Parks, Gardens, and Squares, Paris

1 more image

This is one of the newer parks in Paris, created in 1995 on the site of the former Bercy wineries on the right bank of the Seine.

The park is directly across the river from the new François-Mitterrand Library, with which is connected by the new footbridge Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir.

Second photo: A large garden in the Parc de Bercy is named after Yitzahk Rabin (1922-1995), the Nobel Peace Prize winner who was assassinated in November 1995 in Tel Aviv.

4 more images

While you're up around the Mouzaia district or the Butte Bergeyre, take a walk around this lovely park or just sit on a bench by the lake to ease those muscles. The park, opened for the Universal Exhibition of 1867, is built on another of the gypsum quarries that were frequent in the north and north-east of Paris. Built into it are waterfalls, cliffs and several gardens and a feature that can be seen from most anywhere in the park is the "Belvedere of Sybil". This was added in 1869 and is modeled on the Sybil temple in Tivoli, Italy.

In the park is a restaurant and a few cafés if you need to slake your thirst or need that urgent "pipi room". There are also plenty of slides, swings and other games for the kids.

Bolivar and Botzaris are the closest metros with Pyrenees a little further away.

4 more images

There are hundreds of public parks and gardens in Paris. Most available to the general public, and many of the smaller ones in the residential area's well used by the local population. Many of these are set up with sports equipment, tables, seating etc, and you see many family groups there enjoying themselves.

The centre of Paris has them as well, tucked away in many many corners.

It's great to see that being able to relax with nature is still an option

4 more images

Christened "Bagatelle", it was to become a location for festivities and a hunting meet.
In 1770 Count Chimay, the brother of Louis XVI became the owner. Invited by Chimay, Count d'Artois developed a passion for the estate and bought it in 1775. He demolished the decaying folly and built another even grander & quite extraordinary castle. This saw the appearance of a fabulous estate with a landscaped park.The cost of the work was estimated at over two million pounds!

Miraculously spared during the Revolution, Bagatelle experienced several fates: as a restaurant in 1797, then as a hunting meet under Napoléon, the estate being returned to the family of Count d'Artois under the Restoration.

Bagatelle was reborn when it was bought by Lord Seymour in 1835.
With the addition of a grand entrance on the park side, an orangery and new stables, the park was extended then transformed into the Jardin Napoléon III in the second half of the XIXth century.

Roses, Irises and Water Lilies

In 1905, Bagatelle was sold to the City of Paris.
Just prior to its redevelopment, Bagatelle was a strange sight. A landscape where rivers, paths and beds of flowers, created in the XIXth century, softened the surprise effects of the pre-romantic gardens of the Count d'Artois without detracting from its spirit.


From 1905, the J.-C.-N. Forestier, the Commissioner of the Jardins de Paris, succeeded in retaining the garden's style whilst at the same time redeveloping it.

In order to make the public more aware of the growing popularity of horticulture, J.-C.-N. Forestier created temporary and permanent collections of horticultural plants. He built the famous rose gardens, the iris garden and the presenters, designed a pond to improve the presentation of aquatic plants and water lilies which were so dear to the painter Claude Monet. In 1907 he organised the first international competition for new roses.

3 more images

This is an exciting urban park with modern buildings on three sides and the Seine River on the fourth. And of course the world's largest tethered balloon going up and down in the middle.

It is located in the far southwest corner of Paris, on a site which used to be an automobile factory (hence the name) and before that was a melon patch.

Second photo: Parc Andre Citroen as seen from the balloon.

Third photo: Our shadow on the park.

Fourth photo: Another part of Parc Andre Citroen on a hot summer day.

Parc de la Villette is a huge and very beautiful area in the northeastern part of Paris. In my mind surely a must-see!

I first discovered this area on my fifth trip to Paris, but I'll be back for sure, as I haven't even seen half of it.
The area includes beautiful landscape, playgrounds, a canal and a wide range of exhibitions like the huge 'Cité des sciences & de l'industrie' and 'Cité de la musique' to mention a few.

This is a highly cultural area of Paris and home to many concerts and events like open air cinema in the summer!

Le Parc Floral

Created in 1969, for the third "Floralies Internationales", the Parc floral de Paris is a landscape always in movement, a unique place of observations where people can relax in a green space.

Place du Tertre is one of the sights I loved when I was in Paris in 1998. It was very atmospheric with its numerous painters, some shady trees and some nice brasseries. Unfortunately, it isn't anymore, at least not in August. The square is incredibly full of people all of which seem to do the same thing: trying to avoid being addressed by one of the street artists who would enjoy nothing more than drawing a picture of you, while at the same time trying to take a photograph of one these very artists. It's pushing and elbowing your way through, it's sneaking a peek on the "art", it's nervously clutching your belongings to protect them from pickpockets - but most of the romantic character has gone. Perhaps I should try to come back in another time of the year...