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Parks and gardens  Green Paris With over 400 parks and gardens, Paris earns its name as the greenest capital in Europe… For a general idea of the different names used to the describe them in French: the small ones are known as “squares”, the medium-sized ones are “jardins” and the bigger ones are “parcs”, not forgetting the two “bois” (woods) on either side of Paris. Sporting a rich variety of trees from near and far, and banks of flowers and shrubs of every colour under the sun, the green spaces of Paris can be reached easily and conveniently by metro or bus. They provide moments to relax and explore - around the twists and turns of their pathways, you will come across statues and interesting pieces of sculpture, lakes and fountains, grottos and waterfalls… Step into one of the vast greenhouses made of iron and glass for a complete change of scenery - that of rare and exotic plants. In the summer, pavilions and lawns welcome jazz bands, world or classical music for sharing pleasant times. For children: play areas, pony rides and swings and roundabouts are their exclusive domain. A variety of guided tours are organized: details are available in the town halls and Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau information centres.  
La Villette/Belleville/Canal Saint-Martin (PARIS 19) Architecture The Parc de la Villete extends over 55 hectares - of which 35 outdoor - and is the largest green area in Paris, a "prototype of the urban park of the 21st century"; it combines areas... République/Bastille (PARIS 11) Until the 18th century Belleville was just a corner of the countryside with farms, windmills and open-air cafes. The former village of Belleville, (which became home to people of... Passy/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 16) The Bois de Boulogne is intimately linked with the history of Parisian people; firstly a hiding place for bandits it was then to be exloited for hunting (François I), and for the... La Villette/Belleville/Canal Saint-Martin (PARIS 19) Buttes-Chaumont park, in the east of Paris extends over an area of 23 hectares. It was built at the wish of Napoleon III, who, as with Montsouris park in the south wanted to provide... 
Champs-Elysées/Musée du Louvre (PARIS 08) Sculpture In 1667, the landscape gardner, LE NOTRE, created a walk in an area, previously given over to fields and marsh land, designed to offer the king a fine perspective from the Tuileries. ... MALAKOFF DOMAINE NATIONAL DES TUILERIES (JARDINS) Champs-Elysées/Musée du Louvre (PARIS 01) The Tuileries and Carrousel gardens extend over a surface area of 280,000 m². Since 1991 these gardens have been incorporated into the Louvre Museum project and been completetly... Saint-Germain-des-Prés/Musée d'Orsay/Montparnasse (PARIS 15) This paved garden inaugurated in 1994 was set out above the Montparnasse TGV railway lines and is without doubt the most beautiful waiting room for travellers heading towards the... 
Tour Eiffel/Trocadéro | Passy/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 16) The Jardin d'acclimatation (zoological park) was created in 1860 at the initiative of the 'savante société impériale zoologique d'acclimatation' presided over by Isidore Geoffroy... 
JARDIN DE L'ECOLE D'HORTICULTURE DU BREUIL / JARDIN BOTANIQUE DE LA VILLE PARIS Bercy/Tolbiac/Viaduc des Arts/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 12) More than 1200 trees of 108 different species coexist within this living tree museum. Created in 1867, the arboretum possesses plant collections which are studied by students of the... 
JARDIN DES SERRES D'AUTEUIL / JARDIN BOTANIQUE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS Passy/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 16) Sculpture | Green plants Vestige of the plant nurseries of King Louis XV, it is one of the prettiest oases of the capital. The four stone statues that decorate the entrance come from Versailles from the... Saint-Germain des Prés/Musée d'Orsay/Montparnasse (PARIS 06) Sculpture | Merry-go-rounds | Green plants The former royal palace with Florentine echoes has been the seat of the Sénat since 1958. It is surrounded by one of the largest gardens in the capital (25ha). The principal of the... JARDIN DU PALAIS ROYAL - COLONNES DE BUREN Champs-Elysées/Musée du Louvre (PARIS 01) In 1629, Cardinal Richelieu had a vast and splendid building erected the 'Palais-Cardinal' with an adjoining garden. Later, in 1780, the palace was enlarged with the construction of... Bercy/Tolbiac/Viaduc des Arts/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 12) Ile-de-France (THOIRY) 'Château de Thoiry en Yvelines' is situated around 40 km to the west of Paris and 25 km north of Versailles. Thoiry features the rare esoteric architecture of the Renaissance, and a... Champs-Elysées/Musée du Louvre (PARIS 08) Sculpture In 1769, the Duke of Chartres (future Duke of Orleans) bought a hectare of land at the centre of Monceau plain. It was the modest beginning of the "folly of Chartres". A pavillion was... Saint-Germain des Prés/Musée d'Orsay/Montparnasse (PARIS 14) With a surface area of 154,640m² the parc Montsouris was designed between 1867 and 1878, on the site of former quarries, as the equivalent in the south of Paris as the... 
MUSEUM NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE - JARDIN DES PLANTES Notre-Dame/Quartier Latin (PARIS 05) Animals | Anthropology | Fossils | Sciences | Ethnography | Geology | Everyday items | Stuffed animals | Evolution | Insects | Green plants | Minerals | Oceanography | Prehistory In the Plant Garden, you can admire very old tree species : the Robinia false acacia, planted in 1636, the Ginkgo Biloba, around 150 yrs old, (this tree already existed in its present... Saint-Germain-des-Prés/Musée d'Orsay/Montparnasse (PARIS 15) Green plants Inaugurated in 1992, at the heart of a new area, on the site of former car factories, this park has been opened directly onto the Seine since July 1999. It is one of the largest parks... PARC DE BAGATELLE / JARDIN BOTANIQUE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS Passy/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 16) Green plants It was Jean-Claude-Nicolas Forestier, conservator of the parks and gardens of the city of Paris -and designer of the Champs-de-Mars and other gardens- who had wanted to establish... Bercy/Tolbiac/Viaduc des Arts/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 12) With a surface area of 139 747m², Bercy Park was, in the 12th century a seigniory, then later on, the property of a rich family before the domain was cut in two by the fortifications... Tour Eiffel/Trocadéro (PARIS 07) The rectangular design of the Champ-de-Mars recalls its initial purpose: a training ground for the military manoeuvres of the Ecole Militaire (Military School). Opened in 1780, it... PARC FLORAL DE PARIS / JARDIN BOTANIQUE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS Bercy/Tolbiac/Bois de Vincennes (PARIS 12) Extending over 28 hectares, the park is situated at the heart of the 'bois de Vincennes' [Vincennes forest]. It is made up of 4 very distinct landscaped areas. As well as being a very... 
Saint-Germain-des-Prés/Musée d'Orsay/Montparnasse (PARIS 15) In the past, the place where the Parc Georges Brassens is now located was part of the old hamlet of Vaugirard, which was incorporated into Paris in 1860. Vineyards, and then market... 
PARCS ET JARDINS / ACCES HANDICAPES / PARKS AND GARDENS / DISABLED ACCESS PARIS 16 Of the 436 Parisian gardens, 32 are accessible to the disabled of which 15 are completely accessible without help: Jardins du Palais Royal (by rue de Valois, rue de Montpensier or... Bercy/Tolbiac/Viaduc des Arts/Bois de Boulogne (PARIS 12) From Bastille to Porte St Mandé. The former Bastille-suburbs railway, unused since 1969, has been turned into a pedestrian walk. You will cross the Viaduc des Arts, tunels, and... |
