Just across the peripherique there are a large number wooded areas that are bursting out into summer bloom. In these domaines you can ride bikes or even hike since they cover much larger areas than the parks inside of the capitol. For example, the Bois de Boulogne offers so many playgrounds and garden paths it would take the entire summer to discover them all. June is the ideal time of year to visit the Bois de Boulogne's rose garden at Bagatelle which will be full of blossoms all month long. Rose enthusiasts should also visit the garden at l'Hay-les-Roses. It's a little further outside of the city, but worth the detour on a weekend. Note that this garden will be closed on certain days this month because of a special treatment given to diseased rose bushes so make sure to check the dates on their website before heading out.
During the month of June, I've decided to put together a selection of my favorite parks around Paris. The Parc de Sceaux, The Vallee aux Loups with Chateaubriand's mansion, Rambouillet and for my fellow food enthusiasts, the potager du roi in Versailles.
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| Aerial view of the Parc de Sceaux with its parterres descending from the chateau. Designed for Colbert by Andre Le Notre |
The Parc de Sceaux was designed by Andre Le Notre for Prime Minister Colbert in the days of Louis XIV. Le Notre, in his signature style, installed a canal that unfolds symmetrically underneath a rushing waterfall, evenly spaced out plane and chestnut trees around the waterway, and included a majestic view over parterres that descends from the chateau to the edge of the park. Bike riders today can catch the coulee verte, a path that leads from Paris to Massy, at this exit. There are many grassy areas for picnicks, kicking around a soccer ball, or setting up a badminton net. During hot summer days, try the outdoor swimming pool at the grenouillere.
The Domaine de Sceaux is a weekend rendez-vous for local joggers, in the late afternoon young families show up and the park is full of toddlers shuffling little wooden tricycles around with their feet and adolescents playing ball games in the large open field that sprawls over a hillside, or chatting in one of the intimate pathways that meander through the wooded areas.
I strongly suggest visiting the chateau's interior. Although the original building constructed by Colbert has been torn down, the nineteenth century residence of the Trevise family has beautiful furniture and some very interesting paintings from all the previous residents of the domain: the Colberts in the seventeenth century, the duc de Maine and Penthievres in the eighteenth century and the Trevise in the nineteenth century. The stables have been renovated into a special exhibit hall where some very poignant studies have been presented over the past years. At the moment paintings that were hung in the Grande Galerie at the Louvre for Louis XIV in 1704 are exhibited. There is also an outdoor photography exhibit displaying photos of buildings throughout the Hauts-de-Seine department.
The domain regularly organizes events within the park. To celebrate Andre Le Notre's 400th birthday, special events are planned on weekends throughout the year. On June 29 and 30 take a free themed tour of the garden "Andre Le Notre and the Jardin a la francaise". On the 14 and 15 of this month an open air performance of The Magic Flute is scheduled. And during July and August the annual Festival de l'Orangerie will bring chamber music into the gardens.
This month, take a few daring steps across Paris' threshold and discover the wealth of outdoor activities all around us. Next week, I'll tell you about the most enchanted forest in the Paris region : La Vallee aux Loups, where Romantic author Chateaubriand built his snug little residence in the early nineteenth century.
-CSL
Domaine de Sceaux
Parc et Musee de l'Ile de France
Website
Access by RER B: Parc de Sceaux, Bourg-la-Reine or La Croix de Berny
Open everyday from sunrise to sunset
Museum hours:
10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm
Museum closed on Tuesdays
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