21 Parks and Gardens to Visit in Paris, France

Originally posted on May 24, 2018, this post may have been edited for clarity and updated with current information.

When I started writing this post, I did not intend to write a comprehensive list that included every single park or green space in Paris, France.

It wasn’t until I started going through my Camera Roll that the list grew from a handful of suggestions to a varied array of parks, courtyards, and promenades.

I chose to only include the parks and gardens that I’ve actually visited in person and taken photos of. As time goes on, I’m sure that I will be adding more destinations to this list. If you have suggestions or want to share an experience that you’ve had, feel free to share in the Comments section below.

Some of these recommendations are obvious, but some of them are more hidden or easily overlooked—even if they’re near popular tourist destinations!

The Most Popular Parks to Visit in Paris, France

Tuileries

Located near the Louvre and Place de la Concorde
Métro – Line 1 – Tuileries
NEP Insider Tip: Musée de l’Orangerie is located towards the Place de la Concorde side of the park (find the Ferris wheel). Monet’s large paintings of his water lilies, known as nymphaeas, are on display there.

Jardin du Palais-Royal

Located near the Louvre and Tuileries
Métro – Line 1 – Palais-Royal/Musée du Louvre
Métro – Line 7 – Palais-Royal/Musée du Louvre
NEP Insider Tip: Enjoy a cup of coffee from Café Kitsuné in the garden. Owned by the French clothing brand Maison Kitsuné, this is a popular destination for fashionistas to get a latte and pose for a few cute Instagram photos.

Square Louise Michel

Located in Montmartre, in front of Sacré Cœur Basilica
Métro – Line 2 – Anvers
NEP Insider Tip: Wear comfortable shoes and be very aware of your surroundings—there are stories of tourists being harassed by souvenir vendors or other solicitors. To avoid being a target, keep any valuables out of sight (ex: the latest iPhone).

View of Square Louis Michel Sacré Cœur Basilica

Jardin du Luxembourg

Located in Rive Gauche (Latin Quarter)
RER B – Luxembourg or Port Royal
Bus 82 – Luxembourg
NEP Insider Tips: If you walk directly south and outside of Jardin du Luxembourg, you’ll find Fontaine de l’Observatoire in the Jardin du Marco Polo. Inside the park, there’s a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty. If you’re directly facing the front of Palais du Luxembourg, there is the beautiful Medici Fountain. (Good luck finding all three!)

Champs de Mars

Located near the Eiffel Tower
RER C – Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel
Bus 82 – Champ de Mars
NEP Insider Tip: The Eiffel Tower lights up at night starting at sundown—you can take in the Parisian summertime spirit while enjoying a bottle of wine on the grass with friends.

Museum Courtyards in Paris, France

Musée Rodin

Located near Les Invalides
77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris
Métro: Line 13 – Varenne
Macaron Hoarder Insider Tip: The Rodin Museum is where you will find The Thinker statue! Take the time to stroll through the entire property to admire the famous sculptor’s other works and the rose gardens.
Additional Information: Musée Rodin website

Petit Palais

Located off of Pont Neuf
Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris
Métro: Line 1 – Champs-Élysées – Clémenceau
NEP Insider Tip: Petit Palais tends to be overlooked by the average tourist, but the permanent exhibits are free, and the café off the interior courtyard is the perfect place to grab afternoon tea or a caffeine pick-me-up in between sightseeing.

Musée Bourdelle

Located near Gare Montparnasse
18 Rue Antoine Bourdelle, 75015 Paris
Métro: Line 6 – Montparnasse – Bienvenue
NEP Insider Tip: The former studio of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, the interior and courtyards of the museum are unique in the way that it embodies the Parisian artistic spirit.
Additional Information: Musée Bourdelle website

Hidden Gems in Plain Sight

Parc Monceau

Located near the Arc de Triomphe
Métro – Line 2 – Monceau
NEP Insider Tips: Don’t miss the charming pond in the northeastern part of the park! Also, if you want to do some sightseeing in the same area, you can visit Musée Nissim de Camondo, a decorative arts museum in a former French home.

Place des Vosges

Located in the middle of Le Marais
Métro – Line 1 – Bastille
NEP Insider Tips: The perfectly symmetrical park is also home to the Victor Hugo Museum. Bonus? The permanent collections are free to visit. Hôtel de Sully is another treasure off of Place des Vosges—look for an open door along the place to a garden.
Additional Information: Maison Victor Hugo website

Square Gabriel Pierné

Located behind Pont des Arts and Institut Français
Metro – Line 7 – Pont Neuf
NEP Insider Tip: If you’re visiting during the spring, make sure that you see the flowers bloom! It’s a quiet place to soak in some Parisian magic steps away from the Seine.

Square Vert-Galant

Located off of Pont Neuf, at the base of the Statue Henri IV
Métro – Line 7 – Pont Neuf
NEP Insider Tip: For a high-profile location on Île de la Cité, it’s a cool destination for locals to picnic and have apéro (i.e. cocktail hour).

Square René-Viviani

Located across the street from Notre Dame
Métro – Line 4 – Saint Michel
Macaron Hoarder Insider Tips: This courtyard is a stone’s throw from Shakespeare and Company, the popular English expat bookstore steeped in history with the Lost Generation (i.e. Hemingway and the like). It’s also next to St. Julien-le-Pauvre, one of the oldest religious buildings in Paris.
Additional Information: Shakespeare and Company website

Square Jean XXIII

Located behind Notre Dame
Métro – Line 4 – Saint Michel
NEP Insider Tip: If you’re standing here at the rear of Notre Dame, you’ll be in close distance with Île de Saint-Louis. On a hot day, walk over the bridge and get a Berthillon ice cream!

Off the Beaten Path Parks in Paris, France, or Nearby Suburbs

Bois de Boulogne

Located northwest of Paris
Métro – Line 1 – Les Sablons (north end; access to Fondation Louis Vuitton and Jardin d’Acclimation)
Métro – Line 10 – Porte d’Auteuil (south end; closer to Porte de Saint-Cloud)
NEP Insider Tip: The northern end of Bois de Boulogne is home to Fondation Louis Vuitton, which hosts art exhibits, and Jardin d’Acclimatation, a very clean, child-friendly park with small cafés and restaurants.

Fondation Louis Vuitton, Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France

Coulée Verte René-Dumont

Located between Bastille and Bois de Vincennes
Métro – Line 5 – Bastille
Métro – Line 1 – Bastille
NEP Insider Tips: The Coulée Verte is the Parisian equivalent of the High Line in New York City. It extends all the way to Bois de Vincennes! If you plan to walk the entire path, expect to be walking for an hour and a half.

Jardin des Plantes

Located near the Natural History Museum and Gare d’Austerlitz
Métro – Line 5 – Gare d’Austerlitz
Métro – Line 10 – Gare d’Austerlitz
RER C – Gare d’Austerlitz
NEP Insider Tip: Jardin des Plantes is another must-see destination during the spring! In addition to the gardens, there’s also a zoo, the Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Rocks and Minerals (Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie).
Additional Information: Jardin des Plantes website

Jardin Tino-Rossi

Located between Île Saint Louis and Jardin des Plantes
Métro – Line 5 – Gare d’Austerlitz
Métro – Line 10 – Gare d’Austerlitz
RER C – Gare d’Austerlitz
NEP Insider Tip: If you’ve visited Paris a few times, I would recommend seeing this part of the Seine to get a fuller view of the city. Start at Jardin des Plantes, walk through Jardin Tino-Rossi, and you’ll end up facing the rear of Notre Dame.

Buttes-Chaumont

Located off of Pont Neuf
Métro – Line 11 – Pyrénées
NEP Insider Tip: This place is awesome—there’s a waterfall, there are streams, and a ton of different dirt paths to explore. The view from the top of the mount is incredible.
Additional Information: Parc des Buttes-Chaumont website

Île de la Jatte

Located between Neuilly-sur-Seine and Levallois-Perret
Métro – Line 1 – Pont du Neuilly
NEP Insider Tip: Although this island is technically outside of Paris, it’s a beautiful destination to visit. If you walk along the perimeter of Île de la Jatte, you’ll see that several Impressionists have painted several well-known works here.

What to See & Do in Île de la Jatte

Parc de la Villette

Located northeast of Canal St. Martin (approximately 1 hour on foot)
Métro – Line 7 – Crimée, Corentin Cariou, Porte de la Villette
Métro – Line 5 – Porte de Pantin
NEP Insider Tip: Another treasure on the edge of Paris, this is a hot destination for concerts. The contemporary-urban park has sculptures among wide, green lawns and is an up-and-coming area for young Parisians who love going out.
Additional Information: La Villette website