The Jardin des Plantes is east of the Latin Quarter. In addition to the famous botanical garden, the Jardin offers a menagerie/zoo, a maze, and various specialized greenhouses, as well as a Natural History Museum.

The garden features neat beds of herbs and flowers (labeled in Latin, with explanations in French), and straight rows of trees, plus a rose garden, an iris garden, and various other plantings.

While the Jardin des Plantes will thrill botanists, it is also a fascinating and beautiful place for all nature lovers—even if you don't understand the Latin, you can still appreciate the gorgeous plantings as you stroll through this beautiful park.

The menagerie and its nearby playground will delight the children, as will the carousel with its fanciful animals (including a dinosaur). The menagerie was started in 1794, incorporating animals from the Royal Menagerie at Versailles.

The National Museum of Natural History, at the far end of the Jardin, contains the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution. Displays of minerals and geology are found in the nearby Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie.

The Jardin des Plantes owes its existence in part to Louis XIII, who approved its founding in 1626. But this botanical garden's real builders were the king's physicians, who needed their own arsenal of medicinal herbs to cure the Royal Indispositions.

Métro: Gare d'Austerlitz or Jussieu
RER: Gare d'Austerlitz