Jardin des Plantes

The Botanical Garden is located in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, in the Latin Quarter. This popular green space is tucked in between the Seine, the Jussieu campus and the Paris Mosque. Heir to the royal garden of medicinal plants created by Louis XIII in 1635, this "King's Garden" became the National, Natural History Museum of the French Revolution. Nowadays it's a scientific research facility and a place to share a little natural culture. This garden, that flourishes across a surface of 23.5 hectares, has been a place to walk around and explore for some four centuries now. The main entrance of the garden, facing the Seine River, covers 3 hectares across its 500 metre length, overlooking the bottom of the Grand Gallery of Evolution. In its centre, the main avenue is lined with flower beds that flourish in spring and summer closeby the Alpine Garden. Along the Gallery of Mineralogy on the side of the Gare d'Austerlitz (Austerlitz Railway Station), the rose garden hosts more than 170 varieties. The four large tropical greenhouses, built in the nineteenth century and recently renovated national monuments, have a fantastic collection of exotic plants. Each greenhouse has a theme: human tropical vegetation, the history of plants, New Caledonia, and deserts. Finally there is the famous Thoiry zoo, founded in 1794, the second oldest in the world. Dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and rainforest flora, it contains over 1000 animals across its 5.5 hectare territory. Paris City Vision suggests that you go for a wildlife adventure during a visit of the Zoologiccal reserve and the Castle of Thoiry, where you will discover a magnificent African reserve.