The best treat for children of every age from 3 upwards is the Cité des Sciences in the Parc de la Villette. All the other museums, despite entertaining collections and special activities and workshops for children, pale into insignificance. So beware that, if you visit the Cité on your first day, your offspring may decide that's where they want to stay.Given kids' particular and sometimes peculiar tastes, the choice of other museums and monuments is best left to them, though the Musée des Enfants itself, purveying sentimental images of childhood, is certainly one to avoid. On the other hand, don't forget the gargoyles of Notre-Dame, the tropical fish- and crocodile-filled aquarium at the former Musée des Arts Africains et Océaniens, the inventions at the Musée des Arts et Métiers and the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, which also has a children's discovery room on the first floor with child-level microscopes, glass cases with live caterpillars and moths and a burrow of Mongolian rodents. The Musée de la Poupée should please children who like dolls; and the bizarre nature of the Musée de la Curiosité should appeal to most kids. The revamped Pompidou Centre has a children's espace, consisting of a room filled with hands-on exhibits designed to encourage experimentation and exploration and worth a few minutes of entertainment for young children. The collections of cutting-edge furniture and gadgets at the Musée de l'Art Moderne may well appeal to some teenagers. Excursions to the catacombs or even the sewers will also delight some children. If outer space is the kids' prime interest, then bear in mind the two planetariums, in the Palais de la Découverte and the Cité des Sciences. Certain museums have children's workshops. For a current programme, look under "Animations" in the "Pour les Jeunes" section of L'Officiel des Spectacles. The Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris has special exhibitions and workshops in its children's section (Wed, Sat & Sun; entrance 14 av de New-York; €7.50). The Musée d'Orsay provides worksheets (English promised) for 8- to 12-year-olds that make them explore every aspect of the building. Other museums with sessions for kids include the Musée Carnavalet, Musée de la Mode et du Costume, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Institut du Monde Arabe, the Louvre and the Petit Palais; costs are around €4. Full details of all the state museums' activities for children, which are all included in the admission charge, are published in Objectif Musée, a booklet available from the museums or from the Direction des Musées de France (34 quai du Louvre, 1er; closed Tues). Two fun ways for children to find out about Paris itself and its history are the Paris-Story, an enjoyable and informative 45-minute, wide-screen film on the history of Paris, and the Musée Grévin, with its mock-ups of key events in French history.
Pages in section ‘Museums and sights’: Cité des Enfants, The catacombs and the sewers.
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