Paris river cruise on an Ile de France villa holiday, its one of the best ways to view the French capital with the family.
Paris is a magnificent city, arguably the most wonderful in the world for its architecture, beauty, charm and history. In many ways it is the embodiment of the very soul of France, it is the French piece de resistance and an absolute must for any Francophile to visit.
Like London and Rome it is a city which children like as much as adults and I remember enjoying taking my children, firstly when they were very small with one in a backpack and the other in a push chair, then again when they were still at junior school, each time their eyes just lit up and absorbed the sights.
On both occasions we took a boat ride on one of the river boats during the day and it was a big hit for them and us. The thing is that it’s so easy on the boat, you just sit and relax in the sunshine and take in the sights without any hassle for a couple of hours.
We boarded by Notre Dame Cathedral as I think you get the best visit from there and all the family enjoyed the café on the roof top of the nearby la Samaritaine department store afterwards. On another occasion I had the privilege of enjoying a restaurant boat ride in the evening courtesy of the French tourist board and I can tell you that it's something very special with all the monuments and bridges of Paris lit up by night.
Parisians have a reputation for being rather brusque and rude but I found that they were exceptionally kind and friendly, even on the metro, when we had the children with us. Even the waiters had a kind word especially for the baby. I was nicely surprised by that as it was so unexpected.
So you can enjoy a holiday villa in Ile de France from where you can visit Paris and maybe take a river cruise with the family and enjoy a holiday to remember.
Author – Peter Horrocks, Managing Director of Villas Worldwide – the difference is our experience.