Picture it: Paris, 2021. It’s a small city, only 40 square miles in size. That’s less than 1/3 the size of Atlanta. Yet within those 20 arrondissements live 2.1 million people. In the metro region, of course, there are 11 million!
Aside from the architecture, culture, museums, and other sites, there are within Paris there are 421 parks, covering over 7400 acres, containing over 250,000 trees.
You do not have to travel far in Paris to find some green space.
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
Buttes Chaumont is one of the city’s largest green spaces, with landscaped slopes hiding grottoes, waterfalls, a lake and even an island topped with a temple to Sibylle. Once a gypsum quarry and rubbish dump, it was given its present form by Baron Haussmann in time for the opening of the 1867 Exposition Universelle. The tracks of the abandoned 19th-century Petite Ceinture railway line, which once circled Paris, run through the park.
It’s a favourite with Parisians, who come here to practise tai chi, take the kids to a puppet show, grab a sundowner and pizza at trendy Le Pavillon Puebla or simply to relax with a bottle of wine and a sundown picnic.
More approachable than both the Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg, which can feel a little formal, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is worth making the trip for. "Trip? What do you mean trip?" Well, it's set high up in Belleville, so although that does mean a 30-minute walk from Gare du Nord, it also means you're unlikely to be elbowing tourists for space. Plus it's huge. Numerous pathways wind their way past the lakes, trees, waterfalls and rocky cliffs – yep, thanks to this man-made beauty on the site of a former quarry Paris has a few cliffs to its name. Climb up to Temple de la Sybille (you can't miss it) for extra special views.
Bois de Boulogne
Spread out over 865 hectares, the Bois was once the Forêt de Rouvray hunting grounds. It was landscaped in the 1860s, when artificial grottos and waterfalls were created around the Lac Inférieur. The Jardin de Bagatelle is famous for its roses and water lilies, and contains an orangery that rings to the sound of Chopin in summer. The Jardin d’Acclimatation is a children’s amusement park, with a miniature train, farm, rollercoaster and boat rides.
Spread out over 865 hectares, the Bois was once the Forêt de Rouvray hunting grounds. It was landscaped in the 1860s, when artificial grottos and waterfalls were created around the Lac Inférieur. The Jardin de Bagatelle is famous for its roses and water lilies, and contains an orangery that rings to the sound of Chopin in summer. The Jardin d’Acclimatation is a children’s amusement park, with a miniature train, farm, rollercoaster and boat rides.
On the western edge of Paris just beyond the 16e, the 845-hectare Bois de Boulogne owes its informal layout to Baron Haussmann, who was inspired by Hyde Park in London.
In the south are two horse-racing tracks, the Hippodrome de Longchamp for flat races and the Hippodrome d’Auteuil for steeplechases. The woods are also home to the Stade Roland Garros, where the French Open takes place. Be aware that the Bois de Boulogne, especially along the allée de Longchamp, can be frequented by sex workers looking for clients.
Jardin du Luxembourg
This 25-hectare park is a prized family attraction. Kids’ activities galore, feisty chess games, abundant sunbathing space around the boat pond. Kids come from across the city for its pony rides, ice cream stands, puppet shows, pedal karts, sandpits, swing boats and merry-go-round. Look out for the intense games of chess that take place on the wooded side of the park – and pop by the gorgeous Institut Giacometti afterwards.
This 25-hectare park is a prized family attraction. Kids’ activities galore, feisty chess games, abundant sunbathing space around the boat pond. Kids come from across the city for its pony rides, ice cream stands, puppet shows, pedal karts, sandpits, swing boats and merry-go-round. Look out for the intense games of chess that take place on the wooded side of the park – and pop by the gorgeous Institut Giacometti afterwards.
Jardin des Tuileries
Between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, the alleyways of these gardens have been a chic promenade ever since they opened to the public in the 16th century. Landscape architect André Le Nôtre created this prototypical French park with terraces and a central vista running down the Grand Axe through circular and hexagonal ponds. The gardens are also dotted with beautiful statues – including copies of ancient works like Coysevox’s winged horses, and more modern ones like Dubuffet’s Le Bel Costumé.
Between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, the alleyways of these gardens have been a chic promenade ever since they opened to the public in the 16th century. Landscape architect André Le Nôtre created this prototypical French park with terraces and a central vista running down the Grand Axe through circular and hexagonal ponds. The gardens are also dotted with beautiful statues – including copies of ancient works like Coysevox’s winged horses, and more modern ones like Dubuffet’s Le Bel Costumé.
Parc de la Villette
Spanning 55 hectares, this vast city park is a cultural centre, kids playground and landscaped urban space at the intersection of two canals, the Ourcq and the St-Denis. Its futuristic layout includes the colossal mirror-like sphere of the Géode cinema and the bright-red cubical pavilions known as folies. Among its themed gardens are the Jardin du Dragon (Dragon Garden), with a giant dragon’s tongue slide for kids, Jardin des Dunes (Dunes Garden) and Jardin des Miroirs (Mirror Garden).
Spanning 55 hectares, this vast city park is a cultural centre, kids playground and landscaped urban space at the intersection of two canals, the Ourcq and the St-Denis. Its futuristic layout includes the colossal mirror-like sphere of the Géode cinema and the bright-red cubical pavilions known as folies. Among its themed gardens are the Jardin du Dragon (Dragon Garden), with a giant dragon’s tongue slide for kids, Jardin des Dunes (Dunes Garden) and Jardin des Miroirs (Mirror Garden).
Events are staged in the wonderful old Grande Halle (formerly a slaughterhouse – the Parisian cattle market was located here from 1867 to 1974), Le Zénith, the Cabaret Sauvage, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse, and the Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris complex.
Dotted with red pavilion-follies, this sprawling 35-hectare park was designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi and is a postmodern work of genius. The follies serve as glorious giant climbing frames, as well as a first-aid post, bars and a children’s art centre. There are lawns used for a hugely successful open-air film festival in summer, plus 10 themed gardens bearing evocative names such as the Garden of Mirrors, of Mists, of Acrobatics and of Childhood Frights. Pokemon Go (if that’s still your thing), outdoor yoga and aerobics classes, somewhere to chill before a concert at the Zénith, Philharmonie or Cabaret Sauvage.
Jardin des Plantes
The city’s enchanting botanical garden contains more than 10,000 species and includes tropical greenhouses and rose, winter and Alpine gardens. Founded by Louis XIII’s doctor as the royal medicinal garden in 1626, it opened to the public in 1640. The formal garden is like something out of Alice in Wonderland. There’s also the Ménagerie (a small zoo) and a plaque on the old laboratory which declares that Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity here in 1896.
The city’s enchanting botanical garden contains more than 10,000 species and includes tropical greenhouses and rose, winter and Alpine gardens. Founded by Louis XIII’s doctor as the royal medicinal garden in 1626, it opened to the public in 1640. The formal garden is like something out of Alice in Wonderland. There’s also the Ménagerie (a small zoo) and a plaque on the old laboratory which declares that Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity here in 1896.
Parc Monceau
Quiet picnics, photo-friendly follies, proximity to Musée Cernuschi and Musée Nissim de Camondo. Surrounded by grand hôtels particuliers and elegant Haussmannian apartments, Monceau is a favourite with well-dressed children and their nannies. It was laid out in the 18th century for the Duc de Chartres in the English style, with a lake, lawns and a variety of follies: an Egyptian pyramid, Corinthian colonnade, Venetian bridge and sarcophagi.
Quiet picnics, photo-friendly follies, proximity to Musée Cernuschi and Musée Nissim de Camondo. Surrounded by grand hôtels particuliers and elegant Haussmannian apartments, Monceau is a favourite with well-dressed children and their nannies. It was laid out in the 18th century for the Duc de Chartres in the English style, with a lake, lawns and a variety of follies: an Egyptian pyramid, Corinthian colonnade, Venetian bridge and sarcophagi.
Bois de Vincennes
In the southeastern corner of Paris, Bois de Vincennes encompasses some 995 hectares. Originally royal hunting grounds, the woodland was annexed by the army following the Revolution and then donated to the city in 1860 by Napoléon III. A fabulous place to escape the Parisian concrete, Bois de Vincennes also contains a handful of notable sights, including a bona fide royal château, Château de Vincennes, with massive fortifications and a moat.
In the southeastern corner of Paris, Bois de Vincennes encompasses some 995 hectares. Originally royal hunting grounds, the woodland was annexed by the army following the Revolution and then donated to the city in 1860 by Napoléon III. A fabulous place to escape the Parisian concrete, Bois de Vincennes also contains a handful of notable sights, including a bona fide royal château, Château de Vincennes, with massive fortifications and a moat.
Epic walks, summer jazz concerts, somewhere to cool off after a trip to the Marché aux Puces de Montreuil. This is Paris’s biggest park, created like the Bois de Boulogne in the west, when the former royal hunting forest was landscaped by Adolphe Alphand for Baron Haussmann. There are boating lakes, a Buddhist temple, a racetrack, restaurants, a baseball field and a small farm. You’ll also find the Parc Floral – a cross between a botanical garden and an amusement park, where jazz concerts are held on weekends in summer.
Paris' largest, state-of-the-art zoo, the Parc Zoologique de Paris, is also here, as is the magnificent Parc Floral de Paris, a botanical park with exciting playgrounds for older children. The wood also has a lovely lake, with boats to rent and ample green lawns to picnic on.
Parc André Citroën
Beautiful themed gardens, a balloon ride with killer views, water features you can actually walk through (perfect in the heat). This park is a fun, postmodern version of a French formal garden designed by Gilles Clément and Alain Prévost. It comprises glasshouses, computerised fountains, waterfalls and themed gardens featuring different hued plants and even sounds. Stepping stones and water jets make it a garden for pleasure as well as philosophy. The tethered Eutelsat balloon takes visitors up for panoramic views too.
Beautiful themed gardens, a balloon ride with killer views, water features you can actually walk through (perfect in the heat). This park is a fun, postmodern version of a French formal garden designed by Gilles Clément and Alain Prévost. It comprises glasshouses, computerised fountains, waterfalls and themed gardens featuring different hued plants and even sounds. Stepping stones and water jets make it a garden for pleasure as well as philosophy. The tethered Eutelsat balloon takes visitors up for panoramic views too.
