Descriptions &
Links
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Le Bois de
Boulogne (Paris
16e)
The city's most
legendary and largest park, known to Parisians as
"Le Bois", was landscaped into an upper-class
playground by Baron Haussmann in the 1850s, using
London's Hyde Park as his model. Formerly a royal
forest and hunting ground, this vast 2200-acre
reserve is crisscrossed by broad, leafy roads, home
to rowers, joggers, strollers, bicyclists, games of
pétanque (or
boules), picknickers, and lovers.
Main entrance at bottom of avenue Foch.
Métro: Porte
Maillot, Porte Dauphine, or Porte d'Auteuil.
Bus: 244.
Phone:
01-40-67-97-02.
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Le Bois de
Vincennes (Paris
12e)
This sprawling park
on the eastern periphery of Paris has been a
longtime favorite of French families, who enjoy its
zoos, museums, royal château, four lakes
(Lacs Daumesnil, Minimes, Gravelle, Saint
Mandé), boating, and an annual carnival, the
"Foire du Trone". A celebrated flower garden here,
the Parc Floral de Paris, is host to the "Foire
à la Feraille de Paris" -- an annual antique
and secondhand fair.
Métro: Porte de
Charenton, Porte Dorée, or Liberté.
Bus:
87.
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Jardin
Atlantique (Paris
19e)
Opened in 1994, this
small park was planted on a concourse constructed
over the first 100 yards of railroad tracks leading
to the Gare Montparnasse. It features an assortment
of trees and plants from countries on the Atlantic
Ocean.
Location: Pont des
Cinq-Martyrs-du-Lycée-Buffon.
Métro:
Gaîté.
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Jardin du Bassin de
l'Arsenal (Paris
12e)
Excavated in 1806 during the Napoleonic period, the
Arsenal basin connects
the Canal Saint-Martin to the Seine via a series of
nine locks. Its garden is harmoniously landscaped
with many plants. In the midst of a small alcove of
greenery, stands Henri Arnold's 1983 sculpture
depicting a graceful, young woman.
Métro:
Bastille.
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Jardin des
Champs-Elysées (Paris
8e)
Located between the Rond-point des
Champs-Elysées and the Place de la Concorde,
a restored and embellished garden was inaugurated
in September 1994. Showcasing the skill of 19th
century architects and horticulturalists, it is
criss-crossed by countless paths flanked by
majestic trees. Rolling lawns planted with shrubs
and flower beds also adorn the garden.
Métro:
Champs-Elysées Clémenceau.
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Jardin des
Halles (Paris
1er)
During the Second Empire, les Halles (formerly
Paris' outdoor market) was comprised of ten
glass-roofed, structured pavilions which were
subsequently dismantled and moved to the Paris
suburbs. Today, the former market has given way to
climbing plants, honeysuckle, jasmin, kiwi vines,
wisteria, clematis and, countless other plants.
Children will be delighted by a tropical
rainforest, a waterfall, a forbidden city and many
other attractions.
Location: Forum
des Halles, 105, rue Rambuteau, 75001 Paris.
Métro: Les
Halles.
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Jardin du Palais
Royal (Paris
1er)
Surrounded by three elegant, covered arcades, this
quiet garden was the most popular place to stroll
during the Revolution, and was the stage for major
historical events. Lovers of contemporary sculpture
will appreciate Pol Bury's steel-ball sculptures
which decorate the fountains, and Daniel Buren's
controversial, prison-striped columns built in
1986.
Métro: Palais
Royal
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Jardin des Plantes -
Botanical Gardens (Paris
5e)
This enormous swath
of greenery contains the botanical garden, the
Grande Galerie de l'Evolution, and three natural
history museums. There is also an alpine garden, an
aquarium, a maze, a number of hothouses, and a
small, old-fashioned zoo.
Entrances on rue Geoffroy-St-Hilaire and rue
Buffon. Admission: Zoo
30FF; Mineralogy Museum 30FF; Paleontology Museum
20FF; Entomology Museum 15FF. Hours: Garden
daily 7:30am-sunset; zoo daily 9am-6pm; museums
Wed.-Mon. 10am-5pm. Métro:
Censier-Daubenton, Monge, or Gare d'Austerlitz.
Phone:
01-40-79-30-00.
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Jardin des
Tuileries (Paris
1er)
Among the most
popular open spaces in the city, ideal for a picnic
or leisurely stroll, these neo-classical gardens
once belonged to the Palais des Tuileries, which
was burned down by the Communards in 1871. They
were laid out in the 17th century by André
Le Nôtre, who created the broad central
avenue and topiary arranged in geometric
designs.
Location: quai des
Tuileries. Métro:
Tuileries. Phone:
01-42-96-19-33.
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Jardin et Palais du
Luxembourg (Paris
6e)
Located not far from
the Sorbonne, just south of the Latin Quarter, the
Jardin du Luxembourg is one of Paris' most beloved
parks, offering a myriad of fountains, statues of
queens and poets, as well as tennis courts and
spaces for playing boules. Children
enjoy its parc à
jeux (playground) and
the théâtre
des marionettes (puppet
theater).
Location: rue de
Vaugirard. Métro:
Odéon, Saint-Placide. RER:
Luxembourg. Buses: 42, 69,
72, 82, 87. Phone:
01-43-29-12-78.
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Major parks and
gardens
The Paris Convention
& Visitors Bureau offers descriptions of 28
major parks and gardens in and near the city,
picturesque river banks, quays and canals,
memorable fountains, remarkable trees (the oldest
one was planted in 1601!), and zoos.
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Parc André
Citroën (Paris
15e)
Located between the Seine and the new districts
built on the former site of Citroën's
automobile plant, this futurist park covers 14
hectares and offers visitors a succession of
beautiful and varied botanical gardens, a perfect
spot for a bit of rest and reverie. Water plays an
integral role in the park with its fountains and
waterfalls, sculptures amid the pools, and
canal.
Métro:
Balard.
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Parc de
Bagatelle (Paris
16e)
Thematic gardens
reveal the art of gardening through the centuries,
and the rose gardens in particular are sublime.
Used as a hunting lodge by Napoleeon, the
château here was built in 66 days by the
Comte d'Artois following a wager with his
sister-in-law, Marie Antoinette.
Métro: Porte
Maillot.
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Parc de
Belleville (Paris
20e)
In this Right Bank
district teeming with cultural diversity, you'll
find turbaned men selling dates, numerous Chinese,
Vietnamese, and Thai restaurants, as well as a
Sephartic Jewish community transplanted from
Algeria and Tunisia. Overlooking it all is the new
Parc de Belleville, 11 acres of gardens and paths
on a hill with a spectacular view of Paris. This
was Edith Piaf's former neighborhood, and she is
buried -- along with numerous other cultural icons
-- in the nearby Père-Lachaise Cemetary.
Métro:
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Parc de
Bercy (Paris
12e)
Comprised primarily of vast lawns, a romantic
garden, a vegetable garden, an orchard, and a
scented-flower garden, the park is located on the
site of the old Bercy warehouses. To the south, it
is extended by a wide terrace leading toward the
Seine, and is next to the Palais Omnisports de
Paris Bercy.
Métro: Bercy
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Parc de la
Terlure (Paris
18e)
The residents of
Montmartre surely aren't gawking at mimes or having
their portraits sketched on the place du Tertre.
Where do they go to escape the carnival? On a sunny
day they might be found at the parc de la Terlure,
a tranquil hideaway on rue de la Bonne, north of
Sacré-Coeur.
Métro:
Château Rouge.
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Parc de la
Villette (Paris
19e)
Until the 1970s this
130-acre site, in an unfashionable corner of
northeast Paris, was home to a cattle market and
abattoir
(slaughterhouse). The site was transformed into an
ambitiously landscaped, futuristic park with
sweeping lawns, a children's playground, canopied
walkways, a cinema, two museums, brightly painted
pavilions, and a state-of-the-art concert hall --
the Cité de la
Musique.
Métro: Porte de
la Villette, Porte de Pantin.
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Parc des
Buttes-Chaumont (Paris
19e)
During the 1860s,
Baron Haussmann converted this hilly site from a
garbage dump and quarry -- with gallows at its foot
-- into beautiful English-style gardens, replete
with a lake and man-made island, a Roman-style
temple, waterfall, streams, and footbridges. Today,
in summer, visitors will also find boating
facilities, donkey rides, and sun worshipers on the
beautifully kept lawns.
Location: rue
Manin, rue de Crimée. Hours: 8am-6pm
daily. Métro:
Botzaris, Buttes-Chaumont. Phone:
01-40-36-41-32 or 01-42-40-88-66.
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Parc des Expositions
de Paris (Paris
15e)
During late April to
early May, a sprawling fair -- the Foire de Paris
-- is held here, with hundreds of stands selling
food and wine, often at excellent prices, as well
as a variety of clothing and household goods; very
popular with Parisians. Also the site of the Salon
de l'Agriculture, an annual fair held the last week
of February to the first week of March.
Métro: Porte de
Versailles
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Parc du
Champs-de-Mars (Paris
7e)
The vast green
esplanade beneath the Eiffel Tower is the Parc du
Champs-de-Mars, extending all the way to the
18th-century Ecole Militaire (Military Academy), at
its southeast end. This formal lawn was once a
parade ground for French troops.
Métro:
Trocadéro, Bir-Hakeim, or Ecole Militaire.
RER:
Champs-de-Mars.
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Parc
Monceau (Paris
8e)
A favorite haunt
where Marcel Proust used to stroll, the Parc
Monceau was commissioned in 1778 by Louis Philippe
Joseph, duc de Chartres et Orléans, who was
guillotined after the Revolution. After the painter
Carmontelle designed several whimsical
accoutrements for the park -- including a Dutch
windmill, a Roman temple, a farm, medieval ruins,
and a pagoda -- the place became known as
"Chartres' folly." Garnerin, the world's first
parachutist, landed here.
Location:
boulevard de Courcelles. Métro: Monceau.
Phone:
01-42-27-39-56 or 01-42-27-08-64.
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Parc Georges
Brassens (Paris
15e)
On the site of the former Vaugirard abbatoirs
(slaughterhouses), the horse market hallway and the
two bull statues have been retained at the original
entrance. Planted with many fragrant shrubs and
plants. You can also discover terraced vines and a
scented garden.
Métro:
Convention.
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Parc
Montsouris (Paris
14e)
This English-style
park, the second largest in Paris, was laid out by
landscape architect Adolphe Alphand between 1865
and 1878. A favorite place for students and young
children, it offers a restaurant, lawns, and a lake
inhabited by many different species of
birds.
Location:
boulevard Jourdan. Hours:
7:30am-7pm daily. Métro: Porte
d'Orléans. RER:
Cité Universitaire. Phone:
01-45-88-28-60.
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Place des Vosges /
Square Louis XIII (Paris
4e)
Located in the historical Marais neighborhood,
place des Vosges is planted with linden trees and
lawns which are criss-crossed by symmetrical paths.
The Ginard fountain, whose waters were drawn from
the canal de l'Ourq, was inaugurated in 1811. In
1829, it was replaced by a marble, equestrian
statue of Louis XIII. In 1835, the four
Ménager fountains were installed.
Métro: Chemin
Vert, Saint-Paul.
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Square des
Arènes de Lutèce (Paris
5e)
Made out of cut
stone, the Lutetia Arena was built in the late
first century AD, during the Gallo-Roman period,
for circus and theatrical presentations. It is
surrounded by a thicket of greenery. Shows and
plays are staged in this garden during the
summer.
Location: rue de
Navarre, 75005 Paris. Métro:
Jussieu.
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Square du
Vert-Galant (Paris 1er)
The
Ile-de-la-Cité is shaped very much like a
ship (hence the symbol for Paris is a boat), and at
its "bow" -- the western tip -- is the Square du
Vert-Galant (Henri IV's nickname), next to the Pont
Neuf. It is planted with a wide variety of trees
and flowers.
Métro:
Pont-Neuf
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The Tuileries Gardens - a short
dark history
"It is not in the
fall of the Bastille but in the slaughter in the
Tuileries that the French Revolution made its
mark." In her article hosted by the Paris Pages,
Jacqueline
Donnelly explores the
contradictions of a park where today lovers meet
and children play, but which yesterday was the site
of a great massacre, the extension of a royal
palace and a royal prison. (SEE ALSO: The Siege of Paris)
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