Jardin du Pre Catelan

The Pré Catelan is a small botanical garden found within the Bois de Boulogne, the woodlands to the west of Paris. It’s one of my favourite places to sit and read on the rare occasions in Paris when the sun comes out. It’s so quiet that it’s hard to believe you are only minutes from the Boulevard Peripherique, the main boulevard circling Paris.

The garden is mostly wide open space but some areas have small winding paths which you can explore.  There is also the Jardin Shakespeare which has all the plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s works.

I’m not the only one who likes to sit and read in the park.

If you have kids, you can let them play on the grass (unlike in other Parisian parks), play on the swings, and/or take them to the Theatre de Verdure du Jardin Shakespeare to see one of the regular shows.

As for the garden itself, the flower displays obviously change with the seasons but in general, they aren’t anything special. You can see the tulips in spring but during the rest of the year the flower displays are quite subdued.

I don’t know what this is:

Wheelbarrow art?

If you are feeling hungry and want a full on foodie experience, you can try the Le Pré Catelan Restaurant run by Frederic Anton. You can read a very detailed review of the restaurant at Food Snob. It’s not for the budget conscious and the review is mixed but it would be quite an experience.

Lastly there is this copper beech tree which has been labelled as a ‘remarkable tree’ for both its age and the circumference of its trunk. It is believed to be more than 200 years old and is 5.60 metres in circumference.