Summer is one of the best season to enjoy Paris, with blue sky and warm atmosphere. Having a relaxing picnic with a couple of best friends is a good ways to enjoy summer in Paris. It is said that French people are the ones who invented picnic ( the word itself comes from the French "pique-nique"), which is not surprising as French are well know for enjoying everyday's life.
But choosing a good spot is essential for having a perfect picnic, an not that many places are suitable in Paris. Although the city owns a lot of beautiful parks and fields, it must be noticed that not all the parks allow you to sit on the grass. Apart from that, the quality of the grass and the view is also an important thing to take into consideration. But don’t worry, we have selected for you 7 top places for a perfect picnic, so take your basket and let’s go! If you want to know more about picnic culture in France, have a look at our previous article here.
Being the biggest and the oldest public garden in Paris, le Jardin des Tuileries is the first choice of a lot of Parisian people for their picnics. During the week, a lot of locals come here to enjoy their afternoon by sitting next to the fountain or read a book under the tree. Hundreds of flowers are planted in this beautiful Parisian park, the flowers that bloom in the summer bring colors to the park. There are also many works of art scattered in the garden, bringing a touch of art to this French picnic spot. You can spend the whole afternoon on the grass and enjoy the sun while appreciating the beautiful view of this royal garden.
Transportation: Metro line 1 Tuileries station / line 1, 8, 12 Concorde station / line 1, 7 Palais Royal Musée du Louvre station
Opening hours: October-March 7:00-19:30 / April, May, September 7:00-21:00 / June-August 7:00-23:00
No one can resist the charm of the Eiffel Tower, it is the best symbol of the romance and elegance of Paris. That’s why Champs de Mars is always crowded with travelers who love to have a relaxing moment next to the Eiffel Tower. You can enjoy your Parisien picnic and the beautiful view both in the daytime and at night, the light show of the Eiffel Tower is always worth seeing. In addition to being the best picnic spot in Paris, the Champ de Mars is also one of the best places to take photos of the Eiffel Tower. At the foot of the tower, there are many vendors selling frozen pink wine. If you don’t have enough wine for your French picnic, you can always reload from them.
Transportation: Metro line 8 École Militaire station / line 6 Bir-Hakeim / Bus line 69, 86 Champ de Mars station
Opening hours: 24-hours
Paris’s oldest planned square in Paris, Place des Vosges, was built in 1605. It was called the king’s royal palace until the French Revolution. Walk into the square and you can still feel the depth of history. Place des Vosges is also one of the best picnic places in Paris. Every time you pass by here, you can see many French people having a picnic Parisians living in the neighborhood love to take a nice sandwich and spend their lunchtime on the bench or on the grass in Place des Vosges。Every Thursday and Sunday there is a big food market next to the square where you can find all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits. After chilling on the grass you can pay a visit to the house of Victor Hugo which is right next to the square.
Transportation: Metro line 1, 5, 8 Bastille station / Bus line 29, 96 Place des Vosges station / line 69, 79 Birague station
Opening hours: 24-hours
If you ask a Parisien what his favorite garden is, the answer will probably be le Jardin du Luxembourg. Compared to the popular spots like Jardin de Tuileries or Champ de Mars that are crowded by tourists, le Jardin du Luxembourg is quieter and can allow you to better enjoy some private time. If you want to enjoy your French picnic here, the large block of grass next to the boulevard is a perfect choice. While walking in the park you can see sculptures in memory of famous writers and poets everywhere. This park has also appeared in many literary masterpieces, such as Les Misérables and the three Musketeers.
Transportation: RER B Luxembourg station / line 4, 10 Odéon station
Opening hours: Open between 7:30 and 8:15, close between 16:30 and 21:30 (Opening hours vary by season.)
Le Parc André citroën is a little bit far away from the "Intramuros Paris”: so it is more quiet and less touristic than others. It is also the place where departs the "Ballon de Paris", hot air balloon. It can be a good opportunity to see Paris from the sky.
Transportation: Metro line 8 Lourmel station / RER C Boulevard-Victor
Opening hours: May-August 8:00-21:30 / September 8:00-20:30 / 1st-24'th October 8:00-19:30 / 25th October-February 8:00-17:45
Paris is a city full of surprises, you would never know that hidden in the middle of the 12th arrondissement of Paris there is such a nice park for people living in the neighborhood. Le Jardin de Reuilly is the largest green space in the arrondissement, after the Bois de Vincennes and the Parc de Bercy. This garden owns a very large lawn, inhabitants of the district love to come here to lie under the sun to take some color. The lawn is overlooked by Reuilly footbridge and surrounded by small theme gardens, which allows you to take a great walk inside.
Transportation: Metro line 8 Montgallet station
Opening time: May-August 8:00-21:30 / September 8:00-20:30 / 1st-24th October 8:00-19:30 / 25th October-February 8:00-17:45
This exquisite small park is hidden in the artistic Marais district. Unlike the other park we’ve introduced in this article, this park is more like an intimate place to enjoy some alone time. The park is not big but with a very nice view and lots of beautiful plants.
Transportation: Metro line 1 Saint-paul station
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00–19:00 / Sat-Sun 9:00–19:00
We hope that you discovered great parks, and that you will have the chance to enjoy a nice picnic in Paris soon. Don't forget sunscreen, hats and a lot of water, as Parisian summer days can be very hot.
Author - Huizi Liu
Photographs - Xiangfei Deng