Created in 1862, just after rural Batignolles became part of the city of Paris, this pleasant green space still offers respite. The Square des Batignolles has a little creek framed by weeping willows, a pond with a fountain, walking [more...]

You'll find superb views on the winding paths of the Buttes-Chaumont park. It's hilly, so bring your hiking shoes. The park is so close and yet feels so natural, poetic, and at times exotic: gypsies lived here for a century, from the [more...]

Pack a picnic and jump on the RER to see the main attraction at Versailles: the vast, geometric, breathtaking gardens. Finding just the right spot is half the fun, as you stroll around the winding paths.

Getting there:
It [more...]

A walk from Bastille to the "Bois de Vincennes" park. It's a pretty plant-lined walk using the platform for old train tracks so you're above the city. Sadly not for cycling or dogs, but great for a jog or walk. Entrance is at Bastille [more...]

This beautiful, peaceful park seems by a stroke of luck to have been overlooked by most – it’s incredibly peaceful, especially given its prime location. Make it your favorite hiding spot.

Take your date to see a less well-known, but still awesome, view of Paris from up in the Belleville park (in the 20eme). Water pours down the hill in successive fountains, making this a nice place to cool down on hot days. Metro [more...]

Take a breath of fresh air amidst the 800 different types of trees of the arboretum of the Ecole de Breuil, which is part of the Vincennes woods (though technically still in Paris, you have to take the RER out to Joinville-Le-Pont).

If you’re tired of all the perfectly-trimmed gardens of Paris, try one that’s been left to nature’s whims – the “Jardin Sauvage” (wild garden) of Saint Vincent, in the 18eme. Its quiet, overgrown charm makes it a perfect [more...]

Pack your lunch bag and bring your date to the beautiful Japanese garden at the Musee Guimet (free access). It’s very quiet and peaceful, and you can take a look inside a little Buddhist pantheon as well. There’s also a tea house [more...]

Take a hike in the mountains. Though Paris might not be that elevated, it does have an Alps garden – the “jardin alpin” hidden in the Jardin des Plantes. Walk up the hill on a small path surrounded by over 2,000 types of mountain [more...]

For one of the most romantic vistas in town, check out the waterfalls at the Bois de Boulogne park. Against the backdrop of a lake, jagged cliffs and woods, it’s a perfect kissing spot if there ever was one!

For a truly lovely Saturday or Sunday, bring your bikes or rollerblades or just yourselves to Joinville-le-Pont to have a picnic on the island/park in the middle of the Marne river. Then spend the afternoon biking/skating/walking down [more...]

Take a walk in a park whose entrance is protected by 2 bronze bulls and is lined with iron pavillions. A unique section of the park is dedicated to the blind, with the sound of the fountains and the smell of the flowers acting as [more...]

If you and your date are into plant life, go for a stroll in the lush Jardin des Plantes and then visit the Grande Serre (greenhouse) to see tropical plants including banana trees and bamboo and the Jardin Alpin where you will find over [more...]

A lush, green area in the middle of the Seine! This little known park is located at the very end of Ile de la Cite and is a favorite spot for lovers to meet and dream the afternoon away. The park is accessible from a staircase leading [more...]

This is a hidden, mysterious garden; a resting place in the middle of the surrounding hectic life of central Paris. With trees lining the outside and a fountain in the middle, this garden is a cool, refreshing spot to come in the [more...]

Take your date for a beautiful walk through the rolling green hills of the Parc Montsouris, a lovely park built on a former necropolis containing over 6 million bodies! Today, however, all you can see is lots and lots of [more...]

For a romantic stroll in nature without the long commute out of the city, take your date to the gorgeous Parc Bagatelle which contains Paris's most beautiful and tended-to rose garden, situated in the Bois de Boulogne. For a very small [more...]

Forget the zoo – if your date is a fellow reptile lover, “La Ferme Tropicale,” in the 13th arrondissement, is a much more interesting visit. The huge, three-floor store is home to all sorts of rare snakes, frogs, toads, lizards [more...]

Take your date on a treasure hunt in the Bois de Boulogne and spend you time searching for a tiny, hidden ampitheatre/garden dedicated to Shakespeare. The garden is divided into various sections, each section containing the plants that [more...]