Best in Travel is here! Discover 2025’s destinations

Palais de la Découverte

Paris


Attached to the Grand Palais, this children’s science museum has excellent temporary exhibits (eg moving lifelike dinosaurs) as well as a hands-on, interactive permanent collection focusing on astronomy, biology, physics and the like. Some of the older exhibits have French-only explanations, but overall this is a dependable family outing. The museum will close for renovations from late 2020 to mid-2024.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Paris attractions

Login

1. Grand Palais

0.04 MILES

Erected for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), the Grand Palais is topped by a huge 8.5-tonne art nouveau glass roof. It hosts some of Paris’…

Login

2. Jardin de la Nouvelle France

0.07 MILES

Descending rustic, uneven staircases (by the white-marble Alfred de Musset sculpture on av Franklin D Roosevelt, or the upper garden off cours la Reine)…

Login
Login

4. Petit Palais

0.16 MILES

This architectural stunner was built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, and is home to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris (City of Paris…

Login

5. Pont Alexandre III

0.19 MILES

Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) to link the Grand Palais and Petit Palais with Les Invalides on the Left Bank, this Beaux Arts…

Login

6. FluctuArt

0.22 MILES

Opened in 2019, this hip cultural centre occupying a péniche (barge) off pont des Invalides brought an unexpected dash of coolness to an otherwise…

Login

7. Bouquet of Tulips

0.25 MILES

Reaching 11m high and weighing 61 tonnes, this bronze, aluminium and stainless steel sculpture of an outsized hand holding aloft a bouquet of colourful,…

Login