Best Gardens in Paris to Visit

Paris is renowned for its beautiful gardens. Romantic and relaxing, the gardens in Paris are the perfect spot for a break from the hustle and bustle of the French capital.

With the sun shining during the good season, Paris’ gardens are flocked by locals and tourists who take leisure strolls or enjoy picnics on the grass. Plus, many of these Parisian gardens boast monuments and palaces that make them historically relevant.

From the famous Tuileries Garden to the lesser-known Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, keep reading to discover the best gardens in Paris to visit during your next trip.

Most Beautiful Gardens in Paris

Generally speaking, all the gardens of Paris are free to visit, and they are usually open until sunset.

1. Jardin des Tuileries

When you think of a Paris garden, this is undoubtedly the one that springs to mind. The Tuileries Garden is so iconic that it was even captured by Manet in one of his seminal works, La Musique aux Tuileries.

The most famous garden in Paris, the Tuileries Garden is also the oldest of the Parisian gardens. The garden was commissioned in 1564 by Cathérine de Medici as part of the Tuileries Palace complex. After the French Revolution, it became a public space.

In 1664, André Le Nôtre redesigned the entire garden and transformed it into a formal French-style garden, based on symmetry, order and long perspectives. This is a style he had first developed at Vaux-le-Vicomte and perfected at the Gardens of Versailles.

The park is centrally located in the 1st Arrondissement, between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde, and was the blueprint for many parks to follow. The central Grand Axe is a spacious walkway that runs through ponds and splits into smaller walkways and gardens full of smaller landmarks and statues.

If you visit Paris in December, don’t miss the Tuileries Garden Christmas Market, which occupies one of the sides of this beautiful garden.

TIP: learn the history and legends of the Tuileries Garden while having fun with our Tuileries Garden Scavenger Hunt (self-guided)

2. Jardin du Luxembourg

Another of the most beautiful gardens in Paris, the Luxembourg Gardens are heightened in popularity thanks to its family-friendly atmosphere and perfect central location close to the neighborhoods of Saint-Germain-des-Près and the Latin Quarter. You only need to walk seven minutes east of the Panthéon or just over one kilometre to see Notre Dame Cathedral.

The creation of the garden began in 1612 when Queen Marie de Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, constructed the Luxembourg Palace as her new residence. Today, the garden is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the Palace regularly.

One of the most romantic places in Paris, this beautiful garden covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, and the picturesque Medici Fountain. This is also where you will find one of the versions of the Statue of Liberty in Paris and the puppets from the Luxembourg Gardens’ theatre.

On any given day, you will see scores of people sunbathing and hear the joyful hollers of children enjoying the sandpits and pony rides. You can get stuck in a chess game or watch families sail miniature boats on the octagonal Grand Bassin.

TIP: Find Queen Marie’s hidden treasure with this fun Treasure Hunt in the Luxembourg Garden (self-guided)

3. Jardin des Plantes

The Jardin des Plantes sits on the south bank of the Seine River in the Latin Quarter and is also the grounds for the National Museum of Natural History.

These botanical gardens in Paris have a fascinating history that dates back to the 1600s during the reign of King Louis XIII. The Jardin des Plantes was first established as a royal medical garden, but opened to the public shortly after.

Most of the diverse garden area is free, and you can pay to visit the large Art Déco greenhouses and the Ménagerie – once home to Zarafa the giraffe – which houses a few small exotic animals. There is also an impressive botanical library to visit and one of the best carousels in Paris. Still, you will want to spend most of your time outdoors, admiring the nearly 10,000 species of plants that flourish in Jardin des Plantes.

If you visit Paris in winter, don’t miss the Paris Festival of Lights, which takes place after sunset in the garden’s main alleys. This unique show usually starts at the end of November and lasts until the first week of January.

If you visit Paris in spring, head to the garden’s central alley to admire some of the most spectacular cherry blossoms in Paris.

4. Parc Monceau

This is one of the most beautiful gardens in Paris and sits in the affluent 8th Arrondissement. It is about a 20-minute walk northeast of the Arc de Triomphe, and you can get off the train at the Monceau metro stop and walk right into the garden.

The garden is surrounded by lavish private mansions (hôtels particuliers) and Haussmannian buildings, emblematic of the city’s upper classes.

What makes this Paris garden unique is that it is based on an English Garden rather than a more structured French one. Walkways wind seemingly aimlessly through the dense vegetation, and miniature structures like an Egyptian Pyramid and Corinthian pillars decorate the gardens and pond. These make for excellent, albeit unexpected, photo opportunities.

Parc Monceau was one of the favorite painting spots for Monet in Paris. Nine of his masterworks from 1876 to 1878 were inspired by this garden, though it is difficult to find the exact spots where he put his easel.

5. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is one of the best gardens to visit in Paris for a local feel. This unique park is a little out of the usual tourist routes, and it was built at the site of an old quarry, hence its hilly layout. It is just north of Belleville in the 19th Arrondissement and around a 30-minute walk from Gare du Nord railway station.

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is where you come to escape tourists and just meander in a space that feels slightly removed from the city. You can enjoy the serenity of the lake, lush trees, and rocky cliffs, and also visit a few man-made points of interest like the hidden waterfall, the metallic bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel, or the mysterious Temple de la Sybille overlooking the lake from the cliff.

This park is also one of locals’ favorite picnic spots in Paris. When the weather is good, visitors like to enjoy some drinks in the park’s two guinguettes (Pavillon Puebla and Rosa Bonheur) or a meal at the more fancy Pavillon du Lac.

6. Jardin du Palais Royal

If the French Ministry of Culture officially classifies a place as a “Remarkable Garden,” you better pay attention. One of the famous gardens in Paris, the Jardin du Palais Royal had its origins in the 1600s and was Louis XIV’s playground during his first years. Later, it was one of the hotspots of the French Revolution in Paris.

The Jardin du Palais Royal remains one of the most beloved spaces in the city. And don’t let its diminutive size fool you either. This small garden just north of the Louvre has a few tricks up its tree-lined sleeves.

One of the most charming attractions in the garden is the Petit Canon (sundial noon canon) that sits on a pedestal and is no bigger than your average bottle of wine. The Alley of Colette is another iconic pathway, lined on both sides with impossibly green trees, while the Buren Columns are a must for any Instagram account.

If you visit Paris in February, the magnolia blossoms cover the garden in pink, a delightful prelude of spring in Paris.

7. Parc Montsouris

Parc Montsouris is slightly out of the way and sits on the southern edge of Paris, not far from the Cité Universitaire and the Catacombs of Paris in the 14th Arrondissement.

This small (but super cute!) garden is where you will find markers of Paris’ imaginary meridian that runs from north to south and was long used as the zero point for longitude on French maps.

You can also visit the impressive Column of the Armed Peace that shoots up from the sprawling lawns, or walk along the circular path around the lake.

8. Parc de Belleville

If you are after a park with a view, look no further than Parc de Belleville. Located in the 20th Arrondissement, you will have one of the best views of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower. It is one of the newer parks in the city and was built in the late ‘80s, but it doesn’t make it any less special.

One of the most popular aspects of this Paris garden is the wooded village for children that was built on the slopes. Let the young ones clamber up and down the rocks and walls while you unwind on the grass and soak in the scenery.

The park also features a charming 140-vine strong vineyard with Pinot Meunier from Champagne and Chardonnay from Bourgogne.

9. Promenade Plantée

The Promenade Plantée (also known as Coulée Verte) is one of my favorite gardens in Paris to visit. The viaduct that once connected the former train station of Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes had its swan song in the 60s, but it was given a new lease on life as the world’s first elevated park walkway. This 5km garden is just 10 meters above street level,, but this is plenty for a city almost devoid of skyscrapers.

The Promenade Plantée runs from the intersection of Rue de Lyon and Avenue Daumesnil in an easterly direction towards Saint-Mandé. One of the most popular aspects of this Paris garden is its quirky views of Paris from above and the bicycle paths that take you away from the busy streets and sidewalks of Paris.

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