Just steps from Paris, in the Yvelines, the only ville-parc de France reserves for the printemps 2026 one of its prettiest botanical surprises: the glycines de Chine at the parc des Ibis au Vésinet are just coming into bloom, their long purple strands unfurling this late April along the shores of the Grand Lac des Ibis. Accessible in under thirty minutes from Paris via the RER A (Le Vésinet-Le Pecq or Le Vésinet-Centre stations), this site classé as a site naturel since an order dated 5 February 1934 is a nature stop you don't see coming, and you won't want to leave.
Before it became one of the region’s finest green lungs, this area was part of the old Yvelines Forest, acquired by Francis I in the 16th century and long set aside for royal hunting. It was under the impetus of the Duke of Morny, Napoleon III’s half-brother, that from 1856 onward the Touraine industrialist Alphonse Pallu and the landscape architect Count de Choulot began transforming this forest into a garden city without equal. The Count de Choulot’s ambition was clear from the start: to preserve and respect this exceptional natural heritage rather than sacrifice it to development. The result is striking and unique in France: more than thirty hectares of green spaces, six artificial lakes, and four kilometers of rivers shape a city you travel through as if it were a park, and a park you live in as if it were a city.
The entirely artificial hydraulic network, designed by engineer Xavier Dufrayer, is especially striking. The lakes connect with each other through winding rivers, punctuated by ornamental cascades carved by an Alpicois rock carver, Mathias Chabot, some of whose structures can still be admired today. The urban-planning brief was strict from the outset: no industry, no warehouses. Gardeners and florists, however, are welcome. To learn more about the history of this unique creation, the Fondation pour le Vésinet lays out all the details.
Within this city-park, the Parc des Ibis and its lake anchor the whole ensemble. The island and its shoreline boast 456 trees, with another 88 new trees planted during 2024 and 2025. Of the roughly a hundred species recorded on site, the oak stands out as the emblematic tree of Le Vésinet. Across the commune, there are 115 remarkable oaks, the oldest exceeding 250 years. The absolute record goes to a 350-year-old oak in the northern part of town, and to an even older tree, estimated at more than 400 years, perched on the bank of a private island to the west. A reminder to recalibrate our own sense of time as we stroll beneath these green vaulted arches.
This natural haven is sadly one of the first victims of climate volatility. The storms of 2023 and 2024 toppled 49 trees on the site. But the losses are modest compared with the trauma of the 1999 Lothar storm, whose winds exceeding 170 km/h destroyed or severely damaged 3,000 trees across the Vésinet, including 194 at the Ibis alone. A replanting push began the following year, with 62 new trees on the site and 620 in the commune, then another 130 trees planted between 2002 and 2023. The city of Le Vésinet and the Fondation pour le Vésinet are carrying on this effort, with replantings overseen by Benoît de Choulot, landscape architect and great-grandson of the Count de Choulot himself.
In the heart of the park, the Grand Lac des Ibis, dug out in 1866, houses a island of about three hectares whose history reads like a novel. First known as Île du Champ de Courses, it was ringed by a racecourse that remained active from 1866 to 1891. In 1904, it took its current name in memory of the exotic ibises brought there that year. Two years later, in 1906, a cafe-restaurant, the Casino des Ibis, was built by architect Marcel Oudin. Redeveloped in 1927, the island also became home to the Vésinet Ibis Tennis Club from 1925. The entire site has belonged to the municipality since 1914, and the grand lake and its lawns have been designated a natural site since 1934, making it one of the rare peri-urban green spaces in Île-de-France to enjoy such protection.
One of the place's lasting innovations is that you can have lunch or dinner directly on the island, with your feet almost in the water, thanks to the Pavillon des Ibis. Housed in a building dating from 1900 and fully renovated in 2018 in a warm, respectful spirit that preserves the venue’s soul, the restaurant is reached by crossing the small bridge connecting the island to the park. You push open the door and immediately take in the setting: a bright rotunda with wicker panels evoking a winter garden, blue velvet armchairs, ibis statues scattered here and there, and above all a 180-degree view over the lake and its swans. On the terrace in spring, it’s hard to beat.
It is precisely at the end of April and the start of May 2026 that the park reveals one of its most striking showcases. Unlike the glycines common varieties that finish blooming in Paris, the Chinese wisterias of Parc des Ibis, with longer, denser clusters, bloom later in this Yvelines corner where temperatures stay a touch cooler. The result is spectacular: cascades mauve and white spill over the railings and trellises, reflected in the calm waters of the lake. For fans of floral strolls in Île-de-France, it's a spot not to miss this spring. Swans, grey herons, ducks and geese with their young complete a tableau that looks straight out of an impressionist painting. A heron can stay motionless on its islet for hours, vigilant, in a nearly mineral stillness that never fails to surprise.
The park is also ideal for families: playgrounds welcome children, the lawns invite for a lakeside picnic, and it is entirely safe, with no car traffic. Those who want to combine the visit with other good spots in the area can consult our guide to the best picnic spots in the Yvelines. Access to the park is free and open all year round and has no opening hours, the site sitting right in the heart of the city itself.
The stroll doesn’t stop at the lake’s edge. Following the rivers that link the five lakes together, you skirt past hundreds of exceptional villas that the Vésinet is known for. The Villa Berthe, nicknamed la Hublotière (route de Montesson), an Art Nouveau masterpiece signed Hector Guimard in 1896, deserves a stop for its façades, all distinctly different. Farther on, the villa Beau-Chêne (avenue Georges-Clemenceau), built in Louis XIII style between 1890 and 1891, was the residence of Joséphine Baker and her cheetah Chiquita from 1929 to 1947. It’s said that one day the animal escaped, triggering a memorable panic in these quiet streets. The villa is private, but its park typically opens during the European Heritage Days. For those who want to go further, the Société d'Histoire du Vésinet and the Société d'Initiatives et de Défense du Site du Vésinet (SIDSV) offer guided walking tours on request.
To reach Parc des Ibis, take the RER A to Le Vésinet-Le Pecq station, then stroll up Avenue du Grand Veneur until you face the lake. The park entrance is free and open to the public. To extend your day in the Yvelines, our guide to the quirky parks and gardens of the 78 is packed with walk ideas in the same spirit.
Our take : This park works equally well as a safe green space for families with children and as a haven for heritage enthusiasts, photography lovers, or easygoing nature strolls. It’s the ideal spot for photographers in the morning or late afternoon, when the light turns the lake’s fountain into a rainbow or when the low sun brings the clusters of wisteria to life.
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Location
Ibis Park
parc des ibis
78110 Vesinet (Le)
Access
RER A Le Vésinet - Le Pecq
Prices
Free
Recommended age
For all
