“DOES the hunchback of Notre-Dame still live here?” my eight-year-old daughter Molly asks, as we look up at the gleaming white towers of Paris’ recently restored Notre-Dame cathedral.
Although we don’t find any secret medieval residents inside, we do adore gazing at the gold stars dotted across the sky-blue ceilings of the side chapels, and the stunning stained-glass windows that cast rainbows of light across the floor.
The five-year restoration project – after Notre-Dame burned down in 2019 – cost more than £600million and involved around 2,000 craftspeople, with 1,200 oak trees sourced from French forests – and the results are miraculous.
Entry is free, but save queuing time by booking ahead (Notredamedeparis.fr).
Stairway to heaven
We’re staying at NoPi Chic, a gorgeous Airbnb just off the main drag in Pigalle and down the road from the Moulin Rouge.
The two-bedroom apartment has high ceilings and a treasure trove of objets d’art. The kids’ room comes with the cutest bunks, and we love climbing the classic Parisian spiral staircase to our front door.
Each morning, I sit on the balcony with an espresso watching locals on their baguette runs, while Sundays are market day on nearby Rue des Martyrs, where tables are laden with cheese, wine and paintings.
Just five minutes’ walk away is Bouillon Pigalle, a modern French bistro, where Molly and her older brother Elliot, 11, marvel at the black-and-white uniformed waiters buzzing about.
We order a litre of citronnade, £8.85, which the kids speedily drain, before digging into oeufs mayonnaises, £2.20, as a starter, and demolishing steak frites, £10.90.
Our puddings – crème brulée, £3.30, and chocolate mousse, £3.25 – are also a triumph (Bouillonlesite.com).
Vuitton & Views
The next day, we head to the incredible Fondation Louis Vuitton in north-west Paris, designed by architect Frank Gehry using thousands of custom-carved glass panes, making the building resemble a boat.
Kids can borrow iPads that guide them through the gallery’s modern and contemporary art exhibits.
From the top terraces, we soak up the view over the city and the Eiffel Tower, before heading next door to Le Jardin d’Acclimatation, included in the entry fee, to explore its landscaped gardens and amusement park, complete with fairground rides, mini golf and a house of mirrors.
A family ticket costs £27 (Fondationlouisvuitton.fr).
Another gem we all adore is Passage Jouffroy, one of a series of 19th-century covered arcades.
The kids love roaming around Pain d’Epices, a magical toy shop (Paindepices.fr), while the original, stunning site of the oldest chocolatier in Paris, À La Mère de Famille, which opened in 1761, sits close by on Rue du Faubourg Montmartre.
The chocolates here really are miniature masterpieces (Lameredefamille.com).
That evening, we check out Bouillon Julien, half an hour’s walk away from our apartment.
The jaw-dropping art nouveau paintings and glasswork must make this bistro one of the capital’s most beautiful.
The food is excellent, too.
We order the avocado and prawn cocktail, £4.35, then yet another steak and chips with an amazing house butter, £11.25, washed down with a carafe of merlot, £6.90 (Bouillon-julien.com).
Santé to being well-fed and well-cultured!
GO: PARIS
A three-night stay at NoPi Chic costs around £1,179 (Airbnb.co.uk).
Eurostar train tickets from London to Paris cost from £39 each way (eurostar.com).