A Visual Guide to Paris' Best Parks and Gardens

By Courtney Traub, About.com Guide

Conceived by the architect Haussmann in the late 19th century, the Buttes-Chaumont is a sweeping romantic-style park whose dramatic (albeit primarily man-made) bluffs, waterfalls, and rolling green hills provide a welcome sense of space and fresh air to overcrowded Parisians. The Buttes-Chaumont is not on the usual tourist circuit and is a great place to explore if you want to see where the locals go to get away from the grind.

Location: Main entrance at Rue Botzaris, 19th arrondissement
Metro: Buttes-Chaumont or Botzaris (Line 7 bis)

Nearby Sights and Attractions:

• Pere Lachaise Cemetery
• Belleville Neighborhood
• Canal Saint-Martin

Highlights:

• The "Petit Temple" (Little Temple) at the center of the park is a dome surrounded with white columns from which one can procure great views of Montmartre. Two bridges have you stroll across the man-made lake to lead to the temple.
  
  
• Artificial grottos and an imposing waterfall give the Buttes-Chaumont a slightly-campy amusement-park feel.
  
  
• A puppet theater at the park's south end will keep the kids entertained (generally open in spring and summer only).
  
  
• Picnics, naps, Frisbee or badminton matches are all ideal on the park's many hilly green spaces. Unlike many of Paris' parks, where sitting on the grass is forbidden, you can really sprawl out at this romantic-style park.