Square Barye

At the very eastern tip of the Ile Saint-Louis, this often-overlooked square provides a very peaceful place to relax and recover after a long stroll around the islands or along the Seine. 

Named after Antoine-Louis Barye, a 19th-century artist best known for his animal sculptures, this quiet triangular garden features a monument to Barye as well as a few copies of his works. The small square offers plenty of park benches, playgrounds, and even access down to a secluded spot on the Seine with some magnificent views. And it’s open 24/7 in spring and summer, so picnics with friends can go all night long if so inclined.

The Square Barye is also the place to go in Paris for those interested in botany. Home to a wide variety of exotic trees from all around the world, you can bow before a venerable Lebanese cedar or majestic paulownias, admire a Chinese golden rain tree and Irish yews, or watch weeping elm trees and Black locusts blow in the breeze. What could be more relaxing?