La Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie

La Cité des Sciences des Sciences et de l'Industrie is Paris second, more modern, science museum after the more vintage Palais de la Découverte. It's located in the middle of the large Parc de la Villette and thus makes a perfect destination for a day trip in the north of Paris.

In there you'll find the Cité des enfants, a great place for kids aged 2-7 and 5-12 (there are two distinct areas with specific activities for each age), where they can do all kind of experiments with water, light, air, etc... Our daughters love the place and they are not the only ones, so make sure you buy your tickets in advance if you plan to go there !

The Cité hosts many scientific exhibitions, plus a planetarium and several movie theaters, so it's large enough to keep you busy for a full day (and more, we actually bought a yearly family pass to visit it whenever we want). However, if you've had enough science for the day, you can always go and visit the Cité de la Musique nearby.

To reach the Cité des Sciences from Ivry, simply take subway line 7 toward La Courneuve and get off in Porte de la Villette. It's a long trip, but it's definitely worth it !

Musée Carnavalet

The Musée Carnavalet presents the history of Paris from prehistoric times to the present day. It is located in two beautiful hôtels from the 16th and 17th century, right in the middle of the equally beautiful Marais district.

Since the museum belongs to the city of Paris, the permanent collections are freely accessible and definitely worth a visit for the whole family.

If you're looking for a nice place to have some tea or coffee after your visit, I strongly recommand you go to the Swedish Institute nearby (11 rue Payenne), where you can relax in a lovely old courtyard (and they have very reasonnable prices).

To reach the Musée Carnavalet from Ivry, simple take subway line 7 and get off at Pont Marie, from here it's a lovely ten minutes walk along old streets to the museum.

Le Palais de la Découverte

Le Palais de la Découverte is currently closed for extensive renovation work and should reopen in 2025 !

Le Palais de la Découverte is Paris oldest science museum (compared to la Cité des Sciences de la Villette) and is located in a gorgeous Art Nouveau building next to the Champs Elysées. It's presents exhibitions and experiments about all disciplines in natural sciences (Maths, physics, chemistry, biology...) and it's a great place to visit with kids from 4. There's also a beautiful planetarium that is accessible to children above 6 and that always was a great favorite of mine when I was a child.

To reach the Palais de la Découverte from Ivry, you can either take subway line 7 toward La Courneuve, change for line 1 in Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre toward La Défense and get off at Franklin D. Roosevelt. Or, if the weather is nice, you can take RER B toward Paris and get off at Invalides, from here it's a lovely 10 min walk across the Seine via the beautiful Alexandre III bridge to the museum.

Le Musée de Cluny

Set in a gorgeous 15th century building in the center of Paris Latin quarter, the Musée de Cluny hosts collections related to the middle-age. Its most famous feature is a set of six tapestries called the Lady and the Unicorn, but it also has many remarkable paintings and sculptures. You can also visit roman baths in the building.

To reach the Musée de Cluny from Ivry, simply take RER C toward Paris and get off at St Michel-Notre Dame, the museum is only a few minutes walk from the RER station (look for the Musée du Moyen-âge exit).

Nuit Blanche-Portes ouvertes des ateliers

Many artists live in Ivry-sur-Seine, in particular in the lofts that were installed in renovated factories at the end of the 90's. Once a years, the artists' workshops are open to visitors, during the Nuit Blanche week-end. This year it will be on october 4th and 5th, and it's a nice opportunity to discover the work of local artists, and visit the factories spread all over the city A flyer listing all the participating places can be downloaded here. Don't miss the rue Molière, which goes along the railways, and where dozens of workshops will open.

The former dairy products factory in rue Molière, seen from outside.

and inside another renovated warehouse nearby.

And here is a map of the city showing the main events

Musée Guimet

The Musée Guimet is the parisian museum of asian arts. It hosts collections (sculptures, paintings, textiles and many other objects) from Afghanistan till Japan in a beautiful building located near the Trocadero.

The museum organizes workshops and visits for children aged 5 till 12 (program here).

To reach the Musée Guimet from Ivry, simply take the RER C westbound in Ivry-sur-Seine and get off at Pont de l'Alma station. From here, a 15 mins walk across the Seine will take you to destination. Otherwise, you can take subway line 7 at Mairie d'Ivry, change in Place d'Italie for line 6 toward Charles de Gaulle-Etoile and get off in Trocadéro. From there you'll reach the museum with a 5 mins walk.

 

Agrandir le plan

Le Petit Palais

Right in front of the more imposing Grand palais (which hosts a nice science museum called Palais de la Découverte), the Petit Palais is a (not so) tiny and beautiful building from the 1900 Universal Exhibition. It hosts permanent collections that are not so famous but well worth seing (with remarkable paintings of Paris). In the inner courtyard is a lovely exotic garden with a cafeteria, it's the perfect place to have a break after a long and hot day walking around.

To reach the Petit Palais from Ivry you can either take line 7 till station Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre, change for ligne 1 toward La Défense and get off at Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau, of take the RER C toward Paris, get off in Invalides and walk accross the Seine.

Le Musée d'Art Moderne

The Museum of Modern Art is located in a remarkable Art Deco building from 1937. It hosts beautiful permanent collections (in particular the dance series by Matisse) with a free access and temporary exhibitions (paying access) of more contemporary artists. The museum organizes workshops in relation with the exhibitions for kids aged 3 till 14. The terrasse of the cafeteria, which faces the Seine and the Eiffel Tower is one of my favorite spots in Paris.

To reach the Musée d'Art Moderne from Ivry, simply take the RER C westbound in Ivry-sur-Seine and get off at Pont de l'Alma station. From here, a 10 mins walk across the Seine will take you to destination.

Le Palais Galliera

A beautiful building from 1895, the Palais Galliera now hosts the museum of fashion. Since its collections are to fragile to be shown on a permanent basis, they are presented during temporary exhibitions (around two exhibitions each year). Workshops related to the exhibitions are organised for children aged 4-6 and 7-12.

To reach the Palais Galliera from Ivry, simply take the RER C westbound in Ivry-sur-Seine and get off at Pont de l'Alma station. From here, a 10 mins walk across the Seine will take you to destination.

Le Credac

The CREDAC is a center for modern art set in a renovated factory (there are plenty of them in Ivry), it's very close from our place and the red bricks building itself is worth a look.

 The CREDAC usually presents three temporary exhibitions of young artists each year. Many events are organized in relation with each exhibition, in particular workshops for children above 6 years, you can check the program of upcoming events here.