Hotels near Luxembourg Garden

Marie de' Medici created the Luxembourg Garden in 1612 to accompany the Italianate Luxembourg Palace, which now houses the French Senate. The 23-hectare park blends formal French parterre design around the central octagonal basin with a more relaxed English-style landscape garden on its southern side. Parisians treat it as an outdoor living room - chess players gather near the Orangerie, children push model sailboats across the pond, and university students from the nearby Sorbonne fill the iron chairs with textbooks.

The garden is free and opens at 07:30, with closing times varying by season (as late as 21:30 in summer, as early as 17:00 in winter). Sculptures are scattered throughout, including a smaller replica of the Statue of Liberty and the Medici Fountain, a shaded grotto-style water feature at the northeastern end. The park also has tennis courts, a puppet theatre (Guignol du Luxembourg), and a playground that charges a small fee for children.

Pro Tip: Seek out the Medici Fountain on the garden's east side for one of the most peaceful corners in central Paris. The long, narrow pool flanked by plane trees is largely overlooked by tourists heading for the main basin. It is especially photogenic in autumn when the leaves turn gold.