Paris Hotels with Kids Clubs and Babysitting

Supervised kids clubs exist in only a few Paris palaces, so the choice comes down to three formats: a staffed playroom at Le Bristol or the George V, an indoor play area at the Novotel Paris 17, or babysitting arranged by La Fantaisie and Elysée Montmartre. Each format suits a different budget and age group, and all five hotels are within reach of the city's big parks and museums.

Le Bristol, on the Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th, has the most complete children's space in this selection. Its playroom was designed with Bonpoint, the French childrenswear label, and is fitted with tipis, chalkboard walls, electric car tracks and dolls' houses. A dedicated staff member supervises children up to 12, which gives parents a real break rather than a corner of toys in the lobby. The hotel adds a sunlit indoor pool, strollers lent by the hotel, a Michelin-starred restaurant and Fa-Raon, the resident Burmese cat that many children ask about before anything else. It suits families who want one base that also covers rainy afternoons.

The Four Seasons Hotel George V, a few streets away near the Champs-Élysées, runs a complimentary kids club on the ground floor with game consoles, DVDs and board games. Its signature activity is a pastry workshop in the hotel's Michelin-starred kitchen, where children learn to make macarons with the pastry chefs, a memorable session for those old enough to follow a recipe. Babysitting is available around the clock, and children receive welcome gifts chosen for their age. Both palaces are within reach of the Seine, the Grand Palais and the Jardin des Tuileries, so a morning in the club can be followed by an afternoon walk outdoors.

The Novotel Paris 17 is the practical choice for families who want room to play without palace prices. Its ground-floor indoor play area has climbing structures, a ball pit and colouring stations, and a separate games room keeps older children busy with board games, books and consoles. It is not a supervised club, so a parent stays nearby, but it solves the early-morning and rainy-evening problem that every Paris trip with young children runs into. Breakfast is free for two children under 16, with croissants, eggs, fruit and a dedicated kids' station, and family rooms take extra beds. The Batignolles side of the 17th is quieter than the central arrondissements.

Two hotels rely on babysitting rather than a club. La Fantaisie, a five-star boutique hotel in the 9th near the Opéra, provides children's meals, baby safety gates and babysitting on request through the concierge, and its garden courtyard gives children a safe outdoor space in the middle of the city; parents also have a spa with a jacuzzi and sauna. Elysée Montmartre Hotel, in the 18th within walking distance of Sacré-Cœur, offers babysitting through the front desk with four hours' notice at 22 euros per hour, family rooms with two double beds plus a single-bed alcove, and soundproofed windows against Montmartre's evening noise.