Three museums in Paris your kids might actually like

Fear not, weary parent: the French capital hides a handful of museums where children are not only tolerated, but positively encouraged to poke, prod, and play. Here are three Paris museums that might make your kids forget about their screens for an hour or two.

1. Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie: The Playground for the Pint-Sized Einstein

If you suspect your child’s natural habitat is somewhere between a puddle of slime and a pile of LEGO bricks, the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie will feel like home. This sprawling science museum in Parc de la Villette is less “hushed gallery” and more “interactive wonderland.” The Cité des Enfants, its dedicated kids’ zone, is split into age-appropriate sections (2–7 and 5–12), each packed with hands-on experiments, water games, and activities that make learning feel suspiciously like fun. There’s even a TV studio where budding anchors can practice their on-air gravitas—just don’t be surprised if they demand a croissant in their dressing room afterward.

Parents, take heart: exhibits are translated into English, and the central hall’s clever design means you won’t lose your offspring (or your sanity) in a maze of corridors. If only all science homework were this entertaining.

2. Musée en Herbe: Where Art Gets Down on the Floor

The Louvre may have the Mona Lisa, but Musée en Herbe has something even rarer: art at kid-height. This petite museum in the 1st arrondissement is designed to introduce children to art in a way that’s playful, colorful, and refreshingly free of “do not touch” signs. The exhibitions are interactive, the quizzes and workshops are frequent, and the staff seem genuinely delighted to see children (a rarity in Paris, as you’ll soon discover).

Creative workshops let kids color on walls (legally!), while themed exhibits demystify modern art for even the most skeptical young critic. If you’ve ever wanted to see a six-year-old explain surrealism, this is your moment.

3. Grande Galerie de l’Évolution: Jurassic Park, Minus the Lawsuits

Tucked inside the Jardin des Plantes, the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution is a natural history museum that swaps dusty dioramas for dramatic, lifelike displays of animals in their (simulated) habitats. Kids can gawk at everything from blue whale skeletons to herds of African mammals, all bathed in theatrical lighting that makes the whole place feel a bit like a David Attenborough documentary come to life.

For the tech-savvy, there’s an augmented reality experience where children can “meet” extinct animals—no mosquito amber required. It’s educational, visually dazzling, and, crucially, involves zero risk of being chased by a velociraptor.

Pro tip: Bribery with pastries is not only accepted in Paris—it’s practically an art form.