Bois de Vincennes, 995 Hectares of Freedom Just Outside Paris
The call of a peacock cuts through the morning silence. Just a few steps from the metro station, joggers cross paths with motionless herons along the edge of the lac Daumesnil. Three times larger than Central Park, this green lung on the eastern edge of Paris conceals abandoned Khmer temples, a working farm, and the tallest medieval keep in Europe beneath its leafy canopy.
Why Explore Bois de Vincennes?
A former royal hunting ground where Saint Louis dispensed justice beneath an oak tree, the woods were transformed into a public park by Napoleon III. Engineer Jean-Charles Alphand, creator of the Buttes-Chaumont Park, designed its artificial lakes, winding paths, and romantic waterfalls. Unlike its western twin, the Bois de Boulogne, this park retains a wilder, less manicured feel.
The park also hosts major attractions: the Parc Zoologique de Paris, renovated in 2014, the Parc Floral with its 3,000 plant species, the hippodrome de Vincennes for harness racing, and the Cartoucherie, a renowned center for contemporary theater. This diversity makes it as much a Sunday playground as a cultural destination in its own right.
Four Lakes, Four Vibes
Lac Daumesnil, the largest of the group, draws families with its rowboats for rent and its two islands connected by a bridge. Île de Reuilly is home to a rustic restaurant and a romantic temple complete with a grotto. Lac des Minimes, to the east, offers a more intimate setting featuring the remains of an old monastery. The Rosa Bonheur chalet serves pizzas there on a shaded terrace.
Quieter still, lac de Gravelle and lac de Saint-Mandé suit those seeking absolute calm. The latter, sitting at the highest elevation, feeds the others through a network of artificial streams built in the 19th century.
The Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale: An Unexpected Journey
At the northeastern edge of the woods, this 4.5-hectare garden remains largely unknown to Parisians. Created in 1899 to experiment with colonial crops, it hosted the Colonial Exhibition of 1907. Today, its Indochinese pavilions, its Khmer bridge, and its Chinese gate stand amid vegetation that has returned to a wild state.
Friendly tip: take the RER A to Nogent-sur-Marne. The garden entrance is located 500 metres from the station. The site is free, uncrowded, and particularly photogenic in the low light of late afternoon.
Activities and Festivals
Biking remains the best way to explore the woods. Rental spots are available near the lakes and the château esplanade. The free Ferme de Paris lets children see farm animals right in the city. In the summer, the Paris Jazz Festival and Classique au Vert offer free daytime concerts at the Parc Floral.
Not to be missed:
- A rowboat ride on lac Daumesnil
- The Parc Floral and its mini golf course featuring Parisian monuments
- The château de Vincennes and its 52-metre keep
- The Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale and its forgotten pavilions
I recently went back to the Bois de Vincennes. It remains a really pleasant place to get some fresh air without leaving Paris. It is so big that you can do tons of activities there, like biking, walking, or just relaxing by the lake. However, some areas seem less well-frequented to me now, which was not the case just a few years ago. I would advise against going in the evening.