Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Parc des Buttes Chaumont is the public park with the widest variety of inhabitant species in Paris, and is the fifth-largest in the city (after the Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, Parc de la Villete and the Tuileries Garden, situated close to the Louvre).

The park is situated in the Belleville area, a bit further out from the very centre of Paris, but you can get to it very easily on foot, by bike or by catching the metro.

It is not very well-known, which seems a bit strange to me, because it has a lot of charm and is very much worth having a walk through it. I stumbled across whilst looking for information about what to see in Paris, but I had never actually heard of it. I decided to go there because I really liked the photos that I saw of it, and it definitely didn't disappoint me. In fact, I have been to Paris twice now, and I visited this park during both visits. At first, I was quite worried that the other people that I was with would not like me, as we were moving further away from the "famous" Paris that we had come to see and the walk was not at all short, but, in the end, everyone left feeling delighted.

The park has a triangular shape, and you can access it through one of the several entrances dotted around its periphery. There is a lake in the middle of the park, which is neither small nor large, that is home to lots of ducks. In the same area, you will find the Temple de la Sibylle, a lookout point with views of the entire park from which you can see Montmartre, as it is some 30 metres above the ground, as well as the famous Sacré-Cœur Basilica. To reach the temple, you have to walk and sweat a little bit, but, as you can see in the photos, the views are really worthwhile once you get up there.

The open green spaces are very pretty, and there are usually lots of people either lying down on the grass, running, walking their dogs, or hanging out with friends (in the case of young people), etc. In all honesty, it doesn't seem like you are in Paris at all, and it's for that reason that we sometimes remember places like these the most; for seeing something a bit more out of the ordinary in the city that you are visiting.

I also have to mention the mini waterfalls: I saw "mini" because, when I searched for information about the park, I had the impression that I was going to find myself in front of some huge waterfalls, but no...

Another area of the park that you have to see if you end up visiting is one of the bridges that heads in the direction of the Temple de la Sibylle: it is high up and crosses over one side of the lake.

If you want to eat something while you're there, you can bring your own food and have a picnic or you can buy something in one of the little huts dotted around the park. There, you will find popcorn, sweets, ice cream, hot dogs, etc.

To get to Parc des Buttes Chaumont using the metro, you have to take line 7bis (light green line) and you can alight at either "Buttes Chaumont" and "Botzaris". If you choose to take the bus, you can catch services 26, 48, 60 and 75. I hope that you like it!