Museums.artTickets
Number 12 of 20 in Paris

Luxembourg Gardens: an afternoon the Parisian way

Twenty-three hectares of gravel walks, lawns and chestnut trees on the Left Bank, laid out for a queen in 1612 and shared today by students, chess players, children and anyone with an hour to spare.

The Luxembourg Palace seen across the lawns of the Luxembourg Gardens.
DXR, CC BY-SA 3.0
What it is
Garden
Time to allow
1 to 1.5 hours
Cost
Free
Best time
A fine afternoon

Paris this week

    Why the Luxembourg Gardens is worth it

    Marie de' Medici, the widow of Henry IV, began the garden in 1612 around the palace she built to remind her of Florence. The palace now houses the French Senate, which owns the garden and keeps it immaculate.

    What makes it the best park in Paris is the way it is used. There are hundreds of green metal chairs, and you are meant to pick one up and put it where you want: in the sun by the pond, in the shade by the fountain. Around you people read, play chess and boules, and children push wooden sailboats across the water with sticks, as they have for generations.

    It is also the perfect pause in a day of sightseeing. The Panthéon, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés are all a few minutes away, and entry is free.

    What to see

    1. The Medici Fountain

      A long basin under plane trees, ending in a grotto with sculpture, built for the queen around 1620. The quietest and most romantic corner of the garden.

    2. The pond and the boats

      The octagonal basin in front of the palace, where children hire model sailboats and chase them round the edge.

    3. The statues

      More than a hundred, among them twenty queens and notable women of France around the terrace, and a small Statue of Liberty by Bartholdi, the sculptor of the one in New York.

    4. The orchard, the bees and the puppets

      In the south-west corner there is an orchard of old varieties of apple and pear, an apiary, and a puppet theatre that still plays to children.

    How to do it well

    • Bring a book or a sandwich. The point of the garden is to sit in it.
    • Most of the lawns are for looking at. One, on the south side, is open for sitting on.
    • The garden opens early in the morning and closes at dusk, so the closing time changes through the year. The guards whistle you out.
    • Pair it with the Panthéon, five minutes to the east, or with the cafés of Saint-Germain, five minutes to the north.
    • Victor Hugo set the love story of Les Misérables here: this is where Marius first sees Cosette.

    Where it is

    Address

    Rue de Vaugirard and boulevard Saint-Michel, 6th arrondissement

    Nearest station

    Luxembourg, on RER B, or Odéon, on lines 4 and 10

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Luxembourg Gardens

    Luxembourg Gardens: common questions

    Is the Jardin du Luxembourg free?
    Yes. Entry to the garden is free all year.
    Who created the Luxembourg Gardens?
    Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, who began the garden in 1612 around her new palace. The palace is now the seat of the French Senate, which owns the garden.
    Can you sit on the grass in the Luxembourg Gardens?
    On one lawn only. Elsewhere the grass is kept for show, and there are movable chairs everywhere, free to use.
    How much time do you need for the Luxembourg Gardens?
    Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

    What visitors say about the Luxembourg Gardens

    Rating from Google

    4.7

    129,695 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 4 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

    Things to do near the Luxembourg Gardens

    The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.

    All 20 things to do in Paris

    Artists to see near the Luxembourg Gardens

    The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.

    All artists

    Hotels near the Luxembourg Gardens

    The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Paris. Distances are in a straight line.

    All 20 hotels in Paris, ranked
    All 20 things to do in ParisMuseums and attractions in Paris