Walking around the Cluny Museum in Paris

Explore one of the Paris’s oldest quarters with Roman baths, medieval treasures, and the oldest tree in Paris.

One of the oddities of the Musée National du Moyen-Age-Thermes de Cluny (1, 6 place Paul – Painlevé) is that the medieval Hôtel de Cluny was built over ancient roman baths, so right on the corner of boulevard Saint-Michel stand massive 2^nd- century ruins – the stripes of stone and red brick are typical of Roman construction. Head around the corner to 6 place Paul – Painlevé to the museum entrance. Once inside, this lovely museum focusing on the Middle Ages has lots that will appeal to kids : sculptures and stained glass they can see up close, elaborate gold and enamel work, and everyday items like wooden combs and a pair of leather shoes from the Middle Ages. Upstairs is the most famous exhibit, The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry cycle. After finding the unicorn and the liion, younger kids should try counting the rabbits and other anumals hiding among the flowers. Exit the museum and turn left into the Medieval Garden (2), which contains plants found in medieval tapestries and manuscripts – and beasts, too : spot the animal footprints in the paving tiles and creatures from The Lady and the Unicorn in the playground. Exit on boulevard Saint-Germain, cross over onto rue de la Harpe, and turn right onto rue Saint-Séverin to reach the medieval church of Saint-Séverin (3). Try to find the “palm tree” column inside. Continue along rue Saint-Séverin and turn left onto rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre to see the church of the same name. To the left of the church door is the oldest tree in Paris, a false acacia tree (4) planted in 1601.

Metro Station : Saint-Michel (Line 4), Cluny-la-Sorbonne (Line 10)