Hôtel de la Marine – Visiting with Kids

Over May half term when we visited Paris for 2 days we visited a number of monuments and landmarks. Picking up the Eiffel Tower at sunset, Arc de Triomphe, the Paris Pantheon and the newly re-opened Hôtel de la Marine Paris. The 18th century iconic monument has recently undergone a four-year restoration project and is now welcoming tourists back into its splendid French renaissance rooms. If you are staying in the heart of Paris and cannot get to Versailles then this is a very close second. In fact when we visited we actually preferred the inside of this glorious building to Versailles which we visited later in our 10-day Parisian trip. 

Built by Ange-Jacques Gabriel the King’s chief architect, Hôtel de la Marine Paris has a long and rich history. Pivotal in the French Revolution when King Louis and the royal family was overthrown by the French government. During this time the crown jewels were stolen. It is where the slavery act was abolished. And later in the 19th century, the historic building became the headquarters of the French navy.

Hôtel de la Marine – Visiting with Kids

Although the boys were with us on this trip, the objective of this article is to give you some background to the monument and some top tips for a visit. So you should still find this useful even if you are not visiting with children. 

Paris can make an interesting city break with kids as there are a lot of national monuments to visit. And let’s face it that’s generally not how kids like to spend their time. However, both our kids aged 9 and 6 at the time really enjoyed our visit to Hôtel de la Marine. I think this was partly because we did it first thing in the morning. And partly because they have things to keep the kids entertained. The first time I have seen this when visiting a French National Monument. 

Before we start the husband was a little confused when I said we were going to visit a hotel. But hôtel in France is interchangeable with the words palace, mansion and stately home. 

Where is Hôtel de la Marine & How do you get there

It could not be easier to get to Hôtel de la Marine Paris you simply aim for the Place de la Concorde. The Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris and where the beheadings took place after the French Revolution. Today it is busy with traffic and public transport and is home to the Luxor Obelisk.

The metro network in Paris is really easy to navigate. If you can use the London underground then you can use the Paris Metro. Unsurprisingly you need the Concorde metro station stop which is on Line 1, 8 or 12. Once you have gone through the ticket barriers should see little brown signs pointing you to the various tourist attractions. As the station will have a number of exits. Head for Hôtel de la Marine and the exit will bring you out literally opposite the monument. You enter through an inner courtyard.

How much does it cost to visit Hôtel de la Marine Paris?

You can book your tickets online and I would suggest you do this in advance. Unlike some of the other National Monuments in Paris Hôtel de la Marine is very popular. Booking in advance also allows you to book your audio guide (see below). They have a limited number of tickets at each time slot which runs in fifteen-minute slots from 10.45 am to 5.45 pm. The price for an adult is 17€ and children under the age of 18 are free. The price includes the audio tour which lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes. I think we were there for around two hours in total during our visit. 

It is also possible to buy a combined ticket with The Al Thani Collection for an additional 13€. This will add about an hour on to your audio tour. We did not do this as we thought it would be too much for the boys. Especially with the other things that we had planned. It is an art exhibition that covers works of art from the ancient world to the present day. You can buy tickets from France’s Centre des Monuments Nationaux.

The audio tour 

They call the audio tour a Confidant which is a headset that works via Bluetooth. The Grand Tour tells a story of what went on in the mansion during daily life. It is designed to be an immersive experience and take you on a journey around the house. I have not seen an audio-guided tour like it before and was very impressed. Each room has a transmitter and as you enter the story relates to that part of the room. 

Not only does this mean that people move around Hôtel de la Marine in a structured way but it also avoids bottlenecks. As you only move on once the headset has finished and they are controlling the number of people they let in at once. The boys had the child’s tour which was different from the adults. It interplayed with ours suggesting questions the boys should ask us. It also gave instructions on what to do with some booklets they were given at the entrance. They are similar to activity books but they interact with the Confidant and do not have any words. All to help hunt for the blue diamond.

When you make your booking you can also select the language you would like the audio tour in. The options are French, German, English, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Spanish. When we visited we were given the adult audio tour and child audio tour. However, there are also two others which you can book in English. These are the age of enlightenment and travelling through time. I do like that although children under the age of 18 are free. It is still possible to select an adult tour under a child entry ticket.

What are you going to see?

The simple answer is a lot! As I mentioned earlier we actually preferred this to our visit to the Palace of Versailles. It could be because of the audio guide or it could be because there is a lot more to see than just artwork in the state rooms. The stately reception rooms have been lovingly restored along with the king’s furniture. Just make sure you look up as there is so much detail on the ceilings as well as the royal furniture collections. Each room is stunning but there are a few that are worth a special mention:

• Small Mirrored Dressing Room – In between the bedrooms, there is a small mirrored dressing room with a blue/green satin chaise longe. The glass is painted with flowers and cherubs and although one of the smallest rooms it still takes your breath away.
• Tapestry wall hangings, the detail of which is amazing. In the same room, there is a poker table set up just as it would have been in the 18th-century state apartments.
• The Dining Room – the dining areas are set up as they would have been in the eighteenth century with gilt-edge crockery, crystal glassware and marble statues.
• The Ballroom – Has gold everywhere, a really ornate ceiling and the crystal chandeliers reflect in the walled mirrors to give an impressing of the hall of mirrors at Versailles. Only this one is much less crowded. Although you can imagine the sumptuous balls that would have been held there.
• The Navy Room – A huge interactive map charts the movement of boats and the screens in front can be used to hear the story of the sailors.
• Loggia – This is the balcony that overlooks the Place de la Concorde. With high ceilings holding lanterns, roman looking pillars and a chequered floor. It affords views across the square and of the Eiffel tower. 

Top Tips for visiting Hôtel de la Marine

• Visit early in the day when it is generally quieter 
• Make sure you check your audio guide before leaving the main entrance as one of ours wasn’t working properly and another was in French. The man at the desk happily swapped them for us without question.
• There is a cloakroom but it is not possible to leave large bags or suitcases.
• Free wifi is available throughout the mansion and the restaurants.
• They have a late night opening until 10 pm on a Friday. Watching the orange glow from the sun as it goes down over the Place de la Concorde and hits the white stone of the pillars outside Hôtel de la Marine I can imagine is pretty special. 
• If you are considering eating in the gourmet restaurant, then book the MIMOSA restaurant as it was very busy when we left. It is open Monday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. You can also eat at Café Lapérouse also onsite.
• Exit is via the gift shop, there are a lot of books in the gift shop in French. But we did find a couple of lower-priced souvenirs for the boys.

Things to do close by

After we had finished touring the palace we headed to the park right next door. Jarden des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens) turned out to be the perfect spot for lunch. With several cafes nestled under the trees in the shade. The park itself has a large pond which you can sit around and watch the world go by. A little further on you can also hire boats for half an hour for a few euros. 

If you walk through the park then you will also come to The Lourve and Musse d’Orsay at the end passing through a rather impressive archway. The walk probably takes around fifteen minutes and is away from the road. We had plans to visit a couple of the other national monuments and so kept walking towards the Pantheon. It is around half an hour but quite a bit of it is along the River Seine. If you are looking to rest little legs then consider a boat trip along this beautiful waterway.

Related blog posts

If you are considering a trip to Paris then you may also be interested in some of these other articles

• We visited for two nights and packed a lot into our 48 hours – 2 Day Paris Itinerary
• Every thought about when the best time to visit the Eiffel tower is? We aimed for sunset if you want to do the same there are some things to think about – Visiting the Eiffel Tower at Sunset
• Did you know you can go inside the Arc de Triomphe and get amazing views of the Eiffel Tower? – Arc de Triomphe
• If you are thinking of going to Versailles then this post will tell you everything you need to know – A day trip to Versailles
• The Pantheon reminds me of Rome so I was so surprised to realise Paris has its own – Visiting the Paris Pantheon.

Related posts if travelling with kids

• Taking the kids to Paris for the first time? Then this will help you make the most of your trip – 13 Tips to make your trip great.
• If you also plan to pick up some of the theme parks then I can not recommend Parc Asterix enough and it is only an hour north of the city – Parc Asterix a complete guide, What is Filotomatix and how do you use it and Our stay at Les Quais de Lutece.
• We also visited Disney on our 10-Day Parisian Holiday, we stayed at the Les Villages Nature Paris which in our opinion is the most relaxing way to do Disney.
• If it is your first time visiting Disneyland Paris then you will want to check out – Top tips for planning a day trip to Disney and also our Ultimate guide to Disneyland Paris rides.

We really enjoyed our visit and the French history lesson at Hôtel de la Marine Paris. Have you visited the unique monument of Hôtel de la Marine? I would love to hear about your experience and favourite bits, please let me know in the comments below. 

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