*In full disclosure: We were given this tour in exchange for an honest review. We never accept any tours or trips if we aren’t genuinely interested in trying it or going there. Opinions are 100% our own.
Our family of 5 recently stopped in Paris for a few days en route to Tunisia. Given this was the kids first time in Paris I really wanted them to see the highlights — and the Louvre definitely ranks among the best. There are plenty of Louvre guided tours for adults in Paris but Paris with kids appeared to be a little trickier. Until I discovered Family Twist.
This Europe based company is 100% focused on families and the list of kid experiences they offer in Paris and other cities around Europe had me wishing we were staying in Paris longer so we could try another one such as the kid-friendly Paris foodie tour or the Notre Dame and Medieval Paris tour.
The school my kids attend puts a huge emphasis on art so the Louvre was at the top of our list of must-dos in the few days we had in Paris. Our FamilyTwist guide met us at the famed Metro stop right outside the Louvre entrance with a sign making her easy to spot among the Parisian crowds.
Kids under 18 are Free in all museums in Paris, but the cost of our Louvre Tour included 2 adult tickets and no long queues for us. We got right into the museum after a quick pass through security which made us feel a little pampered.
Mid-November is a great time to visit Paris. The weather isn’t frigid and the tourist crowds are smaller.
The two-hour tour kept us moving the entire time with a nice balance of spending a few extra minutes at certain pieces so the kids could take a photo or ooh and ahh. Family Twist puts together a pdf document and sends it ahead of time with all of the information you need for the tour and even included some restaurant recommendations in the area. This was so well-organized.
The Louvre Tour Details:
We started in the area that contained the very first walls built of the Louvre and moved to Greek statues and continued to other highlights like Mona Lisa. The kids were each given the same scavenger hunt book that they needed to fill in clues for each piece we stopped at. Then they used the clues at the end to solve the mystery and find a hidden bag of treasures in one of the rooms. The Louvre itself lends to creating a great place for a treasure hunt since it is huge, shrouded in history and has a sense of mystery inside.
The Treasure for the Kids
Our guide literally hid a bag of goodies for the kids that were all age appropriate and items we brought home and continue to read and play with! They are a wonderful souvenir of our time in Paris.
The Highlight of the Tour
Last year our middle child studied the artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, an Italian painter known for his portraits using fruit and other objects. We were delighted to discover that one of our stops was to see 4 pieces of his work. Seeing the realization and excitement on our kiddos face was priceless.
Our Guide
As a mom, I fully appreciated that our guide is a mom to a young child as well. She gets it. No apologies or explanations needed. She got down on their level to really engage with them and even learned all of their names (they all have Arabic names so this is an accomplishment in itself). At the end of the tour, she gave us a great tip on an outdoor trampoline park in the Tuileries gardens that was within walking distance of the museum.
Tip: for just a few euros, kids can jump on these in-ground trampolines to their heart’s delight
Next Time We’re in Paris
When we head back to Paris we have a list of additional tours we want to experience through Family Twist including several of the food and cooking tours and a scooter tour along the Seine. How cool does that sound?
We 100% recommend this tour and Family Twist. It’s so wonderful as a parent when you discover a family-focused company that turns your vacation into one that is enjoyable for the entire family.
