Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens)

Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens) Review

Once known as the Jardin du Roi, or King's Garden, this vast patch of greenery, which opened in 1640, is a neighborhood gem. It is home to several gardens and various museums, all housed in 19th-century buildings whose original architecture blends glass with ornate ironwork. Come to picnic, or if you have kids, take them to the excellent Grande Galerie de l'Évolution or one of the other natural-history museums here: the Galerie de Paléontologie, stocked with dinosaur and other skeletons, and the Galerie de Minéralogie, with rocks and minerals. The botanical and rose gardens are impressive, and plant lovers won't want to miss the towering greenhouses (serre in French), reopened in 2010 after a five-year renovation, filled with one of the world's most extensive collections of tropical and desert flora. If the kids prefer fauna, visit the Ménagerie, a small zoo founded in 1795 whose animals once fed Parisians during the 1870 Prussian siege. The star attractions are Nénette, the grande-dame orangutan from Borneo, her son Tübo, and their swinging friends in the monkey and ape house. If you need a break, there are three kiosk cafés in the Jardin. Keep your ticket: Entrance to any of these sites will get you a discount to other museums within the gardens.