TL;DR: Your essential stops before heading to Luxembourg Gardens

Judy – Coffee, matcha, and cold-pressed juices. Try the Spicy Sunrise (carrot, apple, orange & curcuma).
Bread & Roses – Incredible pastries. Get the scones, croissants, and pain au chocolat. Don’t leave without their organic pain de campagne.
Maison Thévenin – A neighborhood boulangerie with classic French breads and viennoiseries.

As much as we’d love to switch up our weekend activities, we thrive on routine. And when Luxembourg Gardens is practically your backyard, there’s no need for change. It has everything you could possibly want for a family-friendly Parisian morning. Plus, with four kids aged six and under, convenience is key.

Here’s our weekend routine for you to copy and paste into your next Paris itinerary.

Fuel up: Coffee, juice & pastries

Mornings start early in our home, and by 9:30am or 10:00am at the latest, we’re out the door. Before heading to the park, we make two essential stops: Café Judy and Bread & Roses.

Café Judy

This Australian-inspired café has wonderful healthy dishes & beverages (coffee, matcha, juices, etc). Our boys are obsessed with the Spicy Sunrise juice (carrot, apple, orange & tumeric), and since it’s mixed with a veggie, I let them overdose on it.

Bread & Roses

This bakery is a dream. Everything is next level. I love their cinnamon rolls, but I also love their scones, croissants, chocolate croissants, coffee éclairs. We also always grab a loaf of their organic pain de campagne or rustic French bread, which is so good it could double as dessert.

Maison Thévenin

While Café Judy and Bread & Roses are right next to Luxembourg Gardens, Maison Thévenin is on Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, near Metro Saint-Placide (4-5 minute walk from the park). I love their bread, croissants, and pastries. While I was pregnant, I was obsessed with their “pain sportif” or energy bread. It’s packed with chunks of red fruit and white chocolate chips. They sell out in the mornings, so I used to place an order the day before. When it’s strawberry season, I’m a sucker for their strawberry sponge cake. Everything they do, they do well. Beware, there is often a line, but it moves quickly.

Playtime at Luxembourg Gardens

With snacks and drinks in hand, we head to Luxembourg Gardens, where we have a few favorite stops depending on the season.

Ludo Jardin: A large, enclosed playground with climbing structures, slides, and swings. There’s a small entrance fee 3€ for children ( from 3y to 12y) and 1€ per adult, but it’s worth it. There are vending machines with water, coffee, and ice cream in the summer months. There are also clean restrooms available.
Merry-go-round: Right next to Ludo Jardin, you’ll find a charming vintage carousel, dating from 1879 (allegedly the oldest in Paris!).
Swings: Next to the merry-go-round, there are a series of two-seater swing sets, and they are always a hit with little ones.
Rose Garden: A hidden gem for families: This section of the park is reserved for kids six and under. In the warmer months the space is particularly precious because you’re not competing for green grass with those without kids. In the Rose Garden, there are two kiddie pools, two large sandboxes, and plenty of grassy areas perfect for a picnic or lounging.
Pony rides: Another Luxembourg Gardens classic.
Toy sailboats: Rent a vintage toy sailboat at the Grand Bassin du Luxembourg, the octagonal pond in front of the palace.

Lunch at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte

After a full morning of running around, we head to Le Relais de l’Entrecôte for lunch.

No reservations, but if you arrive before noon, you’ll get a table for first service.
The menu is simple: steak & frites—no decisions necessary.
It’s family friendly; the staff is very accommodating with kids and strollers.