True story: I first learned about Luxembourg Gardens while messing around on Google Maps one night. And I almost didn’t get to visit it in person because I’m actually that terrible at navigation.
Okay, so when I booked my train ticket from London to Paris earlier this year, I quickly went on Google Maps to scope out some sights in the French capital. For the first time in my life, I studied a map of Paris knowing I’d soon be walking those very streets – this wasn’t just a dream anymore. I used Google’s street view at random to check out various winding boulevards, and each new discovery led to an “Ooh, I have to go here.”
In the middle of this seemingly frivolous exercise, I happened upon the Palais du Luxembourg, and then I became serious. I needed to visit this dreamy palace garden that looked to be straight out of a fairy tale.
I tried to find Luxembourg Gardens when I first arrived in Paris, but I got so sidetracked with other sights (the Eiffel Tower! Arc de Triomphe! Some old church!) that by the time I arrived, the gardens were closed for the day. It didn’t help that I’d gotten hopelessly lost on my way from the Eiffel Tower.
The next morning, I set off to find Luxembourg Gardens and again, I became distracted. A Nelson Mandela statue. The Louvre. The Eiffel Tower yet again! Everything excited me. Now, I’m strolling along the Seine, I recall thinking. How classic am I? I felt like the star of an old foreign film as I meandered next to one of the most famous rivers in the world. In my unfaltering embrace of every Parisian cliche, I nearly forgot about Luxembourg Gardens.
Finally, when I was a few streets away from Luxembourg Gardens, I started to get a little hungry. For lunch, I had popped into a small sandwich shop and wolfed down some ham on a fresh baguette. I spent four dollars on that meal, and in a city with a reputation for expensive food, I was mighty proud of myself.
But, that baguette had been hours ago, and I could hear my stomach growl. I’m usually terrible about eating and sleeping while on vacation. I skip meals and rise before my alarm just to get a little more exploring in. I know, it borders on addiction, but that’s why I have a travel site, right?
In my ravenous state, I did something so quintessentially Paris that I’m retroactively a little jealous of myself. I wandered into a tiny, hole-in-the-wall crepe shop just a few blocks down from Luxembourg Gardens, and the shopkeeper was a kindly, older gentleman who doesn’t speak any English. Thankfully, he responded enthusiastically to my attempts at French, and a few minutes later, I received a plate with not one, but two sugar crepes. Two crepes for less than five dollars? I’ve paid more for a single crepe in D.C.’s Chinatown, which was delicious, but not quite authentic. Paris made me proud of my budgeting ways.
I ended up having the best two crepes of my entire life, and although I was tempted to order more, the clock had long since ticked past noon and I needed to see Luxembourg Gardens.
Sometimes, in these situations, we set ourselves up for disappointment. We’ve all built something up in our minds, only to finally experience it and be letdown.
Luxembourg Gardens is no such place, luckily.
Luxembourg Gardens epitomizes why I love Paris, I think to myself as I slide down into one of chairs lining the lawn. Here is what could be another tourist attraction, and yet, I’m completely surrounded by locals eating sandwiches, reading a book, or laughing with friends. The atmosphere is easy going and relaxed, and I start to feel a little guilty about how I’d spent my entire day in Paris rushing from arrondissement to arrondissement without taking a few moments to sit down and enjoy the city.
There’s a difference between seeing a city and enjoying a city.
As far as travel days go, my one full day in Paris was darn near perfect. Beautiful blue sky with a high of 78 degrees Fahrenheit…I’m not sure that better weather exists. Of course, I visited in spring, so all of the trees were just beginning to bloom. This seasonal feature looks lovely in photographs, but let me assure you, my allergies were not happy.
I had to interrupt a rather amorous couple to ask for this photo. Ah, solo travel.
While in Paris, I found it fun to try and spot the Eiffel Tower. Since the landmark is incredibly tall in a relatively low-rising city, you’ll enjoy unexpected Eiffel Tower views at nearly every turn.
The gardens boast quite the remarkable statue of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of the city of Paris.
The plot of grass that visitors are permitted to sit on change with the day, so be careful to follow the posted rules. If you can’t read French, simply avoid the plot that no one is sitting on.
If the gardens and palace look designed for royalty, that would be thanks to Marie du Medici, King Henry VI’s widow who commissioned this Italian-style palace in the early seventeenth century. Now, in a show of democratic prowess, the palace accommodates the French Senate and is therefore a working government office.
Traveler Tips:
- Many different metro stops service Luxembourg Gardens for those who don’t want to walk. The Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Odeon, and Cluny – La Sourbonne stops are all close by the gardens.
- Do check the opening and closing times before visiting – learn from my mistake, people!
- Plan to visit around lunchtime (about 2 p.m. in Paris) and simply do as the French do. Pack a baguette picnic lunch and relax in one of the reclining chairs.
