Find the Prettiest Parks and Hidden Gardens in Paris

Say Paris, and the Eiffel Tower or Louvre automatically comes to mind for most people as it’s the monuments and museums that help to define the City of Light. For me, it’s the hidden gardens in Paris and the pretty parks that steal my heart every single time. Some are famous and easy to find. Others are hidden and tucked away like a best-kept secret waiting to be discovered. Until now.

Want to know what gardens in Paris to visit? Let this be your guide to the best ones! From the most popular gardens in Paris to those secret ones off the beaten path, I cover it all. Now, let’s discover them together, shall we?

Best Hidden Gardens in Paris to Visit

I’m often asked ‘what’s my favourite thing to do in Paris’. My answer is always, ‘nothing’. I’ve become a real flâneur – the French term for being a stroller. That means I love nothing more than wandering aimlessly through the Paris streets to see what I might uncover.

The best way to get to know Paris is to walk. Going from one arrondissement to another and noting the subtle differences along the way. I savour every little detail. Taking long breaks in a café or garden, never rushing, always watching.

Tucked away from the busy Paris streets are some of the best hidden gardens. They are your very own private sanctuary. You just have to know where to find them. I’ll share a few of my favourite hidden gardens in Paris begging you to sit and stay awhile.

Let’s start with those that are a little off the beaten path, shall we? Here are those hard-to-find secret and pretty places in Paris.

Hidden Gardens Paris Right Bank

Square du Temple – Elie Wiesel (3rd arr)

Features a pretty rock garden and a small pond with a waterfall. Lined with lots of fruit-blooming trees makes it is especially pretty to visit in the springtime. There’s even a bandstand, where concerts are held in fairer weather in this neighbourhood park with a children’s play area.

Tips for Visiting: 

• Entrances: rue du Temple, rue de Bretahne, rue Perre, rue Eugene-Spuller
• Metro: Temple, Arts et Metiers
• Nearby things to do: the oldest covered food market Marche des Enfants-Rouges, Picasso Museum, and the adjacent gardens of Berthe Weill and Hôtel-Salé-Léonor-Fini are worth visiting too
• Café recommendation: Bontemps La Pâtisserie is a light, pretty café serving elegant sweet treats (57 rue de Bretahne)
• Accommodation Recommendation: here’s a delightful apartment stay in Le Marais mere steps from this lovely park.

Jardin Anne Frank (3rd arr)

Is a small community garden of flowers and vegetables, plus a small children’s play area. This hidden garden is dedicated to the young girl of Anne Frank, who wrote about her experiences during the Nazi occupation during World War II.

A graft of the chestnut tree that Anne Frank admired from her window has been planted here. An eye-catching metal arbour with park benches makes this area of the garden feel a bit more intimate. It’s a unique feature worth seeking out.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: Impasse Berthaud
• Metro: Rambuteau
• Nearby things to do: 17th-century mansion dedicated to Musee d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaisme is attached to the garden and secret covered Passage Molière

Square Georges Cain (3rd arr)

Is a pretty square and an archaeological depository of stones from other older gardens like Jardin des Tuileries. Blooming rose bushes border this private square. For an ideal picnic head to the adjacent Square Leopold-Achille for its large grassy area.

This is a dog-lover favourite too! Visit here no matter the time of day and there will always be dogs running around and playing. This is one of my favourite Paris gardens and one that I return to every time I’m in the city.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: 8 rue Payenne
• Metro: Saint-Paul, Chemin Vert
• Nearby things to do: visit the adjacent Square Léopold-Achille
• Recommended place to eat or drink: Café des Musées (9 rue de Turenne) for a classic French bistro or Café FIKA for a modern coffee shop (11 rue Payenee)

Square Saint Gilles du Grand Veneur (3rd arr)

Is tucked away behind the busy Paris streets. This little unknown rarely visited square is absolutely charming and peaceful.

It’s one of the most romantic places in Paris with its rose arbour and pretty gardens against the back façade of the Hôtel du Grand Veneur townhouse. This is just one of those secret places in Paris that you want to keep all to yourself. So, it will be our little secret, right?

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: rue de Hesse
• Metro: Chemin Vert, Saint-Sébastien – Froissart
• Nearby things to do: stroll along rue de Turenne filled with shops and eateries
• Recommended cafe: WHITE Coffeeshop (56 rue de Turenne) a modern coffee roaster

Jardin des Rosiers Joseph Migneret (4th arr)

Is a hidden garden in the heart of Le Marais nested between historic 17th-century mansions. Tucked away from the busy streets and shops this is a quiet natural garden that pays tribute to Jewish children.

This is a true sanctuary and a local’s favourite. I always grab something to eat and enjoy it in this tucked-away area of Le Marais.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: 10 rue des Rosiers
• Metro: St Paul
• Nearby interests: the famous rue des Rosiers is filled with shops and eateries many of Jewish heritage
• Recommended eateries: the popular and delicious L’As du Fallafel

La Promenade de Plantee (12th arr)

Also known as Coulée Verte René Dumont is Europe’s longest and only elevated park. It’s actually an abandoned 19th century railway turned into a landscaped walkway above the streets of Paris.

Flowering cherry trees, roses, lavender, bamboo, and wisteria border the narrow pathway. In addition to the gardens, it’s one of the best places to come and admire Paris architecture as buildings are flanked on both sides. Walking along here is one of the most unique things to do in Paris.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrances: Place de la Bastille, Place Felix Eboue
• Metro: Bastille, Daumesnil
• Nearby things to do: stroll Canal Saint Martin shops and eateries

Square Marcel Bleustein Blanchet (18th arr)

Also known as The Turlure Park is a terraced garden that offers the most incredible views of the Sacré-Coeur and the Montmartre district.

For most, visiting the Sacre Coeur starts at Square Louise Michel – a tier garden and square that leads you to the Square Nadar which not only offers you great views of the cathedral but also a panoramic view of Paris. Turlure Park is much more serene.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrances: rue de la Bonne or rue du Chevalier de la Barre
• Metro: Abbesses
• Top things to do in Montmartre: Wall of Love (multilingual “I love you” mural), Sacre-Couer Basilica, Place du Tertre (artists’ hangout and cafes), historic market street of Rue des Martyrs

Hidden Gardens Paris Left Bank

Jardins du Musee De Cluny (5th arr)

Also known as the medieval gardens of Cluny Museum, this peaceful garden is inspired by the Middle Ages.

Venture past the children’s playground to a series of flower beds organized according to their use in the Middle Ages. – a medicinal herb garden and the love garden. Multiple gardens are recreated to mimic what might have been grown during the Middle Ages – herbs, roses, and plants with medicinal purposes.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: corner of boulevard Saint-Michel and boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Pres
• Metro: Saint Michel
• Nearby things to do: Cluny Museum – National Museum of Middle Ages,  The Abbey Bookshop, and tranquil Samuel Paty park behind the Cluny Museum is small but lovely to visit
• Recommended cafe: Le Loulou offers amazing teas and healthy meals

Square Rene Viviani (5th arr)

Is a lovely garden with one of the best views of the Notre Dame cathedral. The Square Viviani sits on the site of a former cemetery and is famous for being home to the oldest tree in Paris, a Robinia planted in 1602!

Tips for Visiting: 

• Entrances: Quai de Montebello, in between rue Galande and rue de Julien le Pauvre
• Metro: St. Michel
• Nearby things to do: Church of Saint Julien le Pauvre (the oldest church in Paris), exploring the Latin Quarter, famous Shakespeare & Company bookshop
• Recommended cafe: Odette specializes in delicious cream puffs

Square Paul Langevin (5th arr)

Is one of the prettiest places to visit during the springtime in Paris. Backing onto the wall of the former Ecole Polytechnique building, Paul Langevin square is bordered by cherry blossom trees and magnificent magnolia trees. An ivy-covered monumental staircase with a charming old moss-covered fountain is the focal point.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: corner of rue Monge and rue des Ecoles
• Metro: Cardinal Lemoine, Maubert-Mutualie
• Nearby things to do: Pantheon, Sorbonne University, Jardin des Plantes

Square Gabriel-Pierne (6th arr)

Is one of the prettiest hidden gardens to see in the springtime due to the number of cherry blossom trees. Stone benches in the shape of an open book offer unique seating to admire the trellis wall of magnolia blooms, a fountain, and a bronze statue “Caroline.”

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: rue de Seine
• Metro: Saint Germain des Pres
• Nearby things to do: Pont des Arts bridge, River Seine and the Saint Germain neighbourhood

Square Laurent-Prache (6th arr)

You can find this tiny yet quaint square next to the 12th-century Saint Germain-des-Pres church. A pretty garden that looks lovely against the ancient backdrop of the abbey. It’s a quiet tranquil spot away from the busy boulevard Saint Germain.

Tips for Visiting:

• Entrance: 1 place Juliette Gréco
• Metro: Saint Germain-des-Pres
• Nearby things to do: explore Saint Germain, and seek out Place Furstemberg (a pretty network of streets)
• Recommended places to eat or drink: Les Deux Magots or Cafe de Flore – two of the most iconic cafes in Paris

Paris Parks and Gardens on Right Bank

Now for the well-known pretty parks and gardens in Paris. Each one with its tall trees, flowers blooming all year round, fountains, benches, chairs, ponds, and birds chirping. Where people are reading La Monde, talking quietly with a friend, walking their dog, runners, and kids are playing.

Jardin des Tuileries in the 1st arrondissement

Visit the oldest park in Paris, Jardin des Tuileries. This 16th-century park, located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, is one of the most famous parks in Paris.

Known as the 16th-century Italian Garden of Catherine de Medici you can’t miss walking through it as you cross the left and right banks. It’s popular with locals and tourists and is large enough that it never feels crowded.

Palais Royal Gardens in the 1st arrondissement

Stroll under the treelined pathways of Palais-Royal which is actually the landscaped grounds of a 17th-century palace.

This is one of the most romantic parks in Paris. Artists come to sketch. Poets come to write. And people come to sit. Of the 52 benches under the tree-lined paths, 18 are adorned with 20th-century writers’ quotes. Choose one and sit and admire the middle stretch which features quaint squares, flowerbeds, and a majestic fountain in the centre.

Place des Vosges in the 4th arrondissement

Is the oldest square in Paris. Elegant 17th-century red-brick and cream limestone mansions line the square with arched walkways connecting to the Paris streets beyond. Tall fountains sit in each of the four corners.

This is one of the favourite parks for locals to come and sprawl out on the lawn on a sunny day. Or, take a leisure stroll under the arched walkways that are full of art galleries, cafes, and restaurants.

It’s also home to one of the most elegant and luxurious hotels in Paris – Pavillon de la Reine. Located in one of the 17th-century mansions lining Place des Vosges this is a wonderful place to stay and enjoy an afternoon happy hour.

Parc Monceau in the 8th arrondissement

The 17th-century Parc Monceau is known as the Park of Baron Haussmann as it was the first public park in Paris to be re-developed by the famous architect and city planner.

This Paris park is full of wide curved pathways perfect for strolling and admiring its many statues, a Renaissance archway, and a large pond. Even Claude Monet was inspired to paint a series of three paintings of the park. What I love the most is that Monceau Park is surrounded by luxury Hausmann mansions and townhomes.

Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement

Des Buttes Chaumont is the largest public park in Paris. What makes this park worth seeking out? It’s design! This beautiful park was built over multiple quarries which means it’s very hilly with multiple changes in elevation. And hills mean views.

Beyond offering great vistas – you’ll find caves, waterfalls, and even a suspension bridge. For a second, you’ll forget you’re in Paris. This is truly one of the best parks in Paris and is worth the metro ride to get there.

Paris Parks and Gardens on Left Bank

Jardin des Plantes in the 5th arrondissement

Visiting Jardin des Plantes is unlike any other park in Paris. It’s not only beautiful, but it’s also educational too. As a botanical garden, the wide variety of plants and flowers is endless.

The garden, plus its greenhouses, zoo, and buildings, like the National Museum of Natural History, are considered a national historical landmark in France. You’ll even find chess enthusiasts drawing a crowd to watch them play this strategic game.

Springtime in Paris is magical! And, if you time it right, the loveliest of the parks to visit during cherry blossom season is right here!

Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement

Jardin du Luxembourg is known as one of the most beautiful parks in Paris. As the second largest park in Paris, this is a local’s favourite. It’s where Parisians come to stroll and sit awhile whether it’s to read or catch up with a friend.

This pretty park is home to Palais du Luxembourg, the 17th-century impressive building that is home to the French Senate. The gardens are attended to every day and changed for the season and over 1,000 fruit-bearing trees can be found here. My favourite part of this park is Fountaine de Medicis. Tucked away on the east side of the palace you will find this beautiful reflecting fountain.

Parc du Champ-de-Mars in the 7th arrondissement

Parc du Champ de Mars begins at the Military school and extends all the way to the Eiffel Tower. So if you’ve been to Paris, you’ve likely visited this 18th-century park.

Everyone comes to this park to picnic on its lawns or at nightfall to watch the Eiffel Tower’s twinkling lights. It’s also one of the best spots to photograph the Eiffel Tower with the long rectangular green lawn leading your eye to the Iron Lady.

Jardin du Trocadero in the 16th arrondissement

Jardin du Trocadero is the prettiest way to capture the Eiffel Tower. This beautiful garden was created for the Exposition that finally unveiled the Eiffel Tower in 1937.

The centrepiece of the garden is the Warsaw fountain with 20 water cannons. And, the only drawback is, it’s such a popular garden to visit when you go to the Eiffel Tower. So, veer off to the right, that’s where you’ll find a much quieter and more peaceful Trocadéro garden.

FAQ

More Paris Inspiration of Things to Do

Now that you have found all of the Paris parks and gardens you want to visit, here are more suggestions for things to do, or check out my Europe Travel page for a full list of articles about Paris and elsewhere in France along with some great trip planning resources.

• A list of the 21 Best Streets you’ll find in every arrondissement
• Spend time in one of Paris’ chicest neighbourhoods – 6th Arrondissement with 19 Things to Do in Saint Germain
• Visit one of Paris’ favourite neighbourhoods – What to Do in Le Marais
• Stroll this elegant area of Paris Ile Saint Louis in the 4th Arrondissement
• Looking for something to do on a rainy day in Paris – How to Find the Best Secret Covered Passages in Paris
• And, if you are thinking about adding a side trip to London – check out this side-by-side comparison London vs Paris – Which is the Better City and the best way to do this is Paris to London by Train

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As a holidaymaker

When you visit Paris for the first time or the 10th time include a visit to at least one of these pretty hidden gardens. Try not to get caught up in the excitement of being in Paris by trying to see it all. You’re missing the point of visiting Paris.

The only way to truly enjoy Paris is to do as little as possible. That’s right, my best advice is to let go of any plans and let the city reveal itself to you – that’s when you’ll truly fall in love with Paris and its prettiest parks and gardens. Which of the secret places in Paris will you want to now seek out?