Luxembourg gardens

In the heart of the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, border the Luxembourg Palace which is the headquarters of the French senate since 1958. The gardens are open to the public and are located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, close to the Sorbonne and Saint-Germain-des-Près. A breath of fresh air in plain city centre, these are one of the capital's biggest gardens (covering an area of 25 hectares), created by Marie de Médicis in 1612. Marie de Médicis drew her inspiration from the Bobili Gardens of Florence and from the Palazzo Pitti for the Luxembourg Palace (whose name comes from its first owner, François de Piney, duke of Luxembourg). Romantic and not to be missed, the gardens are a highly frequented place by tourists and Parisian walkers, who know it as the 'Luco'. Made up of long promenades, wooded areas and vast lawns, it also has both French and English style flowerbeds, planted upon its creation by André Le Nôtre. The park is home to, amongst other treasures, over 100 statues including the Médicis Fountain, an apiary school, an orange tree, various greenhouses, a fruit garden and some remarkable, century old trees. On the lake facing the Palace, young children navigate their miniature wooden sail-boats, whilst in the iconic bandstand, classical, jazz and world-music concerts are held during spring and summer. Previously the "Royal Painting Gallery", in 1750 the Luxembourg Museum became the first museum to be opened to the French public. On the garden's gates, photo exhibitions are held, with the themes environment, society and discovery. During your visit of Paris, you can discover other Paris gardens, such as the Buttes Chaumont which is a much loved place by tourists and Parisians alike. The Paris Essential tour offered by Pariscityvision.com will show you the gardens from an open top bus, along with commentariesin many different languages.