Luxembourg Gardens

A trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to Jardin du Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Gardens.   The gardens started in 1612 when Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, constructed the Luxembourg Palace as her new residence.  The palace is now the meeting place of the French Senate which owns the park.  Covering 23 hectares (56.8 acres), the park is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, tennis courts, flowerbeds, and model sailboats floating in the Grand Bassin.  We're looking forward to spring flowers in the park and walk up Boulevard Saint-Michel from Place Saint-Michel (across from Notre Dame).

Boulevard Saint-Michel is lined with market stalls on this beautiful weekend day and we stop to admire the products available as we proceed up the street.

Street market

We reach the park and enter at a gate by the Palais du Luxembourg, home to the French Senate 

Entering the park

Map of the park

At a bandstand just inside the park, a group is singing for all of us passing by.

Music in the park

We listen to the music for a bit and then head over to the octagonal Grand Bassin which is packed with people relaxing, walking, and sailing small rental boats.

Relaxing at the Grand Bassin

Palais du Luxembourg in the background

We continue walking through the park, viewing the gardens, the people playing tennis, and the pony rides next to the tennis courts.

Beautiful gardens

Tennis and pony rides in the park

Leaving the park and walking back through the city toward the Seine, we find more street markets in the neighborhoods along the way.

Neighborhood street markets

The Luxembourg Gardens are spectacular any time of year, but particularly beautiful in the spring when the new flowers are in full bloom and the park is packed with people enjoying the day.