Paris by Night for Single Parents

Spending three nights in Paris with my then 12-year-old son gave me pause. While I'd always wanted to visit Paris for as long as I could remember, as a single parent, it's not as simple as taking a carefree, romantic getaway filled with wine and cheese and fancy dinners.

I don't like to live my life in fear, but when you travel alone, as a woman and with a child, you have a certain level of heightened awareness. Safety is priority number one. But of course, we don't want caution to overwhelm our sense of adventure, so it's about getting creative.

Bustronome offered a fantastic solution to the problem of wanting to be out in the evening in the dead of Parisian winter (as a pair of Australians from sub-tropical Queensland!) with my child in safety and comfort, while eating a delicious boujie meal.

We met our very fancy double-decker bus close by to the Arc de Triomphe, which gave us an opportunity to walk Avenue des Champs-Élysées and be delightfully surprised at all the puppies hanging out in Sephora!

When in Paris...!

My sister joined us for the outing, so we pre-ordered a bottle of sparkling rosè to share. You could have knocked my lad over with a feather when our waiter poured him a small flute, and I didn't object. Selfies ensued (even though he didn't particularly like the taste)!

The glass-ceiling bus made for the perfect viewpoint to see Paris at night in comfort and warmth. We were served six dishes of traditional French cuisine—two starters, two mains, cheese, and dessert. My son ate from the children's menu, which had slight variations more palatable for young ones. I would say if you have a particularly picky eater, especially from an English-speaking Western background, this may not be the right choice for you. My son is fairly adventurous in his eating, so he was fine to eat what was on offer, though it wasn't his favourite meal of our trip. Let's face it—as with most kids, the less fancy the better! Nonetheless, the overall experience is well worth it.

Similarly, I would say this dining experience isn't for very young or compulsively active children. The bus is, well, bus-sized; and while we had plenty of personal space, it is a limited area and nobody would appreciate a child running around in this situation—for both safety and peacefulness!

The Sights

We trekked all around the city of Paris with optional audio commentary available, as well as a detailed map on our table. The two hour tour was well timed to arrive as the Eiffel Tower lights came on. The bus stopped and we hopped out for a quick photo op.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Bustronome tour of Paris by night. It was safe, warm, and delicious. It is a luxury experience—read: not cheap, but certainly worth it if budget allows.

Costs

Price at publication is 100 euro per adult and 50 euro per child (12 & under). You can opt for dinner and drinks for 150 euro per adult.

Tours are held both at lunch and dinner, and there is the opportunity to privatise the tour for a group.

Thank you for reading!

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