Paris museum with kids

Kids might enjoy Pomidou because there are pieces of " art" like the giant cheese grater and the chair with oubic hair on it...kids don't know its what some adults call art and seem to have a good giggle there( was there only a few weeks ago)

I would choose Orsay myself, but I personally would skim impressionism floor and head down to the furniture section , looks like Dr Seuss stuff.

For your family, the Petit Palais sounds like just the thing. It has a good collection, beautiful building, and an inner courtyard where the little ones can run around a bit and maybe see some ducks (there were ducklings in April). The Orsay is always crowded.

I have not been to the Petit Palais, so other than that I think the Orsay or Pompidou would be good. You should at least go to the Pompidou grounds to see the fountain and ride the escalator (my kids loved it at that age!), even if you don't go inside.

I went to Paris with my boys at that age. We bought the museum pass (free for kids) so we could pop into a museum for 20 minutes and leave if it wasn't working. So we went to Orsay, Pompidou, Cluny, Orangerie, Rodin (gardens only), Louvre...it really helped to not worry about having to spend a lot of time, and just see the things we could. Sometimes my husband or I would have a priority and go straight to it, other times we knew there was one section the kids would like and went there instead.

If you do take your girls to a museum, especially D'Orsay or L'Orangerie (sp!!) please consider getting a selection of the art story board books by Julie Merberg. My granddaughters' favorites were Dancing with Degas and In the Garden with Van Gogh. There are a few more that you'll recognize but the "story" flows better in these two. We always heard "again please" with these board books.

I got to go to D'Orsay with them this summer and reading lots of art themed books to them, starting with these board books, really paid off!

Have mercy on my spelling. It's 4 AM and I'm using my iPhone...

EDIT: added the italicized titles at a sane hour this AM.

If you as a couple want to do the Louvre note that it is adjacent to the Tuilleries which is a lovely park for kids. Pony rides, playgrounds, sometimes a guy who rents toy sailboats for the fountain pool. So you can take the kids and do a few things the older one might find interesting and then one parent can take the kids to the park while the other spends time in the museum and then switch off. Once you have a ticket you can come and go on the same day.

I am not a fan of the Pompidou myself but many of the art pieces there are likely to appeal to a 2 year old, so that can be a good choice too.

Not sure about taking young children to the L'Orangerie. The guards there this summer were very strict that there should be be NO TALKING in the main room with the waterlilies.

Thanks for all the great responses!

I had totally forgotten the "silence" rule downstairs in l'Orangerie, something I don't think we are capable of (even for a few minutes). I think we'll plan on Le Petit Palais plus an Orsay visit if the weather is crummy. A drive-by of the Pompidou exterior and neighboring "pond" will also be on the menu.

I'll be sure to come back and respond after our trip with how it went.

The kids will love the escalators at the Pompidou. You can do that without having to buy entrance tickets. The outdoor resto up there has a terrific view of the city.

Totally off topic, but we had dinner here and totally loved it.

http://www.lalsacien.com/en/

We ate early (when they opened at 7) - it wasn't too crowded, and the flammekuche (like pizza) were so good! The waiters were nice and although our kids are 10 and 12, I do remember there being another big table with some little ones.

It was super low stress and yummy!