Paris Top Tips

No. 12 - Jardin des Plantes

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Jardin des Plantes – Paris' Historic Botanical Garden

Background

The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France, located in the 5th arrondissement, on the Seine behind the Sorbonne.

Originally established in 1635 as a royal medicinal herb garden, it has evolved into a major centre for botany, research, and public education.

It is a large walled garden, which is free to enter and wander around. Within which are various building and exhibitions, including:
- Zoo
- Grande gallery of Evolution*
- Gallery of Palaeontology*
- Gallery of Geology*
- Tropical Greenhouses*
- Library (free)
*Shut on Tuesdays

I highly recommend the gallery of Evolution (provided you don’t mind stuffed animals) just the building alone is worth the entrance fee let alone the range of species you can look at up close. It needs 1 – 1.5 hours, and it should be noted that the information inside is all in French.

The Gardens

Formal Garden (Grand Carré): Symmetrical pathways with seasonal flowerbeds.
Alpine Garden: Rare and delicate mountain plants.
Rose and Iris Gardens: Blooming beautifully in spring and summer.
Ecological Garden: Mimics natural French habitats.
Greenhouses (Grandes Serres): Tropical, arid, and New Caledonian environments (ticketed)

The Galleries

Grande Galerie de l’Évolution: An impressive display of biodiversity, evolution, and endangered species.

Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy: Dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and animal structures.

Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology: Sparkling crystals, rare stones, and meteorites.

La Ménagerie (The Zoo)

One of the world’s oldest zoos (founded in 1794). It focuses on small and endangered species and is set in a beautifully landscaped section of the garden.

Tickets

Purchased individually at €13 per person, per entrance to each different exhibition, within the gardens.

To make that clear, you can walk in and around the gardens for free, but to visit inside the galleries, greenhouse or zoo you need to buy a seperate €13 ticket for each thing.

Tickets can be brought online on an hourly timeslot, you wont be limited to time in. This is recommended, to avoid disappointment.

Pre book tickets

Food and drink

It contains 3 food stands within the garden and a Café in the Grande Gallerie de l’Évolution.

Crible on the South West corner does a fantastic takeaway coffee, genuinely one of the best, and I like coffee.

If you're looking for a restaurant, try one of the many on Rue Mouffetard nearby

Access

Entrances are only:
Along the South side (Rue Buffon)
South East corner (Gare d’Austerlitz)
North West corner (Rue Linne)
There is NO entrance in the North or East sides.

Gare d’Austerlitz
Line C – RER! yellow
Line 5 - Orange
Line 10 - Yellow

Jussieu, Place Monge or Censier-Daubenton
Line 7 – Pink