The garden for plants and trees in Paris
If you are currently in Paris it is time to go for a walk in the Jardin des Plantes. This garden is one of the world’s foremost botanical gardens and it offers the widest variety of flowers, plants and trees which can be admired in Paris. And this week… the Japanese cherry trees are in bloom! Once it has started the cherry blossom only last a couple of days. So do not miss it if you can: It is so beautiful! And if one petal falls on you, you will be lucky within the next year!
Not only the cherry trees but also other plants and trees and celebrating the arrival of spring this week in the Jardin des Plantes. One can admire the Magnolia in the allée Chevreul next to the entrance located at the corner Rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire and Rue Cuvier…
Or the Butterfly Bush in the Botanical School Garden…
And if you stroll along the main alleys between the Galerie de l’Evolution and the Seine you will be delighted with the seasonal flower beds: the colour harmonies are always magnificent. On this early spring let’s enjoy the red, orange and yellow Iceland poppies, daffodils, primroses in all sorts of colours, light pink hyacinths, tulips, …
Flowers are not the only one to be born this spring in the Jardin des Plantes. Look who I bumped into in the Botanical School Garden…
THE Garden for animals, whether dead or alive
Indeed the Jardin des Plantes is not only THE place for plants and trees in Paris but also a paradise for animals of all times whether they are dead or alive. If you prefer them alive, visit the Ménagerie, which is one of the oldest zoos in the world and is located inside the garden. I am fond of this place which is human-sized and I especially love its outmoded atmosphere!
One can also enjoy dead animals by visiting either the Galerie de Paléontologie which is famous for its dinosaurs’ skeletons or the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution where one can admire preserved animals. And not to mention the ‘Dodo Manège’ which is unique in Paris: It is a charming merry-go-round on which children can ride extinct or endangered animals: a sivatherium, a gorilla, a panda, a Tasmanian wolf, … or the dodo, which is a bird that used to live in Mauritius until the end of 17th century. One would like to be a child again so as to ride one of those beautiful animals!
One last piece of advice: If you decide to visit the Jardin des Plantes during the week-end, try to go there in the morning rather than in the afternoon, much more crowded especially on sunny Sundays. And to prepare your visit, here is a map!
Enjoy!
Practical information : Jardin des plantes – 57 rue Cuvier 75005 Paris
Christine Bokobza – Good Morning Paris B&B – www.goodmorningparis.fr
How enjoyable starting the day with those beautiful flowers blooming in the heart of the quartier latin can be. Thank you Christine for your weiting photos and insights on Paris