Skip to content

The Louvre with Kids: A night with the Mona Lisa

A visit to Paris just wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the world famous Louvre museum.   This was one of the things I had looked forward to seeing (my kids will have to disagree with me on this one).  We went to the Louvre on a Wednesday night which was open until 10:00 PM during our visit in Oct. 2009.  The primary reason was so we didn’t have to use our limited daytime hours which we spent exploring outdoor Paris.

Louvre Museum

We got there right before sunset so we were still able to see the architectural glory of the Louvre palace (once used as a fortress) outside, the fountains and the glass pyramid, of course.  Night time rates were discounted for adults at the time we went too. Kids 18 and under were FREE.

Louvre museum architecture
We noticed that there were also a lot less people even as we entered the museum through the main entrance of the glass pyramid.  We barely waited in line.  Kiosks and ticket agents were inside for buying tickets. Our American-issued credit cards did not work on their kiosks so it was best to have some cash on hand.

Louvre Museum glass pyramids
Louvre Museum glass pyramids

We allocated three hours for the museum so we would be out just in time for dinner.  My husband and I made a decision to only go to the Louvre’s “must sees” for our first visit due to time constraints, save our energy and let our feet rest a bit. We also dragged our kids to two other museums a few days before in Madrid so we knew we were pushing their patience and tolerance for paintings and sculptures.

Under the Louvre Museum Pyramid

The museum map was available everywhere and made it easy to plan our stroll through the Louvre.  We were still able to admire the other sculptures and paintings on the way to the “must sees”.  We decided on the big three – Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory Samothrace and maybe a couple of Egyptian artifacts.

Louvre museum hallway
Louvre Museum hallway

We located the Winged Victory of Samothrace or Nike of Samothrace first.   It was a huge sculpture displayed by itself in a staircase landing.  This sculpture was found in 1863 on the Greek island of Samothrace and believed to have been created around 190 BC.   It was astounding to be around a sculpture that old and most of it intact.  Surprisingly, there were no ropes around it

Winged Victory of Samothrace or Nike at Louvre
Winged Victory of Samothrace

Our next quest was to find the museum’s most famous possession, La Giaconda or the Mona Lisa by DaVinci.  Luckily, there were many signs pointing visitors to the painting.  It was located in a room on an encased glass. There was a barrier so one could not get too close. We were allowed to take pictures so we have a few from every angle and have individual pictures with the smiling lady.  It was quite an unbelievable experience to be that close to possibly,the most recognizable painting in the world.  I expected it to be a bit bigger but still a grand work of art, nonetheless.

Monalisa at the Louvre

There weren’t that many people around so we were there for quite some time to admire this famous painting.  Since then, our kids recognize this painting and get excited about it for having seen the real thing.  We’re glad they got something out of this museum visit.

Monalisa at the Louvre

What was also interesting was the particularly large painting across from the Mona Lisa which was called The Wedding Feast by Veronese which depicted Christ’s first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana. The vast size and attention to details was what I remembered from this extraordinary painting.

Feast at Canaan at Louvre

On the way to the bottom floor where Venus de Milo was located, we found the entrance to the crown jewels of France in the Galerie d’Apollon room. This room’s decorations were so ornate and beautiful it was beyond words. You just have to spend a few minutes to look up at the ceiling, risk that neck strain, and admire.  It really was amazing to see the opulence of royalty.  Our little princess was more than excited to see crowns and lots of shiny jewels here.

Crown Jewels at the Louvre

crown Jewels ceiling at Louvre

We found the Venus de Milo after a couple of detours since the Louvre was doing some construction in the lower wing. The Venus de Milo statue was actually not as big as I expected.  This statue was discovered in the Greek island of Melos in 1820 and believed to have been sculpted around 100 BC.

While I was pondering that it was even older than the Winged victory statue and admiring its details, all my kids could think about and wonder was why she was naked.  I guess it was an appropriate question but at least I know they didn’t totally ignore the statue.  We had this “timeless masterpiece”  all to ourselves for several minutes reinforcing that a nighttime visit was a good idea.

Venus de Milo at the Louvre

We also found some of the Egyptian artifacts and a granite sphinx along the way. Our kids weren’t too interested in these but were more  fascinated with all the larger than life sculptures we passed along the way.

Louvre Museum sphinx

They had a great gift shop where we got some painting postcards, one with the Mona Lisa, of course for my daughter’s journal. One can really spend days at the Louvre exploring and still not be able to cover everything this wonderful museum has to offer.

Louvre pyramid at night

Tips for visiting the Louvre with kids 

  • Rest and relax.  We made sure the kids rested often.  Tired little feet need a lot of rest and this place is huge.
  • Pick your top three.  Depending on your time, kids’ ages and temperament, visiting with kids means narrowing down your choices.  Pick your top 3, 5 or 10 to see and know that you can’t see everything.
  • Snacks and drinks.  We gave the kids snacks and kept them hydrated.
  • Keep them interested.  There was so much to see that everyone can wander about aimlessly.  Ask them questions.  Having a little activity like the Scavenger Hunt  I created before coming here kept them occupied and interested.   One of these days I’ll find that file and post it here.  For a basic simple scavenger hunt, put 9 squares on a paper and place famous Louvre paintings and sculptures in them.

Louvre Paris

Our kids were real troopers throughout this and were excited to see sculptures and paintings.  We know we’ll definitely be back here in a few years to explore this impressive museum.   Louvre Museum

  • Related Posts:

16 thoughts on “The Louvre with Kids: A night with the Mona Lisa”

  1. My best friend just moved to Paris and I’m trying to figure out if I should go with or without children. How old was your little guy when you went-and did he enjoy it? Totally curious:)

    1. Hi Terumi. I sent you an email but just in case, my son had just turned four a couple of months before we went to Paris. He and my daughter (was 6 at the time) absolutely loved Paris. It’s a very kid-friendly city and with Disneyland Paris nearby for a side trip. I hope you visit Paris soon.

  2. WOW! I’m just now seeing this post, Mary. SUCH wonderful pics. I love them. And
    I totally dig your parenting style. If I’d been brave enough to have kids, I would’ve
    wanted to strive to be the kind of mom you are and give my kids the experiences and education
    about life and living that you are.

    1. Thank you so much, Courtney! You just made my week =) I really appreciate your kind words. It hasn’t been easy but my husband and I try to give them as much of the experiences to go out into the world safely and make a difference later on.

  3. Oh wow! My daughter would love this. Both of my kids but especially her. I’ve got to figure out how to travel more widely with my kids. I get around and we do alot in the area (camping, etc.) but they are soon old enough to be a few steps further out!

  4. So great that there weren’t that many other people in the museum when you went. It’s not often that you get to spend that much time with La Gioconda! The Louvre definitely isn’t the first place I would think to bring kids, but it seems like you went about it the perfect way!

    1. Thanks Jeannie! I think timing is everything when visiting these famous attractions. Our kids at that age were too young to fully appreciate everything. But, the things they saw they remembered well.

  5. If you introduce children to art at an early age, they will be sponges. By the time my daughter was 3, she was walking through art museums, pointing and announcing, “Mommy, that’s Picasso” — and she was right. (So also went to symphonies and tried mussels in a Belgium restaurant).

    1. They really are great little sponges. My kids surprise me a lot with what they have learned throughout our travels. How cool for your daughter to have appreciated art at an early age.

  6. Guys, I love your family photo just in front of the Louvre – you all look so happy! You are absolutely right- Paris adventure can’t be completed without a visit to the world famous Louvre museum to meet Mona Lisa. I saw her as well, the whole busy was so busy and overcrowded but I had a shot with her so it was worth queuing :)! So glad you liked it as well.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.