Serres d'Auteuil Paris

In this pretty garden, open to the public free of charge, there are five pretty greenhouses that offer the opportunity to discover the vegetation of different regions of the world. These are the last large greenhouses to have been built in France in the 19th century.

In one of the greenhouses, I walk among small and large cacti as if I was in a desert in Mexico. In another (the largest), I walk among tropical plants as if I was in the Amazon forest. I spend time watching Japanese carp swimming in a small water basin and listening to the song of the many multicoloured parakeets in the aviary. In yet another greenhouse, I feel like I am in the Sahel.

In all, the garden has more than 6,000 plant species. Among the most original plants in the greenhouses are the caramel tree, birds of paradise and lilacs from India. It is very pleasant to walk in this garden in summer. A large central lawn in front of the largest greenhouse is decorated with benches, flowers and statues.

What I particularly like about this garden is that it is calm. Feel free to come here to read, picnic or just walk in the greenhouses. Most of the time, when I come here, I have lunch at the famous Brasserie d'Auteuil, a beautiful restaurant with a nice terrace and I have a drink on the rooftop of the luxury hotel Molitor which is very close to the garden, maybe 5 minutes away.