Museum visits involving fun and games, child-friendly festivals, treasure hunts, escape games and haunted houses are among the many family-friendly activities in Paris that adults will enjoy just as much as the children.
The vast majority of Paris museums are welcoming for families, offering tours suited to children, educational workshops, storytelling tours and so on. Some museums even have special areas and exhibitions for children.
© Elodie Gutbrog Creatividie
The Richelieu wing of the Louvre has an exhibition space devoted to children and families: La Petite Galerie, where each year an exhibition explores a particular theme, together with a programme of readings, screenings and concerts at the Louvre Auditorium.
On Wednesdays, Sundays and during the school holidays, the museum puts on two family tours per day, providing an opportunity to explore the collections with a different theme for each visit – Animals at the Louvre, Gods and Heroes, Monsters and Mythical Creatures, etc.
Besides the themed tours, there are workshops, storytelling sessions and actor-led performance tours – fresh, entertaining ways to explore the Louvre’s permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, and great fun for all the family.
© Elodie Gutbrod Creatividie
Several of the Pompidou Centre’s spaces and tours are specially geared to families.
The Galerie des enfants for children presents two new exhibition-cum-workshops each year for children aged 4 and older. These are the ideal way for the whole family to learn about the artistic vision and creative techniques of contemporary artists working across all genres.
The Atelier des enfants, a creative space for 2-to-10-year-olds, offers workshops to explore artistic techniques as well as museum trails in the company of an artist or musician and tours involving visitor participation. These activities complement the permanent works and the temporary exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, enabling both children and adults to learn about the art on display and its creation in a different way.
© Joe De Sousa via Flickr
Paris’s natural history museum, the Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle, is a favourite with families. It houses the fascinating Grande Galerie de l’Évolution, where lifelike specimens of nearly 7,000 animals are displayed, as well as the Ménagerie (zoo) at the Jardin des Plantes. The Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie presents no fewer than 650 skeletons of fish, birds and mammals. Children and adults alike will be impressed by the diversity of species on display, both extinct and living. The precious specimens on display in the Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie provide information about the treasures of the Earth and the solar system.
© JP Attal
The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie located within the Parc de la Villette makes learning science easy for children. Several permanent and temporary exhibitions explain subjects like insects, special effects, video games, the Universe, water and Darwin in a simple and fun way. The Cité des Enfants has two spaces packed with games and experiments for children aged 2 to 7 and 5 to 12.
© C-S Boegly
The Musée d’Orsay has a treasure hunt trail for families. It is free of cost, and an entertaining yet instructive way for all ages to explore the museum’s collections. Other activities such as shows and family workshops are also available.
© Fondation Giacometti
The Giacometti Lab is a space dedicated to educational and cultural activities, located next to the Giacometti Institute. Throughout the year, courses and weekly workshops are available for children and their parents: art history, sculpture, painting, drawing, modeling, comics… During holidays, creative workshops are also organized around original themes, in connection with temporary exhibitions.
© Michel Slomka Citéco
Located in the superb Hôtel Gaillard, Citéco - Cité de l'Économie, offers - in addition to its permanent collections and temporary exhibitions - workshops for children, the Ecocotiers festival and activities (guided tours, interactive tours, games, activities, etc.) for the whole family to discover. Everything you need to know about the economy and its impacts while having fun! The online resources on the website are also very numerous and fun.
© OTCP DR
All the companies offering cruises along the Seine have family-friendly options.
- Bateaux Parisiens and Bateaux-Mouches have a children’s menu on their lunch and dinner cruises.
© David Ken
("iFLY Paris")
I Fly Paris located in La Villette offers an introduction to indoor skydiving for people from 5 years of age. It’s the perfect activity for any family of thrill-seekers!
© Inside Opéra
Many escape games in Paris are either suited to children or take place in venues specially designed for people of all ages. Inside Opéra, which takes place in the Palais Garnier, is suitable for children from 8 years of age. All of the Team Break venues are suited to participants 8 years and older. Leavin Room’s escape game ‘Le Pays des Merveilles’ is for players from 7 years of age.
© Buzzman Productions
Another fun thing to do with the family is a virtual reality experience, which lets you get inside an actual movie, or go diving or rock climbing without ever leaving Paris. ILLUCITY La Villette is open to kids, as long as they are at least 120cm (3.9 ft) tall.
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In the 12th arrondissement, in Bercy Village, climbing enthusiasts have a 900m² gym at their disposal: the Triangle. This gym was founded by two enthusiasts and offers 500m² of climbing space. It is a great place for visitors looking for thrills. It is possible to take part in group lessons and the most assiduous take out an annual subscription to take advantage of 90 courses renewed every week. Children can enjoy 100 m² dedicated to them.
© OTCP Daniel Thierry
Kids and grownups alike will have a wonderful time gazing at the 180 animal species in the Paris zoo. There are five biozones to explore, and you can also watch the wolves, rhinos, sea lions and lemurs being fed.
© Scoopdyga
Something a little different, which everyone is sure to enjoy: watching a horse race at one of the capital’s racecourses. Every year in springtime, the ‘Dimanches au Galop’ event at the Auteuil and Longchamp racecourses on Sundays offer horse-related fun and sport: races, rides, a merry-go-round, etc.