Paris
Champs-Elysses & Louvre
Walk from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre
- Kids can race on the wide boulevards or stroll along the Seine, everything in the world is possible. This is a favorite walk in Paris. Start at Etoile (the Arc de Triomphe) and walk all the way down the Champs Elysees.
At the
Place de Concorde
, stop to look at that nifty gold-tipped Egyptian obelisk. Continue on through the Jardin des Tuileries. Stop at the Louvre, or keep on going. Cross the Quai du Louvre, go down to the Seine and walk along the river until you reach Ile-de-la-Cite and Notre Dame.
Climb up the Arc de Triomphe
- Climb up to the top of this grand monument for a stunning view of Paris. It's 284 steps, the French girl behind us counted as we wound up and up the stairs. From the top, the cars circling around Etoile look like bugs and there's an especially good view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
Jardin de Tuileries
- The Jardin des Tuileries
is one of the oldest public gardens, open since the 17th century. A favorite
spot for Parisian families for generations, stop for a ride on the historic
carousel
. On either side
of the carousel are two
playgrounds
, one with little trampolines.
Rent a toy sailboat - kids will have fun sailing their boats on the
little pond. In summer, there are
pony rides
for little ones.
Tip: After visiting the Louvre with kids, just grab a sandwich or snack, go out to the Tuileries next door, where kids can run around.
Note: In our video, the huge ferris wheel and fun fair rides are no longer in the Tuileries.
Musee de l'Orangerie
- The Orangerie is home to Claude Monet's exquisite
Water Lilies
paintings. L'Orangerie is one museum not to miss - two rooms of water lilies, it feels as if you're standing in Monet's garden at Giverny! In addition to Monet, there's also works by Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse and Picasso.
Tip: Skip the ticket line for l'Orangerie with the
Paris Pass
.
The Louvre
- There are several ways to tackle the Louvre museum. Look for artworks that will interest your kids in advance, or approach the Louvre like the darkest continent, where you will discover amazing things.
The Mona Lisa is located a separate room in the museum, stop by so that your kids can see the real thing, but don't miss the Botticelli frescoes on the way, and other da Vinci paintings, Raphael, wacky Arcimboldo in the Grand Galerie, monumental paintings of Napoleon and Joan of Arc in the gallery near the Mona Lisa.
The ancient Egypt collection is stellar, as well is should be --- the first curator was Champollion, who deciphered the Rosetta Stone. Also excellent is the Assyrian and ancient Greek galleries.
For all the details - tickets, layout of the museum, and what to see with kids, read our blog post:
Tips for visiting the Louvre
