Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg): Paris Location and Highlights

The Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg) occupy 26 hectares (64 acres) in Paris's 6th arrondissement, on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche).

Precise Boundaries

• North: Rue de Médicis
• South: Rue de Vaugirard
• East: Rue Guynemer
• West: Boulevard Saint-Michel

Key Features

• Palais du Luxembourg: 1625 palace; now French Senate seat
• Formal French gardens: Parterres, terraces, Medici Fountain (1630)
• English landscape garden: Winding paths, mature trees, meadow
• Orangerie: 1839 greenhouse; 180+ citrus, palms, laurels
• Apiary & orchard: Educational beekeeping, heritage apples/pears
• Statues: 100+ — French queens, writers, mythological figures
• Recreation: Chess, tennis, pétanque, puppet theater (Guignol), pony rides, model boats on Grand Bassin

Access

• Métro: Luxembourg (RER B), Odéon (Lines 4, 10), Saint-Sulpice (Line 4)
• Bus: 58, 84, 89, 38, 82, 83
• Hours: 7:30 AM – 1 hr before sunset (varies seasonally: ~5:30 PM winter, ~9:30 PM summer)
• Admission: Free

History

Created 1612 for Marie de' Medici (Palais du Luxembourg). Redesigned 19th century by Chalgrin. Public since Revolution. Hemingway, Sartre, Hemingway frequented. Featured in Les Misérables (Marius/Cosette meet here).