Visiting the Musée Gustave Moreau with children
I have taken children aged six to fourteen to this house, and what always works is the same thing. First, the spiral staircase: an iron staircase that winds, which you climb in single file, leading to a room where the paintings are larger than they are. Then the cabinets with pivoting flaps: you open one panel, then another, and each time a different drawing appears. It’s a game, and there is nothing equivalent at the Louvre.
For the paintings, go straight to the highlights. The Chimeras (1884) on the second floor, a cliff covered with women and monsters, keeps a child busy for ten minutes just counting the creatures. The Unicorns appeals to the youngest. Prometheus and his eagle, Jupiter and Semele on the third floor with its throne full of figures, and The Return of the Argonauts, unfinished, where you can see the drawing beneath the paint. The full itinerary is on the page key works to see.
Keep the visit short, one hour, and skip the first-floor apartment if the children get bored. Since there is no café, plan a snack on rue des Martyrs, five minutes away. Admission is free for those under 18, making the outing very affordable; other cases of free admission are listed on the page Is the museum free?.
Give them a mission: find the eagle of Prometheus, the bull abducting Europa, the unicorns. Children then spend more time looking at the paintings than adults do.
For the afternoon, the guided walk in Montmartre, climbing up via Pigalle, appeals to families: sloping streets, a vineyard, a windmill, but no stairs along the route.
Frequently asked questions
At what age does the museum interest children?
Around six years old, when monsters and unicorns become topics of conversation. Teenagers appreciate the drawing cabinets and the large studio. The visit lasts about one hour; see the page length of visit.
Can I come with a stroller?
Only on the ground floor. The apartment and studios are connected by staircases, with no lift, and the spiral staircase between the two studios is narrow. A baby carrier is more practical.
Do children pay for admission?
No, admission is free for those under 18, as in all national museums. Adults pay a modest ticket fee, detailed on the page tickets.