The French Kin-ection

Mother and daughter share a journey through the delicious streets of Paris

WHEN a mother-daughter trip to Paris becomes a collaborative effort, you’ll both experience the City of Light in new ways. Kaitlin, 12, loves to bake, so we booked a pastrymaking class at the Ritz Paris. Fancy, fun and fantastique.

We combined high and low dining experiences. The crème de la crème was a lunch we’ll never forget at celeb chef Alain Ducasse’s Jules Verne atop the Eiffel Tower, which we could see from our windows at La Reserve Paris Apartments, (from about $2,500; LaReserveParisApartments.com). These modern pads, ideal for families, were our home away from home in Trocadéro. We also loved Carette, the classic, affordable Parisian cafe nearby. There’s also the elegant La Reserve Paris Hotel and Spa, set in a 19th-century mansion, where we met Paris-based writer and Post contributor Alec Lobrano. Wander Le Marais for treats at Sacha Finkelsztajn and L’As Du Fallafel.

I could have stayed at the Picasso museum forever, but we needed to stop by streetwear brand Supreme for my son, Braden. We loved the city’s oldest square, Place des Vosges, where Kaitlin saw her French counterparts roller skate and play badminton.

Our next move was to Hotel Barrière Le Fouquet, just off the Champs-Élysées (from about $960; HotelsBarriere.com). The hotel has undergone a first-rate renovation, with unusually large rooms (for Paris). Walk to L’Avenue for good food and better peoplewatching, and hop a bus to beautiful Parc André Citroën for a mini hot-air balloon ride (just $13.50!).

Capture moments at the Musée d’Orsay, with its Instagrammable clock. The Louvre is also a must, on every trip, along with Angelina’s for hot chocolate, walked off in the Tuileries gardens. Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots were on Kaitlin’s must-eat list. Then we meandered through the Left Bank’s art and antiques galleries, like Galerie Hegoa. Ride on the “big wheel” at Place de la Concorde, preferably at sunset. (Parisians hate it; kids love it.) Then cruise down the Seine under the sparkling Eiffel Tower and walk home at midnight.

A gymnast, Kaitlin performed her aerial moves in front of the Eiffel Tower (and everywhere) — as normally reserved Parisians cheered.

Most important, get lost. The city will embrace you, inspire you, and keep enticing you — and your kids — to return, over and over again.

The author and her daughter stayed in newly renovated rooms at the Hotel Barrière Le Fouquet (above), ate inside the Eiffel Tower (far left) and took a pastry-making class at the Ritz Paris (inset).