Buttes-Chaumont Park

The most English of all the parks in the capital, this green oasis in the north east of Paris is also a Parisian favourite. Inaugurated for the World’s Fair in 1867, it occupies the site of a former gypsum quarry and was, for a time, a rubbish dump before it was transformed as part of the great Haussmannian vision for Paris by the engineer Jean-Charles Alphand. The makeover necessitated the addition of one million cubic metres of land for flora to flourish, which has proved to be a largely rewarded effort. A triumphant emblem of the nineteenth century, the park boasts numerous beautiful features which we still enjoy today.

Cafés and puppet shows

This hilly, vast 25-hectare park offers spectacular views over Paris, especially onto the Montmartre hill and the Sacré Coeur. The novel design of artificial caves and waterfalls, the lake and island crowned by the Sybille Temple inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy, the suspension bridge and generous lawns which cover the hilly slopes, all give it a deeply romantic charm.

Not to mention the rich variety of tree species — oriental plane trees, Byzantium hazelnut trees, ginkgo biloba, Siberian elm, Lebanese cedars — beautiful sand-coloured pathways, puppet show kiosks that kids adore, the Pavillon du Lac restaurant and bar with its impressive terrace, and the popular bar-café Rosa Bonheur, that draws the crowds from Thursday to Sunday. It’s not hard to understand why this park is popular all year round.