One of the saddest things I've ever seen was a family of four (including 2 kids, probably around 6 and 9 years old) being forced to sit on a bench on the Champs-Elysees and "enjoy" their baguette sandwiches.

Benches are not comfortable, they are often damp and quite often covered with pigeon droppings. People who tend to romanticize this sort of thing are either very young or have ways of forgetting how miserable they were - which usually involves floods of alcohol. The people who insist on rounding up all the available metal chairs in the Tuileries and Luxembourg gardens just so they can put their food and feet on them are just plain selfish.

The rat problem is still on-going - even more so, since people insist on picnicking and there aren't enough garbage bins to accommodate them all. Dog owners have been warned to keep an eye out for poison and dead birds and rodents, so their pets don't try to ingest them. Last year, Place des Vosges installed 4 unsightly large green bins outside the gates, so people would get the message to put their trash there. The residents who own property on the square have asked for 2 of them to be removed, since no one seems to use them, anyway.

Make your PicNic at Paris Plage - it is made for it !

Rats! A plague of Paris it seems - long long ago in another lifetime I slept on a park bench outside Montparnasse station after arriving at late evening and woke up bright and early and saw a scrum of large huge humongous rats coming out of the egouts and walking right under my hotel du park bench!

Maybe Paris should get some of the alleged-to-be-by-some-sources alligators from the NYC sewers and help solve that Paris rat problem.

Greetings, Folks

Thank you for all of the wonderful information--it is very much appreciated. I will compile a list of the places you've mentioned and then group them into "on the grass" and "off the grass" picnics. In fact, I want to picnic everyday (will be there for 10 days) and think it would be neat to do so at a different location each day. While a grassy picnic with a basket and blanket was my first choice, I certainly wouldn't rule out a picnic next to a river, in a town square, atop of a hill, and whatnot. Regardless of where I go, I will be sure to pay close attention to what is permitted and what is not. Hopefully, rats won't be too much of an issue-yikes! I just can't wait to get picnicking in Paris.

Cheers...
Katrina

This past October we fulfilled a plan that I had in mind for so many of my trips but had not been able to do for one reason or another; purchased all our picnic food at the Richard Lenoir Market (staying at apartment across the street), wine from Nicolas, pastry from local patisserie and then walked along the Promenade Planteé to Bois des Vincennes.

We ended up sitting on a huge log that had been cut in half to make a large table/bench. It was alongside the Lac Daumesnil in the park with someone playing violin behind us in a wooded area. It couldn't have been better!!

We had picnics almost every day we were in Paris in July. It was a highlight shopping for lovely food and wine and then searching out a new park.
Maybe we were just oblivious to any rules regarding the grass, but we spread out our picnic at Jardin du Luxembourg, Place Des Vosges, at a sweet little park behind Scare Coeur, and in front of the Tour Eiffel. My suggestion would be not to look too hard for any signs, look at what others are doing, and if you are asked to move, just politely excuse yourself (even better to do it in French) and move along.

I saw an alligator in a zoo (in Vannes ?) that had been picked from the sewers of Paris. That is true.

Un alligator ou un crocodile me direz-vous ?
Bof c'est caïman la même chose...

(hum)
Cétacé dit la baleine et elle se cachalot...

(hum hum)


They have some ood wines in South Africa, after all. Should check the alcohol content of the Roodeberg I just had. Or maybe should check what's left in the bottle too.

Greetings, Folks

Everything sounds so lovely. My goal is to alternate the times of day I picnic to get a feel for each one, then off to explore what Paris has to offer. For instance:

Day one: Morning breakfast picnic (then off to museums and full day of sightseeing)
Day two: Mid day Lunch picnic (then off to explore gardens, shopping, people watching)
Day three: Evening dinner picnic (would love to be in a park/location with live entertainment, music)
Day four: Morning breakfast picnic (Seine cruise, ect...)

You get the idea--a picnic a day, at a different place during a different time of the day. You've all given me some great ideas and lovely places. I am traveling solo and for the first time to Paris so this will all be quite the experience.
Cheers and Happy Travels!
Katrina

@wantgelato, there's a minute "romantic" city park just off Grand Palais. It was designed by the same architect as Buttes Chaumont and it is as if you're in another world, briefly. Perfect for a lunch picnic.

In July, there are musiscians playing in the Parc de la Villette almost constantly, from people sitting on the grass with a guitar to unexpected marching bands. Official concerts at the bandstand near the canal bridge on Sundays, plus usually tons of other things happening: https://lavillette.com/

If you're travelling solo, all you really need is either a small backpack or tote bag to carry your food and drink, something to eat with and something light and waterproof to sit on (even a garbage bag will do). It's really not worth hauling around an "official picnic basket", if you're just by yourself. It sounds like a good idea, but if you need to go use the toilettes, you'll have to take everything with you - not much room in there, and the floor is often wet...

Just speaking from past experience!

I really like your idea, wantgelato. We enjoy themed visits, and the idea of a chain of picnics at different times of the day is brilliant -- as long as it doesn't rain!

You will have to be flexible on where you picnic. I would avoid any place where they are trying to give new grass a start, but other places have off-.again/on-again enforcement. We have seen people in their thousands on the grass at the observatory end of the Luxembourg Gardens while a very serious policeman told the parents of a three year old that mademoiselle must not play on the grass near the sailboat basin.

Greetings, Folks

A big "Thank you" to all of you who took the time to reply and help me. Yes, I love to "theme" travel. My last vacation to Switzerland, Germany, and Austria was castle themed and I enjoyed it dearly.

You've given me a lot of ideas and many things to think about. For instance, living in Southern, CA. I don't think much about rain in July because the chances of it happening here are slim to none. I never thought about it raining in July in Paris, but as you've suggested, it is important for me to be flexible. Therefore, if it rains I can always head to a covered outdoor cafe (I love being out in the rain) to people watch, then head to a museum. Also, I'm now wondering if I should exchange my picnic basket for a knapsack? I googled "knapsack for picnics" and saw that I can buy one complete with utensils and stuff; they are like typical backpacks. If, for instance, I have to make a bathroom stop this will indeed be easier than taking a basket full of stuff. I think as long as I'm in a beautiful spot (like the locations suggested here), I'll be a very happy picnicker.
Cheers and happy travels.
Katrina

I would definitely use a backpack instead of a picnic hamper. The image of someone traipsing around Paris with a picnic basket strikes me as a bit odd, though there is no shortage of unusual people carrying unusual things around Paris. Apart from the odd look, it just seems as though it would be unwieldy.

Depending on what you have in mind to eat, and how "proper" you want to be, you might find that you don't need as much equipment as you think you do - and will be glad to carry as little as possible. All you really need is a small "normal" backpack or tote bag with shoulder straps. Unless you plan on going on many more picnics where you live, you might not end up using that fancy backpack.

Any wine merchant (except grocery stores) will be happy to open your bottle of wine and stick the cork back in - or you can buy an inexpensive corkscrew. Some will even sell or give you a couple of plastic glasses.

It would be very simple to bring your own plastic (bamboo, wooden, whatever) utensils from home. You can wash and re-use them in Paris. If you don't want to bring them, you can buy them, as well as a decent little knife, paper/plastic cups, napkins and paper towels. They are all inexpensive and can be bought in most supermarkets - so I wouldn't bother bringing them.

"Traiteurs" and some "boulangeries" sell prepared food - you order the quantity you want, which comes in plastic containers and which they will heat for you, if asked - so you don't need plates. Pates, cheeses, fruit etc are usually eaten right off the paper they were wrapped in. There will be a lot of ready-sliced meats available, or someone will slice it for you to order. If you need to cut something, it's really not hard to do with what you have available. Bring or buy hand wipes, if you want to clean up easily.

Really - less is more.

A plastic bag and disposable utensils and plastic glasses allow you to have a "one way" picnic and not have to lug anything around afterwards.

We enjoyed having lunch (wine, baguette, cheese and grapes from the Carrefour on Rue de Buci) in the park beneath the Pont Neuf. Fun people watching and love being on the Seine and watching the boats.

Good points from StCirq, Kerouac and Fuzzbucket - but the most important thing is to have a corkscrew.

In France good wines need a corkscrew - if it has a cap it is not good. (no exception of course !).

I do 2 picnics a year in Paris.
One on Paris plage in july - usually cheese and wine and bread - easy. -> corkscrew. Several bottles...

One on canal Saint-Martin - with falaffels and other lebanese food coming from the street (name ?) from the Canal to metro station Jacques Bonsergent. That street is full of take away food - and some wine sellers. (ok there you might even ask the guy to open your bottle).

Greetings, Folks,

Okay-I guess I'll ditch the picnic basket idea. When I think back on the times I had a basket, I was in my own vehicle and it was much easier to just load it in the car. Not so in Paris where I'll be walking and riding the train. I guess the best thing to do is just leave the hotel, go to a market and get what I want for that particular day (e.g. cheeses, pastries, fruits, and of course, WINE-corkscrew and all), and then head to my desired location with my bag of goodies.

Cheers and Happy travels!
Katrina

Absolutely and completely agree with Parc Montsouris.

Parc Monceau is lovely, but it has too many nannies pushing around trust-fund babies in prams.


Thin