11 things to do in Paris with kids

Visit a small tower from the Middle-Ages

Historic monument – suitable for all ages

When you pass by in a hurry you don’t look at it twice, but the Tour Jean Sans Peur has been in the same spot since the Middle Ages and it continues to stand guard, venerable, majestic and resistant to change.

It was originally built during the Hundred Years War that opposed the French and the English and it stands in the rue Etienne Marcel, a street much loved by the city’s fashion addicts. A half an hour is all it takes to visit. As you mount the spiral staircase that leads to the master bedroom topped off with a magnificent oak sculpted ceiling, you enter a time machine.

📍 Tour Jean Sans Peur, 20 rue Etienne-Marcel, 75002 Paris Ⓜ️ Etienne-Marcel (Line 4) or Sentier (Line 3) 🗓️ On Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 1.30pm-6pm 🎟️ Entrance: 6€, concessions 4€ (free for under-6s) 🔗 More information

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Go for a walk in the Jardin des Plantes

Botanical garden – suitable for all ages

© MNHN / B. FAYE

On the Left Bank, next to Gare d’Austerlitz is the Jardin des plantes, a haven of greenery in the heart of Paris since four centuries, and a perfect place for a whole day out! As you step through the gates of the Jardin des plantes, and you’ll instantly want to run across its beautiful open expanse. The former royal park is a composite of several gardens, and provides a beautiful setting for the Natural History Museum.

The Muséum national d’histoire naturelle is home to frequent and highly impressive temporary exhibitions, as well as the famous « Grande Galerie de l’évolution« . Another must-see is the palaeontology gallery, signposted by the woolly mammoth sculpture at the entrance to the park, offering a fantastic journey through prehistoric times.

Elsewhere, the alleys of the garden, lined with plane trees and flowerbeds, lead to the menagerie, an incredible zoo, housing 1800 animals including 200 rare and even threatened species in historical enclosures and outbuildings.

No outing would be complete without a visit to the green-houses, which like the orange groves were designed in the 18th century to house botanical collections unsuited to northern European climates.

Children will be eager to ride the dodo merry-go-round, the traditional horses of which have been replaced by rare and prehistoric animals.

📍 Jardin des plantes, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris Ⓜ️ Jussieu (Line 7) 🗓️ Open everyday, 7.30am-8pm 🎟️ Free entrance, museums and exhibitions not included 🔗 More information

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Travel to the Quai Branly museum

Museum – ages 3 and older

The Quai Branly Museum is a magical treasure trove of primitive art set in a beautiful garden with a program of free activities throughout the summer.

The museum, an iron ship-like construction surging from a lush garden, designed by the architect Jean Nouvel, sits at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It houses a beautiful collection of African, American and Oceanic arts and magnificent artefacts. In a single visit you will travel five continents.

If you simply fancy a rest, the garden, designed by the landscape gardener, Gilles Clément, is delightful.

📍 Musée du quai Branly, 37 Quai Jacques Chirac, 75007 Paris Ⓜ️ Alma-Marceau (Line 9) 🗓️ Tuesday to Sunday 10:30am-7pm and Thursday 10:30am-10pm 🎟️ Entrance: 16€, concessions 10€, 5€ (free for under-18s) 🔗 More information

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Discover The Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation

Museum – suitable for all ages

© Didier Cornille pour Paris Mômes

Built to house a collection of silent films, the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation also hosts a projection room, research site and archive. Its remarkable façade was sculpted by Rodin but, behind it, is a distinctly contemporary building designed by Renzo Piano who, alongside Richard Rogers, designed the Centre Pompidou. The architect overcame space constraints by imagining a round building with a roof in the form of an armadillo’s shell.

📍 Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, 73, avenue des Gobelins, 75013 Paris Ⓜ️ Place d’Italie (Line 5) 🔗 More information

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See Paris from the Seine

Cruise – suitable for all ages

© Batobus

With the all-day batobus pass, you can meander up and down the river taking in the fresh air, or hop off at one of the nine stops to enjoy the sights close-up. Alternatively, there’s the two-day pass: take your time, go halfway and return the following day to enjoy the remainder. What’s more, in between each new adventure, the kids get to rest their legs. With the batobus, you get to see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower in the same day. Building for Notre Dame started as early as 1163, and from the Seine, its Gothic style is plain to see. For the Eiffel Tower, the best way to avoid the queues is to book tickets by internet in advance, or take the stairs, which are infinitely less crowded than the elevators. There are also stops for the Louvre, the musée d’Orsay and even the Champs-Elysées, each stop bringing a different atmosphere. The garden behind Notre-Dame is a perfect spot to enjoy the delectable artisanal ice creams available on the nearby île Saint-Louis.

📍 Batobus 🚢 9 stations : Jardin des plantes – Hôtel de Ville – Louvre – Place de la Concorde – Tour Eiffel – Invalides – Musée d’Orsay – Saint-Germain-des-Prés – Notre Dam . 🗓️ Boats run everyday, 10am-9.30pm 🎟️ €23/1 day pass, €27/2 days pass, under-11s €13/17. 🔗 More information

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Explore The Louis Vuitton Foundation

Museum – suitable for all ages

© Didier Cornille pour Paris Mômes

A few steps away from the Bois de Boulogne, a ship floating amidst trees. At the edge of the Jardin d’Acclimatation, a park devoted to childhood in the west of Paris, you’ll find an astonishing spaceship-like construction with vast glass sails peaking above the treetops.

This is the Louis Vuitton Foundation, a space dedicated to contemporary art created by the American architect Frank Gehry, where kids are especially welcome. Apart from the Atelier de la Fondation, a new workshop space for kids, there are also guided tours for children, as well as a kids smartphone and tablet application introducing them to the mysteries of the building.

📍 Fondation Louis-Vuitton, 8 avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris Ⓜ️ Les Sablons (Line 1) then 15 min walk or take the special bus 🎟️ Entrance: 16€, concessions 10€, 5€ 🔗 More information

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Stroll around Montmartre

Outing – suitable for all ages

What better way to discover the old Paris than by climbing the steps of the Sacré-Coeur and losing oneself in the lanes of the Butte Montmartre?The emblematic Sacré-Cœur offers a spectacular view over Paris and delightful lawns for lazing in the sun. It is readily walkable from Anvers metro, but the funicular shuttle will save the climb, and takes you right nearby the famous place du Tertre, a big draw all year round.

To beat the crowds, steer away from the main drag and instead stroll the charming paved side lanes with their village feel. Far removed from the crowds and seldom troubled by cars, the rue des Saules, rue de l’Abreuvoir and rue Saint-Vincent, a stone’s-throw from the last surviving vineyard in Montmartre, create a haven of peace that has lost none of its romantic charm. Place Dalida, there is an attractive bust of the eponymous, charismatic French singer. From here you’ll find the impasse Orchampt where a blue plaque adorns her former home.

📍 Butte Montmartre, 75018 Paris Ⓜ️ Anvers (Line 2) and funicular

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Discover Le Centquatre

Various activities – suitable for all ages

© Quentin Chevrier

Housed in a former undertakers’ building, Le Centquatre (« the 104 ») is a very different kind of cultural centre that is well worth a visit. Its beautiful industrial setting is the perfect place to while away the day.

You’ll find exhibitions and concerts, as well as an organic market, a bookstore, a kids’ centre, boutiques and antiques, hip-hop dancers rehearsing their routines, two restaurant-cafés and a pizza van.

📍 Le Centquatre, 5, rue Curial, 75019 Paris Ⓜ️ Riquet (Line 7) 🗓️ Open Thursday-Friday, 12am-7pm, Saturday and Sunday, 11am-7pm 🎟️ Free entrance – exhibitions and shows not included 🔗 More information

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Have fun in La Villette

Activities / ages 3 and older

© Bruno Delamain

La Villette park now has a new space especially devoted to kids’ activities, Little Villette that is open all year around. There are workshops, performances and a whole host of free activities. La Villette park meanwhile is a haven of greenery with plenty of lawn-space to romp and play. Look out for the Cité des Sciences, Paris’ science museum.

📍 Little Villette, in the Parc de la Villette, 75019 Paris Ⓜ️ Porte-de-Pantin (Line 5) 🗓️ Little Villette open on Saturdays and Sundays, 2.30pm-6.30pm 🎟️ Free entrance 🔗 More information

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Take a day trip to Chantilly

Domain – ages 5 and older

© Jérôme Houyvet

Although outside Paris, the fairytale chateau of Chantilly is definitely worth the journey. The chateau houses France’s second largest collection of pre-Revolutionary paintings outside the Louvre, while its stables have been transformed into the delightful Musée du Cheval, an equestrian museum with performances and exhibition shows. What’s more, in the chateau’s magnificent sprawling grounds, there are princely games for kids to play, a marvellous maze and kangaroo enclosure.

Visiting the chateau, equestrian museum and grounds makes for a great day-out. And naturally while in town, you have to savour the local delicacy – crème Chantilly.

📍 Chantilly domain, 7, rue du Connétable, 60500 Chantilly 🚂 Trains from Gare du Nord to Chantilly-Gouvieux station, then 20 mins walk 🗓️ Open everyday 10am-6pm 🎟️ Entrance:18€, concessions 14,50€ (free for under-7s) – the ticket gives access to the château, grounds, stables, equestrian museum 🔗 More information

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Travel back in time to Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Domain – suitable for all ages

© MAN / Valorie GÔ

It is oft forgotten that the Saint-Germain-en-Laye Château was home to the Kings of France before Versailles. The exquisite edifice is worth the visit in itself. Its magnificent estate leading into the forest was once the hunting ground of French royalty and offers magnificent views of the Seine valley. Enjoy a picnic in the park before moving onto the treasures of the National Archaeology Museum.

Its collections cover prehistory and Antiquity and include some genuine treasures: don’t miss the famous «Lady with the Hood», one of the first artworks in the history of humanity, as fascinating for its aura as for its size.

📍 Musée d’archéologie nationale, 1 Pl. Charles de Gaulle, 78100 Saint-Germain-en-Laye 🚆 RER A, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (stop at the foot of the château). 🗓️ Open everyday, except Tuesday, 10am-5pm. 🎟️ Entrance: €6 (free for under-26s) 🔗 More information

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