Jardin des Plantes

Set on nearly 60 acres in Paris’s Latin Quarter, the Jardin des Plantes is home to over 10,000 different species of flora coming from all over the world. Here between the banks of the Seine and the Grande Mosquée de Paris, you’ll find magnificent roses, centuries-old trees, and the most astounding collection of exotic flowers in Paris.

It’s also a great place to come in spring to see the beautiful Japanese flowering cherry trees!

Created on the orders of Louis XIII back in the 17th century, the Jardin des Plantes was originally to be called the Royal Garden of Medicinal Plants, le Jardin royal des plantes médicinales, but came to be known as the Jardin du Roi, the King’s Garden.

The once-royal garden no longer has medicinal plants but hosts several buildings of the National Museum of Natural History, a large, outdoor botanical garden, a small zoo, a beautiful park à la française, and five magnificent greenhouses.

Urbansider Tip: Enter the garden from the north side, along the Seine on the Quai Saint-Bernard and wander your way through the various gardens, visiting the museum galleries if you please. Then, exit on the south side, just behind the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, cross the street, and treat yourself to a mint tea and Arab pastries at the Grande Mosquée de Paris.