The Jardin des Plantes can be found in the 5th arrondissement of Paris close to the River Seine. The nearest metros are Austerlitz and Jussieu.
Explore the Jardin des Plantes de Paris
France This Way review: The Jardin des Plantes has a large colourful garden to explore but there is also a zoo and various museums to explore.
The Jardin des Plantes is France's largest botanical garden and is home to more than ten thousand different species.
The site covers twenty eight hectares and includes large greenhouses, a zoo and three museums called galleries; the Gallery of Evolution, the Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology, and the Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy.
Most people will be visiting the site initially to enjoy the beautiful walk from the Esplanade Lamarck near the river Seine to the Esplanade Milne-Edwards in front of the beautiful building that is home to the Gallery of Evolution.
Between two alleys there are five rectangular beds planted in French formal style with symmetry and repetition of more than six hundred varieties of plants. These draw your eye along this long perspective towards the Gallery.
These gardens are colourful and planted with a range of flowering plants and they are replanted each May and October to make sure there are seasonal plants in flower and to change the composition each year.
To the sides of these beds are the botanical gardens which are planted with different themes. There are medicinal plants and an ecological garden with plants that have been used by man over the centuries for different reasons including dyes and plants whose fibres have been used to make textiles.
There are also plants from different temperate regions around the world.
A garden devoted to irises and perennial plants also has a place and there is a rose garden with 320 varieties of rose and an alpine garden with 2000 alpine species from around the world.
To the side of the Gallery of Evolution is a cast iron Gloriette and a small labyrinth.
All around the garden there are various historic trees to discover and you can find their exact location on the Jardin des Plantes website.
There is a lot to see in the gardens alone but there are also the greenhouses, a zoo and the Galleries to discover.
There are four greenhouses and these are open to the public. A ticket can be bought at the entrance to the largest < ahref="https://www.francethisway.com/paris/places/jardin-des-plantes-serres.php" >greenhouse which is in a large Art Deco porch.
This first greenhouse is huge and is home to plants and trees of the rainforests. Next to this is a long gallery which is home to cacti and succulents.
Beyond is a greenhouse dedicated to the vegetation of New Caledonia.
Behind the greenhouses is the Jardin des Plantes Zoo which was created in 1794 and is one of the oldest in the world.
There are over 500 different species including the rare red panda and the largest herd of giraffes in Europe!
The large galleries are of course a major attraction of the Jardin des Plantes.
The Grand Gallery of Evolution has a beautiful cast iron interior and in its large central space there is a parade of species that will certainly be a hit with young families.
This interiour courtyard is 55 meters long and 15 meters high with a glass roof. It is beautiful and worth visiting the museum for this alone!
This gallery opened for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889 (along with the Eiffel Tower).
The Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology has some amazing huge crystals and Martian meteorites.
The Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy also has a large inner courtyard and here it is filled with a collection of skeletons of large vertebrates including a diplodocus and a 20 meter long baleen whale.
Lastly there is a botanical library that is free to enter and contains books on botany, zoology, ecology, prehistory and lots more. The library includes many ancient books.
There are various displays in the library and there is a colourful children's area with lots of books aimed at children.
The gardens and zoo are open every day and the greenhouses and galleries are open every day except Tuesdays.
The gardens are free and there is an entrance fee for the zoo, greenhouses and the galleries.
Attractions nearby
The Jardin des Plantes is next to the lovely sculpture garden, the Tino Rossi garden, that runs along between Quai Saint-Bernard and the River Seine
If you wish to explore some more gardens the Jardin des Plantes is less than two kilometers from the Jardin du Luxembourg.
See more gardens in France. You can find more travel ideas in the Paris region guide.
To make travel arrangements to visit Jardin des Plantes de Paris see HERE
Find Paris Hotels and Holiday Rentals
Reserve excursions in Paris
Photos of Jardin des Plantes de Paris
Click any picture to start the gallery
See complete Jardin des Plantes de Paris Photo Gallery
Map of Jardin des Plantes de Paris and places nearby
Places to visit near Jardin des Plantes de Paris
Greenhouses of the Jardin des Plantes
The greenhouses of the Jardin des Plantes de Paris house tropical plants, cacti and succulents and plants and trees of New Caledonia
Greenhouses of the Jardin des Plantes guide
Jardin Tino Rossi
The Tino Rossi garden is both a pretty riverside walk and garden and also an outdoor sculpture museum.
Jardin Tino Rossi guide
Arenes de Lutece
The Arenes de Lutece, a Roman amphitheatre, is the oldest monument in Paris
Arenes de Lutece guide
Pantheon
The 18th century Pantheon was originally to be a church based on the pantheon in Rome, but is actually used as a temple to honour the great and good from the world of French arts
Pantheon guide
Hôtel de Sens
The Hotel de Sens is a 15th century Bishop's palace in the Marais district of Paris
Hôtel de Sens guide
Church Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis
The Church Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is an imposing baroque style church in the Marais quarter of Paris
Church Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis guide