Tours for Families

Paris Muse Clues: A Family Tour for Young Treasure Hunters
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2-hour tour. 280 euros for a family of 5 or fewer.
An educational museum program designed for children, ages 6-12

This Louvre tour is designed for families to visit the museum together, in a fun and meaningful way. Parents and children learn from the same works of art, but the younger set gets additional motivation through "Paris Muse Clues," our educational and interactive treasure hunt (parents are free to pitch in of course!) This hunt takes the family and their personal guide through a broad range of collections (Ancient Near East, Greek and Roman, Renaissance Italian, French), asking specific and detailed questions about many of the Louvre's masterpieces. It is designed to give children (ages 6-12) an entertaining background to the history of art while sharpening their "detective" skills of observation. Their own answers to the clues lead them to discover an educational prize hidden somewhere under the Louvre's glass pyramid.

The price includes admission for adults (kids are free) and the "Paris Muse Clues" treasure, an educational gift with a €15 value.

Please select "party of 1" when making your reservation online.

Also, please let us know the names and ages of your children, how many adults in your party.
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"Our family tour of the Louvre was without a doubt a major highlight of our trip to Paris. The hours flew by. Our guide was a wonderful teacher and had an easy, relaxed manner that made what can be an overwhelming museum visit, especially with kids, a complete pleasure. When you ask my children (ages 8 & 11) what was the best part of their trip to Paris, they both put the Louvre tour at the very top of their list!"

---Ellen and Darren Berger
New York, NY

"It was the most fun I ever had in a museum. Our guide explained everything in a fun way. She made us look for clues in the paintings and sculptures and made learning about the art work interesting."

---Ross,11 years old.
New York, NY

"It was a great way to learn about the Louvre. Our guide was really nice and the Muse Clues game made us really look at the paintings and see the details. It wasn’t like a regular museum tour. It was a really fun game."

---Dana, 8 years old
New York, NY

"If Buildings Could Talk" Walk for Families
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2.5-3-hour tour. 290 euros per family
An educational activity walk for families with children ages 6-12

Books and movies aren’t the only things that tell stories. In Paris, buildings, even streets, tell stories too. On this fun-filled activity walk, your family and your private guide will travel through time, beginning at the home of France’s greatest storyteller, Victor Hugo, and retracing his footsteps to the cathedral celebrated in his Hunchback of Notre Dame. Along the way, your family will solve riddles to find a secret Renaissance passageway, discover mason marks in a medieval wall, learn how to read a stained-glass window at Notre Dame, and much more. Find out why Hugo once said, “All that can be found anywhere can be found in Paris.”

You’ll find your guide near a guy on a horse
He’s wearing a wig?—mais oui—but of course!

At Place des Vosges, begin your time travel
With Paris mysteries, yours to unravel

We’ll start with the home of Victor Hugo
And end with the church of Quasimodo

Note to Parents: detailed information about this meeting plan will be emailed to you with confirmation of reservation.

Please select "party of 1" when making your reservation online. Also, please let us know the names and ages of your children, as well as how many adults in your party.
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"Just a quick thank you for a wonderful tour. Mary led our family on the "If Buildings Could Talk" walk last Monday and it was amazing! She knew so much and was so fascinating to talk with - we all enjoyed the experience and learned so much. Our eleven year old daughter loved every minute, and Mary really made her feel like she knew a lot already, even as she was learning more. The information in the tour, from how to read a stained glass window to where to find the best Paris ice cream, enhanced all the touring we did for the rest of the week."
----Kristine Lewis

Other Practical Information for Parents:

The sites included in "If Buildings Could Talk" are: Place des Vosges and Hotel de Sully in the Marais, Philippe Auguste’s medieval wall (remnants in the St Paul area of Paris), Hotel de Sens, Pont Marie, Ile Saint Louis, and Notre Dame cathedral (both exterior and interior) on the Ile de la Cité. Please note that this program does not include a visit up into the towers of Notre Dame, but families are free to do this after the tour is over. (Last entry to towers is 4:45pm from October-March, 5:45pm from April-September, and 10:15pm on weekend nights during June, July, and August)

The activities on this tour are designed for children ages 6-12, but because the tour is private, your family’s guide will be able to adjust according to the age and interests of your children.

The tour program and its accompanying activity book have the following educational goals: to give children a fun, accessible introduction to the history of Paris and the styles of some of its major monuments (early medieval, Gothic, and Renaissance); to encourage them to make meaning from the details of a building or sculptural design; to develop their skills with navigation using maps and compasses; to sharpen their visual observation; and to expose them to some of the basic issues surrounding historic preservation.

Please note that tours take place rain or shine. Refunds are not available in the case of rain or other inclement weather.

Parents may want to bring water and snacks. If requested, a break for refreshments will be included, but those are not included in the price of the tour.

“If Buildings Could Talk” was created by Carrie Bisbee (MA, Museum Studies, University of Leicester), Kristen Laakso (MA, French Literature, University of Southern California), and Ellen McBreen (PhD, Art History, New York University).

Read about the Paris Muse team of family guides.

Read about our book recommendations at Book Nook: Louvre for Kids, and Book Nook: If Buildings Could Talk

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