Hotels near Parc de la Tête d'Or

Opened in 1857 on the east bank of the Rhône, Parc de la Tête d'Or covers 117 hectares and is the largest urban park in France. It contains a 16-hectare boating lake with rental rowboats (EUR 8 for 30 minutes), a free zoo with African plains hosting giraffes, zebras and antelope, and a botanical garden with the largest greenhouse collection in the country - the main glasshouse holds tropical plants under a 21-metre-high iron-and-glass dome dating to 1880. There are also rose gardens with more than 30,000 rose bushes across 570 varieties, a velodrome, and pony rides for children. The park is free to enter and open from around 06:30 to 22:30 in summer, shorter hours in winter. Take Metro Line A to Charpennes-Charles Hernu and walk 10 minutes east, or tram T1 to Condorcet for the main gate.

Pro Tip: The park has seven entrance gates and covering the full grounds on foot takes about two hours. Rent a bicycle from the Vélo'v station at Porte des Enfants du Rhône (the main west entrance) for EUR 1.80 per day; it's the fastest way to reach the zoo and greenhouses without doubling back.