If you're heading to Paris this summer for the Olympic Games, why not check out some of these green spaces around the city while you're there.
Paris can get very hot in the summer, so if you're not hiding in the cool of a museum, you could pick up some pastries and bask in the shade in a garden or a park in between events.
All around Paris, you'll find leafy parks, manicured gardens and plenty of spots perfect for a picnic. The city is split into 20 arrondissements, with the 1st to the 4th generally considered to be the centre of the city. The 5th to the 8th arrondissements also border the Seine, the river running through the city. These areas tend to include Paris's main tourist landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre. There are plenty of parks and gardens to explore here, as well as several spaces further out of the city centre.
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11 must-see gardens, parks and green spaces in Paris
Jardin des Plantes
Surrounding the Museum of Natural History, Jardin des Plantes features themed gardens and large greenhouses. Areas to explore include an alpine garden, a rose and rock garden and a maze. Seven hundred varieties of plant keep interest in the beds from June to October with bulb displays in spring and plenty more to explore as the gardens are also home to exotic greenhouses and a zoo.
Where Jardin des Plantes, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France (5th arrondissement)
Tickets The gardens are free to enter, glasshouses cost €9
Web jardinsdesplantesdeparis.fr
Jardin du Luxembourg
This sprawling green space is popular with locals and tourists alike in Paris. Close to the Pantheon in the 6th arrondissement, this two-and-a-half-acre space features formal English gardens, 3,000 trees and 5,000 square metres of flower beds. You can also explore an orchard and soak up some sun in a chair by by the Médicis fountain.
Where Conservation du Jardin du Luxembourg, 15, rue de Vaugirard, 75291 Paris (6th arrondissement)
Tickets Free
Web jardin.senat.fr
Jardins du Trocadéro
This garden isn't particularly interesting botanically, but if you want a spot to sit in the sun and soak up the best views of the Eiffel Tower, then it's definitely worth a visit. The space was created for the Universal Exposition in 1937 and features the Warsaw fountains with 20 water canons putting on a display.
Where Place du Trocadéro, 75016 Paris (16th arrondissement)
Tickets Free
Jardins des Tuileries
These 17th-century royal gardens, a stone's throw from the Louvre and the Musée de l'Orangerie, are a must visit when you're in the centre of Paris.
Originally created by Catherine de Medici in 1564, these extensive French formal gardens were re-landscaped under Louis XIV by the renowned French landscape architect André Le Nôtre. They became a public park after the French Revolution and there is plenty to do here, including mini boating games, a carousel and trampolines.
Where Jardins des Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, 75001 Paris
Tickets Free
Web louvre.fr
Parc de Bagatelle
Located in the Bois de Boulogne, which is an expansive park on the western edge of Paris and known as one of the city's 'lungs', this garden is great for floral enthusiasts and can be incorporated into a trip out of the city for the day.
Parc de Bagatelle is one of four sites that make up the Paris Botanical Garden and is perfect for a stroll or a picnic, with many attractions including an extensive rose garden featuring 10,000 plants of 1,200 different species.
The park often has exhibitions running and hosts classical music concerts in the summer. It also hosts New Roses, an international competition for new rose cultivars.
Where Parc de Bagatelle Bois de Boulogne, Route de Sèvres à Neuilly, 75016 Paris (16th arrondissement)
Tickets Free October to March, €2.60 April to September
Web paris.fr
Coulée Verte René Dumont
Transformed after the line's closure, this old railway line is now a great walking route scattered with greenery and gardens. Along the route, in some places you'll be level with tree canopy and get a new perspective on Parisian streets below, before passing through tunnels and fully landscaped gardens including water features and extensive planting beds.
Finishing at the Bois de Vicennes, Paris's second 'lung' on the eastern edge of the city, walking this route can end with a visit to one of the many botanical attractions found here - Parc floral de Paris, Arboretum de Paris and Jardin d'agronomie tropicale are all within the site.
Where From rue Édouard Lartet to the Bastille, 75012 Paris (12th arrondissement)
Tickets Free
Web paris.fr
Parc Monceau
Not far from the Arc de Triomphe, this 17th century park offers interesting walks featuring statues, a Renaissance archway and a sizeable pond. It is close to the Museum of Asian Arts and is filled with trees and greenery including oriental planes, sycamore maples and Judas trees, perfect for escaping the hustle and bustle of the city.
Where 35 boulevard de Courcelles, 75008 Paris
Tickets Free
Web paris.fr
Square du Temple - Elie Wiesel
Another English landscaped garden in Paris is Square du Temple, filled with numerous exotic trees and an ornamental pool that attracts wildlife.
Where Square du Temple – Elie Wiesel, 64 rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris (3rd arrondissement)
Tickets Free
Web paris.fr
Jardins des Serres d'Auteuil
Located in the southeast corner of the Bois de Boulogne, this garden is also part of the Paris Botanical Garden and boasts impressive greenhouses to visit. Nineteenth-century architecture and modern greenhouses are home to more than 1,000 species of plants, with four biotopes emulated: South America, South Africa, South East Asia and Australia.
Where Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil, 3 avenue de la Porte-d'Auteuil, 75016 Paris (16th arrondissement)
Tickets Free
Web paris.fr
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
This 19th-century park is in a former quarry, leading to some dramatic viewpoints, including some great vistas of the city's Montmartre district. Caves, waterfalls and a suspension bridge all add interest, alongside a large lake making this a great place to visit for walks.
Where Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Place Armand-Carrel, 75019 Paris (19th arrondissement)
Tickets Free
Web paris.fr
Parc Floral de Paris
Also part of the Paris Botanical Garden, Parc Floral de Paris opened in 1969 and is popular with plant and nature enthusiasts. Within the Bois de Vincennes, it features plenty of seasonal interest and collections of plants including irises, camellias and rhododendrons.
Vast tulip displays emerge in spring, while dahlias steal the show here in autumn and the Garden of Four Seasons features 1,200 varieties of perennial plant to discover seasonal inspiration for the whole year.
Where Route de la Pyramide, 75012 Paris (12th arrondissement)
Tickets Free October to March, €2.60 April to September
Web parcfloraldeparis.com
Green spaces near Paris
If you're willing to travel a little further out of the city, extensive gardens are opened up to you as options for a day out. From the iconic grounds of Versailles to Monet's garden at Giverny, there is plenty that can be reached in under two hours from France's capital.
For more French travel ideas, take a look at these remarkable gardens in France and at these châteaux to visit in the Loire Valley.
