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10 Amazing Places To Picnic In Paris
Bois de Vincennes
Paris may not have as many green spaces as London or New York, but enough to have a picnic every day of the week for as long as you are there – and then some. Tops among the popular favorites are the large parks on the edge of the city, the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes.
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
Another favourite: the Parc des Buttes Chaumont (19th arr.) – romantic, multicultural and lively, but with so much space that everybody can always find a quite corner, too.
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Parc Montsouris
The Parc Montsouris in the south of the city (14th arr.): not quite as large, but also with a lake in its centre – and equally beloved by the people in the neighbourhood.
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Parc Monceau
In addition to its large parks, Paris has many public gardens: smaller in scale, cuter, but also more mannered. The most well-known of these jardins publiques is the Parc Monceau (8th arr.) near the Arc de Triomphe.
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Square des Batignolles
Less grand but equally pretty is the Square des Batignolles (17th arr.), a miniature version of the Parc desButtes-Chaumont (landscaped by the same architect). Note that in gardens like these, you may be told to keep off the grass and have to content yourself with a bench.
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Canal Saint-Martin
One of my favourite outdoor places for eating offers neither grass nor benches: just sit by the side of the Canal Saint-Martin to join the students from one of the many near-by colleges during their lunch break.
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Place des Vosges
Most Parisian parks and public gardens are small, so buildings are never far away – allowing you to have your picnic in the shadow of some of the world’s most famous architecture. On the historic Place des Vosges, for example ...
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Square du Vert-Galant
... or on the Square du Vert-Galant, the very tip of the Ile de la Cite: Louvre and Pont des Arts ahead, Notre Dame Cathedral in your back.
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Montmartre Sacre Coeur
There is quite a large public garden around the Sacre Coeur Basilica, too, starting on the eastern side of the church and stretching all the way down the Montmartre hill.
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Champ de Mars
Or you can wine and dine in the shadow of the most famous Parisian building of them all. Bon appétit!
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About Michael Schuermann
Former broadcast journalist, first with the BBC World Service in London then with several sports cable TV channels, the last of which was Eurosport (France) specialising in American sports. Wrote guide book Paris Movie Walks, about my adopted hometown (since 1993). Now, blogging about easy hiking aiming to interest as many people as possible from different age groups to take it up as it is one of the best thing I discovered albeit a little late in my adult life. Married with one son.
Read more about Michael Schuermann here.
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