Paris, the City of Lights, captivates its visitors by day with its museums, landmarks and boutiques. Every attraction transports those who enter into a place of cultural or historical significance. Taking all visitors into a wonderland of exotic plants and flowers is the Jardin de Plantes, France’s main botanical garden, stretching along the bank of the Seine.
Beginning as an herb garden of the physician of Louise Xlll, Jardin de Plantes was opened to the public in 1640. As a part of the National Museum of Natural History, its 26 hectares include four galleries of the museum dedicated to evolution, anatomy, palaeontology and geology. It also hosts the School of Botany, which educates the next generation of amateur and professional botanists, and a small zoo. Displaying an extraordinary variety of plant life, the eleven gardens create a continuously changing scene throughout the year.
French gardening principles can be observed down the hedges of the ‘squares of perspectives’, which come into full bloom in the spring. Alpine landscapes are recreated in the middle of Paris where over 2000 plants from mountainous regions of the Andes and Alps thrive. Warmer, more humid climates are simulated in greenhouses that are home to orchids and other tropical plants.
Embracing the wilderness is the ecological garden which brings the Iles-de-France in its own micro climate of flora and fauna. A favourite walk of the visitor is the rose garden, where hundreds of roses come to bloom each spring in a myriad of colours, which is a wondrous sight to behold. Sections dedicated solely to peonies, irises and perennials and prehistoric plants showcase the diversity of plant life on earth and the fruit and vegetable garden of the complex provides organic produce for Parisians around the year. Try your skills at navigating the Labyrinth, a maze created by Comte de Buffon and break away from the bustling streets of Paris to revel in the beauties of nature.
Like other great Parisian attractions the Jardin de Plantes cannot be rushed, and the charm of the city truly comes alive when you stay in the city. Providing a striking backdrop to discover the city in style are luxury hotels Paris which embody the flamboyant and the charming. Combining those elements for a unique experience is Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris, newly reinvented to reflect the art and culture of the city. It is a great choice for any traveller who wishes to enjoy the essence of Paris in comfort in style. The location of this luxury hotel Paris opens up the city in minutes allowing you to embark on your very own adventures.
