Luxembourg Gardens 

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Location

Paris
France
48° 50' 46.3992" N, 2° 20' 13.776" E
FR
General info: 

The Luxembourg Gardens became known all around the world when Victor Hugo included it in his masterpiece ‘Les Miserables’. Spread with statues, fountains and flowers, the Luxembourg Gardens is a nice breath of fresh air close to the city centre.

Originally the park served as the garden of the Luxembourg Palace in the times when Marie de' Medici (King Louis XVIII’s widow) lived there. Nowadays the Luxembourg Palace is the home of the French Senate. The park has several monuments the most important one being the Medici Fountain, which was built in the 17th century in the Italian Renaissance manner.

Being perhaps the most romantic park in Paris, the Luxembourg Gardens does get pretty crowded on sunny days.

Getting there: 

The Luxembourg Gardens are located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, a few blocks to the south-west from the Notre Dame. Luxembourg is the closest metro station.

Costs: 

The Luxembourg Gardens are a public area, thus no entrance fee is needed.

Interesting places nearby

At the bottom of Midi Peak of Bigorre, the Mongie-Barèges, you find the Tourmalet field, by many considered to be the best skiing area in the French Pyrenees.

The charming little ski town of La Norma in the heart of the Savoyard French Alps is located at 1350 metres in altitude, on a vast tree covered plateau which leads to the Vanoise mountain range and further on, the upper valley of the Arc

Settled on the west of Pyrenees, at a height of 1650 meters, the Pierre Saint Martin is a ski resort with a magnificent landscape.

La Plagne is a beautiful place – a plateau surrounded by the great snow covered alpine peaks. You have to say this first because it has a reputation for ugly buildings.

Located in the Engadine, the biggest snow sports region in Switzerland. Amid unrivalled sweeping scenery you will find expertly prepared slopes served by state-of-the-art lift facilities.

Right at the heart of the Haute-Tarentaise region of the French Alps, the friendly resort of La Rosière (1850 m).