Paris is an easy city to navigate. Transfers from the airport to Paris are convenient via public RER, Cars Air France, taxi or limousine (arrange for the driver to meet you at the gate). In the city, hotels and restaurants routinely call taxis for guests; it is illegal to hail one on the street. You must find and wait at a taxi stand. You can ask someone where one is, look near a Metro station or check this online list of taxi ranks. Any decent city map will display a T for the location of taxi stands. It’s a good idea to have the name and address of your destination handy for the driver. There’s fabulous public transportation and tours in Paris, but with limited time and with children in tow, hiring a driver is a practical extravagance.

Early reservations make sense, because even top contacts and concierges can’t always book sold-out hotels, restaurants and events. The online purchase of the Paris Museum Pass provides free admission to more than 60 museums and monuments as many times as you wish, eliminating long lines; accompanied minors are free. Passes are available for two, four or six days.

It’s also handy to know what’s closed when. For example, Musée d’Orsay is closed Mondays; the Louvre and Centre Pompidou are closed Tuesdays; and that Michelin-starred restaurant you’ve been dreaming about is probably closed Sundays and maybe Mondays. Then, there are venues that close for a two-hour lunch or stay open late. Always check schedules in advance.

Savvy parents choose age-appropriate activities, accommodate their children’s preferences and offer each person in the family at least one activity choice for all to share. In Paris, where every person greets absolutely everyone else  — “Bonjour, Monsieur,”  “Bonsoir, Madame” — and says “Merci.” It’s usually more pleasant to leave before kids get bored, than to wait until they are.

Bon voyage!