Tucked away behind unassuming doors and buildings, Paris’s hidden courtyard gardens provide a serene escape and quaint intimacy unlike anywhere else in the city.
Far from Paris’s bustling streets and world-famous landmarks, its hidden courtyard gardens offer visitors a chance to get to know a lesser-known side of Paris.
Imagine walking down one of Paris’s many charming neighborhoods and, for once, being able to peek beyond the tall view-obstructing fences and façades and discovering what wonders lie behind! With this handy list of Paris’s dreamiest courtyard gardens, your fantasy doesn’t have to remain just wishful thinking.
While many of Paris’s most beautiful courtyards are in private residential buildings and hotels, the gardens in this list are accessible to all, with some being completely free to visit. These oases of greenery are true Parisian hidden gems that’ll inspire you to slow down, take a deep breath, and bask in the beauty surrounding you.
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Jardin du Maison de Balzac
WHERE: 47 Rue Raynouard
Maison de Balzac is nestled in Passy’s quiet, leafy neighborhood in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Providing an intermittent view of the Eiffel Tower close by, the narrow streets here are lined with lavish homes and residential buildings that closely guard their secrets behind high walls, gated fences, and tall trees.
Maison de Balzac and its bucolic garden are an unexpected surprise in this chic neighborhood. The former home of writer Honoré De Balzac, now turned into a museum, stands out from its surrounding with its open and laidback ambiance. The garden is chock-a-block with flower bushes, vines, and shrubs laden with fruits and vegetables. All this is topped by the dramatic view of the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Entry: Free
Jardin du Petit Palais
WHERE: 1 Av. Dutuit Petit Palais
If you love art, you should definitely visit Petit Palais Museums of Fine Arts. Once there, do not miss one of the loveliest hidden gardens of Paris: the lush semi-circular garden of the museum. An elegant terrace runs throughout the garden’s perimeter, with pink marble columns and gorgeous frescoes on the ceiling painted by artist Paul Baudoüin.
The gardens will give you the impression of being in a tropical forest. It is bursting with dense vegetation consisting of local and exotic species of plants and trees, including banana trees, prune trees, and leafy perineal yuccas. There are three gorgeous mosaiced pools inside the garden.
Have a coffee at the café-restaurant in the garden or just sunbathe on one of the many chairs strewn around and soak in this space’s delightful mix of art, architecture, and greenery.
Entry: Free
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Jardin Renoir
WHERE: 12 Rue Cortot, 75018
To transport yourself to a Parisian artist’s paradise, visit Montmartre’s Renoir gardens. Hidden behind one of the many doorways that line the cobblestoned alleys of Montmartre Hill, the former residence of imminent French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir is today a museum and a garden that is open to the public.
The museum offers a unique insight into the history of Montmartre and the artists who lived and worked there, including iconic figures such as Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, and Dali.
Even amidst all this history, the charming Renoir gardens hold their own. The plush garden is enchanting with its neatly manicured lawns juxtaposed by overgrown rose bushes and ivy-covered walls. It also offers a stunning view of Paris and overlooks a vineyard that is part of the same complex. Frankly, it’s easy to see why this garden was the preferred haunt of so many painters and artists.
Entry: €5 to visit the garden
Jardin du Maison Eugene Delacroix
WHERE: 6 Rue de Furstemberg · Near Les Deux Magots
A few minutes from Place Furstenberg, one of the prettiest squares in Paris, is Eugène Delacroix’s former residence and workshop. Delacroix was one of the prime figures in the development of the French romantic movement in art and one of France’s most revered painters. The artist’s house has since been converted into a museum.
This house and its garden were very dear to Delacroix, even inspiring him creatively. The garden has an unmissable poetic resonance, quiet beauty, and unassuming charm. In fact, the garden was one of the reasons that convinced Delacroix to move his quarters and workshop here. He converted a part of it into his atelier.
The garden has been renovated by Pierre Bonnaure, chief gardener of the Tuileries, to reflect Delacroix’s love for country gardens. Dotted with tall trees, wooden benches, and abundant blooming flowers, it is a space befitting an artist of Delacroix’s caliber.
Entry: €7
Grande Mosquée de Paris
WHERE: 2bis Pl. du Puits de l'Ermite
The Grande Mosquée de Paris was built between 1922-1926 to honor the Muslim soldiers who fought for France during World War I. This place is a shining example of Islamic-style architecture in Paris with its mosaiced courtyards, exquisitely crafted minarets, and ornate floral motifs.
The mosque also has a stunning courtyard garden with a central fountain feature. The dense plants, blooming shrubs, and turquoise-tiled garden floor immerse you in a world of calm and tranquility. In spring, the pièce de resistance here are the trailing wisteria vines that envelope the courtyard walls in a cascade of purple.
Whether you are interested in history and architecture or even if you simply want to spend some time in quiet contemplation, this place is the perfect setting for it all.
Entry: €3
Hôtel de Sens
WHERE: 7 Rue des Nonnains d'Hyères
Right off the Rue des Nonnains d’Hyères, the Hôtel de Sens and its striking garden is hard to miss for any passers-by. The Hotel de Sens, built between 1475 and 1519 by the Archbishop of Sens, is Paris’s only remaining medieval-era mansions, or hôtel particuliers.
It was built to symbolize the political power and wealth of the Parisian archbishops and has hosted many royal figures. One of its most famous occupants was Marguerite de Valois, also known as Queen Margot.
The garden of Hôtel de Sens is built in the traditional French style, with its neat plant beds shaped in geometric patterns and neatly trimmed hedges. Benches have been installed for visitors to enjoy the space.
Entry: Free
Jardin du Archives Nationales
WHERE: 60 Rue des Francs Bourgeois
Where: 60 Rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75003 Paris
The National Archives of Paris is located in the heart of the fashionable district of Le Marais. It is housed in a former palace called Hôtel de Souboise.
Entering the impressive gates of the building, the first thing you come across is its gorgeous courtyard, but that’s not all. Hidden from plain sight, a narrow passage to the right will bring you to an unexpected portal leading to a series of hidden gardens that not many people know about.
The four inter-connected gardens once belonged to private mansions located nearby: the residences of Rohan, d’Assy, Breteuil, Fontenoy, and Jaucourt. The gardens of these estates have now been transformed into connected enclosures of greenery which are free for people to explore. The gardens are covered in pretty bushes, flowers, and charming lawns, which are perfect for escaping all the hustle and noise of Le Marais.
Entry: Free
Jardin de Musée de la Vie Romantique
WHERE: 16 Rue Chaptal
The hidden courtyard of Musée de la Vie Romantique has one of the most romantic gardens in Paris. It is the former townhouse of Dutch-French Romantic painter Ary Scheffer, which has now been converted into a museum. Besides a courtyard in the middle, the property has a greenhouse and a garden cafe, where you can have a quiet drink if you so wish!
The rose bushes, ferns, and hydrangeas in the garden in the courtyard stand in soft contrast to the gravel-laden path, the greenhouse, and the wrought iron chairs dotted all around. The result is a distinct dreaminess and an undeniable old-worldly appeal that comes from feeling like you’re just hanging out in someone’s backyard garden, albeit one that looks like it’s straight out of an Impressionist painting.
Entry: Free
Square Saint-Gilles Du Grand Veneur
WHERE: Pauline-Roland 75003
The quiet garden of the Grand-Veneur Hôtel is an ideal place to while away time on a lazy noon, just reading or daydreaming. The mansion, Grand-Veneur Hôtel, was built in the 17th century for Hennequin d’Ecquevilly, who organized royal hunts.
The garden we see today was built in 1988. It offers a serene atmosphere with the ground surrounded by ivy and rose-bush-laden trellis. Stone benches are strewn around the garden, with blooming flowers and maple trees offering an oasis of calm that’s too delectable for anyone to pass up.
Entry: Free
Jardin de l’Hôtel de Sully
WHERE: 5 Pl. des Vosges
The passage Hôtel de Sully is a popular shortcut in the Marais to get from Rue Saint-Antoine to the Place des Vosges, one of this district’s most famous landmarks. But it is a route unlike any other you might have ever taken.
Hôtel de Sully’s tranquil courtyard garden is one of Le Marais’s best-kept secret. It has four neatly trimmed lawns in the center. The mansion’s façade overlooking the garden is decorated with ornamental bas-relief sculptures. Surrounding the garden are tall walls and edifices of neighboring buildings covered by vines.
This magnificent property will have its 400th anniversary in 2024. In anticipation of the grand celebration to mark the occasion, Hôtel de Sully and its garden are slated to undergo massive renovation soon to give it back its old luster after having withstood significant wear and tear due to its age as well as climate change.
Entry: Free