Did you know? In Paris, a forest garden hides in a library

In the 13th arrondissement, a forest is said to nestle in the heart of a huge library: conceived as a veritable green space in the middle of an urban environment, this forest-garden can be discovered just off the banks of the Seine, in the heart of the François Mitterrand site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

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While the BnF's four towers in the shape of open books (each nearly 80 metres high) are well known, the forest garden is only familiar to regular visitors to this beautiful library. Designed as a cloister byarchitect Dominique Perrault and landscape architect Eric Jacobsen, this one-hectare space offers a green bubble in the heart of the BnF.

Good news: the BnF forest garden is open to the general public every year from June to September. Visits are only available on certain Saturdays, and cost €9 full price and €5 for children (aged 5 to 18). Reservations are strongly recommended!

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