Here they are — ten kid-friendly things you can do in and around the Louvre:
1. Enjoy a grand view of Paris[1] from the Place de la Concorde Ferris wheel[2] through February, or jump on the trampolines near the Concorde entrance anytime of year.
2. Ease into the museum mind-set at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs[3] for the latest rotating toy exhibit (over 400 vintage Star Wars toys, costumes, and video games through March).
3. Break for a homemade croque monsieur — France’s grilled cheese — at A Jean Nicot bistro[4] on Rue Saint-Honoré.
Outside the Louvre. (Photograph by Kavita Ranade, My Shot)
4. Grab a bench in the Palais Royal courtyard[5] while the kids clamber around the maze of 260 black-and-white columns by artist Daniel Buren[6].
5. Snag a Ladurée[7] bubble-gum-flavored macaron and a shorter line into the Louvre[8] at the Carrousel du Louvre[9] underground shopping mall entrance.
6. Ditch the day crowds by taking advantage of the Louvre’s evening hours on Wednesdays and Fridays until 9:45 p.m.
7. Instead of heading straight for the “Mona Lisa,” follow one of the museum’s thematic tours like “Outsize!”[10] featuring colossal works of art, including a pharaoh’s granite sarcophagus.
8. On fair-weather days, stop at a Tuileries Garden[11] pond to launch a model sailboat.
9. Refuel at Angelina[12] on Rue de Rivoli, where generations of Parisian kids have slurped the city’s thickest hot chocolate.
10. Rest tired feet with a boat ride to the Eiffel Tower[13] on the Batobus water shuttle[14] (from the Louvre stop under the Pont du Carrousel).
This article, written by Ceil Miller-Bouchet, appeared in the December/January issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Related:
References
- ^ National Geographic Travel – City Guide to Paris (travel.nationalgeographic.com)
- ^ Le Best of Paris site – La Grande Roue (www.lebestofparis.com)
- ^ Musee des Arts Decoratifs site (www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr)
- ^ Yelp site – A Jean Nicot (www.yelp.com)
- ^ A View on Cities – Palais Royal (www.aviewoncities.com)
- ^ Daniel Buren site (www.danielburen.com)
- ^ Laduree site (www.laduree.fr)
- ^ The Louvre site (www.louvre.fr)
- ^ Carrousel du Louvre site (www.carrouseldulouvre.com)
- ^ Louvre site – Outsize! (www.louvre.fr)
- ^ A View on Cities – Tuileries Garden (www.aviewoncities.com)
- ^ Angelina site (www.angelina-paris.fr)
- ^ Eiffel Tower site (www.tour-eiffel.fr)
- ^ Batobus site (www.batobus.com)
