Chronicles from Paris | Jardin du Luxembourg

Situated between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens are a haven of peace and tranquility in the middle of the city's bustle. Inspired by the Boboli Gardens and by the Pitti Palace in Florence, the Gardens and the Palace of Luxembourg were created for Queen Marie de Medici in 1612, allowing her to remember her native city.

The gardens cover 23 hectares and are known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, statuary and for the monumental Medici Fountain, built in 1620. The children will be allured to the model sailboats on its circular basin and everyone will appreciate the relaxed atmosphere where one can rest, talk, read a book or even have a picnic (actually you can't use the lawns, but why not in a bench?).

The garden is house to over a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, scattered throughout the grounds. The most famous is the Medici Fountain that was built in 1630 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France and regent of King Louis XIII of France.

Designed by Tommaso Francini, the fountain has the form of a grotto, a popular feature of the Italian Renaissance garden. The long basin of water, flanked by trees, and the sculptures of the giant Polyphemus surprising the lovers Acis and Galatea, were added to the grotto's rock work in the nineteenth century. Hidden behind the Medici Fountain is the Fontaine de Léda, (1807), a wall fountain built during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte that was moved in the second half of the century to its present location.

Jardin du Luxembourg
Rue de Médicis - Rue de Vaugirard - 75006 Paris


Opening Hours and Ticket Prices:

Opens between 7.30am and 8.15am, and closes between 4.30pm and 9.30pm according to season.

Free access to garden for all public.