Planning Our Winter Trip to Paris, Brussels & Disneyland Paris With Kids

How We Booked Our Flights With Points, Why We Chose Brussels as a Home Base & Our Family-Friendly Holiday Plan

10/23/20264 min read

This winter, our family of 4 is heading to Europe for the holidays! We'll be spending Christmas in Paris, ringing in the New Year in Brussels, taking day trips to some bucket-list cities, and finishing with a few magical days at Disneyland Paris.

We've been planning this one for a while, and we wanted to share how it all came together, from booking flights with points to building an itinerary that works for kids. We'll share a full recap when we get home!

How We Picked Where to Go

We went back and forth on this trip a lot. We looked at Spain, Portugal, Italy, and even Sicily before landing on Paris and Brussels.

A few things that helped us decide:

A direct flight from Orlando. Layovers with kids are tough, so a nonstop flight was a must.
The holiday magic. Paris at Christmas, New Year's Eve in Brussels, and Disneyland Paris all decorated for the season!
Bruges. It's been on our bucket list for years, and Brussels makes it an easy day trip.
Our next cruise. We already have a summer cruise booked that includes Spain and Portugal, so we saved those for later.

How We Booked Our Flights With Points

Flights for 4 people to Europe over the holidays can get expensive fast, so we used points!

We booked round-trip economy flights from Orlando to Paris (CDG) on Air France using Flying Blue miles. We transferred our American Express Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue to cover the miles, and only paid the taxes and fees in cash.

Tip: Credit card points that transfer to airline partners can go a lot further than you think, especially for international flights. Check award availability early, because seats for families of 4 go quickly around the holidays.

Part 1: Christmas in Paris

We've been to Paris before, and we've learned that we love staying in neighborhoods with a real Parisian feel. Think local shops, bakeries, cafes, and everyday street life, like the area around rue Cler, instead of busy business districts.

For this trip, we're looking at the Paris Marriott Rive Gauche in the 14th arrondissement, close to the Denfert-Rochereau area.

Our Paris With Kids Wishlist

Notre-Dame: we can't wait to see it after the restoration
Champs-Élysées Christmas lights and the Christmas tree and windows at Galeries Lafayette
Fondation Louis Vuitton paired with the Christmas festival at Jardin d'Acclimatation next door
An Eiffel Tower walk-by. We're skipping going up this time and just enjoying it from the ground!
Jardin du Luxembourg: the carousel and puppet theater are perfect for kids
Cité des Sciences: a great hands-on science museum for kids
Versailles: maybe, if we have the energy!

Tip: We're big fans of Rick Steves and love using his free audio walking tours. They're a great way to explore a city at your own pace with kids.

Part 2: Brussels as Our Home Base

For the second half of the trip, we're basing ourselves in Brussels. It's centrally located and makes it easy to take the train to other cities and come back to the same place every night.

We're kicking it off with New Year's Eve at the Grand Place, which we've heard is beautiful!

Our Secret: Travel Every Other Day

With kids, we've learned not to stack big days back to back. So we're alternating: a day trip one day, then a slower Brussels day the next.

Our day trip plans:

Bruges: canals, chocolate, and the bucket-list stop of the trip!
Beersel Castle: a real medieval castle just outside Brussels (in the winter, it's only open on weekends, so plan ahead)
Amsterdam or Rotterdam: we're leaving this one open and deciding closer to the date
Cologne, Germany: mainly for the incredible Cologne Cathedral

On our Brussels days, we'll explore the city, eat waffles and fries, and give everyone time to rest. And if we get bored, Ghent is just a short train ride away!

Where to Stay in Brussels With Kids

For a longer stay, we've been comparing apartments and hotels near the Grand Place. With 4 of us, having two bedrooms, a little more space, and a kitchen can make a big difference, and staying in the center means we can walk to most things in the city.

Part 3: Disneyland Paris

We're ending the trip with the kids' favorite part: Disneyland Paris!

We'll take the train from Brussels in the morning and head straight to the parks. We booked the Disneyland Hotel, which sits right at the entrance to the park. Staying on-site makes it so easy to take breaks in the middle of the day, which is something we always do with kids.

Our plan:

Two full days in the parks
One more morning in the park on our last day
Then a direct train from the Disneyland Paris station to the airport for our flight home

Tip: The train station is right next to the parks, and you can take a direct train to Charles de Gaulle airport. It makes ending the trip at Disney really easy!

Our Biggest Planning Tips for Europe With Kids

Book a direct flight if you can
Use points for the most expensive part of the trip, usually flights
Pick a home base and take day trips by train instead of changing hotels constantly
Alternate big days with slower days
Mix the big sights with kid-focused stops like carousels, parks, and treats
End the trip with something the kids will love

Final Thoughts

We are so excited for this trip! Between Christmas in Paris, New Year's in Brussels, a bucket-list visit to Bruges, and Disneyland Paris at the end, it's going to be a holiday our kids will never forget.

Have you been to Paris or Brussels with kids? We'd love your tips!

Family Travel Tip: Plan fewer things each day than you think you need. The best memories usually happen in the slower moments in between.

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