A carton for containing at least one article is described herein. The carton includes a plurality of side panels that extend at least partially around an interior of the carton, a handle for grasping and carrying the carton formed in at least two side panels of the plurality of side panels, and a protective feature for providing access to grasp the handle. The protective feature includes at least one protective panel arranged in the interior of the carton relative to the handle and the at least two side panels.