Jardin du Luxembourg

The Jardin du Luxembourg is a 23-hectare public garden in Paris's 6th arrondissement, bounded by Rue de Médicis, Boulevard Saint-Michel and Rue de Vaugirard, at the heart of the Latin Quarter. It was laid out from 1612 for Marie de' Medici around the Palais du Luxembourg, which now houses the French Senate. The garden combines a formal French layout, with gravel avenues, parterres, clipped trees and an octagonal central basin, with an English-style landscaped area and many statues of French queens and writers. Parisians use it as a neighbourhood park: students read in the metal chairs, children sail toy boats on the pond, play on the playgrounds and ride ponies, and pétanque and chess players gather on dedicated courts and tables. The Medici Fountain, a 17th-century grotto-style monument shaded by plane trees at the east end near the Odéon side, is the quietest corner. There is also an orchard, an apiary, a puppet theatre, tennis courts, a bandstand with summer concerts and a small replica of the Statue of Liberty near the Musée du Luxembourg. A visit usually takes one to two hours, or longer for those picnicking or reading. Crowds are heaviest on sunny weekend afternoons and in spring and summer, while early morning is peaceful and the garden in autumn is notable for its colour. Photographers favour the view across the central pond to the palace, the Medici Fountain, and the tree-lined walks. The garden is open from sunrise to sunset, with exact closing times posted at the gates. Sitting on the green chairs near the water is a long-standing local habit. The garden also contains more than 100 statues and monuments, the Orangery with seasonal exhibitions, and a grove of fruit trees where historic varieties of apples and pears are cultivated. The park has been the setting for countless films and novels, and its position between Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Sorbonne and Montparnasse makes it a natural pause on a walk across the Left Bank. Cafés and kiosks within the grounds sell drinks, ice cream and snacks.