Best Parks in Europe?
 

Whenever I travel to Europe, I enjoy strolling through lovely parks. Which do you consider is the best park in Europe(beauty, flora, fauna, sights, etc...)? Why?

Stuttgart, Germany has a very large, pretty park that I strolled in a couple of times to kill time between trains

I enjoyed the Vigeland sculpture park in Oslo, not much in the way of flora and fauna but great artwork by Gustav Vigeland, and a museum too. <BR>Also the Englischer Garten in Munich wonderful for a stroll and right in the city centre so easy to access. <BR>Perhaps Hamstead Heath in London for the views of the capital that it offers, the suburb of Hampstead is great for wandering around, some quaint shops and a museum or two and the park a welcome stop for a picnic ect and to admire the view. It is a little secluded in places though and I am not sure that I would go there after dark.

St. James Park, London. Flowers in Spring. Free concert in the summer. I like the view on a bridge where you are facing horse guard parade, London Eye and all the fairly tale looking buildings. Had a stroll there with my loved one on one summer evening, it was very romantic. It's perfectly safe to have a walk through the park at night, and this is the only park in central London which is not closed at night.

Hyde Park - I mean, really, they've got paddleboats....

Parc Monceau in Paris is lovely - you'lll see lots of neighborhood folks strolling, tots from the local school who use it for recess and running games, wedding parties with beautiful brides and nervous husbands, romantic elderly couples still holding hands and large old wood trees and beautiful flowers. I believe it's located in the 8e.

My vote goes to jardin de Luxembourg in Paris. It is so lovely with the palace, the trees, a place for kids to play, quiet corners to sit, etc. When I was in Paris this summer we would grab a baquette or croissants and walk over to the park for breakfast. A wonderful way to start the day.

We've enjoyed all the parks in London, probably Regent's Park the most tho. The spring time flowers are incredible. Hamstead Heath is also great.

My favorites are Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, & (I forget the name of it) the big park in Stockholm. Both for the same reasons - the activities, people watching, interaction with locals. The one in Stockholm is made much better in the summer because it stays light until 11pm. Vigeland, in Oslo, comes close behind these.

My vote also goes to le Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris. It is a true "city park" with plenty benches, people, trees, flowers, statues, etc. They keep it very clean; I was strongly admonished once to keep of the grass by the gendarme - a bit over protective, they are -- but it sure keeps the place looking great.

Top for more parks!

There is a beautiful park in Annecy, France. It has a great collection of trees from all over the world and feels like a forest on the edge of a lake. There is also a beautiful city park in Trondheim, Norway. These are both centrally located in small cities and worth a stroll.

The gardens of the Palace of Het Loo near Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, are marvelous, very 17th century, immaculate. If you are near Lake Constance (the Bodensee, in German), be sure to visit the island of Mainau and its fabulous azaleas in spring. In Copenhagen, you will find several parks well worth your time, set near the old palace in the center of the city. Just outside the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) in Istanbul is a park that is an explosion of color, spring or summer or fall. My personal favorite is Regents Park, London, when the daffodils are in bloom. Walking across the great circle makes you feel as if you have escaped while still in the great city.