Champ de Mars is a vast green space located between the Eiffle Tower & the École Militaire. If…read moreromanticizing your life is your thing, a picnic on the grass with a glorious view of the Iron Lady should be on your to-do list. Benches dot the perimeter if sitting on grass sounds like a nightmare (it would be if I didn't have my trusty travel blanket with me.) The dirt areas combined with no colorful flowers in bloom make the park feel somewhat drab. Some nuisances to contend with: bees (so many bees) & aggressive peddlers of everything from alcohol to cheap souvenirs. Though there are far prettier parks in Paris, having the iconic structure seemingly within reach is the draw here. Check it out once; it is worth being on your Paris itinerary, especially if it's your first time here.

Champ de Mars is a lovely green space just outside the Eiffel Tower great for taking photos,…read morepicnicking or enjoying the view. Unfortunately becomes very overridden by souvenir salesmen and photographers who won't easily take no for an answer. Additionally a large part of the SE end is under construction as of May 2025, taking away from some of the parks iconic and relaxing feel.

Not the biggest garden in Paris, but a favorite stop for my studying-abroad nephew, the Royal…read morePalace gardens was another stop in his guide to showing me his favorite places. We had picked up some onigiri and decided to eat them here on a park bench. It was December, so the park was relatively empty, giving us plenty of places to sit. It was cold so didn't stay very long, but just knowing how much he liked this place makes me want to come back and stay a bit longer (when the weather is nicer).

We came across this jardin serendipitously. That happens a lot in Paris--you're on your way to a…read moremuseum or restaurant, turn a corner, and *poof* you are somewhere cool. It is absolutely worth planning to stroll through these jardins, though, and close as they are to the Louvre and other landmarks, there really is no reason to not plan. Around the perimeter of the jardin, there are some lovely little shops to peek into. Art, antiques--many things to admire! At the far end, the one closest to the river, are the famous striped columns that you see in so many photos. (Yes, they are totally Instagrammable!) If you would prefer something calmer, stay on the far end, which is quiet and green. It's really a nice little pause.

Cut and pasted from the internet: "The Jardin des Tuileries…read moretakes its name from the tile factories that once stood on the site where Queen Catherine de Médicis had the Tuileries Palace built in 1564, a palace that no longer exists today." Quality/Quantity - A good size park with limited to no shade. But beautifully manicured. Looks like they have many events here; none on our visit. Ambiance - See my few pictures and all the many other pictures on Yelp. 3 restaurants, a book shop, etc. Park hours: From 7am to 11pm in June, July, and August. From the last Sunday in September to the last Sunday in March: 7.30am to 7.30pm. From the last Sunday in March to the last Saturday in September: 7am to 9pm. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success.

This is the way to live! Fresh air, plenty of exercise and an abundance of art. I'm a huge fan of…read moreclassical sculpture and this was a magical part of my trip to Paris. Most of the sculptures are either Biblical or Greco-Roman themed. There's seating around a giant fountain, a playground for little ones and a few places to buy food.

Quality/Quantity - Small local beautiful park, where all the locals were here taking a break. 3 of…read morethe 4 fountains were working. A great place for a snack or lunch break. Ambiance - See pictures. Dog & family friendly. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success.

This park and surrounding buildings make feel like you have traveled back to the 17th century…read more Place des Vosges is one of the oldest gardens and public squares in Paris. Originally called Place Royale, it is located in the Marais. The large park and garden is surrounded by elegant buildings erected in 1605. They were once home to Catherine de Medici and Victor Hugo. Today the park is still beautiful and open to the public. It was a great spot to enjoy my pain au chocolate one morning. The buildings now house a couple of 5 star hotels. Wouldn't you wake up like royalty staying here ? There also several art galleries, restaurants and cafés along the ground level with gorgeous interiors and fabulous outdoor dining under the porticos. My favorite shopping spot is in the north west corner- Juliette Has A Gun. I packed a more affordable hotel a couple of blocks away, but passed through here daily. Grabbing breakfast or snacks as heading to other parts of Paris.

What an amazing linear park that takes rails to trails to a new level, the 606 dreams of aspiring…read moreto such heights. Leaving the apartment we hopped on our Velib bikes for a 15 min ride from the Latin Quarter to the head of the trail. We stopped off to grab some sandwiches from Boulangerie Versavel at the western end of the trail on Rue La Cueě. Climbed the stairs and began the wander. Up above the city the sounds of the street subside while your eyes are treated to lovely gardens. About half way down the walk you get to a park that you can detour over via the bridge, but why would you. We sat down to enjoy our sandwiches on the green grass with all the folks having a lazy day taking in the sights and played a little catch. Second half of the walk lowers you to ground level and then to a lower grade where the flowers give way lush forest and old train tunnels all the way to the end of the trail. We hopped on the Metro at Picpus to head back into the city, note it did not take us to the LQ, we rode to the Arc de Triomphe to continue on our day. Public toilets along the way so you do not need to exit the trail to take care of business.

So I am from New York - and as a New Yorker, I spent many countless hours walking down the High…read moreLine, which is this park repurposed from the old High Line railroad that did industrial/commercial deliveries from Penn Station down to around Canal Street - that railroad shut down back in the early '80s, and a decent chunk of it was torn down and built into expensive-as-heck luxury condos and whatnot...but that being said, a large chunk remained between Chelsea market and the massive LIRR trainyard next to Penn Station, and during the 2000s it was repurposed as a New York City park. Us New Yorkers, we are arrogant people - we live in the best city in the United States, we are cultured and we are streetwise...until we visit Paris, then we are browbeaten by a city with a 2000+ year history and all the cultural baggage that entails, and of course, they got their high line first, and it's the Promenade Plantee/Viaduc Des Arts. Just like the story of the high line, the promenade was anchored to a massive train station (the old, historically listed Gare De Bastille), now replaced by the Bastille National Opera house. Part of that line was repurposed into the Southeastern branch of the RER A line. The rest which sits in the city limits between the Opera and the Petit Ceinture (the little belt railway that surrounds Paris right at the border) were abandoned in place until it was repurposed into the Promenade Plantee. Just like the High Line, there are 3 recognizable segments of the Promenade. The first section is the viaduct that starts from approximately where Rue De Lyon splits from Avenue Daumesnil, to around the area of Gare De Lyon/Rue De Rambouillet - this is where most visitors take their pictures. At that point, section 2 begins - part of the original viaduct was torn down and replaced by apartment buildings, and you'll be on new, purpose built areas. There is a free public lavatory here, and you'll have a short walk until you see a large park, Jardin de reuilly. You will then be on a bridge crossing into Allee Vinvaldi, a ground-level promenade for a residential area. Just keep your bearings and continue moving forward - you should see a somewhat large overpass ahead of you that has rock structures built into the wall - thus begins part 3. Part 3 is actually the most fun of the promenade since it has some large well-lit tunnels punching below several important streets in the Pricpus area - you would eventually end up in an area under Station Bel-Air on Line 6, and after a short walk, reach a fork on the walk at Rue De Toul. You can either follow the main-line to Boulevard Peripherique, or take the right fork and head to a park near the junction to the Petit Ceinture - in this case, exit the park on Rottemburg (away from the T3 traimway) and you should reach Michel Bizot/Daumesnil for the Metro Line 8 stop. Overall, quite a fun walk, around 2-3 miles depending on your endurance, very light elevation changes, and lots to see.

Coulée Verte René-Dumont, what Americans might refer to as "the Paris High Line", is the breath of…read morefresh air you might not even realize you're in need of. It's certainly not the first Paris spot I'd head to for sightseeing, but when you're a couple weeks into your travels the opportunity to get away from things often appeals. This old, elevated railway line provides exactly that experience. If you've been to NYC's High Line you've no doubt conjured an image of something similar here but you'd be wrong. This is similar only in that both are walking promenades above street level. The difference here? Coulée Verte René-Dumont is narrower and markedly less populated. It feels, in fact, like one of Paris' least crowded places. The route itself extends 3 miles in one direction and I explored about half of it. If you've made time to see what some call "Paris' most colorful street" (Rue Crémieux), google maps can easily direct you to the nearest stairway entrance from there. Head up and you might gasp at the serenity of being above it all. You can walk in only one direction from this entry point and the pathway features much greenery, some art, benches, and a view from above of the busy streets below. It's a wonderful getaway when you need to slow down a bit.

Quality/Quantity - Reuse is better than recycling. Good job converting the old railroad tracks to a…read morerelaxing walking and picnic area for locals. Compared to the ones we have in NY, USA; sorry, but no comparison... Ambiance - Approximately half a mile of a relaxing walking path. 50% shaded with trees, but most of the benches had NO shade. Still a nice field trip for my wife and I on our last day in Paris/our last day in France. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success.

We went to the Jardin du Luxeumbourg on a scorching hot July day, and it was still a pleasure to…read morevisit, a beautiful park full of wonders, especially for the children. It reminded me of Rome's Villa Borghese and does in fact have Italian roots. The garden was built by a Medici, back in the 1600s. We were there for a little over an hour, my family, my brother's family, and my friend who lives in Paris. We'd agreed to meet up in the garden, and I figured out when we got there that we'd have to get more specific. We entered from opposite ends and converged at a spectacular central fountain, where dozens of children were racing toy boats using sticks that they thrust in the water. (My children wanted the sticks, and I declined to rent the boats just so they could thrash each other.) We walked around for a bit and ended up at the Ludo Jardin, a large contained playground with lovely equipment and an idyllic atmosphere. There was a small fee for entry, not ideal for a quick visit, but definitely worthwhile. Our three-year-old walked in and went straight for a sprinkler, where he spent the next half hour getting absolutely soaked. Our six-year-old did a little more exploring, though to be honest, I didn't pay close attention to what he was doing. After a while, both boys noticed ice cream for sale and asked for a treat. We indulged them and watched them slather themselves with chocolate ice cream and rainbow popsicle. When it was time to go, our three-year-old objected vigorously, insisting, "I didn't get to play!" He meant that he'd only splashed around in the sprinklers and had a popsicle, and hadn't explored the depths of the playground. I knew the feeling--I'd experienced it myself leaving the d'Orsay earlier that day, all those paintings and whole exhibit halls I'd missed. I do hope we get to come back to the Luxembourg Garden.

One of the reasons we chose the hotel for our April visit to Paris was the proximity to Le Jardin…read moredu Luxembourg -- the Luxembourg Garden. This is one of my favorite places in Paris. Besides the layout and beauty of the Garden itself, it is a wonderful way to experience the softer side of Paris. Despite April overcast and rainy weather, walking through the Park was uplifting as always. Tulips greeted us when we entered through the Gay-Lussac entrance. Once in the Park, we found more flowers and trees in bloom. Beyond Les Voiliers du Luxembourg -- an octagonal fountain for sail boats at the focal center if the Gaeden -- we walked through a canopy formed by rows of chestnut trees. It was great staying within a few blocks of Le Jardin du Luxembourg and visiting daily.

I left Versailles thinking I'd seen enough of the palace for one lifetime, but that I'd love to…read morecome back and explore the gardens. We went on a hot day and did not have the will to spend much time outside. If I were to do the day over again, I wouldn't waste half an hour in the golf cart line, which was a) fully exposed and b) barely moved the whole time we were there. It would've been nice to have a golf cart, as the grounds are enormous, but I wish we'd just gone down and walked the shadier parts of the garden instead of sacrificing our energy to the punishing sun. The gardens were impressive and genuinely beautiful, palatial in scope and decked out with ornate fountains and manicured greenery. I was hoping to catch the musical fountain show, a popular feature of the gardens, but couldn't figure out when they were active. We did at least see the fountains turn on before we left, and that was pretty cool. We didn't get far into the gardens on the main palace side, as everything was so spread out, but I liked what I saw and wished we'd had a little more time to explore the labyrinthine hedges, which I only saw because they were near the bathroom. We took the rickety little train across the grounds instead, and the ride made me realize how big the place was, and how much of it we were missing. We got off at Petit Trianon and it took a while to walk to a place we could get cabs. Despite some heat exhaustion, this walk was quite pleasant, scenic and well shaded, through a path lined with old, tall trees. We saw a lot of families riding bicycles, and if I were to go back to Versailles, that's what I'd do, just rent bikes and roam around.

We booked a guided tour for visiting Versailles. The…read morecompany sent a van to pick us up ( 7 pp ), and the guide met up with us at the gate. He then led us in, cutting that looooong line of people who arrived by bus. We visited the Gardens first ( beautiful gardens, the old hunting areas...) then led us through the chateau. The crowd is unbelievable, but they made us move along, stopping at the rooms to hear the description. It's so amazing. Then back to the van, and we visited the Grand Trianon, then the Petit Trianon. Here they don't allow the private guides, so we visited on our own. The gardens here are beautiful with flowers and lilac trees and cherry blossoms trees. Then back in the van and back to Paris. The visit lasted about 5-6 hours and we got to see sooo much.