Pré Catelan Garden and the Shakespeare Garden, the Bois de Boulogne's secret gardens

If someone mentions the Bois de Boulogne and its lakes, you’ll probably know them. Yet just a few steps away, there’s another garden. A garden in the heart of the woods, little-known but far calmer: the Jardin du Pré Catelan, a green space to discover in the 16th arrondissement.

Its name comes from Théophile Catelan, captain of Louis XIV's royal hunts. Created in 1856, it sits on the former site of a clearing from which stones were quarried to pave the Bois de Boulogne.

When it opened, the place wasn’t a garden but a genuine amusement park (for adults): among its attractions were an aquarium, a magic theatre, a photography studio… And people came to drink fresh milk directly at the dairy, located inside the park, until 1870, when the Franco-Prussian War broke out, and then the Paris Commune divided the capital.

Today, the Jardin du Pré Catelan is a far cry from its former theme-park days, yet the site remains a perfect spot for a stroll or a run, with a children’s playground (for kids up to 12) and ping-pong tables. Of the old amusement-park era, only a few relics survive, notably the dairy, repurposed into a small utility chalet (per Paris.fr), the Pré-Catelan restaurant, and the theatre of greenery.

The Jardin du Pré Catelan, however, preserves a thread of dreaminess, thanks to its collection of remarkable trees: several araucarias, nicknamed the "monkey's despair," a red beech more than 200 years old, several ginkgo biloba, known as the "Forty-Ecu trees," and a towering sequoia...

Within the jardin du Pré Catelan you’ll also find the théâtre de verdure, which hosts a host of theatrical performances each year. Behind the theatre, the jardin Shakespeare sits tucked away, named after the celebrated English playwright; it’s open only from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and when there are no summer performances. The garden comprises several small thematic plots, inspired by the author’s famous plays.

The Pré Catelan garden is open every day of the year, with hours that vary by season. Entrance is free and open to everyone. The garden is easily reachable by bike or on foot from RER C station Henri-Martin. The T3b tram (Porte Dauphine stop) will drop you about 1.7 km from the garden, and the same goes for bus 244 (Bagatelle–Pré Catelan stop), which stops about an eight-minute walk away. If you’d like to extend your stroll into the Bois de Boulogne gardens, note that the Pré Catelan garden sits near the lovely Parc de Bagatelle.

Paris's Bois de Boulogne: one of the capital's green lungs
Along with the Bois de Vincennes, the Bois de Boulogne is one of the two largest green spaces accessible by metro. Situated to the west of the capital, it's a sublime place to live, offering sublime green landscapes and a beautiful botanical heritage. [Read more]

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