The Jardin du Luxembourg is the much-loved garden of the Left Bank, spread around the palace that houses the French Senate in the 6th arrondissement. Parisians come here to read in the famous green metal chairs, play chess, jog the paths and watch children push toy sailboats across the big pond. Entry to the Jardin du Luxembourg is free, and it is one of the best places in the city to slow down for an hour between sights.
Why visit the Jardin du Luxembourg
The garden was created in the early 17th century for Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henri IV, who built the Luxembourg Palace in a style that recalled her native Florence. Today the palace is the seat of the Senate, which still manages the garden. The layout mixes a formal French garden of terraces, lawns and flower beds with a more relaxed English-style area of trees and winding paths. Around 100 statues are scattered through the grounds, including a row of queens and famous women of France around the central terraces.
What makes the garden special is how much it is used by the people who live around it. Students from the nearby universities revise on the benches, older residents play cards or chess under the trees, and families gather around the pond and the playground. Pulling two of the green chairs together, one to sit on and one for your feet, in a sunny spot by the Grand Bassin is about as Parisian as an afternoon gets.
How to get to the Jardin du Luxembourg by metro
The garden has several gates, so the best station depends on which side you want:
- Odéon on lines 4 and 10 is a short walk from the gates near the palace and the Medici Fountain on the north-east side.
- Luxembourg on RER line B comes out right by the eastern edge of the garden on Boulevard Saint-Michel.
- Notre-Dame-des-Champs on line 12 and Vavin on line 4 are handy for the quieter western and southern gates.
Opening hours and entry
Entry is free. The gates open in the morning and close around dusk, so opening times change through the year, longer in summer and shorter in winter. A whistle from the guards signals closing time. Some activities inside, such as the puppet theatre, pony rides, the old carousel and the toy boat rental, are paid and often run mainly on Wednesdays, weekends and school holidays. The Musée du Luxembourg, at the edge of the garden, holds paid temporary exhibitions. For practical details about the garden, the official Senate website, senat.fr, has a section on the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Best time to visit and how long to stay
Every season has something. Spring brings blossoms and fresh flower beds, summer brings crowds on the lawns open to sitting and long evenings, and autumn turns the chestnut trees gold. Weekday mornings are peaceful, while sunny weekend afternoons are the liveliest and best for people watching. An hour is enough for a loop of the main sights, but many people stay half a day with a book and a picnic.
Highlights in the Jardin du Luxembourg
The Medici Fountain
A long, shaded pool leading to a grotto-style fountain, often called the most romantic corner of the garden.
The Grand Bassin
The octagonal pond in front of the palace, where children rent small wooden sailboats and push them across the water with sticks.
The puppet theatre and play areas
The garden has a traditional marionette theatre with shows in French, which young children enjoy even without the language, plus a large playground.
Statues, orchard and beehives
Look out for a small replica of the Statue of Liberty, an orchard of old apple and pear varieties, and an apiary in the south-western corner.
Chess, tennis and pétanque
Under the trees you will find chess tables, tennis courts and areas for pétanque, all well used by locals.
Nearby on the same metro stop
- Saint-Sulpice church: a vast church with Delacroix murals, a few minutes north.
- Odéon Theatre: the neoclassical theatre facing the garden's northern gates.
- The Panthéon: up Rue Soufflot from the eastern gates.
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés: famous cafés, bookshops and galleries just north of Odéon.
For more around the station, open the Jardin du Luxembourg on Around the Metro, or browse other stops on the Paris metro map.