Tour Details
Duration
2.5 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
- Sainte Chapelle
- Notre Dame Cathedral
- Conciergerie
Photos & Highlights
- Led by an expert experienced with children, you will unravel the mysteries and architectural wonders of Paris – all set against the backdrop of the city's medieval charm.
- An experience tailored to your interests and needs
Select a date
Tour Description
Please note that if your preferred date is not showing as available, it may be due to Sainte Chapelle tickets being sold out. We may be able to organize an alternate itinerary that still includes a visit to Notre Dame. Feel free to contact us for more details.
Experience an enchanting 2.5-hour adventure on Île de la Cité with your family. Hosted by an engaging art historian specially skilled in captivating young minds, this immersive Paris family tour will ignite your children's imaginations as they delve into the mysteries and architectural wonders of Gothic Paris, from intriguing gargoyles to breathtaking stained glass windows.
As you navigate the medieval labyrinth of the Latin Quarter, you'll uncover the birth of the Gothic style, starting with the awe-inspiring Église Saint-Séverin and its ancient bell.
Admire the splendor of iconic Notre Dame and its gargoyle companions. Next up is the breathtaking Sainte-Chapelle, a Gothic masterpiece with exquisite stained glass windows that offer a fascinating glimpse into the delicate art of glasswork during this era.
Your journey will also take you to the historic Conciergerie – once the residence of France's early royals and later a notorious prison during the Revolution. You'll conclude your tour with a visit to the magnificent Saint-Jacques Tower, a mysterious Gothic belfry filled with intriguing sculptures.
By the end of this Île de la Cité Tour for Kids, your young adventurers will have a solid understanding of Gothic architecture and be inspired to continue their exploration of Paris's rich history. Prepare for a memorable experience that sparks their curiosity.
Experience an enchanting 2.5-hour adventure on Île de la Cité with your family. Hosted by an engaging art historian specially skilled in captivating young minds, this immersive Paris family tour will ignite your children's imaginations as they delve into the mysteries and architectural wonders of Gothic Paris, from intriguing gargoyles to breathtaking stained glass windows.
As you navigate the medieval labyrinth of the Latin Quarter, you'll uncover the birth of the Gothic style, starting with the awe-inspiring Église Saint-Séverin and its ancient bell.
Admire the splendor of iconic Notre Dame and its gargoyle companions. Next up is the breathtaking Sainte-Chapelle, a Gothic masterpiece with exquisite stained glass windows that offer a fascinating glimpse into the delicate art of glasswork during this era.
Your journey will also take you to the historic Conciergerie – once the residence of France's early royals and later a notorious prison during the Revolution. You'll conclude your tour with a visit to the magnificent Saint-Jacques Tower, a mysterious Gothic belfry filled with intriguing sculptures.
By the end of this Île de la Cité Tour for Kids, your young adventurers will have a solid understanding of Gothic architecture and be inspired to continue their exploration of Paris's rich history. Prepare for a memorable experience that sparks their curiosity.
Experts
Will we visit the interior of Notre Dame on the tour?
Our itinerary will include the interior of Notre Dame, though please note we will not have skip the line access. The line moves quickly and we will use the time to introduce the interior portion of the tour.
Does this tour include climbing the bell towers of Notre Dame? Will we visit the crypt?
The bell towers remain closed to the general public. Our tour does not visit the crypt.
Does this tour include climbing the Saint-Jacques Tower?
No, however, your expert can give you information about how you can climb the tour on your own.
Is this tour wheelchair accessible?
Sainte-Chapelle is wheelchair accessible, but the Conciergerie is unfortunately not.
Where do we meet? Where does it end?
Generally speaking, the tour begins near Place Saint-Michel. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point details along with a map. The tour typically ends on the Ile de la Cité.
Will you pre-purchase tickets?
We pre-purchase tickets to the Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie - your guide will have them on hand.
Can I use the Museum Pass?
Unfortunately, the Museum Pass cannot be used for this tour. Tickets are mandatory and cannot be canceled or modified. While the Museum Pass is accepted at both the Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie, it does not guarantee skip-the-line access. Instead, we use E-tickets to expedite entry to Sainte-Chapelle due to long waiting lines.
Our itinerary will include the interior of Notre Dame, though please note we will not have skip the line access. The line moves quickly and we will use the time to introduce the interior portion of the tour.
Does this tour include climbing the bell towers of Notre Dame? Will we visit the crypt?
The bell towers remain closed to the general public. Our tour does not visit the crypt.
Does this tour include climbing the Saint-Jacques Tower?
No, however, your expert can give you information about how you can climb the tour on your own.
Is this tour wheelchair accessible?
Sainte-Chapelle is wheelchair accessible, but the Conciergerie is unfortunately not.
Where do we meet? Where does it end?
Generally speaking, the tour begins near Place Saint-Michel. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point details along with a map. The tour typically ends on the Ile de la Cité.
Will you pre-purchase tickets?
We pre-purchase tickets to the Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie - your guide will have them on hand.
Can I use the Museum Pass?
Unfortunately, the Museum Pass cannot be used for this tour. Tickets are mandatory and cannot be canceled or modified. While the Museum Pass is accepted at both the Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie, it does not guarantee skip-the-line access. Instead, we use E-tickets to expedite entry to Sainte-Chapelle due to long waiting lines.
Where You'll Start
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124 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
Pablo was delightful. We have no suggestions for improvement. Turned out this tour was the best way for our family to start our visit to Paris. It framed up Gothic as the major historical architectural contribution of France as we continued our visit.
Thanks for taking time to get our son sketching during the tour. We sketch with him all the time and he was still sketching pictures of everything he saw, well beyond the tour, and on the plane home. Walking and discovering was exactly what we wanted to do, so the tour structure was fine. When we found that the Conceriergie was closed for maintenance we were happy to improvise . This gave Pablo the opportunity to take us to another nearby Gothic church and a Romanesque church which served as interesting points of reference. Everything worked our really well.
While there really is no need to improve what is already done right, and it seems like you are getting it right, I can imagine how we might have enjoyed a simple advanced set of anticipatory questions, maybe 5 and no more than 10, regarding themes such as architectural styles, or historical, political or religious context to consider prior to embarking on the tour. It would give a chance for the guide to tee up some questions and build curiosity. A full fledged study guide would be a bit off-putting. Though it could be fun to have a school age worksheet or a set of questions you might be prepared for your guide to ask you based on what you discover along the way. Such an addition is probably more than needed and might even be lost on some participants. Being a bit homework-inclined, I know had there been such an option for download on the web site or with the confirmation, we're the type of family that probably would have gone all-in. Having said that, it's easy to see why creating such a value-added offering might be tricky, give the different age levels and perhaps languages involved. It's probably too much for some people. And at worst it might make the tour sound like work rather than fun. As it was, based on the content, and with some reinforcement, by the end of our visit our 6 year old could pick out Romanesque architecture and discuss how it was different from Gothic.
John
Reviewed on:
Oct 15, 2013
The kids adored Marie. Very warm and friendly, with high energy about the subject matter. One improvement would be more games, such as finding certain figures (e.g., gargoyles) in the church along the lines of a scavenger hunt. The other two docents had more games like this.
Matthew
Reviewed on:
Aug 19, 2013
I wish my english was good enough to express my admiration and thankfulness with Pablo. Joining him during Gothic Paris, Versailles and the Louvre walks changed our entire experience in Paris in the most extraordinary way.
He caught my 6 year old daughter's attention and "trust" (and mine) from the very first moment. Josefina enjoyed every single moment of the walks, and then kept looking at everything in the way Pablo taught us to!
It was so important for me to listen, not only to what he told us, but also to the way in which he listened, answered our questions, and showed us a new way of looking at this wonderful city.
Silvia
Reviewed on:
Aug 8, 2013
