Paris has a deserved reputation as a magical destination, especially for the 7-to-17 set who cavort on carousels, stare at sights and consume croissants, crêpes and croques-monsieur (grilled ham and cheese).

Adults lucky enough to have traveled to Paris as children cherish that indelible love of place; those who can travel there en famille experience the City of Light as if for the first time.

An hour-long cruise along the Seine River is the time-honored introduction to Paris and particularly appealing on a jet-lagged first day. Bateaux Parisiens dock in front of the Eiffel Tower and offer children’s luncheon menus and multilingual headphone narration.

The péniches flow past 14 monuments — including France’s smaller version of the Statue of Liberty, which is positioned to face New York harbor — and under 25 bridges. Three of the most famous bridges are the glittering Pont Alexandre III, featured in the film Anastasia; Pont Neuf, which connects to the Île de la Cité; and Pont des Arts, a footbridge where kids run, families picnic and lovers attach padlocks.

Views of the Left Bank, or Rive Gauche, where the Eiffel Tower soars, include the shimmering dome of Les Invalides, above Napoleon’s tomb. Your kids may prefer running around the cannons outside this former military hospital.

Musée d’Orsay displays Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works in a former rail terminal. © Jan Kranendonk | Dreamstime.com

The atrium-topped Musée d’Orsay looms large within the former Beaux-Arts rail terminal and houses the world’s largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Museum passes eliminate the line. (Also with the pass, you can hire a guide, plan a private event, dine late on Thursdays and enjoy dazzling views.)

On the Right Bank, Rive Droite, barges view the Petit Palais, which resembles Babar’s palace; the Place de la Concorde with its Egyptian obelisk; and the long façade of the Louvre Museum. Originally constructed as a 12th-century château and palace, the building housing the Louvre has transformed through the years. One particularly controversial change, in 1989, was the addition of I.M. Pei’s light-filled, glass pyramid entry. See it best from Café Marly, which is less crowded when the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.

Opposite the long, tree-lined Champs-Élysées leading to the Arc de Triomphe lies the entry path to the Jardin des Tuileries between two tiny, stand-alone museums: Jeu de Paume, where contemporary art is housed in former palace tennis courts, and Musée de L’Orangerie, with walls displaying Monet’s Les Nymphéas, eight canvases representing brilliantly colored water lilies grown in the artist’s Giverny garden. You’ll see Renoir’s painting Two Young Girls at the Piano and a series of his cheery, rosy-cheeked nudes downstairs, near the lavatory.

The Tuileries, the former gardens of Louis XIII, opened to the public after the French Revolution. Today, children jump on the trampoline, sail toy wooden boats in the basin (weekend rentals) and in summer ride La Grande Roue Ferris wheel. The gardens lead to the Louvre, the famous home of Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samathrace sculpture.

Barges also pass the great Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame, where two towers and flying buttresses dominate the tiny Île de la Cité, and the moving Monument to the Deported hides behind the church. In summer, you can see and use the sandy riverside Paris-Plages beaches.

A gargoyle atop Notre-Dame guards the city. © Ezhonok | Dreamstime.com

BatoBus Paris, an on/off boat-bus, stops at eight docks near many of the aforementioned sights; one stop is a short walk from the Jardin des Plantes. The world’s oldest city zoo boasts a dinosaur in the playground, the Ménagerie where royal animals once lived and the Museum of Natural History.

Junior scientists also appreciate the Palais de la Découverte and the high-tech Centre Pompidou, which opened in 1977 in the trendy Marais, the former Jewish Quarter. Outside, everyone gawks at the street performers; gazes at the Calder sculpture; scrutinizes the whimsical Stravinsky Fountain with ruby-red lips and gyrating, primary-colored, mechanical figures; and admires Atelier Brancusi, the sculptor’s reconstructed workshop. Indoors, observe the neon-lit interior plaza from escalators to the self-serve café and to the interactive exhibits at the Galerie des Enfants. Children love the view of the neighborhood while riding on the glass-enclosed exterior escalators on the way to amazing 20th-century collections and art by Derain, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Matisse, Miró, Modigliani and Picasso, with easy access to the roof deck for views of Notre-Dame and Sacré Coeur. First Sundays are free and crowded.

Parisian parks have playgrounds, but they are art-studded spaces with statues, fountains and palaces that offer real-time opportunities to experience French culture: older men playing boules, performances of Les Guignols (puppet theater), and children sailing toy boats and riding ponies and carousels. You can watch yours from the comfort of a moveable green park chair.

Jardin du Luxembourg, the most beautiful park, surrounds Marie de Medici’s Palais du Luxembourg, built on the Left Bank in 1615 and now home to the Senate. There are tennis courts, model sailboat rentals at the Grand Basin and age-appropriate playgrounds. A Garnier-designed, green-roofed carousel from 1879 is Paris’ oldest.

Jardin d’Acclimatation occupies about 50 acres in the Bois de Boulogne and has attracted families since 1860. Kids enjoy boat, pony and carousel rides; farm animals and birds; and classes for painting, confectionery and gardening.

From the heights of Tour Montparnasse and Tour Eiffel to the eerie depths of the Catacombs and Les Égouts (sewers), there are teen-tingling activities, too. They’ll delight in the energetic sprint to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, stepping like Quasimodo past gargoyles in Notre-Dame, mounting the winding stone stairs in the Arc de Triomphe (cross the busily trafficked Étoile underground) and frolicking on flights of street stairs on Rue Foyatier that connect with white-domed Sacré Coeur. Or ride the funicular train to the travertine church in Montmartre, atop the city’s highest point. Of course, this capital city has an aquarium, a wax museum and shops and tours galore.

There are a variety of organized, English-speaking walking, bus and bike tours for families. You will see the popular pick-up/ drop-off Vélib’ bike stations — but read accident statistics; you may agree: Cycling is risky.

Street food, on the other hand, is not. Future foodies find Paris a perfect gastronomic treat. Promenades Gourmandes features gourmet tours to food shops and markets and hands-on cooking classes. You can arrange private sessions for the under-12 set. Kids need no special programs to eat at outdoor markets (Rue de Mouffetard); cheese shops (Alléosse); and food stands that sell Belgian waffles, glace (ice cream), gelato and pizza. Or they can sit leisurely at an outdoor café and watch the world go by while snacking on omelettes, quiches and baguettes with or without ham and cheese; or stop at an idyllic Belle Époque tea salon such as Angelina for rich pastries and velvety thick chocolat chaud served with a bowl of whipped cream. Haute cuisine even extends to the take-out traiteur (caterer). You can buy gourmet picnic fare at Hediard, Fauchon or La Grande Épicerie within Bon Marché.

Educators claim being in a place is the best way to learn about its language, history, architecture and culture. Whether your children are already urban sophisticates or new to the worldly life, Paris is the perfect place for a family trip. You can call it Paris 101.

Paris Info to Go

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is 14 miles northeast of the city. The RER B suburban train from Terminals 2 and 3 stops in central Paris (about $13 adults, $9 children 9 and under). Paris Orly Airport (ORY) is smaller and closer, but rail connections require a change; take a navette bus (RER C) or Orlyval train for the fastest rides to the city ($13). Les Cars Air France buses connect the airports to specific Paris locations ($22). Viator.com shuttle service ($25) transports to hotels. Taxis and limousines are available; some hotels provide pickup service at the gate.

Where to Stay in Paris

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris The elegant hotel with its Versailles-inspired spa, Le Cinq restaurant and china designed for children established the first Paris hotel youth program and recreation manager. 31 Ave. George V $$$$

Hôtel Fouquet’s Barrière Youngsters at this fanciful Art Deco boutique hotel relish Fouquet’s on the Champs-Élysées and Restaurant Le Diane, interactive age-appropriate Sunday programs, and private swim lessons and Princesse Manicures at the U-Spa. 46 Ave. George V $$$$

Mandarin Oriental, Paris The red sculpture-studded courtyard off the lobby and Camélia Restaurant enchant, as does the hotel’s Parisian Family Tour that includes parks, cultural sights and insight into French family life. 251 Rue Saint-Honoré $$$$

Restaurants in Paris

Le Jules Verne An exclusive, glass-walled elevator rises 410 feet up the Eiffel Tower to Chef Alain Ducasse’s Michelin-starred venue. The prix-fixe menu (or a child-friendly substitute) finishes with sumptuous chocolates from the bean-to-bar chocolaterie. Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars

Michel Rostang Restaurant This cozy, classic, family-owned Relais & Châteaux restaurant features a fifth-generation, 2-star Michelin chef, a table with a picture-window view of the kitchen or a Lalique and Aubusson-decorated 14-seat space. 20 Rue Rennequin $$$$

Spring At this teeny, two-level, kid-friendly restaurant on an ancient alley near the Louvre, Chicago-born chef/owner Daniel Rose recreates classic French dishes and fixed-price menus inspired daily by market-fresh ingredients. 6 Rue Bailleul $$$$

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