Destinations

Paris is almost as well-known for its parks and gardens as for its food and architecture. One of the great treats of walking around this city is to discover these leafy retreats, grand to miniature, that provide a moment of pastoral pleasure or rest for the weary.

If you're visiting and want a diversion from serious museum-going or a place to walk off a major meal, head for one of these parks or gardens for a couple of hours. You'll find a fascinating mix of activity and options, nature and design, formality and spontaneity.

If you're a serious gardener or just like to get your hands dirty once in a while in your window boxes, you'll find the variety of plantings and the interspersing of colors and shapes inspiring. You can take away lots of ideas for livening up your backyard or terrace.

If you are a bird lover, Paris's parks are havens for innumerable species. Some are common and can be observed everywhere. Others are rare and might require your investing in a French bird guide in order to identify them.

We've picked some of the best-known as well as our personal favorites to share with you, but there are many lesser-known, wonderful green spaces throughout the city, in the public squares and places, in church yards and apartment blocks, that delight the eye and provide relief from the stone facades and city streets. We welcome your comments and suggestions through the message boards about the discoveries you make.

BOIS DE BOULOGNE. The Bois makes New York's Central Park seem like a small-town playground. The Bois, or Woods, of 2,000 acres on the western edge of the city bordering the Seine, is vast, with restaurants, gardens, museums, race tracks, lakes, sports grounds, and a zoo and kid's amusement park, as well as wide-open spaces and dense woods interspersed with bike, walking, and horse trails.

During weekdays, you can glimpse tableaux in the Bois that make you shiver with recognition at this real-life composition of lovers wrapped together on the grassy bank, a scene you thought existed only on Impressionist canvases. And then there are Sunday afternoons, when the roads turn into speedways and the traffic on the bike trails suggests the Champs-Elysées.

If you simply want to get some exercise, the best way to sample the Bois may be to rent a bike and follow the trails. In an hour or two, you can make your way around the layout and get a sense of what most intrigues you, whether it's harness racing, miniature sail boating, sporting in the woods, or eating a two-star meal.

There are two places to rent bikes during the day: One is at the northern edge of the Lac Inférieur, on the east side of the Bois, across from the boat rental shed. Bike rental costs are reasonable but you will need an identity card, usually a credit card, or pay a deposit, until you return the bike and pay.

There are men's and women's bikes, some for small children with training wheels and others with children's seats on the back. You may gulp when they ask for your credit card, but in the couple of times we've tried this, we've always gotten it back. The other is across from the entrance to the Jardin d'Acclimatation, which is actually a terrific small zoo and amusement park to delight the kids.

If you want to rent the boats, for a leisurely (and on the weekends crowded) row around the lake, with the lovely island gardens as your vista, they will accomodate up to five people.

We read in the guidebooks that the Bois is dangerous by night, but since we never hang out in any woods at night, we don't know what lurks there. If you do go there at night, presumably you should know what kind of excitement you are looking for.

We do spend a lot of time studying restaurants, and the Bois has two top restaurants, the Pré Catalan and La Grande Cascade, which are very beautiful architectually and very pricey. A more reasonable choice is L'Auberge du Bonheur, which is in an old coach house tucked away behind the glamorous Grande Cascade. There's a lovely outdoor pavilion for Sunday lunch or dinner with simple grilled dishes. Phone: 01 42 24 10 17 for reservations. Another romantic evening possibility is the Chalet des Iles on the island in the Lac Inférieur, with a small ferry to take you across. Reservations suggested.

When you live near the Bois as we do, and bought bikes on the basis that we could pedal around whenever we please, you begin to sort out the paths and byways that excite your interest.

CHECKLIST OF PARIS PARKS

BOIS DE VINCENNES. This woods on Paris's eastern edge is, like the Bois de Boulogne, a huge expanse of woodland punctuated by a variety of attractions. Among them is the 15th-century Château de Vincennes. There's a horse-racing track here, along with a wide range of sports facilities and Paris's biggest zoo. Various fairs are held here periodically. Metro: Porte Dorée. The Château, dating from the 15th century, is best reached at the Métro Château de Vincennes.

JARDIN DES TUILERIES. Another creation by Le Nôtre, the famed designer of the gardens at Versailles and many other historic gardens. Flanked by terraces on the north and south, there are geometrical arrangements of trees and paths leading from the Carrousel of the Louvre on the east, to the main gate at the Concorde on the west. The gate is flanked by the Jeu de Paume museum on the north and l'Orangerie on the south. There's the usual merry-go-round, puppet shows and pond for sailing boats, but this is a park for resting tired feet after the Louvre or trekking down the Champs-Elysées.

JARDIN DE LUXEMBOURG. The premier people-watching park of Paris, dominated by the pond and its circles of chairs, perfect for seeing and being seen by the hordes of strollers who make their way to the tennis courts, chess tables, puppet shows, and boule games which make this such a lively spot. Métro: Luxembourg.

PARC MONCEAU. Within walking distance of the Arc de Triomphe, this lovely gem of a park is filled with magnificent trees and plantings, arranged in the natural English style, with little grottoes, a quiet water garden, and a fine collection of interesting bench sitters to arouse your curiosity. Metro: Monceau.

PARC ANDRE CITROEN. Opened in 1992, this is a truly post-modern park, integrating a series of lovely glass structures with indoor plants, outdoor gardens with single color schemes relating to the five senses, and a lush, secretive wild garden. It's punctuated with fascinating moving waters—little rushing water troughs, a great fountain of alternating water jets that kids can't resist, a canal and vista to the Seine. If you have the time to explore this very conceptual and sensual place, you'll come away refreshed and excited about the future of parks. It is located on the left bank near Beaugrenelle, an ugly clump of out-of-place skyscrapers that are as depressing as the Parc is refreshing. Metro: Javel.

Fat Tire Bike Tours are great for seeing Paris in a different light. You'll see more, have more fun, and not feel tired at the end of it. These are highly recommended and truly a great thing to do during your stay.