Bois de Vincennes
At 995 hectares, the Bois de Vincennes is larger than Central Park and far less manicured than the Bois de Boulogne — a genuine urban forest where you can cycle for hours, picnic beside ornamental lakes and completely forget you are minutes from the capital. It is the green anchor of eastern Paris, beloved by locals and almost invisible on most tourist itineraries.
Lakes, Temples and Cycling Trails
The park contains four lakes — Lac Daumesnil, Lac des Minimes, Lac de Gravelle and Lac de Saint-Mandé — each with its own character. Lac Daumesnil is the most scenic, ringed by weeping willows and home to a small island you can reach by rowing boat hired from the lakeside kiosk.
A well-marked cycling circuit of roughly 12 km loops the entire park; hire a Vélib' bike at the Château de Vincennes station or bring your own. The route passes the Buddhist Temple of the Vincennes pagoda, a striking 1930s structure built for the Colonial Exhibition that now serves as a working Tibetan Buddhist centre.
Hidden Gardens Within the Forest
Tucked inside the Bois is the Parc Floral de Paris, a 35-hectare botanical garden that hosts open-air jazz and classical concerts on summer weekends. The dahlia and iris collections are spectacular in late spring, and the children's play areas make it a perfect family half-day.
The Arboretum de l'École du Breuil, a working horticultural school open to the public, is even less visited — a peaceful grid of labelled trees from across the world where you can walk in near-total silence on a weekday afternoon.
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