Montmartre Tour for Kids

Visit the twisting streets, windmills and art studios in Montmartre with a family-friendly expert

$463

Private

N/A

Semi-private

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Tour Details

About the Tour

Private Tour: $ 463
Category: Family
Duration: 2.5 hours
Location: Paris

Photos & Highlights

Discover Montmartre through the eyes of the famous artists who lived there through interactive, family-friendly activities
Led by a scholar trained to work with children
Bateau Lavoir, Place du Tertre, Sacré Coeur, Moulin de la Galette, and Lapin Agile Cabaret

Tour Description

The winding, cobbled streets and crooked buildings of Montmartre have inspired artists for over two hundred years. Formerly a village on the outskirts of Paris, Montmartre's unique atmosphere remains a tranquil contrast to the hustle and bustle of the greater city. And from the last quarter of the 19th-century to the outbreak of WWI, it was the heart of bohemian and artistic life, with such illustrious inhabitants as Renoir, Van Gogh, and Picasso. So why did these artists want to live at the top of a hill? Were they all friends? Who did they paint? Our 2.5-hour Montmatre For Kids tour, led by a scholar trained in guiding in Paris with kids, follows in the footsteps of these artists and their cohorts, discovering the history behind the storied neighborhood through the colorful and unusual experiences of the legendary creatives who lived there.

Looking for this walk for grown ups? See our Montmartre Walking Tour.

Montmartre For Kids Tour

Why does Montmartre feel different from the rest of Paris? From its beginnings as a Roman city, Paris has always grown at a swift pace. Pushing out from the center, the city was soon butting heads with the neighboring villages that were formally on its outskirts. As the city approached, Montmartre's windmills and small-town atmosphere receded. Creatives—namely artists—flocked towards the cheaper rents on the steep slopes of the butte Montmartre. Lively cafés and cabarets sprung up to accommodate them, namely the Moulin de Galette, creating Montmartre's legendary festive atmosphere. Here, artists like Renoir captured the vivacious spirit of the quartier, or neighborhood. Incorporating interactive games or close observational activities, we will engage with this captivating history.

Collective Creativity

Tracing a path through the twisting streets, we may see where Picasso or Toulouse Lautrec once spent hours creating paintings and drawings inside their art studios. Perhaps we will see where Van Gogh or Suzanne Valadon lived. Connecting the sites of their former haunts with visuals of their work, we will build a picture of both their art and the daily lives as 19th-century Parisians. We might sit down for a hot chocolate at one of Modigliani’s favorite cafes or pass by a popular cabaret where the artists would spend their evenings together. With our sketchpads in hand, we will stop to artistically interpret these sights for ourselves. As we create our quick freehand sketches, we will build a connection to our artist friends, visiting some exact sites where the artists painted or wrote about in their letters and journals.

"We absolutely adored the tour—this is our third Family Walk with Context and it's the best one yet! Our docent was wonderful with all of us, especially the kids, and we all learned so much about Montmartre's history. I would recommend the tour without exception."

Take Aways

As we stroll through these magical cobblestone streets, we will gain insight into the artists’ lives and the era, but also about their styles and how art developed. Coming away with an understanding of Montmartre's development from small village to bohemian hub, we will hopefully leave our “young artists” with a desire to explore their own creativity and curiosity to discover more about the intriguing characters who have made Montmartre historic.

In addition to our family program tours, we may be able to adapt certain other tours to the needs of families, though please note such adaptations would not incorporate special activities. Please contact us for more details.

FAQ

Do my children need to have any prior knowledge of art to take this tour? Absolutely not. But if your children have an interest in art, you may like to begin with our Orsay with Kids tours which provide age-appropriate exploration of some of the movements of this period.

Is this tour walking-intensive, and/or wheelchair accessible? While we don't cover a large distance on the tour, Montmartre is a veritable hill, and we will be walking up stairs and inclines, as well as on cobblestoned streets. If you have mobility concerns, please feel free to contact us before booking; we can help you decide if our group walk or a private walk, with a modified route, will be best.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Marie

The daughter of a sculptor, Marie has been surrounded by art ever since she was born. A native Parisienne, she holds an undergraduate degree in history and art history, with a specialty in iconography and French and Flemish paintings from the 16th to the 18th centuries. She also holds a Master's degree in museology from the Ecole du Louvre and one in Art History from the Sorbonne. She currently works for the French National Art History Institute on special cultural events. Since she loves literature, ballet, theatre, opera, jazz clubs, and classical concerts—she has been playing the piano since she was 9—Paris and its artistic life are a perfect fit.

Lily

Originally from Canada, Lily Heise is a freelance travel writer who has been living in Paris since 2000. She holds a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Guelph and has extensive experience in tourism and culture having worked for several French universities, museums, cultural sites and previously in the office of Context Travel. Her writing has been featured on the Huffington Post, Business Insider, CondeNastTraveler.com, Frommer's print guides and online, DK Eyewitness, Fodor's and others. She is also the author of two books on looking for romance in Paris and runs an award-winning blog on Paris, travel and romance, <a href="https://www.jetaimemeneither.com">Je T'Aime, Me Neither</a>.

Iveta

Iveta is Senior Lecturer at the American University of Paris (AUP). She was born in Sofia, Bulgaria to a family of French culture lovers, and always dreamed of living in Paris where she came to study art history in 1999. In 2006 she defended a PhD at the Sorbonne treating the European avant-garde around World War I. She has published many articles and is preparing a book to be published in the Fall 2017, an adapted version of her PhD. A passionate museum goer and city stroller, she likes sharing the more or less known charms and secrets of Parisian museums and neighbourhoods where she has guided many students and visitors.

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43 Reviews

This was a wonderful tour and a fabulous experience!

Dawn

Mar. 30, 2019

Gil was wonderful, especially with our 7-year old son. He was knowledgeable, kind, and great to be around.

Jay

Dec. 5, 2018

This was an excellent tour! Gil was great and full of really interesting knowledge and insights. Thank you!

Becky

Aug. 28, 2018

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