Luxembourg Palace and Gardens, Paris

The Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg) are the best-loved park in central Paris: 23 hectares of lawns, flowerbeds, tree-lined alleys and about a hundred statues between the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. At their northern end stands the Luxembourg Palace, the seat of the French Senate, which owns and runs the gardens.

Queen Marie de’ Medici, the widow of Henri IV, had the palace built in 1615–1631 by Salomon de Brosse, in a style inspired by the Pitti Palace in her native Florence. Rubens painted a cycle of 24 large canvases on her life for its gallery; they are now in the Louvre. The palace itself can be visited only on the European Heritage Days in September or with a group invited by a senator.

In front of the palace, the octagonal Grand Bassin is famous for the toy sailing boats that children hire and push across the water. The Medici Fountain, built around 1630 for the queen and moved to its present place in 1862, lies in a shady corner east of the palace. The gardens also have a small replica of the Statue of Liberty, an orchard, beehives, tennis courts, a puppet theatre and the famous green metal chairs. Entry is free; the Musée du Luxembourg in the former orangery holds paid exhibitions.

Key Facts

• Hours: the gardens open daily at 7:30–8:15 and close between 16:30 and 21:30, depending on the season.
• Getting there: RER B to Luxembourg, or metro 4 or 10 to Odéon or Saint-Sulpice; about 20 minutes on foot from Notre-Dame.