15 Best Museums in Paris to Visit with Kids

This guide lists all the best museums in Paris to visit with kids so that you can keep them educated and entertained during your trip to the City of Light. Art museums are listed, sure, but some are more kid-friendly than others. There are also magic, science, and military museums which are the best places to learn about the history of Paris while having a fun family city break.

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Top Museums in Paris to Visit with Kids

The French capital city is famous for many reasons. Aside from its delicious pastries and rooftop views, Paris is known for its world-class museums. There are over 130 of them! Many are niche art museums (Musée Marmottan Monet, Musée de l’Orangerie, and Musée Picasso), whereas some are temporary spaces for traveling exhibitions (e.g. Grand Palais and Petit Palais). But not all of them are the best museums in Paris for kids!

Don’t forget to look into the Paris Museum Pass to save money on entrance fees!

1. Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre)

Whether you are visiting Paris with kids or without, you cannot skip the most famous museum in France! The Louvre is the largest museum on Earth. It measures 652,300 square feet/73,000 square meters and its impressive collection is second to none.

The Louvre is on the Rue de Rivoli just a short walk from Place de la Concorde and Tuileries Garde. Its exhibition space is a former 14th-century palace. It boasts paintings and sculptures from ancient eras like the Egyptians and Romans through to the Middle Ages up to 1848. Amongst the famous works are Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Greek statue Venus de Milo.

Visiting the Louvre is cost-effective for families because children have free admission. We recommend families book a tour or at least a skip-the-line ticket. There are too many works by renowned artists that you can’t possibly see everything. Let an expert show you and your kids the most exciting and famous works! 

2. Orsay Museum (Musée d’Orsay)

The Musée d’Orsay is also one of the best art museums for kids in Paris to visit. Or for anyone to visit! The museum’s permanent collection and temporary exhibits date from 1848 to 1914.

Most are 19th-century realist and post-impressionist paintings and sculptures by famous artists like Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Edgar Degas. It boasts one of the biggest collections of paintings of water lilies by Claude Monet.

One of the reasons why it’s one of Paris’s most famous museums is the building itself. The museum is housed in a gorgeous train station which originally opened in 1900, meaning it could easily be one of the museum’s exhibits! Kids will also love the huge train station clock by the café which is still in use. 

Follow the audio guide specifically created with young people in mind to make the visit more enjoyable for your children. Don’t forget to book skip-the-line tickets because it’s a popular and busy museum at any given time of year.

3. Fairground Art Museum (Musée des Arts Forains)

Another fun art museum in Paris is the Musée des Arts Forains. Located slightly outside of the city center near Bercy Train Station, Musée des Arts Forains is situated in a former wine cellar full of old fairground rides and props from theaters and concert halls.

Musée des Arts Forains is a small museum that can only be visited by guided tour. Be sure you book in advance! 

This is an off-the-beaten-path fun museum that is a great experience for older kids who will have fun participating in all the old funfair rides and games. It is recommended for children above five and all kids aged 11 and under benefit from discounted tickets.

4. National Museum of Modern Art at the Pompidou Center (Musée National d’Art Moderne)

If your kids are art lovers, you don’t want to miss the National Modern Art Museum at Le Centre Pompidou. With over 10,000 works in its permanent and temporary exhibitions, it boasts the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe. 

You’ll find works dating from 1905 to the present day by top artists like Marc Chagall’s The Fall of Icarus, Frida Kahlo’s The Frame, and La Muse by Pablo Picasso.

Like Musée d’Orsay, one of the best things about visiting the Pompidou Center is the building. Originally opened in 1977, its glass and metal structure resembles brightly-colored arteries feeding into a heart. 

Younger kids will love the Galerie des Enfants, a gallery designed for children. Older kids aged 13 – 16 might enjoy Studio 13/16. Because many modern works are brightly colored, children might find the works at the National Museum of Modern Art more engaging and interesting.

5. The Army Museum at Hôtel des Invalides (Musée de l’Armée)

There are tons of museums for kids in Paris that aren’t art galleries! A great place to visit with kids is the Army Museum.

The museum is split into two departments: the old and the modern. The Old Department covers battles and military life between the 13th and 17th centuries while the Modern Department focuses on everything from King Louis XIV’s reign to Napoleon III including the French Revolution.

One of the best things to see in the museum is Emperor Napoleon I’s tomb which is just behind the museum. The building itself, Hôtel des Invalides, is also stunning. It’s a 17th-century Baroque structure built to house wounded military but today it’s a church, government office, and museum.

Children under 18 have free admission and activity books are available for young kids. Storytelling and other guided tours for kids are available from the museum guides but unfortunately, these are only in French.

6. National Museum of the Middle Ages at the Cluny Museum (Musée National du Moyen Âge)

Housed in yet another incredible building, Musée de Cluny is inside a beautiful Gothic mansion with turrets only a short walk from Paris’s iconic Left Bank. It’s one of the best history museums for kids in Paris and covers medieval paintings, crafts, and other decorative arts in the Middle Ages. If you are visiting Paris with teens, this is one of our favorites.

Just some of the permanent exhibits include the Altar from Basel Cathedral, stained glass windows from the church Sainte-Chapelle, and various tapestries. There’s also a medieval-inspired garden and a video guide where kids can learn more about what’s on display.

It’s a popular museum for school groups to visit during the week which is a good sign that it’s the perfect place to take kids! The Cluny Museum is also free for children ages 18 and under.

7. Grévin Wax Museum (Musée Grévin)

Not every museum you visit has to be educational – there are many museums for kids in Paris that are just for fun!

Musée Grévin is a super family-friendly waxwork museum with models of over 200 French people throughout history to the present day. Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and even famous animated figures are all on display. Plus, the baroque building that Musée Grévin is housed in is gorgeous with ornate gold carved ceilings.

Children under five can enter for free and there is a discounted rate for kids under 18. Feel free to interact with the waxworks and take as many photos as you want!

8. National Museum of Natural History (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle)

First established as a botanical garden by King Louis XIII in 1636, the National Museum of Natural History is one of the best museums in Paris for kids. It’s housed in a beautiful building in Jardin des Plantes which also boasts a zoo, so it’s a must on any Paris family vacation itinerary!

Not only does the museum house rare plants thanks to the museum’s inception as a botanic garden, but it also displays dozens of dinosaur skeletons, taxidermied mammals and sealife, insects, and more.

The Gallery of Evolution is a separate building but is the pièce de résistance of the Natural History Museum complex. It boasts over 7,000 animal species showcasing the evolution and life cycles of various animals.

This museum is the perfect place to take animal-loving children. It’s well worth looking into package passes if you want to visit one or more museums and attractions in Jardin des Plantes. You could save a lot of money!

9. Museum of Magic (Musée de la Magie)

Musée de la Magie is tucked away in the Saint Paul neighborhood across the Seine from Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s part museum, part performance venue. It’s perfect for children who are fascinated by magic or the macabre.

In the museum section of the building, you’ll find costumes, posters, gadgets, and more dating from the 1700s to the present day. Check their program before visiting if your children are interested in performances, workshops, and card trick classes as many of these are specifically run for kids.

It’s not as big or as polished as some of the national museums and art galleries, but that’s its charm (pun intended)! Children up to 12 years old get a reduced entrance fee.

10. CSI Science and Industry Museum (Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie)

Science museums are awesome and there’s no denying that the CSI is one of the best museums in Paris for kids. It’s the biggest science museum in Europe!

Located in La Villette Park, the Science and Industry Museum is worth a metro ride. It’s a shopping mall with floor after floor of exhibits including an IMAX cinema, robotics section, realistic simulations of house fires and natural disasters, and so much more. 

There are plenty of interactive exhibits and cool displays, so it’s a great place to take kids who couldn’t help touching paintings in art museums! Booking a timed entrance slot is strongly recommended because locals and tourists alike love visiting the CSI museum.

11. Quai Branly Museum (Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac)

Only a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower, the Quai Branly Museum is one of the newer additions to Paris’s museum scene. Named after the street where it stands, this is a National Museum of Arts and Civilization that blends indigenous art with art from around the world.

This is one of the city’s largest museums. It houses one of the world’s largest collections of African Art as well as pieces from the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.

Check out their website for the museum’s program of children’s workshops and family activities during your trip. They often host performances and concerts which are always family-friendly!

12. Fluctuart Center for Urban Art (Centre d’art Urbain)

Do you think that art galleries like the Rodin Museum might not be a good fit for your children? Fluctuart not only fills the brief for being a fresh, modern urban art museum but it’s also housed in a cool structure. You’ll find Fluctuart in a purpose-built glass building on the bank of the River Seine.

Most of the artworks are bright, colorful pop art sculptures and paintings of famous people and political statements. Many works use 3D printing, mixed materials, and other artistic methods you’re unlikely to find in the Louvre! There’s also a café bar with beautiful views of the city.

There are free guided tours and everchanging temporary exhibits alongside the main collection. Even better, the museum is completely and 100% free for everyone!

13. Little Sprouts Art Museum for Children (Le Musée en Herbe)

There are tons of museums for kids in Paris. One of the best is Le Musée en Herbe, an art museum designed for children. If you’re traveling with kids older than toddlers but younger than ten, this is a great place to take them!

Le Musée en Herbe prides itself on interactive artworks based on the work of famous artists. Many works are based on video games and pop culture so they’re sensory and stimulating for little eyes. Children can also construct and deconstruct art made with blocks and tiles.

You can take self-guided or guided tours of Le Musée en Herbe but there are also treasure hunts and puzzles your kids can tackle as they walk around. It really is a perfect museum for kids!

14. Rodin Museum (Musée Rodin)

While a museum entirely dedicated to modern French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917) might not initially strike you as one of the best museums in Paris for kids, there’s a lot here that older kids might appreciate. 

The Rodin Museum is housed in Hôtel Biron, a gorgeous 1730 mansion with beautiful formal gardens which are the perfect place for a quiet walk on a sunny day. Find some of Rodin’s best works like The Young Mother, The Kiss, and The Thinker. Sculptures can be found in the gardens and inside the museum. 

There aren’t too many works in the permanent collection so your kids hopefully won’t get bored or feel overwhelmed. The gift shop sells small replicas of Rodin’s most famous works of art as well as sculpting kits if your kids are inspired to create art like Rodin too!

15. Discovery Palace (Le Palais de la Découverte)

Just outside of the Grand Palais is a huge science museum. While it specializes in astronomy, there are exhibits in several scientific fields including geoscience, life sciences, maths, computer science and so much more.

Visiting the planetarium is a must-do at Discovery Palace but there are plenty of experiments and activities families will enjoy.

Note that the Discovery Palace is often closed temporarily during the low season. If you are visiting Paris in winter be sure to check the hours. Traveling on a budget? This is a great place to add to your itinerary because both adult and child tickets cost less than €5!

Visit the Best Museums in Paris for Kids on Your Trip

There are so many museums for kids in Paris, it won’t be difficult to find the right place for your family. Some children, especially teens, will appreciate a beautiful museum like the Rodin Museum. Most will love seeing famous works of art at the Louvre in person!

But kids who are less interested in visual art and are more hands-on will enjoy the science, natural history, and magic museums. We recommend finding family-friendly Paris tours for your trip. Hopefully, this guide to the best museums in Paris for kids has given you a ton of inspiration for your next family vacation to the French capital.