The 8 Best Places to See Cherry Blossoms in Paris

Ahh, Paris in the springtime! Does it get more beautiful than this city dotted with delicate pink flowers? When sauntering through the French capital, you’ll come across blossoming trees pretty much everywhere, but there are certain places where you can truly immerse yourself in the pink delight of the cherry blossoms and take some stunning photos.

Here are our picks for the best places to see cherry blossoms in Paris:

• Palais Royal
• Petit Palais
• Jardin des Plantes
• Coulée Verte
• Notre Dame
• Along the Seine
• Batignolles
• Parc de Sceaux

1. Palais Royal

The Jardin du Palais-Royal is beautiful throughout the year. While the garden is on most visitors’ lists of things to do, you probably didn’t know that this is also where spring in Paris starts first. It all begins with the gigantic pink magnolia blossoms, cheery yellow daffodils, and then later the delicate cherry blossoms bloom and make the park even prettier.

2. Petit Palais – Café Le Jardin

Hidden from public eye lies the café and garden of the Petit Palais. Visitors often think that you need to have a ticket to an exhibition to enter, but not so! The permanent exhibition is free, and in the center of the museum lies the prettiest little garden with just a handful of trees. A true oasis just off the Champs Elysées and a good spot for coffee and lunch too.

3. Jardin des Plantes

The Jardin des Plantes is worth a look in any season as there’s always something flowering. But it has one main attraction in early spring: its enormous Mount Fuji cherry tree. Late-blooming but impressive in terms of both span and age, this Shirotae tree has beautiful pillowy white blossoms. The branches hang low and seem to have been bent under the weight of the blooms, letting you get up close to the flowers.

4. Coulée Verte

Jardin de Reuilly-Paul-Pernin can be found along the Coulée Verte René-Dumont, an elevated park path that passes through the Bercy neighborhood. The cherry trees in this garden are quite unique in that their flowers are dark pink, their fallen petals covering an area dotted with benches so you can get the most out of the experience. It’s a great stopping point when you’re walking the entire length of Coulée Verte from Bastille to Vincennes.

5. Notre Dame

Next to the Notre Dame Cathedral, the small Square Jean XXIII was an Instagram dream. With pretty trees, typically Parisian green park benches, a gorgeous Gothic cathedral in the background, and the river right next to it, it was the perfect setting for some great pictures. Unfortunately, the square is temporarily closed following the tragic fire of Notre Dame in April 2019.

While we wait for this dreamy spot to re-open, pop across the river instead to see the flowering tree in front of the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore for another iconic, Insta-worthy picture. 

6. Squares Along the Seine

Just a bit further along on the Rive Droite, tucked in Le Marais neighborhood, you can find the Square Marie Trintignant. Throughout the year this park is relatively unremarkable, mostly enjoyed by workers having a quick lunch. But once a year it comes into its own when its trees erupt into magnificent blossoms. You can’t see the sky for all the pink!

A cute, but also often-overlooked little garden is the Square Gabriel Pierné, just behind the grand Institut de France across from the Louvre on the Rive Gauche side of the Pont des Arts. Near the densest assembly of good art galleries in Paris, this small triangular park with its few sculptures is stunning when in bloom. Not too overwhelming, but rather the perfect place to sit and have a sandwich under a pretty pink tree.

7. Batignolles

In the northern part of the 17th Arrondissement, you’ll find the Parc Clichy-Batignolles-Martin-Luther-King. Far from the touristy centre-ville, don’t let this park’s long name and modern surroundings put you off! This is where the locals picnic under masses of cherry blossoms in a beautifully laid-out park offering plenty of space. And the nearby Batignolles neighborhood is lovely to explore as well.

8. Parc de Sceaux

And finally, there’s the Parc de Sceaux. Oui, c’est vrai, it’s not technically in Paris, but it’s well worth the short ride on the RER B. Not only is there a small château and a Versailles-like garden, but there’s also a cherry orchard. Not just a few trees, but a proper orchard! It’s quite unbelievable if you haven’t experienced it yourself, so hop on the train, prepare a picnic and make a day of it — you won’t regret it!