where one can find items that travelers with children may need: diapering supplies, medicine, and any special foods. Also surprising is the fact that the author strongly discouraged bringing any electrical equipment. Any frequent traveler knows that a small adapter on a hair dryer which converts to 220v power is really no big deal at all, and personally I've found that hair dryers are invaluable for helping to dry underwear or other clothing that may still be a bit damp from the previous night's laundering. The book recommends taking traveler's checks to Paris and also converting US cash to Euros before the trip. I could not disagree more. It is expensive to cash traveler's checks in Paris, that is, when one can even find a bank that will cash them; many will not. Also, I've found that it is usually more expensive to pay for Euros in the States than simply using an ATM machine in Paris. The books also warns of the long lines at the Tour Eiffel but gives no ways to avoid them, which I found disappointing. My solutions: pay for a moderately inexpensive city tour of 2 hours which includes the Tour Eiffel - the tour guide leads you past hordes of tourists who have been waiting for hours while you walk right past them and up the tower. Another way is to go late in the day. Not only do you get in much quicker, but the Tour Eiffel at night is absolutely magnificent. The book did contain some valuable information, including informing readers that when they emerge from the depths of the Catacombs, they are on a completely different street from the entrance! It is easy to get lost, but the book gave easy directions to find the way back to the Metro. As one who has traveled to Paris numerous times (twice with children), I simply can't recommend this as a reference book at all because of its organization and complete lack of index. But if you sit down and read it cover to cover and make lots of notes, then the book may be useful in planning a trip to Paris with the children. However, I would highly recommend reading one of the major travel guides (personally, I prefer Time Out, Lonely Planet, DK, and Let's Go) in addition to this book, as there is much information that is simply not included that a traveler needs to know before arriving in Paris.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVED THIS BOOK
Review: THIS PARIS GUIDE BOOK HAS NO INDEX. Unless you ALREADY KNOW Paris, you won't be able to use this book to look up areas, suggested sights to see, nor any other specific travel information that you may need. Family trip planning NEEDS indices to make the planning easier. Our family used the London For Families book extensively, both when planning and later as a reference book when traveling in London. I was really excited to learn that the Lains were publishing a Paris Guide for families. It was very disappointing to find that an index---which these days requires nothing more than a computer program---wasn't provided. Without an index this book gets a 2 star as nothing more than a nice read with some ideas for family excursions in Paris.
Rating:
Summary: NO INDEX !!!!!!
Review: THIS PARIS GUIDE BOOK HAS NO INDEX. Unless you ALREADY KNOW Paris, you won't be able to use this book to look up areas, suggested sights to see, nor any other specific travel information that you may need. Family trip planning NEEDS indices to make the planning easier. Our family used the London For Families book extensively, both when planning and later as a reference book when traveling in London. I was really excited to learn that the Lains were publishing a Paris Guide for families. It was very disappointing to find that an index---which these days requires nothing more than a computer program---wasn't provided. Without an index this book gets a 2 star as nothing more than a nice read with some ideas for family excursions in Paris.
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