Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont Review

If you're tired of perfectly manicured Parisian parks with lawns that are off-limits to your weary feet, this is the place for you. This lovely 61-acre hilltop park in the untouristy 19e arrondissement has grassy fields, leafy walkways, waterfalls, and commanding views of Paris. Swans glide around the lake at the base of a rocky cliff topped with a mini-Greek-style temple. Built in 1863 on abandoned gypsum quarries and a former gallows, this was northern Paris's first park, part of Napoléon III's planned greening of Paris (the emperor had spent years in exile in London, where he fell in love with the public parks). It's a good place to take the kids, with pony rides and an open-air puppet theater, Guignol de Paris (€2.50 charge; shows at 3:30 pm Wednesday and weekends; weather permitting, closed in winter), not far from the entrance at Buttes-Chaumont métro stop.