Your Guide to the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris

Taking a break from your fast-paced travels can seem tough, but the French capital makes it easy with its many parks scattered throughout the city. Each green space has plenty to offer, from the traditional Tuileries Garden (Jardin des Tuileries) and Buttes Chaumont (Parc des Buttes Chaumont) to the contemporary Parc de la Villette and Parc de Bercy. Amongst all these in the heart of Paris lies the prized possession, Le Jardin du Luxembourg (or les Jardins du Luxembourg, as there are smaller garden spaces inside), or the Luxembourg Gardens.

The Luxembourg Gardens are a free public garden in the 6th arrondissement, open every day of the year, and it is one of the most beautiful and romantic spots in the city. This is my complete guide to what to see, do, and eat in and around the garden, from the sailboats on the Grand Bassin to the deep history behind the Medici Fountain.

This is a park that Mr. Misadventures and I hadn't frequented very often during our first decade of trips. Because the hotel where we frequently stayed was in the 1st Arrondissement, we spent a lot of time in the Tuileries Garden. We didn't realize until later what a gem the Luxembourg Garden was.

Now we visit on every trip.

Here is my guide to what to see, do, and eat in and around the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris's 6th Arrondissement (Left Bank).

Luxembourg Gardens: Good to Know

• Location: 6th arrondissement (Left Bank), between the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés
• Main entrances: Rue de Vaugirard, Rue de Médicis, Rue Guynemer, Place Edmond Rostand, Place André Honnorat
• Nearest metro: Odéon (line 4) and Mabillon (line 10)
• Nearest RER: Luxembourg (RER B)
• Admission: Free for everyone
• Opening hours: Seasonal. Roughly 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. in high summer and 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in deep winter, tied to sunrise and sunset. Hours change on the 1st and 16th of each month, so check the official Senate schedule for your exact date.
• Size: Around 23 hectares, managed by the French Senate
• Best time to visit: Late morning or a sunny afternoon, spring through autumn, when the orange trees are out, and the sailboats are on the pond

Best Things to Do in the Luxembourg Gardens

Perfect for a leisurely afternoon stroll, a fun summer picnic, or an evening full of running kids and laughter, the Luxembourg Gardens, also known as “Luco,” has something for everyone. Although it looks formal and ordered throughout the year, the garden has a certain playfulness. Here are the best things to do when you visit.

Sail a wooden boat on the Grand Bassin

This is the most beloved tradition in the garden. You can enjoy a classic game from the 1920s, the bateaux à voiles, by renting a colorful wooden sailboat and sending it across the Grand Bassin, the octagonal pond that sits in front of the Luxembourg Palace. You steer with a long stick, and it delights children and adults alike. Rental is around 4 euros for a 30-minute turn. It is one of the most photographed scenes in Paris and a favorite spot for families.

Claim a green chair and watch Parisian life

The Luxembourg Gardens are filled with their iconic green chairs, and settling into one is a rite of passage. Traditionally, the garden was a hotspot for Parisian high society, and when it opened to the public in 1642, you had to pay a woman, called les chaisières, to sit down. Today the chairs are free. Grab one near the pond, open a book, and simply watch the city go by. Want the full story of why the French Senate is involved and how they became known as Luxembourg Chairs? I have a whole post dedicated to the green chairs of Paris.

Let the kids loose on the playground, carousel, and ponies

The garden has a vibrant playground with futuristic-looking slides and forts, natural wooden structures, and a piece of art that doubles as a maze. Children ride the carousel and, in the warmer months, take pony rides for about 5 euros. Locals of all ages come to play chess, tennis, basketball, and pétanque.

Catch a show at the puppet theatre

The garden is home to the largest puppet theatre, or marionette theater, in the city, the Théâtre des Marionnettes. It is a charming, only-in-Paris kind of afternoon, and children are captivated even without understanding French.

Find the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was originally a gift from France, designed by a French sculptor, and a smaller version looks right at home in the Luxembourg Garden. If you love a treasure hunt, I have a guide to finding all six Statues of Liberty scattered throughout Paris.

Sit by the Medici Fountain

The Marie de Medici Fountain, built by Tommaso Francini, is perhaps the most visited corner of the garden, thanks to its shaded, dusky atmosphere, which lends it a brooding, mysterious look. Built in the 17th century, this artificial grotto holds some of the most important decorative elements in the whole garden. Bring a coffee and linger under the plane trees.

Discover the beehives and the orchard

There are some very happy bees in the Luxembourg Garden. Since all of Paris is a pesticide-free zone, they live their best lives pollinating flowers and fruit at will. The apiary and bee school (the Rucher) has been here since the 1800s, and students still sell their honey harvest at the annual Fête du Miel. You will find the hives in the southwest corner of the garden, closest to the Rue d’Assas. Nearby, the conservatory orchard grows over 350 varieties of apples and around 250 varieties of pears.

The layout and shape of the Luxembourg Gardens

The Luxembourg Garden is divided into two sections: an English-style garden and a French-style garden (jardin à la française), both separated by a geometric forest of trees planted in a quincunx pattern (a number-five pattern on a die). The English garden is located in the southern part and has an orchard with some of the oldest apple varieties. 

Traditionally, the garden was a hotspot for Parisian high society. The intellectuals, the bourgeois, and the nannies. It was opened to the public in 1642. The Luxembourg Garden is filled with iconic green chairs. Initially, you had to pay a woman called “Les chaisières” to sit on them.

Also known as the Luxembourg Chairs, they are a common sight in some of Paris's most popular gardens. Want to explore the fascinating history behind green chairs, why the French Senate is involved, and how they came to be known as Luxembourg Chairs? Check out my post dedicated to the green chairs!

A Brief History of the Luxembourg Garden

While it is filled with activities today, the garden was different in the beginning. It was named after the private mansion, L’hôtel du Luxembourg (beautifully designed by French architect Salomon de Brosse). Owned by the cousins of the Duke of Luxembourg in the Middle Ages, the mansion and the surrounding gardens were sold in 1611 to Marie de Médici, the queen of France.

Queen Marie de Medici, the wife of King Henri (Henry) IV, was originally from Florence and ordered the creation of the gardens to resemble the surroundings that she grew up in.

With the help of the landscape architect who also worked on the Tuileries Gardens, Marie de Medici expanded the gardens and designed them in an Italian Baroque style. The style was formed by imposing order on nature and keeping it perfect year-round. The Renaissance design is what keeps the garden formal-looking through the seasons.

The size of the garden underwent many cuts and expansions over the centuries, which explains its unusual shape. While the garden has undergone numerous renovations and updates over the decades, it has not lost its Italian influence.

The Palais du Luxembourg, built by Marie de Medici along with the garden, is a landmark resembling a country chateau right in the middle of a bustling city (designed after the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy, a nod to her Italian descent). Since the period when it was the royal residence of Marie de Medici, it has housed artwork, been used by the French nobility, and has been turned into a prison for those headed to the guillotine during the French Revolution.

During Napoleon’s reign, he gave the Luxembourg Palace to the high chamber of the Parliament, and it remains the house of the Senate even today.

Architectural Heritage

The architectural diversity of the Luxembourg Garden is visible to the naked eye whether you’re on a leisurely stroll or actively searching for sculptures. The French Senate manages the Luxembourg Gardens and oversees the conservation, maintenance, and enhancement of the garden’s architecture.

The Luxembourg Garden has a wide range of classical statues (more than 100 in number) from Roman and Greek mythology- Venus, Goddess Diana with a deer, and Vulcan (God of fire) along with numerous cherubs, nymphs, and satyrs. The list also includes statues of French royalty, saints, and artists, as well as a statue of Marie de Medici, carved in marble in 1840.

The Statue of Liberty, which was originally a gift from France and designed by a French sculptor, has a smaller version that looks right at home in the Luxembourg Garden. [Here is a guide to finding all 6 of the Statues of Liberty throughout Paris.]

The Marie de Medici Fountain (built by Tommaso Francini) is perhaps the most visited area of the garden, thanks to its shaded, dusky atmosphere, which lends it a brooding, mysterious look. Built in the 17th century, the artificial grotto features some of the garden's most important decorative elements.

Known as the ‘Grotte du Luxembourg’, the architectural masterpiece was a perfect replica of the Fountain of Buontalenti and underwent many transformations over the centuries. It was even moved, stone by stone, during the Haussmann renovations of the city. In 1889, the Medici Fountain was listed as a historical monument.

The Luxembourg Garden has an attached garden, called the Garden of the Grand Explorers or Jardins des Grands Explorateurs. It contains two smaller gardens, Marco Polo and Robert Cavelier de la Salle, both named after explorers.

Perhaps the most marvelous feat of the Garden of Explorers is the massive Fontaine de l’Observatoire, a collective work of many French sculptors. It was designed to represent the four parts of the world with four female figures (representing Europe, Asia, America, and Africa) holding a celestial globe.

The fountain was commissioned by Baron Haussmann during the redesign of Paris when the Avenue de l’Observatoire was being constructed on the Meridian line. The zero meridian, or the vertical line perpendicular to the equator, passes through Paris and its observatory.

The Luxembourg Garden has metal medallions indicating the course of the zero Meridian. The Paris Meridian is no longer in use and has been replaced by the Greenwich zero Meridian.

Botanical Heritage

Several orangeries have come and gone in the Luxembourg Garden, but the one present today dates back to 1839. It has around 180 plants in containers, most of which belong to the citrus family. Oleanders, date palms, and pomegranates are some of the other plants in the Orangerie.

The oldest bitter orange trees, around 250 to 300 years old, are displayed in the garden every year along the southern facade from May to October.

The Luxembourg Garden also houses an apple orchard that dates back to the 17th century and includes over 350 varieties of apples and around 250 varieties of pears today. In 1991, the fruit garden was officially recognized as the ‘conservatory orchard’.

If you love green, this garden is the perfect place for you; it is a paradise! Trees, magnificent greenhouses, a rose garden, an apiary, the orchard the park’s gardeners have worked all year!

Managed by the Senate since 1879, the garden has greenhouses with decorative plants and plants conserving the heritage of the mid-19th century. One of the greenhouses is specifically reserved for orchids and includes more than 60 species. 

There are some very happy bees in the Luxembourg Garden as well. Since all of Paris is a no-pesticide zone, these insects are living their best lives pollinating flowers and fruit at will! The apiary and bee school (Rucher in French) has been in the park since the 1800s. The school still runs, and classes are given on an ongoing basis.

The students sell the harvest of honey at the annual Fête du Miel. The beehives are worth a visit to see the beautiful wooden boxes. You can find them in the southwestern part of the garden closest to the Rue d'Assas.

Where Is the Luxembourg Garden and How to Get There

Situated between two popular neighborhoods, the Jardin Luxembourg is a melting pot of activities. Not only is it appreciated for its beauty but also for the various activities that can be carried out on the premises. While it is hard to choose the most beautiful park in Paris, the Luxembourg Garden is set apart by its unique contrasting features- from the Medici fountain and the Senate palace to the tiny sailboats and puppet shows.

The Luxembourg Garden covers around 23 hectares in the 6th Arrondissement and is popular for its tree-lined promenades, flower beds and lawns, beautiful fountains and sculptures, tennis courts, and model sailboats. It is a must-visit on your trip to Paris.

It is within walking distance from the two most popular neighborhoods, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It is accessible through the Luxembourg station on RER B and Odéon on metro line 4. 

The gardens are open year-round. The opening and closing hours of the gardens are dependent on the sunlight and are increased by 15-minute increments as it nears summertime with glorious sunny days when it opens from 07:30 am to 09:30 pm. During peak winters, the garden remains open from 08:15 am to 04:30 pm.

There is no admission fee to enter the garden, so free access for everyone!

What’s In and Around the Luxembourg Gardens?

I sprinkled that information throughout this post, but if you skipped down to get “the good stuff,” here is the list of highlights!

• Marie de Medici Fountain
• Fontaine de Leda: installed during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, located behind the Fontaine de Medicis.
• Théâtre des Marionnettes
• Sail bateaux à voiles on the large pond
• Statue of Liberty replica
• Pétanque courts
• Jardin du Luxembourg Carrousel
• Beehives
• L'Orangerie, where you will find nurturing orange trees, citrus crates, date palms, and pomegranates.
• In the warmer months, you can find Pony Ride operators who take children on a ride for about 5,00 euros.
• If you are a fan, the garden has excellent basketball courts!

You do not have to go all the way to the Rue de Rivoli to enjoy some delightful Angelina pastries, or perhaps a cup of their infamous chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) if it is cooler outside, as there is one right at the entrance near the Musée du Luxembourg (19 Rue de Vaugirard) called Mademoiselle Angelina. It's open from 10 am to 5:45 pm every day.

Of course, I recommend checking out the museum as well! However, that could be a bit tricky, as it hosts only two exhibitions a year. It is actually Paris' oldest public museum and the first museum of contemporary art.

And while the Luxembourg Garden is a destination in and of itself, there is also plenty to do nearby. There are several places to visit in the surrounding quarter.

1. Panthéon: The 18th-century temple of the French nation, the Panthéon is 10 minutes away from the garden. You can visit the tombs of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Alexandre Dumas.
2. Saint-Germain-des-Prés: A neighborhood full of legends and history, Saint-Germain-des-Prés is home to the oldest abbey in Paris and to popular cafes where Parisian artists and writers of the 20th century frequented for inspiration.
3. Latin Quarter: Famed for its bookshops, student-filled cafes, and winding cobblestone streets, the Latin Quarter is the oldest district in the city. Even today, it paints a pretty picture of medieval Paris. 
4. Musée Zadkine: The museum, dedicated to the Russian sculptor Ossip Zadkine, traces the artist's artistic evolution and houses his workshop. It has a collection of statues and sculptures nestled in the greenery.
5. Odéon Theatre: One of France’s six national theatres, Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe was built in 1782 and was the first monumental Parisian building dedicated to theatre. 
6. Église Saint-Sulpice: It is the second-largest church in Paris, with a beautiful facade and one of the filming locations for The Da Vinci Code. 
7. Fontaine Saint-Sulpice: Built in the Renaissance style, the Saint-Sulpice fountain is a historic monument created by Louis Visconti. It is often referred to as the Fountain of the Four Cardinal Points because of the statues of the four bishops at its center.
8. Saint Michel: The Saint Michel fountain is a popular tourist destination near Notre Dame Cathedral. It represents the struggle of Good against Evil through the slaying of the Devil by Archangel Michael. 

• This is a great tour that starts in the Luxembourg Garden.
• This is a great tour that ends in the Luxembourg Garden.

Restaurants in the Luxembourg Garden

• Mademoiselle Angelina (19 Rue de Vaugirard) in the museum, all the treats they are known for!
• La Terrasse de Madame (138 Rue de Médicis). The food is okay, but it is a great place for hot wine (vin chaud) when it is cold outside.
• La Table du Luxembourg (7 Rue Guynemer) nice terrace, and classic French fare.

Restaurants just outside the Luxembourg Gardens

• We had an exceptional lunch at La Cuisine de Philippe (25 Rue Servandoni), and I highly recommend this restaurant!
• Karavaki au Jardin du Luxembourg (7 Rue Gay-Lussac) Greek food.
• Le Petit Medicis (13 Rue de Médicis) nice terrace with classic French food.
• Treize Bakery Paris (5 Rue de Médicis) organic bakery.

Hotels near Luxembourg Gardens

This is a lovely area to stay in with access to the rest of the 6th arrondissement and the 5th as well.

• Hôtel les Jardins du Luxembourg
• The Charming Luxembourg Garden
• Hotel Elysa-Luxembourg
• Hôtel Observatoire Luxembourg
• Hôtel Luxembourg Parc

Luxembourg Gardens FAQ

More Paris Gardens to Explore

The Luxembourg Garden is just one of many gardens in Paris. My master list covers over 70 parks worth checking out, and I have separate guides to the Tuileries Garden, Buttes Chaumont (Parc des Buttes Chaumont), and Parc Monceau if you want to keep wandering.

Further reading:

• I love history and am fascinated by the historical details of the places I visit. There is a group of history and photography students at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, who contribute to the multi-term course “Paris: History, Image, Myth.” with essays and research. There is a fascinating article on the Luxembourg Gardens focused on the period between the First and Second World Wars. Gertrude Stein, Hemingway… I highly recommend reading it!

How about you? Have you visited the Luxembourg Garden? What did you think? What was your favorite part?

Like it? PIN it!