Jardins des Tuileries

If you're into gardening, you probalby know the French used to have a thing for gardens, or jardins, like they call them. The monarchy of France during the 16th and 17th centuries built many gardens in their castle and they created their own style of gardening: French Gardens.

The French Gardens are symetrical, with trees, plants and flowers well disposed, creating nice shapes and geometrical contours. The most famous example of this is at Versailles Castle, but in Jardins des Tuileries is also a nice one to visit.

History and Architecture

The Jardins des Tuileries was built in the 16th century by the same gardener as Versailles gardens, Andre Le Notre. It is a lot smaller than the other, but it is very beautiful as well.

It was created as a garden for the Royal Palace, that used to be the Louvre back in the days. The king ordered it for the royalty to enjoy the outsides.

Jardins des Tuileries has a main aisle that leads (or starts at, depending on the point of view) to the Louvre's courtyard. It connects the Palace to Place de la Concorde, and it is divided into square shaped gardens, with two main fountains.

What to see

It is a very nice place to visit and enjoy the open air. During spring and summer it is very green and flowered, during the autumn it gets redish, with leaves all over the ground - very beautiful, and during the winter the trees looses its leaves and if its really cold it can be covered in snow. Four different sceneries to visit.

Besides the nature, the garden has also some other attractions. Inside it you'll find the Musée de l'Orangerie, with art pieces from famous modern artists such as Monet, and Jeu de Paume, an old sports arena for the monachs, but now a place for art expositions.

Also, the Jardins lead to the Louvre, the main museum in the city and one of the biggest in the world and to Champs-Elysées avenue, starting at Place de la Concorde, where you'll find attractions such as Luxor Obelisque, Fontane des Mers and if you walk the whole street: Arc du Triomphe.

There is also another Arc inside the Jardins - The Carroussell Arch, made by Napoleon to honor his soldiers. Last, but not least, during autumn and winter a big Ferris Wheel is placed in the gardens, great place for a romantic date or a kid's programme. From the top of the wheel you can see the whole city of Paris, and you'll be facing the main attractions in town: Louvre and Champs-Elysées.

Visitations

Les Jardins des Tuileries are open every day from 7 am to 9 pm, and it's entrance is free.

I reccomend visiting this place. It is not only a touristic spot, but also a place where locals gather to practice jogging, playing with kids, walking with dogs, so it is a nice way to feel like a parisian for a brief moment, and then go back to being a tourist and going to Louvre or Champs-Elysées.

The Tuileries Garden is located in Paris (France). It is just in front of the Royal Palace, the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.

It is one of the oldest and largest gardens in Paris and is a public site. Personally, I love it and it is easily one of my favourite places in the city. The promenade that goes from the Louvre, which seems to join up with these gardens, is massive, yet really pretty.

Upon entering the garden, you will see a huge pond right in the centre and another even bigger one at the very far end that is octagonal, as well as two mini fountains. There are individual chairs that surround the pond and others that are somewhat more spread out. Sitting them and enjoying the views is one of the best things that I have ever done, although I would like to go back in the summertime when there is a bit more sun and when I have more time, as you cannot possibly stay there all day when you are a tourist and have other things to see. There are absolutely loads of pigeons flying over the fountain, so watch out for them. From this spot, you can admire the Royal Palace and the Louvre, which I love, and, in the other direction, you can see the Luxor Obelisk; sometimes, there is even a Ferris wheel! I don’t know where it is exactly, as I couldn’t find it the first time that I went to Paris. I don’t know if I had been wrong about where I thought it was because the sheer size of the wheel makes it kind of unmissable and it came up in lots of photos during Google searches (that was at the beginning of March). However, it was there the second time that I went, and it could be seen from the Tuileries Garden if you looked towards the Place de la Concorde. Above all, the wheel gives the garden and its views an even more special touch.

There are also several statues distributed across the entire garden, as well as benches and green spaces where you can relax or hang out with friends, as well as little refreshment stands where you can have a coffee (amongst other drinks) and some snacks. A Parisian friend of mine told me that it’s quite common to go there on Sundays and spend some time with friends.

You can get to the garden via the metro, alighting at the stop, “Tuileries” (line 1). Other stops found nearby that you may choose to alight at are: “Concorde” (lines 1, 8 and 12), “Pyramides” (lines 7 and 14), and “Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre” (lines 1 and 7).