Walking in the Jardin du Luxembourg

One of Paris’s loveliest parks, the Jardins du Luxembourg is packed with activities for kids.

Enter through the main entrance on boulevard Saint-Michel – there are two good ice-cream stalls just outside – and head down the broad gravel avenue. Turn right after the bandstand (where concerts take place on summer afternoons). The pleasant café (1) serves snacks, salads, and simple hot dishes. At the end of the path, head down the steps to the Fontaine Médicis (2) and look at its scary Cyclops sculpture. This is a good place to feed the ducks, so remember to bring bread. Look for huge black carp lurking in the water. Retrace your steps and follow the balustrade to the statues of French queens. Then go down to the pond (3), where you can rent toy sailboats in the summer. Stroll pas the Palais du Luxembourg (now the French Senate). The Jardin de la Roseraie (4) has sandboxes for little ones and benches for parents. This side of the park is a hive of activity, with people playing tennis, chess, and basketball; for kids there are pony rides (5), old-fashioned swingboats, a hand-cranked vintage carousel, and the Marionnettes du Luxembourg (6) puppet theater. Although shows (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday) are in French, many of the stories, such as Les Trois Petits Cochons (The Three Little Pigs), will be familiar. The nearby playground (7) has an entrance fee but offers more adventurous slides and climbing structures (for kids up to 12 years) than most Paris playgrounds. If you’ve planned ahead, relax with a picnic on one of the two lawns (8,9) reserved for families with children.

Metro Station : Luxembourg (RER Line B)